Ah, the gig... Simultaneously the thrill and bane of a performer's existence (or at least this performer's). A bubbling Diet Coke-meets-Mentos combination of nervousness and excitement - Will it suck? Will it be cool? Will five people come out or 150? Will the bartender cut off our free drinks?
In my case, all those questions are forgotten and invariably melt away as the first chord sounds and my attentions turn toward the simple joy of making music with friends and connecting with a live audience.
Such was, indeed, the case last week at our Pete's show in Brooklyn as a warm, summer Monday evening - not generally the recipe for record attendance - predictably yielded a small but loyal crowd while the band and I took to providing our take on the popular song format.
Later, during the after-set hang (sometimes just as much fun as the set itself), I found myself meeting, getting to know and having a blast with a very cool group of peeps who, flatteringly, care close to as much about my music as I do despite them being extremely intelligent and successful folks ;-) Always a humbling experience; one for which I'm eternally grateful and never take for granted.
Although the music business finds itself in a bad way these days, fraught with many pitfalls, I can think of very few "9 to 5's" (barring obvious philanthropic endeavors) that offer the kind of fulfillment and human connection described above.
"Turned on the radio Sounded like a disco Musta turned the dial for a couple of miles But I couldn't find no rock n' roll
This computerized crap ain't gettin' me off Everywhere I go - the kids wanna rock" - Bryan Adams
First off, just wanted to remind everyone that the band folk and I will be playing some new jams and some old faves at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn this coming Monday night (8/2, 8p) as we celebrate (somewhat belatedly) the release of my newest long player, "Queens English". If you're free, please join us as we make a racket in the back room then retire to Pete's awesome garden for a mid-summer night's libation under the stars. Details below -
Mark Bacino Mon. August 2, 2010 - 8pm Pete's Candy Store 709 Lorimer Street Brooklyn, NY 11211 718.302.3770 www.petescandystore.com *Free Admission* Lastly, in quick literary transition from live to Memorex - It struck me this week, in a wave of randomness, just how much I rely upon YouTube vids these days while investigating new musical finds. After, say, reading about a new band or artist, I find myself, almost reflexively, hitting my YouTube browser tab long before heading to iTunes, MySpace, etc. Usually I find your standard issue, MTV-era, bells and whistles video or a DIY Flip Cam vid but sometimes I land on a fan made clip, as I'm sure you have, consisting of nothing more than a tune from the band in question along with a static picture lasting the entire duration of the song. You would think given the obvious nature of YouTube as a visual platform this would be a detriment to the video's popularity but often I find these "static" vids to have thousands of plays. Go figure - The fascinating nexus of YouTube as Web 2.0 jukebox and modern man's uncanny ability to bend technology toward never intended uses coupled with his timeless need to simply get his groove on.
It's with all these lofty concepts in mind that I thought it might be fun to post some music from my new album in simple, YouTube neo-jukebox form - www.youtube.com/user/MBacino
I suppose no matter the medium, the kids still wanna rock.
Just a quick, save the date, note this week to let you guys know that the band and I will be playing a gig at the world's famous Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn, NY Monday August 2nd at 8pm.
Kickin' out jams old and new, please join us and celebrate the release of my album, "Queens English".
To get the band psyched for the gig, I've begun weekly pep talks post-rehearsal. Since you all are like family, I thought I'd record one and share it (listen here). Hopefully you too will find this little speech inspirational.
See you in August!
Show details...
Mark Bacino Live Mon. August 2, 2010 - 8pm Pete's Candy Store 709 Lorimer Street Brooklyn, NY 11211 718.302.3770 www.petescandystore.com *Free Admission*
The Band -
Matty Karas Cheri Leone John Lee Bob Byrne Jay Sherman-Godfrey
Ah, the gig... Simultaneously the thrill and bane of a performer's existence (or at least this performer's). A bubbling Diet Coke-meets-Mentos combination of nervousness and excitement - Will it suck? Will it be cool? Will five people come out or 150? Will the bartender cut off our free drinks?
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