cliffy
111 posts
Sep 15, 2014
9:35 AM
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Hello MBHers,
After years of searching, I finally found a guitar player who plays acoustic fingerstyle blues at a high level. A friend introduced us and we exchanged info.
Two days later I sent him an email explaining that I had been looking to play acoustically in a duo or trio format for some time, and that I really enjoyed his playing and that I would love to work out some tunes with him sometime and see if we 'click' musically, perhaps with a view towards playing some gigs or recording some tunes. I attached some clips of me playing acoustically, and he replied,
"Really good stuff. I'll try to think of some things we can do."
That was the whole email. He's not much for texting or email, I think.
Anyway, should I contact him again, Or should I wait for him to get in touch with me?
If I reach out to him first, am I stalking him? I really want to play music with this guy and I want to make that connection, but at the same time, he is a perfectly capable solo act (he just won our local solo/duo slot to compete in Memphis IBC). I just don't want to scare him off by coming on too strong, but I also don't want to miss out on an opportunity to play with him because we both are busy and it falls through the cracks.
What do you guys/girls think? Sorry for sounding like a love-struck teenager. :)
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KingoBad
1534 posts
Sep 15, 2014
10:45 AM
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He also might just be trying to be nice.
I wouldn't keep after him. If you go to see a few shows, maybe he might ask you up if he notices you, but I wouldn't ask him to sit in.
Buying a cd and doing some homework on his stuff might get you prepared. You can always talk to him about his music. I think you might have a better chance if he sees how much you dig HIS stuff.
Have you been playing with other musicians in the community? I find that you can get plenty of opportunities because you know lots of musicians and have played with them.
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Danny
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nacoran
8001 posts
Sep 15, 2014
10:59 AM
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That's a tough read. He didn't give you much verbal content. I guess I'd probably send something back saying, 'Cool, let me know what you think of. :)'
(Smiley face optional).
No matter how much you feel like a lovestruck teenager, resist the urge to put checkboxes with 'Do you like me- yes no' on any emails and you should be fine. :)
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Nate
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HawkeyeKane
2621 posts
Sep 15, 2014
12:20 PM
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"No matter how much you feel like a lovestruck teenager, resist the urge to put checkboxes with 'Do you like me- yes no' on any emails and you should be fine. :)"
So, Nate....the checkboxes on my proposal for a collaboration album with you are why you never called me back? *sigh*
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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JustFuya
511 posts
Sep 15, 2014
4:46 PM
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I'd leave it stand as is. That fact that you got a reply shows he didn't blow you off completely and your point is made.
Let him make the next web contact.
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Michael Rubin
949 posts
Sep 15, 2014
5:55 PM
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Totally disagree. Just send him some nights you'd be available to jam and let him know you'll buy the 6 pack.If he doesn't bite, he'll never bite. Get the wondering out of the way.
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harpdude61
2140 posts
Sep 15, 2014
5:58 PM
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I don't know. Some of the good ones are wired funny. I know a solo artist that if I show up at one of his gigs, he demands I get up and jam a few. Won't let me sit down...but if I text or e-mail I usually get no response. Great guy, just ditzy in a way. I would bet he belongs to no forum of any kind.
Some great musicians are the "live in the moment type". Show up at one of his small gigs with harps in the car. Act delighted to see him. Hopefully he will ask if you have your harps.
Actually the guitarist in my band is that way. I can text and IM for days with no response. Day of gig I always hear from him. He is ready and does great. My drummer always responds within minutes of a message.
I disagree with some of the other posters. Go for it. Some people just are not into correspondence.
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www.facebook.com/catfishfryeband
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eharp
2223 posts
Sep 15, 2014
8:28 PM
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You've been searching for years, finally found somebody that you thought would work out and you are asking people you don't really know for advice?!?!
There could be reasons he hasn't responded so soon. (Though you haven't said how much time has gone by.)
Some of those reasons are he isn't interested or thinks your playing is below his level (or above!) or he lost your address or a personal issue or...
But you go ahead. You keep waiting for your dream guitarist.
(Please send me his address so I can make a run at him.)
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JustFuya
514 posts
Sep 15, 2014
8:38 PM
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I've wanted to jam with almost every decent act I've heard. I've had some success but it wasn't by being pushy, filling their tip jar, elbowing my way to the front or jumping up and down. It was just luck and sometimes a mutual affinity for the same poison.
