Minstrel Booking

From: The Minstrel <mike.agranoff@folkproject.org>

Date: Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 12:49 PM

Subject: Minstrel Booking Report - August 2017

To: FPboard <fullboard@folkproject.org>

Well! Certainly a stellar report for the Minstrel this past month by any standards. With both a sold-out show for Tom Chapin and our Birthday show, which is always a fund-raiser, we netted $944 for the month of July, accounting for well over half our $1642 profits over the last 12 months. We averaged 132 paid (158 total) attendees for the two regular shows with paid performers, and 88.5 paid (112.3 total) attendees including the Open Stage and the Birthday Show. Financially, we are $1,601 in the black year to date.

Tom Chapin Show:

The Tom Chapin Show was certainly an event. The paid attendance was 195, and the total was recorded at 224, although there were more. The only way we were able to handle that many was to offer some of the turned away patrons a seat in the small room where we normaly calculate our finances for the show, and offer them to watch the show on Concert Window on MUF's computer in that room. (Many thanks to Paul Fisher, who donated a pair of computer speakers, now permanently hooked into that computer.) About 15 people took advantage of that offer. We charged them no admission, so their number did not add to our officially recorded attendance figures. We were then able to seat them in the auditorium for the second half of the show when seats were vacated by people who left after the first half. We asked those people to contribute to the creel in lieu of paying admission. All this on-the-spot accommodation was accomplished extemporaneously by Head Staff Ken Brody and the rest of the on-site staff with no direction from me, as I was otherwise occupied as emcee. Nice thinking on your feet, guys.

You may recall from last month's report that I used the Tom Chapin show as a vehicle to try to build an audience for Tom's opening act, Butch Ross. I booked him to open for this high-draw headliner in order to expose him to a large new audience, in hopes that he'd impress the hell out of them. He came through in spades, and got an instant standing ovation from the crowd after his set. I then told the audience that if they would sign his mailing list, and pledge to mark February 23, 2018 on their calendars to see him as a headliner at the Minstrel, and if he got more than 25 such pledges, I would book him for that date. He got 55 pledges, and He's booked. (He will send an email to those signees, reminding them of their pledge.) The proof of the pudding will come next February. The pledge was only to mark their calendars, not to actually show up. But I'm hoping that when people open their calendars next February, they will remember the event, remember their excitement about Butch, and remember that they had a direct influence in a booking decision at the Minstrel. And they will turn up for him. We'll see.

I'll be trying that tactic again on September 1 when I've booked Jacob Johnson to open for Julie Gold. It will not be as effective, since Julie will not be as big a draw as Tom Chapin. But we'll see what happens for him as well. Jacob's provisional headliner date is June 29, 2018.

Morristown Unitarian Fellowship

Our relations with the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship seem to be improving somewhat. (Not that they were in any way poor in the past.) This started when Gabor Kiss, a member of MUF, remarked to me that he noticed that the sound in the room was markedly more muddy since MUF took down the sound panels we had installed when we moved into the building in 2005. I told him I agreed with him wholeheartedly, but I was under the impression that the MUF Board thought those panels to be unattractive, and did not reinstall them after the room was painted. Gabor told me that opinions were mixed on that subject. So I asked Kathi Caccavale to make inquiries about their possibly reinstalling them. She did so, and also made some further inquiries as well.

The report on the sound panels, much to my surprise, is that they will consider reinstalling them.

She also asked if we would be permitted to use the aforementioned computer in room 100 for our Bookkeeper to be able to watch the ongoing show in the Meeting Room on Concert Window while (s)he does the books. That was granted. They set up a Folk Project account on that computer, and gave us permission, just in time for us to use it for the overflow crowd to watch the Tom Chapin Show.

She also asked about permitting us to store our merchandise in the basement along with our other equipment. The answer was better than we had hoped. They've offered us a lockable room adjacent to the storage area where we currently keep our stuff. It will need some cleaning out, and they are asking our help with that. I have not yet seen the room or its condition. When Kathi gets back from vacation, I'll consult with her and MUF, and report further.

New bookings since last meeting

• Aug. 18: Gerry & Olga to open for Robinson & Rohe

• Sept. 22: Pete McDonough (Piedmont and Delta guitarist) to open for Pete's Posse

• Sept 29: Liz Queler & Seth Farber to open for Vance Gilbert

• Oct. 13: Betsy Rose & the Chicago Fire to open for Rosie & the Riveters

• Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving Friday): An all Folk Project show: Lords of Liechtenstein with Bill Buttner opening

• Dec 1: Bill Staines (!!!!) confirmed to headline Chorus Song Night

• Feb. 23: The aforementioned Butch Ross for a feature set

Mike Agranoff

Program Chair

The Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series

Morristown, NJ. USA