Topic: Obese Journeyman Bluesman as Superhero: Paul Geremia at Jalopy

[Mr.OMuck]

Just got back.
First of all Paul who is 68 played for a solid THREE HOURS STRAIGHT! You try it sometime. I used to do it regularly in my teens and twenties but now?....I don't know.
Do you have any idea how many fucking songs that is? I wrote down most of them in a fit of amateur journalistic enthusiasm.


Pony Blues-Patton
Stockin' Feet Blues - BLJ
Arrangement for me (?) _ Bo Carter
Writin' Paper Blues -BWMc
Lost my mind in a wild romance-Percy Mayfield
Statesboro Blues-BWMc
Come on in my kitchen - RJ
From Four until Late - RJ
Risin' River Blues - Barbecue Bob
Jivin' Woman Blues(?) - Scrapper Blackwell
I'm Goin' Away- Libba Cotton
Love my Stuff- Charlie Patton
Stones in my Passway-RJ
When You Got a Good Friend-RJ
Don't sell it don't give it away - Oscar Woods
Dyin' Crap Shooter's Blues- BWMc
Piano
Careless Love-?
The Rocket Ship- Ray Charles
Fallin' Through My Heart- Paul Geremia -hitherto PG
Geremia's Railroad-PG
One More Last Time-PG
Farewell Sweet Rag - PG


And as I said I didn't get them all. There were a couple of more Pattons in there and a story about how Howlin' Wolf showed Paul how to get at playing Patton correctly.


Unfortunately, once again there were only 14 people in the audience two of whom were loud obnoxious refugees from a biker bar drunks who fortunately were Paul's biggest fans, knew his oeuvre really well but were a total drag for everybody.


I don't know how else to put this..I mean every time you see a comment posted on a blues video someone opines "Thanks for keeping the music alive" and I always interpret that to mean "better you than me, don't expect me to give any serious attention to that old shit."


Folks if you don't start showing up at performances in the company of several friends, this thing is fucking OVER!


How was Paul's playing? Depending on the song as good or better than Ry Cooder's or Ari Eisenger's or Ernie Hawkins or Frankie's or mine or yours or anybody's.
And frankly his range of material is greater than all of the above leave Cooder. Is he the most charming performer? No, but he's no longer surly, in fact I thought he exhibited saintlike patience and professionalism in the face of drunks I might have had to kill if they were in my audience. So what's the deal? Can't we do something together in a concerted manner to get out a descent sized audience when someone of this caliber performs?
Euro Weenies you all know people stateside, can't you rouse them into attending? Likewise Ameri-Weenies I have friends in London I can try to mobilize.


Before I end i wanted to mention that while I have been down on the whole singer-songwriter genre for quite a while now (most of it is intolerable to me), Paul's original songs were really moving , musically interesting, uninfected by cleverness or cuteness and really straight shooting, straight from the heart light years better than most of what passes as good songwriting.


I've been playing with thumb and index finger for so long that I forget the advantages of three finger playing, but Paul gets an absolutely awesome steady rolling cadence going with his right hand that I haven't heard anyone else equal.
 

[Adam Franklin]

14................

Truly disheartening. In the UK, it would probably be less.

I once saw a really good and well known singer, picker, writer, play to 3 people at a UK festival. Still put on a great show mind. Probably why many fewer US acts come here now.

It's just hard getting people out. The music/entertainment business has changed a lot in the last few years, the way people view music as entertainment has changed along with it.

Looking forward, Adam.

[uncle bud]

And sadly, the Jalopy is a beacon for this music (OK, said beacon is in a location that's as easy to find and get to as Elvis's current hideout), and still only 14 people for one of the best players out there. I know Paul would have similar stories to tell from other gigs.

Thanks for the review, M. O'Muck.

[Mr.OMuck]

I had a serious heart to heart with one of the owners of Jalopy on how to arrange transportation from the NYU (Village) area and the LES (east Village) to put asses in the seats. If anyone reading this knows a bus or limo company in the NYC area that would freelance, so to speak with individual fares as payment let me know. As i told her "Right now there is a small bus operator paying to have their bus sit in a lot that would welcome the chance to ferry people from downtown manhattan to Redhook and back for a few bucks over gas costs." I'll be workin' on it. Jalopy really is a unique place, that deserves to survive being the only venue in the NYC area that continues the now long tradition of this city's preeminence in the folk -Blues-Old Time revival movement,.