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JInx
887 posts
Sep 15, 2014
8:44 PM
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be the catalyst.
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Harpaholic
538 posts
Sep 15, 2014
10:41 PM
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From what I get from the email, he said its not gonna happen anytime soon.
I wouldn't send anymore emails, I would attend some of his gigs try to get to know him and see where it goes from there.
Last Edited by Harpaholic on Sep 15, 2014 10:42 PM
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nacoran
8002 posts
Sep 16, 2014
12:14 AM
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Hawkeye, I got to fire my agent. He said "Alan Alda wants to do a collaboration album with you, you know, that Hawkeye guy." I immediately called Alan, but he had no idea what I was talking about. He was impressed with my version of the MASH theme song on harmonica but was worried that with William Shatner's album doing so well he was worried that another old actor throwing his hat in the ring might not do so well, that is, until David Ogden Stiers signed on. (He went to Julliard you know!)
Anyway, we almost have the whole thing mastered and my manager is delivering the tapes to be copied and he runs into Trapper John (Wayne Rodgers, Pernell Roberts has passed away). And wouldn't you know it, he wants in on it, so we have to start from scratch.
Then he shows up, and has the original email from you, and man, I just feel so silly that I never got back to you. :P
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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JustFuya
520 posts
Sep 16, 2014
1:37 AM
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Wow naco! I've been written up in newspapers for my wit and sarcasm, but I've never been mean to an individual unless he was a bully or threatened me physically. I wish you as much luck with your approach as I do cliffy. I think he'll make out better in the long run.
This thread called to mind a recent visit from my sister, an excellent finger picker, and that's why I'm here now. She broke a nail almost immediately and said, nah, on my brass medium stringed guitar. Fuh?
cliffy - Buy a guitar for yourself to keep around the house and even mess with. Half size nylon gits cost less than $100 and my nephew buys them exclusively because he tends to lose or break things. He's really good at playing but not so much at keeping.
The worst situation is to have a fellow musician stop by and excuse him or herself because the ax is at home. The broken nail thing was new to me and I'm working on that. Never saw it coming but I'll be prepared next time at least as a joke.
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JustFuya
521 posts
Sep 16, 2014
1:56 AM
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Here's a kid expressing, worldwide, his crush on a star before he started to finger pick. He's very good at it now and has a girlfriend. Pretty funny & musical always.
Last Edited by JustFuya on Sep 16, 2014 2:02 AM
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HawkeyeKane
2624 posts
Sep 16, 2014
9:15 AM
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Nate...LOL! You know, there are times when I think you inherited the comedy throne from TNFrank on here.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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cliffy
112 posts
Sep 16, 2014
10:09 AM
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Hi everybody,
I have decided I'm going to take Michael Rubin's and Jinx's advice and pursue it further. Harpdude, I like the casual way you suggested, but I'm going to be more direct than that.
My thought is that (a) he's young and has his own stuff to do, and (b) he's an artistic type, so he might not be the most organized with everything... I get the idea he's a very casual guy and he might not have a ton of "follow-through" yet.
As far as playing goes, my playing is on par with his. I'm a high-level player and I haven't been bugging him just to jam. I want to work with him, whether it be either hiring him as a sideman for my own gigs, backing him up on his gigs as a sideman, or working up a couple of sets and playing out as a duo. One professional to another :)
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CarlA
594 posts
Sep 16, 2014
11:33 AM
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cliffy
111 posts
Sep 15, 2014
9:35 AM
"Really good stuff. I'll try to think of some things we can do."
That was the whole email. He's not much for texting or email, I think.
Can you picture a job interview in which you feel you did absolutely fabulous. Now imagine the interviewer saying, "Don't call us, we'll call you"
The guitarists reply kind of boarders along those lines.
I could be wrong.
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timeistight
1639 posts
Sep 16, 2014
11:40 AM
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Hire him to accompany you on a couple of your gigs. If that works out, maybe he'll reciprocate.
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nacoran
8003 posts
Sep 16, 2014
12:13 PM
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JustFuya, Hawkeye can play rings around me; he doesn't need me mucking up his tracks! I do always have piles of lyrics lying around though and can write to spec. ;)
Hmm, I am not a fan of the winking smiley face in this font. It makes it look like I'm wearing mascara! (; Hmm, now it looks like I'm crying I'm so happy...
