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Thread: Tomorrow's the Big Day!

  1. #1

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    Default Tomorrow's the Big Day!

    Every year, I personally organize and my band hosts a multi-band jam/open stage festival in my home town. The focus is to get local musicians together in solidarity to meet each other, network, jam with each other, play music they don't normally get to....basically share their love of making music. It's free to the public and also gives new bands a chance to gain exposure. We also encourage members of the public who play an instrument to get up and play with a band backup, on stage with a PA system, etc.. There are many extremely talented musicians who just sit at home and play by themselves. They never get a chance to experience the joy of playing in a live band.
    We get old people in wheelchairs that play guitar, grade school kids who are learning, accomplished musicians new to the area looking for a band to join...you get the idea.
    We also involve a charity to help give back to the community. This year, I've teamed up with a local organization that helps "at risk or needy" veterans and their families.
    This year will be special;
    My town is one of the few that lies in the direct path of Monday's solar eclipse. They are expecting as many as 60,000 people from all over the nation (and the globe) in my home town this weekend. The event has been advertised as part of a national campaign to bring people to our small town. I have 6 bands lined up to play from 3pm to 11pm. My band will provide the sound system, drums and will host the event. I have numerous food vendors lined up and have permission to close off an entire street downtown.
    This has been a TON of work, but if we can raise some good money for homeless vets, it will be worth every minute.

    I'll post some pics on Sunday.

    As far as Mondays eclipse, Bill Nye (the Science Guy) is here, as well as NASA and scientists from all over the globe. Even people from Volvo will be here filming for a car commercial, LOL. The National Guard has been called out, all emergency response are on alert and there's rumors of highways all over southeast Nebraska being shut down due to excessive traffic volume. I hope we make it to Tuesday without any incidents!
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  2. #2

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    Great cause. I'm sure the community appreciates it. Could do without Bill Nye though

  3. #3

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    Way to go -- what a great event -- hope all goes well on Saturday and then again on Monday.
    Gretsch USA & Zildjian
    (What Else Would I Ever Need ?)


  4. #4

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    Default Re: Tomorrow's the Big Day!

    Quote Originally Posted by inthpktplayer View Post
    Great cause. I'm sure the community appreciates it. Could do without Bill Nye though
    Yeah, I'm not exactly a fan, but he draws people, and that's good for the local economy, LOL.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ricardo View Post
    Way to go -- what a great event -- hope all goes well on Saturday and then again on Monday.
    Thanks! It's gonna be a long weekend...
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  5. #5

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    That is awesome! Giving back and helping your local/band community. Sounds like a great cause a lot of vets are down and out and need some assistance. I wish you guys the best and have fun!

  6. #6

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    I hope it went well.

    I'm guessing you put an awful lot of work into it.
    Signature here

  7. #7

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    Well, it's finally over.....

    All in all, it went pretty well. I had one band cancel, but still had 6 (including mine).
    Everyone had a lot of problems with sound; bad cords, loose jacks, a bass amp and guitar pedals that just died, instruments constantly out of tune, etc.. We seem to have those issues every time it's outdoors with high heat and humidity. We had to cut it short 1/2 hour early due to a nasty severe storm and lightning that was approaching.

    The crowd turn out was not near as big as we had hoped. That said, we had fun and still raised a decent amount of money for the charity. I got to meet some great new musicians and bands...which is what it was all about.

    The old Premier XPK kit sounded fantastic live. My 14x8 Ludwig Supralite sounded phenomenal. I really love having other drummers play my kits live and being able to listen to them. That said, the old Premier, with its super deep "power toms", is not ideal to use as a back line kit. Most all the other drummers struggled with the mounted toms being so high.

    Unfortunately, I was so busy keeping things going, I was unable to take any pics or videos.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  8. #8

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    Outdoor gigs are always fun even if not as crowded as expected. And I love Bill Nye!
    Cool marketing concept. Too bad the crowd was down but many people probably getting in their last vacation before school starts back up.

  9. #9

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    It was an acceptable turn out. It lasted from 3pm to 11pm...and I'd guess at any given time there were about 60 people. Sometimes more, sometimes a few less. There's a TON of people in town due to the solar eclipse. It looks like a nerdy, Discovery Channel version of The Walking Dead, LOL. Every place in town had something going on, and we had "tourists" walking around down town all night. Many would walk up and listen for a while then move on. One issue was a lack of seating. All the picnic tables in town were reserved by the city for organized eclipse events. The tourists had no real place to sit, other than the small beer garden (which was full all night).
    All said, it was a fun (but tiring) day.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  10. #10

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    Glad it went well for you Brian!!!

  11. #11

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    You mean there's actually enough cars in Nebraska to even clog a highway?!!

    LOL

    all the best...

  12. #12

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    Glad the event turned out well! You must be totally exhausted!

    Edit: I found this pic from the 19th. Looks like your Premier kit...

    Last edited by late8; 08-21-2017 at 10:10 AM.

  13. #13

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    Yep! That's even my band playing. The blonde lady and guy behind the speakers are a duo that was jamming with us. One of the guys in my band got some good pics. I'll see if I can post them.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  14. #14

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    Default Re: Tomorrow's the Big Day!

    Quote Originally Posted by N2Bluz View Post
    Yep! That's even my band playing. The blonde lady and guy behind the speakers are a duo that was jamming with us. One of the guys in my band got some good pics. I'll see if I can post them.
    Sweet! I'm looking forward to seeing more pics!

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