Recently, I’ve gotten restless, and I’ve decided to begin playing music professionally again. Trouble is, I don’t have a lot of contacts here in Amarillo. So I’ve decided to apply the same techniques I recommend to my marketing clients to my own situation. That means I’ve got to find ways to get myself noticed around town. What you see at the left here is a poster I whipped up in an hour or so this evening. I’ve secured a one-night gig – kind of a “let’s see if this works” kind of thing. Obviously, I’d like this to turn into a regular gig. So I’m doing everything I know how to do to make that happen. First, we’ll start with promotions. I’m going to print several of these posters and give them to Pizza Hut. I figure that the combination of a nice-looking poster along with taking the initiative to promote my appearance there will go a long way towards helping them see the possibilities. It won’t cost me much to do it, and it will help serve my larger goal of getting my name out there as a musician in Amarillo. With only two days before the gig, I don’t have much time to self-promote, but I figure that anything I can do is better than sitting around and waiting for something good to happen. [Read more…] about A little experiment in musicial (self-)marketing.
School Daze.
Tomorrow is the first day of school for thousands of kids across Amarillo, my daughter included. While the exact day children go back to school may vary from district to district, there is one undeniable fact – the school year is longer than it was when I was a kid.
When I went to school (you know…back in the dark ages, when St. George slew the dragon…a time before cell phones, instant messaging, and satellite TV), school NEVER started before Labor Day, and never lasted beyond Memorial Day. Those two holidays were the bookends to the freedom days of my youth. Today, it is vastly different, with state legislatures regularly extending the required number of days in the school calendar every time they consider the matter. My question is “why”? [Read more…] about School Daze.
When the moon hits your eye.
Although I won’t be doing a Tribute to Dean Martin anywhere in my two sets (as the post title might imply), I will be playing live at Pizza Hut on I-40 (on the east-bound service road, between Coulter and Bell) in Amarillo (Centrally Located Between Two Oceans!™), on Wednesday, August 27th, from 10 PM to midnight. If you’re in Amarillo, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop by. Hopefully, this will be the first of many bookings in the Panhandle area.
Biden his time…
So after all the hype, all the speculation, and all the waiting, Biden’s the guy. Most of the pundits are asking the question “What does Biden bring to the ticket.” While that’s a question that certainly bears asking, I’d much rather go the other way, and ask “what does Biden take away from the Dem’s chances in November?” Fortunately, Biden is a known quantity – after all he was a candidate for President twice on his own – most recently this year.
In no particular order: [Read more…] about Biden his time…
A Musical Question.
As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m working on something that I’m pretty excited about. I still can’t say too much about it (I’m in the midst of submitting patent and trademark applications) but I can tease you a little bit with the name of the company. What I’d like to get is some feedback, particularly if you’re a musician (especially a fretted instrument player). In particular, I’m looking for information from individuals suffering from G.A.S. – Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.
The name of the company is GuitarFurniture, and you can visit our “coming soon” website at guitarfurniture.com. Without giving away too much, we’re going to be building fine furniture for your guitar. Our theory is that if you’re gonna spend $3,000 and up on a guitar, you’d be inclined to spend a little more to get a really great guitar stand for your instrument, instead of one of the typically cheap stands sold at most music stores. [Read more…] about A Musical Question.
Six of one…
When I was a kid, things in politics seemed much more simple. Republicans were the party of small government and low taxes. Democrats were the party of big government and big taxes. If you were for personal responsibility, you voted GOP. If you thought government had all the answers, you voted Democrat. Today, it’s not that easy. The GOP has been largely taken over by the RINOs (Republicans In Name Only), where conservative ideals and big government (and big government spending) have learned to peacefully co-exist. The Dems have been bushwacked by the lunatic left, with the George Sorros/MoveOn.org/DailyKos/Huffington Post crowd holding it hostage. [Read more…] about Six of one…
How to start each day with a positive outlook.
[Editor’s note: Mrs. Digital forwarded this to me, and I liked it so much I thought I’d share it with you.]
HOW TO START EACH DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK
1. Open a new Word file in your computer.
2. Name it ‘Barack Obama’.
3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
5. Your PC will ask you: ‘Do you really want to get rid of ‘Barack Obama?’
6. Firmly Click ‘Yes.’
7. Feel better?
GOOD! – Tomorrow we’ll do Nancy Pelosi!
The “D” word.
Not to call the late George Carlin on his math, but there are a lot more than seven words that are unacceptable in polite company. I’m not talking about “cusswords.” No, those are fine on pay TV, and most have made their way into the lexicon of free TV and the networks. No, I’m talking about those Words That Shall Not Be Uttered. Some of these words are so inflamatory that even uttering them is taboo. Take the “N” word, for instance. (Of course, the “N” word is only verbotten if you’re a WASP. It’s apparently perfectly acceptable to use if you’re black.) Or the “F” word – again, it’s apparently okay in a movie, but not okay on basic cable. Then there’s another class of words – words that have become weapons. These are words that have become marginalized, with meanings that are narrowly-defined…words that are used to label opponents, verbally tar and feather them, within an inch of their (public) lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you “Discrimination.” [Read more…] about The “D” word.
CAUTION: Student Drunk Crossing.
College Students and alcohol have historically gone together like mac ‘n cheese, Abbot and Costello, and livers and cirrhosis. Stories about binge drinking seem to imply that this is something new. Nonsense. In the 20’s it was bathtub gin and speakeasies. Back when I was in school (late 70’s, for the record) it was beer by the pitcher at our local pizza parlour, or the infamous Jungle parties at the KA house. Drinking is nothing new. Neither are its effects. Recently, a number of college presidents have opined that lowering the drinking age (back) down to 18 would cut down on drinking. I have a few thoughts about that. [Read more…] about CAUTION: Student Drunk Crossing.
Slow News Day.
I was all set to write about all the exciting things going on in the world of politics today. And then…suddenly…nothing happened. (But it happened suddenly!) It must be difficult to be the news editor at one of th 24-hour news networks on a day like today. Most days in fact, I suspect the news biz is a lot like what they say (“they” being the Van Patten family) about pilots – long stretches of boredom, punctuated by a few moments of sheer exhileration and terror. Trouble is, the newsies still have time to fill – and fill it they do, mostly with low-cal filler, tripe, trumped up stories, and navel gazing. Even my personal fave, FoxNews, does far too many breathless stories on the fate of ___________ (insert the latest tragic dissapearance, murder, or sensational trial). Currently, it’s the missing toddler, Caylee Anthony. Like most of the rest of the country, I suspect she’s no longer alive, and that her mom had something (if not everything) to do with it. Still, we live in a country where you’re presumed innocent, so we must let the justice system take it’s own course. Not the news media, of course. They’ve got time to fill, and just because they have no real news upon which to report, they’ll just find a way to stretch what they’ve got to fill the time available. [Read more…] about Slow News Day.