She is back! Becky is back. Not literally, as she has not left for any extended period of time. But figuratively. For awhile, she seemed to tire of what would seem to outsiders to be too much attention to the Lava Pups.
That changed this week. On Tuesday, she was pimping us to the owner of the Beach Hut Deli in West Sacramento.
Becky: “Have you thought about having a band play here?” Tony: “Yes, but our lease has so many restrictions that it seems impossible. We have to bring in generators and have additional insurance. The requirements are two pages long.”
Minor obstacles to her and certainly nothing of importance. Becky: “You guys could have a party for the stores that share your parking lot. The place is finally full. Bill here plays in the Lava Pups. You need to have a couple of surf bands perform. Have you heard of The Pyronauts?” Tony: “I’ll email you the landlord’s list.” Becky: “Bill will write down our contact information.” As a dutiful guy, I did.
As we left the Beach Hut Deli, the wheels were turning in her head. Becky said, “You know we have a generator.” She paused and looked around the parking lot. “We need business cards for the Lava Pups. How much would that cost?”
Funny she should ask. Last week, I sought guidance from a real musician about getting gigs and people to them. Fannies in the seats are what everybody wants. One of his suggestions was business cards. “They are cheap and versatile. You can give them out at shows, leave them at venues, put them on bulletin boards, and use them in all kinds of ways.” That led to visits to various e-print or i-print sites on the web.
I responded to Becky, “If we design them ourselves and are willing to wait for them to be printed in Bangladesh or China, we could get 500 for $20 to $30 plus shipping.” “How long would that take?” “Two weeks to a month.” "Won't do. We need them for the Fox & Goose."
Did this really mean that she was back? I did not know then. Wednesday, however, proved she was. As we walked into another restaurant in West Sacramento, she looked around and wondered aloud, “Would they like to host a show?” A pretty ideal venue: large space, booths on both sides of the room, tables in the middle, counter for ordering food in the back, big screen tv in the front and to the side of the front door, and a small bar with a variety of beers near the counter. And importantly a large parking lot.
Becky: “Let’s ask.” I tried to be the voice of reason, “We need to taste the food first. What if it sucks?” No answer.
As we approached the counter to order, I noticed a bulletin board. At the counter, I asked, “What can be put on your bulletin board?” My question was answered with a question, “What do you have in mind?” “A flier for a show. I’ve got one in the car. I’ll get it.” I did. After looking it over, the response was, “You can put it up if you can find room.” I did.
Even though we still needed to know whether the cuisine was up to Lava Pup standards, Becky peppered David with questions including, “Do you ever have live music here?” "We have thought about it but have not."
The food was good. As Becky ate her cheese steak sandwich, she already was creating a show and promoting it. “We can have a car show in the parking lot. You need another band besides the Lava Pups. You don’t have enough songs. I’ll hand out fliers at every business in the neighborhood. They don’t have to be full color. Just black ink on colored paper. . . ."
As we left, Becky repeated what she said the day before, “We need business cards.”
Yes, she’s back. Oh, yes, we ordered business cards.
That changed this week. On Tuesday, she was pimping us to the owner of the Beach Hut Deli in West Sacramento.
Becky: “Have you thought about having a band play here?” Tony: “Yes, but our lease has so many restrictions that it seems impossible. We have to bring in generators and have additional insurance. The requirements are two pages long.”
Minor obstacles to her and certainly nothing of importance. Becky: “You guys could have a party for the stores that share your parking lot. The place is finally full. Bill here plays in the Lava Pups. You need to have a couple of surf bands perform. Have you heard of The Pyronauts?” Tony: “I’ll email you the landlord’s list.” Becky: “Bill will write down our contact information.” As a dutiful guy, I did.
As we left the Beach Hut Deli, the wheels were turning in her head. Becky said, “You know we have a generator.” She paused and looked around the parking lot. “We need business cards for the Lava Pups. How much would that cost?”
Funny she should ask. Last week, I sought guidance from a real musician about getting gigs and people to them. Fannies in the seats are what everybody wants. One of his suggestions was business cards. “They are cheap and versatile. You can give them out at shows, leave them at venues, put them on bulletin boards, and use them in all kinds of ways.” That led to visits to various e-print or i-print sites on the web.
I responded to Becky, “If we design them ourselves and are willing to wait for them to be printed in Bangladesh or China, we could get 500 for $20 to $30 plus shipping.” “How long would that take?” “Two weeks to a month.” "Won't do. We need them for the Fox & Goose."
Did this really mean that she was back? I did not know then. Wednesday, however, proved she was. As we walked into another restaurant in West Sacramento, she looked around and wondered aloud, “Would they like to host a show?” A pretty ideal venue: large space, booths on both sides of the room, tables in the middle, counter for ordering food in the back, big screen tv in the front and to the side of the front door, and a small bar with a variety of beers near the counter. And importantly a large parking lot.
Becky: “Let’s ask.” I tried to be the voice of reason, “We need to taste the food first. What if it sucks?” No answer.
As we approached the counter to order, I noticed a bulletin board. At the counter, I asked, “What can be put on your bulletin board?” My question was answered with a question, “What do you have in mind?” “A flier for a show. I’ve got one in the car. I’ll get it.” I did. After looking it over, the response was, “You can put it up if you can find room.” I did.
Even though we still needed to know whether the cuisine was up to Lava Pup standards, Becky peppered David with questions including, “Do you ever have live music here?” "We have thought about it but have not."
The food was good. As Becky ate her cheese steak sandwich, she already was creating a show and promoting it. “We can have a car show in the parking lot. You need another band besides the Lava Pups. You don’t have enough songs. I’ll hand out fliers at every business in the neighborhood. They don’t have to be full color. Just black ink on colored paper. . . ."
As we left, Becky repeated what she said the day before, “We need business cards.”
Yes, she’s back. Oh, yes, we ordered business cards.
