SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL

Mary McCaslin's Roundup

July 9, 2009

LOCAL MUSIC PRESENTERS WEATHER THROUGH HARD TIMES

This has been an interesting time for promoters and venues trying to continue to present music. While many have persevered, others have failed.

Recently Monterey Live, in downtown Monterey, closed. And while it’s easy to blame the ailing economy, other factors may have been at work. Often certain ineptitudes apply.

On May 3^rd I was flattered to share the evening with Sherry Austin and her band there. This was a Sunday night. However, those running Monterey Live insisted that the show start at 8:30. It was an acoustic show, and Sherry’s Band was performing the songs of the late Kate Wolf. The audience for this type of performance is mostly of the age when 8:30 on a Sunday night is viewed as simply too late. The club publicist asked for flyers to post on the walls as a sort of in-house promotion for the show. She also asked that I send her some CDs. We promptly made up the flyers and mailed them to her with the CDs. The flyers were never put up and the CDs were not sent out. Maybe if she had followed through just a few more people would have attended, but we’ll never know.

The venues and concert promoters who are successful are the ones who are flexible, do consistent publicity and who tailor their start times and other efforts to the performances they are presenting. For instance, Don Quixote’s in Felton presents music almost every night. On weeknights they start at 7:30 and on Sunday nights they start at 7. Only on Fridays and Saturdays, when mostly presenting dance music, do they start at a later time. Snazzy Productions regularly starts shows at 7:30. The Cayuga Vault in Santa Cruz starts their shows around 7 or 7:30 on weeknights, or 8 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, and also presents performances and events during the day on weekends. The Works Bookstore & Coffee / Tea House in Pacific Grove presents acoustic concerts on Saturday nights at 7:30.

The Ugly Mug, in collaboration with Fiddling Cricket, Sandy Frye Productions and the Canyon Acoustic Society, is starting a Wednesday night series of “mostly acoustic” concerts. The Ugly Mug is located at 4640 Soquel Dr. in Soquel. The series kicks off Wednesday, July 15th with a performance by Chojo Jacques, who will be accompanied by a bass player and drummer. The rest of the performances in the series will be more acoustic, but Chojo is a great starter for any series, whether playing acoustic or electric. After all, it should be remembered that truly “unplugged” or acoustic would allow no sound system in use at all!

The series will run each Wednesday from July 15th to August 26^th. . Doors open at 7 pm and the performances run from 7:30 to 9. Future concerts will include Sherry Austin & Sharon Allen (folk singer-songwriters), Jimmy Chickenpants (bluegrass), Michael Gaither (singer-songwriter), Dorian Michael (acoustic and electric guitar), Patti Maxine (steel guitar) and Chuck McCabe (singer-songwriter). Call the Ugly Mug at 477-1341 or Fiddling Cricket at 475-4938.

Fiddling Cricket will continue to produce and co-produce concerts at the Mission City Coffee Roasters in Santa Clara and Don Quixote’s. And, we are lucky enough to have presenters and venues, such as Snazzy Productions and the Cayuga Vault, who along with Don Quixote’s, the Canyon Acoustic Society and others, will bring us wonderful musical performances in these rough times.

Email Mary McCaslin at roundup@marymccaslin.com.