A Fallen Hero

Do you remember where you were when you heard about the Space Shuttle blowing up? How about September 11th, 2001?  April 17th will be one of those milestone days for me because I was sitting at Starbucks, uploading band photos from the previous night when I read about the demise of Jimmy Pagano.  My first thoughts were - was it a car accident or a heart attack?  I would never have imagined him getting involved with a bar fight (trying to help the bartender collect on a bar tab).  He was definitely not a figher.  The most physical he would get would be to give you a hug!

In the other hand, Jimmy was a soldier.  He was one of the few people I knew who fought for the right of local bands to have an audience.  He was proud of his history of holding jam sessions at local bars so that musicians could network and get an extra day of playing in front of a live audience instead of their garages.    If you were part of his Facebook friends network, you probably remember how frustrated he would get with people who promised to come out and see him or his bands play but didn't show up.  While he used Facebook extensively to keep in touch with his extensive network of friends, he really believed in the power of seeing people in person.  I remember how happy he was to see me last time I saw him.  It's one thing to communicate online - it's another to follow up with a personal visit.

On April 17th, I changed my profile photo to show a flag at half mast because Jimmy is a fallen hero and it's the only way I know to honor him for all the hard work he has done for our local music scene.  I am not sure who is going to trace that bad wire next time I attend a local band's concert.  I am not sure who I will approach next time with my ideas for a local music festival.  All I know is that his hard work did not go un-noticed and he will be missed by everyone.

The newspaper and mass media called him a drummer.  I am not sure how Jimmy would have felt about that description.  Sure, he played the drums, but that is not how he wanted to be remembered.  His Facebook page says exactly how he wanted to be known.  Here's what it says: "Promotions/ General Manager/ Event Producer/Coordinator at Self Employed  who Studied at The School of Life.  He Lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida From Bedford, New York Born on January 4, (1957)."  May he continue to live in the hearts of us all for ever and ever.

More photos and event listings can be found at http://www.weekendbroward.com/

Weekend Broward Blog: Change it up!

Weekend Broward Blog: Change it up!: "Grindstone at Gatsby's If you love watching live bands strut their stuff like I do, you will appreciate this piece of advice: 'Change it u..."

Change it up!

Grindstone at Gatsby's

If you love watching live bands strut their stuff like I do, you will appreciate this piece of advice: "Change it up!".   I've seen so many bands put all their effort into recreating the sounds of the original artists that they forget that the original artists were also famous for putting on a great show!  I have also seen bands playing the same songs in the same way every time I see them.  Unless you are doing a world tour, you depend on your loyal fans to come out and see you whenever and wherever you play.  That means using improvisation, taking advantage of onlookers and inviting guests to participate - especially those that have experience playing in front of crowds.  



SLEJJ at Hot Shots in Sunrise



This weekend, I experienced both types of bands.  Take a look at the photos and you will see unique images of these bands that you will probably never see again.  That's because they broke through the monotony and used their environment to their advantage to make each show a more enjoyable experience.  The importance of getting people to stay and watch is something that webmasters call bounce rate.  Website managers measure not only how many people take a look at their website, but more importantly, how many spend a significant amount of time on their site, which enhances the online experience (and gives advertisers a bigger bang for their buck). 

In the real world, you can measure how many people come and see a band but how about measuring how many stay or leave between sets?  This weekend, I was about to leave after seeing a few songs from one of the bands when, suddenly, a friend was invited on stage and voila - a new show was born!  I ended up staying an extra half hour.  For venues, that translates into an extra drink sold.  For fans, it can make the difference between an "okay" night versus a memorable one.  For the bands - it can mean bigger and better crowds next time they play.  It's a WIN-WIN-WIN so remember "Change it up!"

Blues Brothers Soul Revival at Coconut Creek Casino

Photos courtesy of http://www.weekendbroward.com/