Skinny Lister Goes Social!

No, we’re not talking about Facebook, Twitter or crumpets and tea out in some English countryside estate. We are talking about The Social, Orlando’s oldest currently active venue for shows – built in the 1920s. It has gone through a lot of ownership/management changes throughout the years but it still stands strong. This was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to be in the building since, well, I probably had hair; I’m guessing over 25 years ago.

The Social was a perfect venue for our client Skinny Lister. They are one of the most fun groups we have seen in years. Here’s a good way to describe them:

Skinny Lister had disembarked the Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise out of Miami on Monday. The Social had over 50 cruise passengers that followed the band the 235 miles up to Orlando to watch them perform again!

This group is a British Folk Musc band from London and they are  just great fun on stage to watch. I encourage everyone to go see them.

Skinny Lister at The Social, March 23 1996, Pic 1

Skinny Lister at The Social, March 23 1996, Pic 1

Skinny Lister at The Social, March 23 1996, Pic 2

Skinny Lister at The Social, March 23 1996, Pic 2

Vance Joy at the House of Blues

Last night, Jackie and I had the opportunity to spend some time with one of the nicest performers we have ever met, Vance Joy.What an amazingly friendly and sincere guy!
If you’ve been reading our posts on this site you realize we go locally to the Orlando House of Blues quite a bit as we have many of our clients perform at this venue. This was by far the largest crowd we have seen there. One interesting thing we noticed was the age groups were all over the board. We saw 20-year-olds all the way up to folks in their early 70s. Vance has a unique style that communicates with the audience and appeals to everyone. He tells stories before he sings a song – not unlike one of the greatest artists I ever saw, Harry Chapin.
That kind of dates me…

Vance Joy with Jackie and Frank Page

Vance Joy with Jackie and Frank Page

Awesome show.

Our Client Performs for President Obama!

I posted a story a couple of years ago about our client We Banjo 3 which you can read about here. We just received a press release from the band that they performed at the White House for President Obama and other dignitaries including Richard Gere yesterday on Tuesday, March 15. Here’s a copy of the PR:

Galway Band wows President Obama

We Banjo 3 today performed for The President of the United States, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, an Taoiseach Enda Kenny and a room full of Irish dignitaries and politicians from both sides of the House of Representatives at the Friends of Ireland Luncheon. Also in attendance was Richard Gere.

The band played a song from the multi award winning album Gather the Good, and another from their debut album Roots of the Banjo Tree. President Obama was highly taken with the virtuosity and verve of these young Galwegians who enthralled the gathered audience with their unique rendition of Blues song Get Onboard and Bluegrass/Irish medley Bill Cheatum/The Donegal Lass.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was full of praise for the musical ambassadors and was eager to be photographed with the band, President Obama, The Speaker of the House and the Vice President. This official photograph will be released in the coming days.

Despite a few attempts, the president resolutely refused to hold a banjo for fear that it might slip out of tune. The lads assured him that a banjo is rarely in tune anyway, but to no avail!
Any suggestion that we could publicly describe the banjo as a “Weapon of Mass Seduction” was quickly vetoed by the White House staffers!

It’s onwards and upwards for the Galway band who will release their 4th album String Theory this July.

Their Culture Ireland supported American tour continues tomorrow night in Chicago.

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Congratulations!

At The Gates!

Last night we were back at House of Blues here in Orlando to see our client, At the Gates. They put on a great show and the crowd was totally thrilled!

"At The Gates" performing at the Orlando House of Blues, February 11, 2016

“At The Gates” performing at the Orlando House of Blues, February 11, 2016

After the show, the guys graciously took a group photo with me and Jackie back in the Green Room, which could have been renamed the Red Room due to some strange lighting filters. or maybe we stayed out in that Florida sun just a few hours too long, or just maybe…this band is too hot!

At The Gates Group Photo

Europe in Orlando!

As you read the title of this post, you probably stopped and pondered for a moment; maybe even had an Abbott & Costello moment imagining Lou turning to Bud, yelling in his best “Who’s On First” inflection, “Hey Abbott. HOW can a continent fit into a City?”

It’s simple actually. Our client, the band Europe, was at the House of Blues last night in front of a full house!
They played some old stuff and some great music from their new album.
Of course, they finished with “The Final Countdown”.

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After the show, here’s Jackie and me with Joey and Ian.

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New York City – APAP 2016

James Clark, our International Accounts Manager, and I attended APAP this year.
The crowds did not seem as large.
However, it was a very good conference.
Snow flurries appeared a couple of times.
Living in Florida for over 50 years, it is quite a fun sight to see – from the inside of a building…

Meanwhile, back in Florida...

2015 Recap

I was asked last evening what was my favorite event of 2015.
Last year, I had the opportunity to see quite a few of our clients perform – lots of special moments that could be considered favorites, as you can see if you scroll down the blog history of these pages.
Picking only one is not fair, but alas, life is not fair.
So as I open the envelope of my memory containing the decision, I see that getting to meet legendary drummer, Ginger Baker in New York City is the winner.

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 18: Ginger Baker Performs Jazz Confusion Featuring Pee Wee Ellis, Alec Dankworth & Abass Dodoo at BB King on June 18, 2015 in New York, New York. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage) *** Local Caption *** Ginger Baker

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 18: Ginger Baker Performs Jazz Confusion Featuring Pee Wee Ellis, Alec Dankworth & Abass Dodoo at BB King on June 18, 2015 in New York, New York. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage)

Frank Page backstage with Ginger Baker

Frank Page backstage with Ginger Baker

Congrats Europe!

I’d like to give a big congratulation to our client Europe for the success they had in 2015. If you haven’t seen it yet, here is the official video of their hit “Days of Rock ‘n’ Roll” from their latest album “War of Kings”.  They are hot, hot, hot right now!

 

However, if releasing a new album and selling out concerts wasn’t enough, they are also climbing the CLIO charts with their fun and funny GEICO Insurance commercial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH1biQdyiQI

Great year guys!

RIP Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister

We would like to pass on our condolences to the family and friends of our client Motörhead’s lead singer, Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister. With the internet and social media awash with stories and tributes of this Heavy Metal rocker after his sudden passing, we also would like to honor his memory for our readers with a video of one of his biggest hits, “Ace of Spades”.  Thank you Lemmy.

Smile

Our client The Jive Aces have just released a new music video, “Smile”. It is from their latest album “Spread a Little Happiness”, and is inspired by the Charlie Chaplin classic of the same name. After watching it I dare anybody to not feel warm and happy inside, and of course, have it bring a smile to your face too! Enjoy.