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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JustFuya
531 posts
Sep 16, 2014
12:47 PM
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Sorry, I went OT. But my point is valid. If you love someone very much and yearn to play with them you should write them a song, publish it on YT, and hope they find it.
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cliffy
116 posts
Oct 01, 2014
8:48 AM
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Hi everybody,
Follow-up.... So I got really busy at work and kind of dropped it until today. I finally had a few brain cells freed up to think about music and said, screw it, I'm going to text him.
He responded thirty seconds later with, "yeah, sure thing'" and we set up a date and time to get together.
Once we play a couple of times I'll record something and post it here so you all can hear him. He's quite awesome as a fingerpicking acoustic blues guitarist. Until then, I'm not mentioning his name lest one of you scoops him up first. :)
Thanks again for all of your perspectives on my dilemma! And for the general silliness in subsequent posts.
Bill (cliffy)
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eharp
2234 posts
Oct 01, 2014
9:33 AM
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You are now 2 weeks further away from stardom because of this.
This shows that YOU are going to be in charge.
I am not saying you are the front man nor that you should not be getting his viewpoints. However, it will be up to you to keep this thing moving. You will need to be the initiator and motivator.
(and don't use the forum as your committee. You see that you get a divided opinion.)
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HawkeyeKane
2646 posts
Oct 03, 2014
11:36 AM
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Wow...I hadn't revisited this thread in a while... Nate, you honor me with your kind words. I'm not sure that I play circles around you, but I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you!
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Oct 03, 2014 11:40 AM
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jbone
1782 posts
Oct 04, 2014
5:42 AM
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Having done cold call sales for a time one thing that became apparent was, I was going to get plenty of no's and a few yeses on any given day. The estimate was about 10 to 1 over all.
In the years I've been in the music game some way or another I have tried various ways to partner up. I've been invited into bands, co-founded bands, been asked to do a duo and asked to partner up with a guitarist/singer, I've placed ads in music rags and answered ads on craigslist and in newspapers. At some point though, I just told myself I was going to keep hitting jams and doing what was in front of me, and not worry over who I worked with. It all fell into place.
I have the best possible deal right now. My duo partner is my wife. We've been married for over 10 years and partners in music for nearly that long. We have become kind of a single unit in some ways. We have co-written a lot of material and are working to get to recording time on cd #2.
I said all that to say this: We were two people who had no idea we would ever be together in any way when we met. Life, fate, destiny, whatever- we did end up together and married. About then she amazed me by bringing a guitar home and asking me to teach he about the blues. She learned to accompany me. With time everything has grown into this great partnership on and off stage.
Sometimes you follow an instinct, sometimes you kick back and do what you know. I could not have picked a better partner.
And to top it off she's learning a bit of basic harp playing! I could not be more pleases.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbTwvU-EN1Q
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cliffy
126 posts
Jan 14, 2015
8:27 PM
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UPDATE: Thanks SO much to everyone who responded to this thread! I did reach out to the guitarist again, and it worked out well; I wound up playing a short gig with him this past weekend. The gig was a fundraiser to send him to Memphis for the IBC.
His name is Rob Europe and I'm pretty thrilled to have played with him. He said we should do the Long Island Blues Society competition as a duo next year, and that he'll call me for work playing other gigs.
Here we are! The YouTube clip has two songs.
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JInx
954 posts
Jan 14, 2015
8:46 PM
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Long Island blues! awesome
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Rustys26
20 posts
Jan 14, 2015
10:23 PM
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Sounds great!
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BronzeWailer
1578 posts
Jan 14, 2015
10:40 PM
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Good work Cliffy. Sounding great. Best of luck in your future collaborations.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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orphan
397 posts
Jan 15, 2015
7:29 AM
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I'm picturing you guys on the front porch of a house party bringing the blues. But of course that would sound good anywhere. Really like what you two are doing. Thanks for the update.
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Rontana
26 posts
Jan 15, 2015
8:21 AM
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If I was sitting in a smokey bar, Marlboro hanging from my lip and glass of Jack before me, this is exactly the sound I'd want to hear.
Okay, I'd be chewing a nicotine tab and drinking a Coke, but the music would supersede all. I really like this. If Rob was playing an old Stella or 1928 Maybelle (and maybe he is) even better.
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hooktool
157 posts
Jan 15, 2015
9:55 PM
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Nice sound, I see why you wanted to play with him. You guys fit well.
Good ending, I feel like I need a cigarette. :)
John
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