After nearly 2 years of hearing how "great we sound" something decent has become of it-
I've posted that we had a steady monthly gig at the stuffiest Supper Club in town. We'll they're going out of business (again) so along with my previous band, the Slytones, we've outlasted 3 sets of owners there now covering over 5 years time . The money was great but that's where the positive stopped. The people were very difficult to work for and the Imelda Marcos type tyrant that owned the place once told me to put my sunglasses on because she liked me better that way and then quipped, "I LOVE having my own band!" It was damn near impossible to get people to go downtown and dance there, they just sat on their hands and watched. The place was also pricey and the service poor. Anyway.....
The Waterfront, a landmark Battle Creek Restaurant on the north bluff overlooking Goguac Lake has new young owners with a fresh perspective. It's located in the suburbs where most of the money around here is as well. They have a DJ on on Fri & Sat from 9-1 that draws a younger crowd but wanted to do something to pull in older patrons that would spend more money. We told them that older folks don't stay out late so they took our advice and booked us 2 weeks ago on Sat from 6-9 before the DJ. It was a great success, the dancefloor was packed and much of the dinner crowd stayed on until 9:00 pm which was what they wanted. So refreshing to have club owners actually listen to your ideas as well.
This Saturday, they had another idea. We played on the deck overlooking the lake so they could pull in boaters as well and it was advertised that we would play outdoors. We set up a front and rear PA to cover the lake side and played on the shore toward the back of the restaurant. The gig was flat out AWESOME!!! There must have been two dozen pontoon boats moored directly behind the stage with one helluva lake party going on. The restaurant has a liquor license to serve the boats and the trays of drinks and food the servers were taking to those boats were amazing. The entire back deck was filled with over a hundred more patrons with people waiting for seats. We got to wear shorts and Hawaiian shirts and be comfortable for change. What a gas to play for a crowd that appreciates you! After every song all the boat horns were honking and the deck roared. Man, we had fun, it was one helluva lake party and the club had their best night since the new owners took over.
We were already booked there every other Saturday for June and July and were told confidentially that the band that worked our off weeks "probably wouldn't be back." Armed with that news and with the energy of the outdoor lake crowd we put on our best performance to date, nearly flawless. Afterward, we worked the crowd and enjoyed the glow before we packed up and got paid. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, one of the owners ran along side my van and started tapping on my window. I stopped and he said, "I'm glad I caught you, can you play next Saturday? We want you every Saturday night." Wow, talk about music to my ears...to have a gig that much fun become a house gig is just a dream come true. If it rains all we have to do is set up inside and play there. This band really deserves good fortune after all the moving around, scraping for gigs and self promotion we've invested.
My sister has lived in Melbourne Beach Florida for 25 years. Everytime I visit her I get jealous of the bands that get to play the outdoor venues and beer gardens there. There's always so much energy outdoors and everyone seems to be there for a PARTY, not just dinner. We only get three months of good summer weather in Michigan, but I must say, we are in position to enjoy the rest of it! Whoooo-Paaaaa !!!!
Yesss!!!
Bosco