[CF]

Wow that is ridiculous! . . . and I'm always noticing the low turnout for these shows in the videos & etc.
It's such a lesson for a guy like me who lives in butt-fuck nowhere to think that in NYC a player like Paul only draws 14 people!!!!
It's funny, I live in a province/state of about 150, 000 souls. In the past I've moved to urban centers with hopes of getting
more work as a musician only to find that I did better back home. I put on house concerts somewhat irregularly, usually me & a local friend & we routinely draw 60-80 souls paying $10 to get in. There are friends & family members in the audience, sure, but there's a lot of strangers too. Makes me realize how lucky I am.
I think I'll keep plugging away in my little corner of the globe 

[Stuart]

Thanks for the report, Mr. O'. It's a damn shame that Paul, as one of the best--if not the best--in the profession today, didn't have a bigger, better and more appreciative audience to perform to. You have addressed accessibility (I'm not familiar with the area, but I'm sure that location was one factor for the small crowd), but another factor is awareness. As Adam points out, things have changed over the years, but with today's level of market saturation, awareness and getting the word out is more important than ever. Perhaps arranging a couple of spots on the campus and/or alternative radio stations in the week leading up to, as well as on the day of the gig would improve attendance. It would take someone with experience who knew what they were doing to run interference and to pre-plan from a distance to make it happen, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. I know that it happens in the Seattle area all the time. Obviously, you're not going to get 100% coverage and not everyone who hears about it will attend, but if people aren't aware of the gig, how to get there, and the quality of the artist and his or her music, they certainly won't attend. Just a few thoughts...

[Mr.OMuck]

Wow that is ridiculous! . . . and I'm always noticing the low turnout for these shows in the videos & etc.
It's such a lesson for a guy like me who lives in butt-fuck nowhere to think that in NYC a player like Paul only draws 14 people!!!!
It's funny, I live in a province/state of about 150, 000 souls. In the past I've moved to urban centers with hopes of getting
more work as a musician only to find that I did better back home. I put on house concerts somewhat irregularly, usually me & a local friend & we routinely draw 60-80 souls paying $10 to get in. There are friends & family members in the audience, sure, but there's a lot of strangers too. Makes me realize how lucky I am.
I think I'll keep plugging away in my little corner of the globe 

There is a lot of wisdom in mining the home crowd Mike. Actually the only people I know surviving on their art are those who've adopted that strategy. Maybe all art like all politics is local. Seeing the tired looking Paul bundle behind the wheel of his modest sedan at midnight heading back up to Rhode island with how much money after gas? was a sobering reminder of just how slim the pickings are in this field.
I don't know if he played for a guarantee. I hope so for his sake and hope not for Jalopy's.

[Mr.OMuck]

Thanks for the report, Mr. O'. It's a damn shame that Paul, as one of the best--if not the best--in the profession today, didn't have a bigger, better and more appreciative audience to perform to. You have addressed accessibility (I'm not familiar with the area, but I'm sure that location was one factor for the small crowd), but another factor is awareness. As Adam points out, things have changed over the years, but with today's level of market saturation, awareness and getting the word out is more important than ever. Perhaps arranging a couple of spots on the campus and/or alternative radio stations in the week leading up to, as well as on the day of the gig would improve attendance. It would take someone with experience who knew what they were doing to run interference and to pre-plan from a distance to make it happen, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. I know that it happens in the Seattle area all the time. Obviously, you're not going to get 100% coverage and not everyone who hears about it will attend, but if people aren't aware of the gig, how to get there, and the quality of the artist and his or her music, they certainly won't attend. Just a few thoughts...

Very good points Stuart and much along the lines I've been thinking about. I don't know if Jalopy actively does much PR but I intend to speak to them about getting an intern in a college PR program to help make sure events get on college stations.

Another thought, as I pointed out in my review of Geoff Muldaur's Jalopy show, the younger Blues generation people who make the place their home were notably absent, the ungrateful little fuckers! The one member of their club that was there was given stern instructions to beat the shit out of the rest and make sure they show up next time.

