JPF Home Page Forums Northeast US Chapter Message Boards Brattleboro & Vermont Chapter Message Board Brattleboro Roadtrip Date: Wednesday, June 8th, 2005

Hi Folks,

Here's the update on the Brattleboro, VT Show. Vermont is probably the state I fell most in love with on my first Northeast Roadtrip tour. As a midwesterner with mostly flat lands, I really love the scenery and the eclectic towns and people. I always look forward to visiting Brattleboro and our artist friends in the area.

In case you missed the last update, we have a venue change. The new venue is called The Church and is located at 3 Grove St in Brattleboro VT.

It doesn't serve food or drink but has a PA system we can use. The venue is donating the space for free and is very supportive of the JPF mission. It is also a new venue like the Weather Vane and has been hosting name folk acts for the past few months.

The organization that runs The Church is called West Street Arts and also runs another venue in West Dummerston. The venue that we will be using is called The Church and it is in Brattleboro. Here are the directions:

From Interstate 91 take Exit 2 and turn left at the stop sign.

Travel straight for about a mile and bear left as you pass park with swings (on right).
Go through 4 way stop and down hill to a "T" at Main Street, Brattleboro.
THE CHURCH is one block down on the left at the corner of Main and Grove Streets across the street from the Brattleboro Post Office.

Contact telephone numbers: 802-365-9780 or 802-380-5609
Website for background and info: http://www.geocities.com/weststreetarts/

As always, we have a great lineup of artists in Brattleboro (it's probably our most consistently good show of the year on every previous tour), proving you can find great talent anywhere if you're willing to take the time to look for it!

I will be at the venue early to set up the camera's and the T-Shirts. We'll have a networking/check in hour from 6-7PM

Set 1: 7-8PM

01. Steven Bacon
02. Tom Neilson
03. Moonlight
04. Charlene Johnson
05. Marty Helly
06. Catherine Orland
07. John Gerard
08. Amy England
09. Jae C. Steele
10. Diane Lincoln

Set 2: 8-9PM

11. Jen Tobey's Alter Ego
12. Amelia Struthers
13. Mike Mrowicki and Timbre
14. Alexander's Goodtime Band
15. Rebecca Hall & Ken Anderson
16. Derrik Jordan
17. Emily Peyton
18. Leon Cooper
19. Lafe Dutton
20. Patrick Donnelly

Set 3: 9-10PM

21. Julie Waters
22. Derek Gladding
23. Jennie Reichman
24. Jesse Lepkoff
25. Jonny Sheehan
26. Namaya

If you need to cancel your performance, please let us know in advance so we can reschedule. Also, if there is a problem with your time slot, don't worry, let us know and we'll make an adjustment to help you out. If you have any questions about the sound system/backline etc. please contact Derrik Jordan, our Brattleboro Chapter Coordinator at hilljoy@sover.net. Big Thanks to Derrik for getting the venue and doing sound for out last 4 visits to Vermont!

Here's some tips to help the show go smoothly. (I know southern VT is often a hotbed for political activism, which is part of why I love it so much. So please take rule #3 in the context it is intended. We are all for political satires and opinionated songs, we just don't want to make people feel uncomfortable with a political or religious based verbal rant. Let your music do the talking for you).

Brian's 10 Simple Rules to make the Show go smoothly:

After hundreds of these showcases over the last 7 years all over North America, I've learned a few good rules to make them work the best. So here's 10 rules to make it easier and more fun for everyone:

1. NO onstage tuning! That means NONE! We will give you ample notice when your slot is coming up. Be completely tuned and ready to plug in (whatever instrument you are playing) and play when your time comes. Also, if you are playing guitar, make sure you make eye contact and get the "OK" from the sound person BEFORE you plug in or unplug so we can be sure the channel is muted first. Also, make sure before the show your guitar battery works!

2. Please perform your very best song that lasts under 5 minutes. Please no 12 minute ode's to your cat or 18 minute Prog Rock/experimental Jams. This is your chance to blow the room away with your talent and writing skill (and let us get your very best effort on camera). Don't waste it on a new song you wrote on the way to the show. This is the time for your biggest crowd pleaser.

