Want to make something very clear. This is a JPF showcase, not a revue. It's unlike the roadtrip showcases in that Brian won't be there, there will be a bucket passed (and no door charge), and there will be far fewer performers. As to Thursday nights at Uncommon Ground, I've talked to the people who've been doing Thursday shows there, especially the CHaT monthly Singer Spotlight Unplugged series. They have been getting pretty good-sized crowds in there, unlike the spotty attendance of the erstwhile weekly CHaT Acoustic Showcases. Michael treats Thursdays as weekend nights--the crowd vibe is different and the audiences larger. He puts them on the club's website and publicizes them as assiduously as he does the weekend shows (and these days, since Liz Kennedy has been sending out weekly newsletters with UG's listings, attendance has improved--we don't want to be the weak link in any given week or we won't get a chance to rebook). The weekly CHaT showcases were scrubbed by the low attendance, caused in part by the shows being so frequent that audiences began to take them for granted. If we go for quality in the performers, reasonable quantity in our own followings, and limited frequency in the number of these showcases at UG, then the club itself can count on its own patrons continuing to attend--and we can more realistically expect to get our own shot at an individual booking. As to open mikes, I fell into the trap for awhile of thinking that now that I was gigging, I was above that sort of thing. But you know what? Merely getting your name out there is just no substitute for backing it up with the goods--giving potential fans and bookers a taste of your actual skills so they will be tempted to see more. Sometimes you need to get not just your name out there but your face and voice as well. clubs change hands, audiences move on, new people move into neighborhoods. It's a never-ending process.

Sandy Andina
http://www.sandyandina.com