[lindy]

Putting asses in chairs is yeoman's work, a great thing that you can do for an artist of Paul's stature.

But there's something equally good: cash, or it's first cousin, checks.

Folks like us can put a lot of time and energy into getting people out of their easy chairs, away from their laptops, and into places like the Jalopy, with uneven results at best.

Or, we can put a little bit of energy into writing a check for whatever amount and sending it to Paul as a way of saying "Thanks," even if you're living on the other side of the country. You can ask for a copy of his new CD and say "keep the change," or order multiple copies and pass them out to friends.

During my time in New Orleans I could always put extra money in the tip jar as a way of showing appreciation for a band or solo performer. Many times I heard the words, "I'd like y'all to meet my good friend Philip, Philip DeJar." Besides asking the Jalopy owner to start a transportation system, you can also ask her to invite Philip to her joint. If the cover is $10, then an extra $20 seems about right.

L

[GhostRider]

There is something wrong here. Is this Jalopy in the middle of nowhere? A dump? Very expensive?

Here in Calgary (pop. 1,000,000) (hotbeds of sanity) we have an acoustic bluesman (Tim Williams) who plays every Tues. at a local small club. Every Tues. for now going on  four years. And he gets 20 to 40 people every week. Every week! That a talent like Paul can't get 20 folks for a one off is wrong. Something else is in play here. Has this Jalopy heard of promotion. Is all of NYC into hippity-hop?

Alex

[CF]

Stuart's point is dead-on about advertising your gigs as much as you can. Online AND print presences are really essential (older audience still reads the newspaper, younger and older both have Facebookvision) & even things like using the right picture & tone in the gig spiel/description yadda yadda. It's actually not that much work & the payoff is SOMETIMES there.

Strange the younger crowd aren't showing up for these gigs, I wonder why that is. Probably my generation has a tendency to worship the 78 era players too much, to the detriment of those from the revival period who kept & keep the music alive?

EDIT: or are they gigging/working?

[Mr.OMuck]

There is something wrong here. Is this Jalopy in the middle of nowhere? A dump? Very expensive?

Here in Calgary (pop. 1,000,000) (hotbeds of sanity) we have an acoustic bluesman (Tim Williams) who plays every Tues. at a local small club. Every Tues. for now going on  four years. And he gets 20 to 40 people every week. Every week! That a talent like Paul can't get 20 folks for a one off is wrong. Something else is in play here. Has this Jalopy heard of promotion. Is all of NYC into hippity-hop?

Alex

Middle of nowhere is pretty much the problem I'm afraid. A very long hike from the nearest subway through some forbidding streets.

[CF]

What's that old Real Estate mantra . . . location, location, location.

House concerts are a way to go. There's a touring route for folk musicians in Canada called Home Routes or something & it's basically a series of private homes across this great big country that host shows. It's quality controlled I think, you don't get booked if you can't play, but several of my friends have done it & they make money. You just go from home to home, host usually feeds & keeps the musicians. Paul should be able to not travel very far along the east coast have a good amount of work, damn I don't get this business!

[GhostRider]

Strange the younger crowd aren't showing up for these gigs, I wonder why that is. Probably my generation has a tendency to worship the 78 era players too much, to the detriment of those from the revival period who kept & keep the music alive?

I respectfully don't think that this is the case. The young people exposed to this music in my experiance  become instant fans IF The performing artist is an engaging personality. The one I'm thinking of goes out of his way to humorize between songs, often to point out the double entendre elements beforehand and to sketch out the artists. And no bowderization! He does a lot of  covers of 20'-30's blues folks, and I don't see that in and of itself turning off the younguns. I've actually seen 20-somethings get up to dance spontaniously (both times to Aberdeen Mississippi Blues). Too cool!

Alex

[eric]

Maybe New Yorkers are jaded?  A couple of years ago, I drove to Fallon, Nevada, an hour east from my home in Reno, to see Rory Block.  Fallon's main industry is growing alfalfa, has a population of 7,300, and the nearest town in the other direction is 110 miles to the east with a population of 192.  There were 300 people there: cowboys, farmers, other locals, a few folks from Reno.  Rory killed 'em.  Told Son House stories. Brought a local kid up to sing a duet, had a q&a with the audience, and people were lined up to buy her CD.  Go figure.