3. Please no political/religious/rants/speeches/diatribes. This is a music event, not a political/religious event. You are 100% welcome to do political or religious SONGS, but remember, any political SPEECH you make will likely offend 50% of the rest of the audience and religion can be a touchy subject to someone who believes differently. Let your MUSIC tell your story if that is the type of music you do and don't make speeches from the stage. Long boring song explanations aren't productive either. Do, however, tell folks who you are, make a few comments if you'd like (humor is always good) and say your name again after you peform (so we get it on film).

4. CD's. You are welcome to sell them, but remember almost everyone else has a CD to sell as well. Trading or giving out CD's is a great networking tool if you can afford it, but some artists can't, so don't expect everyone to trade unless they offer.

5. JPF T-Shirts and Hats. We have BRAND NEW T-SHIRTS! This will be the first show we'll have our new shirts for sale. It's a color variation of our original shirts from 1999 which people have been requesting the last few years. We have them in Black, Purple and a Light Khaki Green/Brown type color called Prarie Dust. We have Black and Prarie Dust in Long Sleeves too! We also have our trademark JPF Red Hats. Remember, we fund the entire organization from T-Shirt/Hat sales, member donations and some community partner sponsorships. But the Roadtrips are generally funded entirely with money collected at shows. Help us out so we can help you!

JPF Signature Hat: 20.00
JPF T-Shirt: Short Sleeve: 15.00 (17.00 for XXL and XXXL)
JPF T-Shirt: Long Sleeve: 20.00 (22.00 for XXL and XXXL)
JPF Hat and Shirt: $5 dollar discount off combined price depending on size/type.

We also accept donations of any size if you don't want a hat or shirt. But you should plan on getting a shirt or hat. People will stop you on the street when you wear it and tell you they're JPF members too! (It's happened to members literally around the world!). The shirt theme is "We're All In This Together."

6. Cancellations: We understand things come up. But please try and email us to justplainfolks@aol.com the day before a show with any cancellations. If you have a problem on the day of the show, please call the venue to let us know so we can make adjustments to the lineup. Unannounced no shows at events may result in you being placed last in future events or eliminated altogether.

7. Come early, stay late! I am usually at the venue at least an hour before the show getting ready. Feel free to come and say hi during that hour. If a show ends at a reasonable time, I may be available to grab some coffee or a snack nearby to unwind with a group of members. In general, please try to come for the entire event or as much as possible. Someone has to go first and someone has to go last and we want them to get to perform for as many peers as possible. We take our traditional group photo at the end of the show as well, so if you stay, you'll end up on our home page for a few months in the Roadtrip photos.

8. These shows are not filtered in any way. You may see some folks who will blow you away with their talent, and you might find some that belong in a blooper reel from bad American Idol auditions. Either way, please treat everyone with respect and support. Even the best performers among us had to start somewhere, and if our own community of peers don't give a chance for entry level folks to get their feet wet, who will? Lets celebrate the diversity and if someone is really not doing well in their performance, be glad it isn't you and offer some friendly support! That's the best way for them to learn, get better and grow.

9. Network, Network, Network! Bring business cards and a friendly demeanor and meet as many people as you can. You'll never know what good can come out of a new contact, and often doors open that you hadn't even thought of. There's a lot of folks to meet at these events, so don't waste the opportunity!

10. If there is a problem, relax, it will get fixed. We're here to have fun. Stuff will happen and things will go wrong, they always do. We'll get past it, so don't stress. Be flexible and we'll be flexible and that should allow us to have fun and get past anything that comes up.
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See you all in Vermont!

Brian

Brian Austin Whitney
Founder
Just Plain Folks
www.jpfolks.com

[This message has been edited by Brian Austin Whitney (edited 06-08-2005).]

I have updated the lineup for Brattleboro and all the new details for the venue change. Please read it and we'll see you all in VT!

Brian

updated again

Time to hit the road for Brattleboro - see everyone tonight!


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Marty my new home

If you look at the glass and see it as half full, drink up!