Checking in here, everybody. Now for the good news--we have a date for our first NON-ROADTRIP showcase--Oct. 9 at Uncommon Ground. Michael Cameron heard about our turnouts at Wise Fools and Gallery and would love to have us. Here is the rub, though--we have to keep it to 10 players max (Michael's specs--a mega-lineup would drive Richard the sound guy nuts), strictly acoustic (plugging in is OK, but no drums, electric guitars/basses, or keys). But we'd get three short songs (15 minute set maximum) apiece. Now, I'd like to put butts in the seats of course (a huge consideration at UG), so members with dependable draw/entourages are a must. But I'd also like to keep the quality of the music high too. I would be emceeing and kicking off the evening with a couple of songs, and ending with a final one. We would have our networking hour beforehand--and network afterward as long as we were out of the place by 11 pm closing time. I'm going to cross-post this on all our Chicago topic boards. If you are interested--and can commit to bringing at least 3 people to stay the evening and eat and drink--please post here and e-mail me at sandina@aol.com. It's a Friday night, so I know many people are already committed to other gigs that night. But it's gonna be a painful winnowing process, and I apologize in advance to those who may feel left out. But please come to network of course! Also, by then the construction mess on my block should be over and there will be parking again, so we can once again hold monthly meetings/jams at my place.

Sandy Andina
http://www.sandyandina.com