We are about to experience something new. We are going to play back-to-back gigs. Saturday night followed by Sunday afternoon. This will be like a real gigging band – our mini-tour. Maybe we should have done the Greater Sacramento Area Mini-Tour poster.
So I asked the 8-Ball, “Are we ready?” Shook it. Turned it upside down. Looked. “All signs point to yes.”
Before packing up equipment and the making-music stuff, we have an extraneous item check list.
Santa hats for the band. Check.
Santa hat for the Hula Pig. Check. Yes, indeed, we have the holiday spirit.
Set lists. Check. Well, maybe not. Do the cha-cha-cha endings on “Mr. Moto” and “Sea Witch” sound too much alike? Don says no. Okay. We can give it a check.
Merchandise tub loaded with CDs, wrist bands, and disposable bag dispensers. Will anybody really need some Lava Pups holiday gift items? Who knows? And, no matter what, Becky really likes the disposable multi-use bag (AKA poop bag) dispensers. In her words, "they're cute." She will push them and may even get a sale. Check.
Business cards, fliers, and posters for people to take. Last time at the mall, all fliers and posters that we put out were taken. Maybe some homeless guy used them to start a fire for warmth. Except for our “Holidays Special,” free things seem to attract attention. People take free things even if only to throw them away. Check.
Displays for a merchandise table. Hey, we took the time to do the artwork and put them together. So we include the displays. Plus, Bryan from ZuhG Life said that he liked them. He is a real musician and a promoter. His opinion should count for something. Check.
“Holidays Special” postcard-sized flier. Something that lets whoever reads it know about our offer: sign-up for our mailing list and we will make a donation to the Food Bank. Interestingly, that offer has not received overwhelming acceptance. Or even much acceptance at all. Knowing the bleeding heart nature of many of my friends, the lack of response is mildly surprising. On the other hand, this journey into the land of music and musicians has taught me that many folks do not have time for other folks’ ideas. So maybe the lack of response should not come as a surprise.
But we are going to take the “Holidays Special” directly to the people. Let’s see what the folks who take the time to support live music will do. Flier. Check.
Band practices in the books. Do "trio" practices count? Sure. Check.
Guitar face practice. Oh . . . . That can wait until next year. Face it, we all need something to work on in the future!
The 8-Ball may well be right. All signs point to “yes, we are ready.”