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/

Friends Rule

You know the story.  You want to do something different this weekend like see a great band but a friend of yours would rather go to a dance club.  You can either go see that great band all by yourself or go dance to that hip hop non-stop dance beat until your feet ache and your wallet is empty from those expensive drinks.  If you follow the "friends rule" rule, you will go dancing with your friend because you don't want to go alone.

Now all that was on Thursday night when you started thinking about the weekend.  Friday comes and you get a text from your friend telling you that they have to cancel because their boyfriend just called and invited her to dinner followed by who knows what.  That's the next phase in the "friends rule" - you can call it the boyfriend/girlfriend rule.

Now you have a choice to either stay home alone or go see that band you really wanted to see.   Maybe you will make a quick phone call or text to see if you can get some last minute plans going with another friend - one who probably does not have a date.  Maybe you will take a bath or shower and think it over, remembering the infamous Clash "should I stay or should I go?"  The rest of the lyrics never enter into your mind.

Does this story sound familiar, more or less?  It's what I imagine goes on week after week for some of us.  It's the reason why we have so many choices of what to do each weekend but end up siding with whatever peers are doing.  It's the reason why bands work so hard to win your hearts, DJ's spin their tunes to a heavy beat and restaurants entice you with sumptuous meals.  It's an effort to win you over but remember.... Friends Rule!

Missing the Blues

It's been a week since I enjoyed the weekend long Riverwalk Blues & Music that took place downtown Fort Lauderdale.   What I like about attending music festivals is the variety of music and the variety of people enjoying the music with me.   This event was no exception.  Although I recognized some of the acts, most were ones which I had never seen or heard before.  The people too, seemed to be a crowd with which I was not familiar.  Many of the blues fans were baby boomers.  The music seemed to bring back memories of their childhood and forget about their present day realities.  Sound familiar?

As someone who was born after the baby boomer generation, I still enjoyed the toe tapping entertainment.  Unlike many rock shows I see, the lead singers were easy to understand.  They all seemed to make you feel good for being there and supporting their favorite charities.  There was also a lot of attention paid to remember Don Cohen, the founder of the festival 22 years ago, who recently passed away of a brain tumor.

Having observed parts of the festival starting from the "Will-Call" party at the Downtowner Saloon where volunteers were being trained the night before the official start to the "After-Party" taking place at Bourbon on 2nd, I learned to admire how much work went into putting on this event.  As with other outdoor events, uncontrollable factors such as rain and cold temperatures threatened all the efforts.  Luckily, the grounds dried up just in time and people brought blankets, ate spicy Jambalaya and drank more beer to stay warm.  My heartfelt thanks goes out to Darlene and Gerardo Lopez for all the hard work they put into making sure that we could count on in this festival to continue for years to come.

If nothing else, this event brought to my attenition two new spots to watch for great entertainment which I had not visited in the past.   As I am sure Don Cohen would have wanted, I have discovered both new music and new places to enjoy the music.  So, join me each weekend as I support the local music scene and help keep the dream alive!

Weekend Broward Blog: Poles, Pool Tables and People

Weekend Broward Blog: Poles, Pool Tables and People: "Taking photo's with a pocket camera proved to be an exercise in frustration. You probably had a similar experience - you get..."

Poles, Pool Tables and People

Taking photo's with a pocket camera proved to be an exercise in frustration.  You probably had a similar experience - you get back home after a night of snapping great shots of bands and friends only to discover that 80% of the pictures need to be deleted due to underexposure, blurr or light streaks.  So I upgraded to a DSLR that had a much stronger flash and only snaps the picture when the camera thinks the lighting is just right.  Now that I had overcome the obstacle of darkness, I find myself running into new obstacles. 

Many of the bars and restaurants hosting bands were built without the intention of making room for the entertainment.  When they decide that a band will bring in more customers, they block off an area where tables used to be and tell the band to set up.  Unfortunately, that often means no dance floors, no riser stage, poles, pool tables and walls blocking clear views - all obstacles for the "perfect' shot. 

And if the fixed objects weren't enough, the amount of room between the bands and the crowds of people enjoying the entertainment draws to a matter of inches, there isn't much room for a photographer to get in between.  This weekend, I discovered a new appreciation for those "in the biz" who need to get the perfect shot for publication.   I don't know how they do it, but I'm learning.  Climbing stools and tables to get the right angle can be embarassing but not as bad as having a wall block half the shot.  I'm still new at this but give me some time and I'll get it right.  In the meantime, enjoy the shots I do manage to get, good or bad, and keep supporting the bands that work hard to entertain, no matter how tight a squeeze it might be.