It’s Been Too Long

I haven’t been very diligent about updating my blog, therefore I thought I had better write a little update.

The Hi-Lites have been going pretty good since my last post, which is why I haven’t written in my blog lately. I’m still trying to get some yearly contracts, but it’s very difficult to get people to commit these days. I remember when it was a rarity for me to have to call people for bookings. I used to have all our jobs lined up for the entire year! Not any more. We’re starting over again and along with my failure to secure any contracts thus far, I had to reduce our fee per job.

Both the Hi-Lites and the Silver String Dulcimer Band are playing at Snook Haven (Hi-Lites: Wed from 12-2pm and Dulcimer: Fri from 12-2pm). We’re seeing a slight increase in patrons as of last week. The snowbirds are back and I’m hoping there will be more people showing up soon.

The Dulcimer Band will be at Venice Library on Wed Oct 21 at 3pm. If you’re looking to spend an afternoon listening to some beautiful music, come on down!

Happy Picking!

Business is Picking Up at Snook Haven

This week’s gig at Snook Haven was the busiest that we have encountered in a while. We had a reserved party of poets grace our performance on Wednesday. We all had so much fun that we didn’t even realize that we were still playing beyond the 2pm cut-off time!

On Monday (Labor Day), we played for a group of senior citizens at an assisted living home. They were so appreciative of us taking time on a holiday to play for them that it made the whole experience worthwhile. Everyone was singing and clapping along with the music, and we just thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

Some of you may wander why I do not post the names of places where we play. The reason is that I do want to divulge our income sources to other area musicians who may be following my blog. This doesn’t mean that our jobs are completely protected, but at least I’m not leaving a road map complete with directions!

Don’t forget…catch Carolyn & Lindy (otherwise known as the Hi-Lites) at Snook Haven every Wednesday from 12 – 2pm.

Also starting in October, the Silver String Dulcimer Band will be back in action every Tuesday from 12 – 2pm. Come on over to Snook Haven Restaurant and enjoy a great lunch and awesome music on the Myakka River!

Have a good weekend!

Strange Week

It’s been a week of catching up on some computer maintenance and other odd jobs, phone calls, and emails. Other than that, I don’t feel like I’ve really accomplished anything!

Snook Haven was fun as always. The workers are fun to be around and we (by we, I mean my partner Lindy and yours truly) always enjoy the atmosphere, not to mention the awesome lunch the crew makes for us! Oh, that gator I told you about last week has a name, Knucklehead.

The crowd was a sporadic throughout our two hours of playing, but as always, we enjoyed the audience. It’s just a matter of time before the snowbirds come back and crowds start whisking in.

Yes, I do believe it will be a great season! From playing with the Silver String Dulcimer Band on Tuesdays, and with the Hi-Lites on Wednesdays, I will get my banjo playing fix. Not only will we be playing two days a week, but we are currently taking new bookings for both the Dulcimer Band and the Hi-Lites. So I’m hoping for a record year!

I’m an Examiner

I got the writing gig and I am now the official Tampa Walking Examiner for the online paper Examiner.com. This is my first experience writing for a newspaper so I have had to change my writing style a little to conform, but after writing my first article, I think I got the hang of it.

It will be challenging to find different places to walk and hike around the area, but it will get me out and walking/hiking as well. I can also take my camera along and get some photography experience. At one time, I was really into photography. I stopped for a while because it was getting expensive to develop my pics, but now with digital photography it has opened up a whole new world.

Check out my articles by clicking on the link: Tampa-Walking-Examiner. My page hasn’t gone live yet, so give it a day or two.

Good Day on the Myakka River

Today I played at Snook Haven from 12pm to 2pm (we’re there every Wed). It was just a beautiful day to be out there and I had another fun day playing music.

This time of year is pretty slow and we never know how many people will show up. It was nice to have a decent group of people, and it was great to see an old friend who I haven’t seen for quite sometime. You look great, Ann!

At one point, during a break we were treated to a special visit from a rather large alligator. This baby had to be a good ten feet long! He (or she) had an agenda and headed straight for the outside deck looking for handouts. It was pretty obvious that this gator had been fed previously from restaurant patrons, which is a bit unsettling and will probably lead to the demise of the gator as it will become more aggressive.

