Well, we just got back from our first Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) conference in St. Louis. It was really awesome. There were about 250 attendees, and everyone was extremely passionate about their music.
Also, there were a ton of venue people checking out the crop at FARM! The relationship between the venue people and the performers was very warm and supportive, a real understanding of the symbiotic relationship between artists and venues was evident and it was cool. As a result, if you have the chops and if you play music they are looking for, you can build up long term relationships with these music-loving venue owners that can result in long-term, mutually beneficial repeat performances.
We learned about FARM late so while we were able to arrange one showcase to play on, I didn't anticipate being able to play any more. However, I was able to play an additional two showcases and an open mic night which went really well. Many thanks to Jim Bizer of the duo "Jan Krist and Jim Bizer", and Heather and Mark of "So Long Solo" for inviting me to play on their showcases. We really look forward to attending the Folk Alliance National Convention in the new year in Kansas City.
Also, there were a ton of venue people checking out the crop at FARM! The relationship between the venue people and the performers was very warm and supportive, a real understanding of the symbiotic relationship between artists and venues was evident and it was cool. As a result, if you have the chops and if you play music they are looking for, you can build up long term relationships with these music-loving venue owners that can result in long-term, mutually beneficial repeat performances.
We learned about FARM late so while we were able to arrange one showcase to play on, I didn't anticipate being able to play any more. However, I was able to play an additional two showcases and an open mic night which went really well. Many thanks to Jim Bizer of the duo "Jan Krist and Jim Bizer", and Heather and Mark of "So Long Solo" for inviting me to play on their showcases. We really look forward to attending the Folk Alliance National Convention in the new year in Kansas City.