2012 Fall East Coast Tour Blog #1 (Day 4)
Hello, friends! Thanks for checking in to follow me on this, my biggest tour of the year.
We will begin with my current driving stats after 3 full days on tour:
Miles Driven - 455
Average Speed - 55 mph
Miles Per Gallon - 46
Total Driving Time - 8 hours, 16 minutes
The Tour began with a House Concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. A wonderful thing about this tour is that there are four House Concerts on the schedule. The other three will occur during the final five days of the Tour. To begin and end with House Concerts makes me a happy singer/songwriter, as these are my favorite type of show.
If the concept of House Concerts is foreign to you (or if you'd like to host House Concerts), feel free to get in touch with me about it, and you can also check out my profile at Concerts in Your Home.
I hit the road just after 11:30 am central time in Nashville, after doing final packing of the car, and getting some food packed as well. I was hoping to leave no later than 11:30, as it was a 290 mile drive to the house, and I wanted to be there around 5:30. It turned out that it didn't matter, as there was nearly no traffic along the route, even during rush hour heading through Cincinnati. I arrived in the driveway at about 5:35 pm.
The host's father greeted me at the door, and helped me unload my car to get things set up for the show. The house was beautiful, with unusually-open rooms and a big main hallway on the first floor, that runs straight from the front door to the back door. I got all of my PA gear set up and sound-checked in perfect time, finishing just as the first few guests arrived. As I noticed the number of seats set up in the room where the concert would take place, I could tell that this was going to be a special show. Most House Concerts are special anyway, but I would put this one in the top 5 that I've done so far. Here's a picture of about a third of the audience that evening. I always think (after the fact) about trying to piece pictures together to make one larger panoramic shot. Thus was the case tonight, as well.
There were about 40 people in attendance for this first show, and there was a pot luck dinner prior to the show. I got to meet some great people, and also had my first Cincinnati Chili experience. I didn't think much of it. If you are not aware of this kind of chili, it is runny ground meat chili on top of spaghetti noodles, topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Other toppings are also sometimes available. I didn't hate it, but I don't see myself wanting it again. I have since been told that it takes three tries before people get hooked on it. I don't buy it, though. There was no problem eating well that night, though, and I was also given food as I left the house. It was a great night; I wish every show on every tour could be half as encouraging and have audiences that are half as supportive.
I drove about 50 miles north to Dayton, where I have been staying during these western OH shows. A huge music fan that I have become fast friends with offered to put me up for these 5 days, which has been wonderful, as I usually am packing and unpacking and repacking my car every day or two when I am on the road.
I had a show in Dayton on Saturday night. This show was at a bar/restaurant, and though a decent number of people came out to listen (I'd say around 15), it was still a noisy bar environment. I think this was largely due to the construction of the building, as well as the shape of it. These types of venues are difficult, because I have a hard time hearing myself, even with help of a monitor speaker on stage. Trying to EQ things was very tricky - all the bass tones seemed to get over-amplified, so I was tweaking the mixing board in a manner that I usually don't. I was originally asked to play for four hours (which I almost never do), but as I got there, the manager informed me that this amount of time was not required, as long as I played at least 2 sets. The staff was very nice, and I was fed as well as paid for my services, so I don't have anything to complain about, I guess. But the environment was not really one that was conducive to listening. Hence, I sold zero cds at this show.
I don't know if I've ever gone from selling 21 cds at a show to selling 0 the following night. I would say that Friday night's show more than made up for Saturday's, though.
It is time for me to eat some dinner and head out to set up for another Dayton show tonight. This one will be in a listening room environment.
We will begin with my current driving stats after 3 full days on tour:
Miles Driven - 455
Average Speed - 55 mph
Miles Per Gallon - 46
Total Driving Time - 8 hours, 16 minutes
The Tour began with a House Concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. A wonderful thing about this tour is that there are four House Concerts on the schedule. The other three will occur during the final five days of the Tour. To begin and end with House Concerts makes me a happy singer/songwriter, as these are my favorite type of show.
If the concept of House Concerts is foreign to you (or if you'd like to host House Concerts), feel free to get in touch with me about it, and you can also check out my profile at Concerts in Your Home.
I hit the road just after 11:30 am central time in Nashville, after doing final packing of the car, and getting some food packed as well. I was hoping to leave no later than 11:30, as it was a 290 mile drive to the house, and I wanted to be there around 5:30. It turned out that it didn't matter, as there was nearly no traffic along the route, even during rush hour heading through Cincinnati. I arrived in the driveway at about 5:35 pm.
The host's father greeted me at the door, and helped me unload my car to get things set up for the show. The house was beautiful, with unusually-open rooms and a big main hallway on the first floor, that runs straight from the front door to the back door. I got all of my PA gear set up and sound-checked in perfect time, finishing just as the first few guests arrived. As I noticed the number of seats set up in the room where the concert would take place, I could tell that this was going to be a special show. Most House Concerts are special anyway, but I would put this one in the top 5 that I've done so far. Here's a picture of about a third of the audience that evening. I always think (after the fact) about trying to piece pictures together to make one larger panoramic shot. Thus was the case tonight, as well.
There were about 40 people in attendance for this first show, and there was a pot luck dinner prior to the show. I got to meet some great people, and also had my first Cincinnati Chili experience. I didn't think much of it. If you are not aware of this kind of chili, it is runny ground meat chili on top of spaghetti noodles, topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Other toppings are also sometimes available. I didn't hate it, but I don't see myself wanting it again. I have since been told that it takes three tries before people get hooked on it. I don't buy it, though. There was no problem eating well that night, though, and I was also given food as I left the house. It was a great night; I wish every show on every tour could be half as encouraging and have audiences that are half as supportive.
I drove about 50 miles north to Dayton, where I have been staying during these western OH shows. A huge music fan that I have become fast friends with offered to put me up for these 5 days, which has been wonderful, as I usually am packing and unpacking and repacking my car every day or two when I am on the road.
I had a show in Dayton on Saturday night. This show was at a bar/restaurant, and though a decent number of people came out to listen (I'd say around 15), it was still a noisy bar environment. I think this was largely due to the construction of the building, as well as the shape of it. These types of venues are difficult, because I have a hard time hearing myself, even with help of a monitor speaker on stage. Trying to EQ things was very tricky - all the bass tones seemed to get over-amplified, so I was tweaking the mixing board in a manner that I usually don't. I was originally asked to play for four hours (which I almost never do), but as I got there, the manager informed me that this amount of time was not required, as long as I played at least 2 sets. The staff was very nice, and I was fed as well as paid for my services, so I don't have anything to complain about, I guess. But the environment was not really one that was conducive to listening. Hence, I sold zero cds at this show.
I don't know if I've ever gone from selling 21 cds at a show to selling 0 the following night. I would say that Friday night's show more than made up for Saturday's, though.
It is time for me to eat some dinner and head out to set up for another Dayton show tonight. This one will be in a listening room environment.
posted by Jeff Miller at 6:25 PM
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