Unfortunately, even though there are signs that state, “Do not feed the alligators,” some people (usually tourists) choose to ignore the warnings. Because gators are primitive reptiles, they only think food! With a brain the size of a pea, they are only able to act on survival instincts; meaning…if there’s not food, they will eat you! So, please heed the warnings and don’t feed the alligators. Even if there are no signs…don’t feed the gators!

Got a Writing Gig!

I’m a little excited about my new writing gig with the Examiner. I’ve not finalist the details yet, but it’s looking good. I’ll be writing about Florida hiking trails, and great walking places. This will get me out and walking, and will allow me to share my experiences such as wildlife, suggested clothing, and other related information.

This is not the only writing gig I need, though. I’m still looking for any project management, or content writing projects that anyone may need, so if anyone out there needs an experienced content writer for websites, articles, press releases, headlines, sales pages, or just about any business related writing, I’m at your service.

If you would like more information regarding my qualifications, visit www.proofed.us.

Shifting Gears to Content Writing

Content Writing has become a big demand since the explosion of the Internet. I am a recent unemployed content writer and I’ve been checking out some sites for freelance writers. It is amazing to me that people are writing for such low pay. It also makes me question the validity, quality, and authority of the people writing for pennies on the dollar.

I know many writers are hired just to spurt out a number of keywords per article in order to be ranked by search engines. I find this practice appalling. Whenever quality is sacrificed to quantity, there is always a price to pay. What is the price for spinning useless and meaningless content?

The creation of garbage, noise, and useless information litters the Internet. Why am I blogging right now? Why to rank, of course. To drive traffic to my websites. Yes, even the most ethical writers are being driven to such means just to be recognized by search engines. Surely, there must be a better way???

Gigging in a Bad Economy

I don’t know about you, but I’m having trouble finding jobs in this economy. I’ve had to come down on what I charge and I can’t seem to get any contracts for long-term gigs. It’s a bit disheartening. One of the first things that people eliminate in a downed economy is live music, instead opting for cd’s or karaoke.

I’ve noticed a trend in the increase of one-man-bands, but most of the time the music is canned music. So many of these people don’t even play an instrument, they just play background music and sing. It’s glorified karaoke, and the real musicians are being undercut. There is nothing that can replace live music, so don’t lower your integrity by using a rhythm machine, keyboard or karaoke machine.

I’m not sure how to combat this, however if anyone has an idea that may help some of struggling musicians get some gigs, feel free to post your comments or ideas. Maybe you’ll help some of us land some gigs!

Entertaining the Elderly

We’re off to entertain the people who are living in nursing and rehab centers. It’s a very satisfying job for us because we are the bright spot in an otherwise boring day for those who are shut-in. A great deal of our music brings back memories and before we end the first piece they’re all clapping, singing or tapping their feet.

Nursing homes, rehab centers, and assisted living places are our favorite places to entertain as our audience is most appreciative and we can see the people come to life as soon as we start playing. It’s not a job for the ill at heart, though. I’ve worked with other bands doing this type of work and some people get very depressed playing to this particular type of audience. I have a more optimistic view and hope that should I be on the receiving end that others will brighten my day in this way.

Have a great day!

Big Day Today!

Banjolady’s Log Star date…well you know the rest…

Today we play at Snook Haven Restaurant, a quaint place nestled on the bank of the Myakka River. It’s a really cool area now owned by the Sarasota County Parks and Rec. Snook Haven, or Snook as I call it was one of the first places that my husband and I discovered when we first moved to Florida 2o years ago.

Back then it was a total dive, but now you can go for lunch or dinner and hear live music (on Wednesday’s it’s “yours truly), rent a kayak or canoe, or bring your own boat to launch. I canoed the Myakka River 20 years ago and it still remains one of the best rivers I’ve ever canoed in Southwest Florida.

So, if you’re free for lunch on Wednesdays, come on down, sit a spell, and enjoy the music! Oh, Snook Haven is located on the corner of Venice Ave and River Rd in Venice. It’s worth the trip!

Welcome to my first blog ever!

Hello World,

This is my very first blog which is intended to host a number of categories of interest. I hope you find my blog a great place to discuss music (particularly banjo music of all types). Some of the other categories open for discussion are listed on the sidebar. Feel free to enter comments on these topics. I would love to hear from you.

Bela Fleck Solo @ The Orpheum Theater Madison,WI

My favorite banjoist..Bela Fleck! Just Awesome!

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