When we think of the ancient city of Jericho, we think about the Israelites marching around the walls for seven days playing their trumpets, and then the walls came tumbling down. However, historically speaking, besides the trumpets, the Israelites played many percussion instruments (drums) for those seven days while they were marching around the walls of Jericho.
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I received an email from a reader asking me to write an article about giving a bid for festivals and club gigs. Other than the few glowing comments he used to flatter me into doing this piece, his letter included other points such as: “How much detail is required on the gear we’re supplying? Sometimes it feels like I’m giving too much information, and in other cases, too little. What format should the quote be in? What should my profit margin be? How should I account for and cost-in the ‘suck fee’ — contingencies for covering things that inevitably change after arriving at the venue, like having the generator moved at the last moment and needing to pull 300 feet of 4/0 feeder cable!”
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The old song might say “It never rains in Southern California,” but this time it did — but only sporadically and hardly enough to dampen the spirits of the 100,000 or so attendees at the Winter NAMM show from January 24 to 28. In fact, the mood at this year’s expo carried a decidedly good vibe. With the memories of 2008’s near-depression and 2012’s year-end “fiscal cliff” thankfully becoming a distant memory, the M.I. and pro industries seemed ready to get back to business. And there seemed to be plenty of business, with a feeling of optimism in the air and from the strong turnout of interested buyers and serious attendees, a sense that good times lie ahead.
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After returning from this year’s NAMM show, I’m finally starting to recover. No, this year I didn’t succumb to the dreaded NAMM-fluenza, or whatever they call that mysterious malady that comes from shaking the hands of 10,000 infected people, but NAMM is set up as a non-stop rock ‘n’ roll party packed into a four-day weekend. That isn’t to say that in-between the fun, there isn’t business (and a lot of hard work) squeezed in there as well, but for anyone who’s never been to a NAMM show, well, let’s just say it can be an intense experience.
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Bayside Church, Roseville, CA
When not on tour, Christian musician and pastor Lincoln Brewster can usually be found leading services at The Bayside Church, a four-campus church that typically draws a total 12,000 worshippers for weekend services. To meet the needs of the expanding congregation attending services at the church’s flagship location in Roseville, CA, church leaders recently expanded the seating capacity of the sanctuary from about 1,800 to 2,300.
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The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY had a glorious history that began in 1920s with vaudeville and movies (silent and talkies) before emerging, in the 1960s and 1970s, as a rock ‘n’ roll palace that dispensed sonic pleasures for those grooving to the sounds of the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead and other great bands of that generation. But like so many beautiful old theaters, the doors were locked and, despite an open-to-the-public revival in the 1980s and 1990s, where bands like Phish and local theater groups play The Cap, the venue was at risk of becoming a shadow of its former past. Could the wrecking ball be far behind?
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