Gigs, repertoire, band, and more....

Now I'm moving into the music venues. I'm excited that I've booked another gig in Munich. On September 25, 2008, I'll be performing at the Oklahoma Saloon. This venture is progressing. In the past year I've been doing mostly events that I've scheduled and organized myself. I liked having the control of the room, as if it were my own venue. I invited my own people and sold tickets. But the music venues will be doing promotion too. That's what I was missing.

I'm trying to get a better handle on the songlist. I told you in another post that Bob and I have memorized our repertoire (ready to jump up and sing at the drop of a hat!). Now I'm doing the same with my other music. I made a list of 100 songs that I want to be sure that I know by heart. Then I made a second list of 100 for when I'm done with the first. Just think of the confidence of knowing all the text off the top of my head, without fumbling for a songbook. It's funny though, on the Bose website forum we have been talking about songlists and music stands. Some of these guys have thousands of songs at the ready, just a few clicks away in their laptop and they can read as they go. I've heard some professional bands use a teleprompter. Gee!

I just put out the word on the Toytown Germany Munich forum for musicians. I have been griping about this for the past few months. I want to find musicians who are skilled, reliable, professional (not to mention drug-free!). I need some people I can work with to make the sounds that I want to make. Should I go with professionals? Should I seek out classically trained musicians or the folks that improvise everything? Where are these people?

The other day I met with a musician who told me about his groups that are playing in front of thousands of people. We talked all evening over dinner and drinks about many aspects of making music. I have this thing where I don't like to think of music as "hobby" or something you just do for "fun". To me it is more than that. It is an art. I told him that sometimes when I am rehearsing at home, the beauty of a sing just hits me in such a way that tears come to my eyes. He responded with some comment about it being sad or depressing. But that is just not it! How can I make it clear to people that the sensibility for music -- understanding, feeling, expressing -- is the most important part of learning and performing music. Fun? Money? Well, they are part of it too. But if I want to fill the bank account, I just get another tech contract. A musician in it for the money? .... Show business! Good grief, Charlie Brown.

New myspace site

Good news! I just created my new myspace site: www.myspace.com/davidscottbrown. No, it wasn't hard to do. The problem was that there was another David Scott Brown who had the url. I have kept an eye on this for over a year. The other day I noticed he hadn't used the site for almost two years. Finally I sent him an email, but got no response. Then I made the point to the myspace folks, got no response, but voila, in a few days the site was free.

A mixed blessing. I have to say sorry to the other DSB if he still wanted to use it, and it would be great to hear from him. But I'm trying to build this web presence. I don't know why, for heaven's sake, because I don't want to be famous. But it occurred to me yesterday (not trying to be messianic or anything) that I have a musical message for the world. We'll see how well it gets out.

AGBC National Membership Meeting -- performance

I have been invited last minute to perform at the American-German Business Club's membership meeting this Saturday at 18:00. I've invited Bob Crook to join me. We'll be singing and playing at the beautiful winery Balthasar Ress in the Rheingau region. Sorry, this is for AGBC members only, with prior reservation.



I'm happy to tell you about AGBC. (Read more about AGBC here.) I've known Dennis Phillips, the founder and past president, for several years. Dennis and the current president, Robert Stoffers, asked me to provide some American music to complement the ensemble 15 Strings, led by AGBC member Matthias Lichentaler. AGBC is a great group to know and be involved with. It's a good forum for business and social networking and community involvement. Check them out sometime!

Vocal harmonies

I had a short but very productive rehearsal with two colleagues yesterday. We worked on harmonies on a couple of Beatles songs. Three-part harmony on Beatles tunes! This is gonna be great! Should have a short set ready by the next concert.

Bob Crook and I are still polishing the duets. We have about forty songs now pretty much memorized. We want to add bass and drums but we're still looking for the right people.

I also have a mixed quartet in the works. It's not clear when we'll perform, but it may be just for informal functions. The problem is just getting everybody's schedules to sync up. I'm really looking forward to this sound, but it may take a while to get a little songlist together. We're still contemplating which music we want to do.

As a singer, I find it easier to work with other singers than with intrumentalists. Sometimes I wonder if I should just do a vocal ensemble rather than working with a band. But I expect I'll be doing both. I'll keep you informed.

Piazza Linda

I found a great music venue in Munich. The Piazza Linda is owned by a lovely woman from New York who is an accomplished singer and believes in music. I sang there last night during open stage, and afterward Linda invited me to perform on 23 July 2008. I met a lot of musicians. It was a great evening, and I highly recommend the restaurant for anyone who loves music.

Three steps forward

I'm making progress. That's something. A few weeks ago I said to my colleague, Bob Crook, who sings Everly Brothers-style duets with me... "Bob," I said, "let's learn this music." So we did. We memorized about forty songs. I don't want to look at the song sheets again.

Next item. Johnny Cash. How did he make that sound? Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, standup bass. Luther Perkins on a Fender with a 5-watt tube amp, J.C. banging rhythm on the acoustic, Marshall Grant on upright bass. "Boom-chicka-boom". I've asked my friend Dan Carter to learn the cool Perkins riffs. And he has a Fender.

Vocal pop and jazz. I have three colleagues who are professional singers and are joining me in a vocal quartet. I don't suppose it will be commercial, but we will be singing at informal gatherings. I like the sound.

I sang at the ecumenical Pentecost fest on Monday in Frankfurt. Gospel music. But I don't suppose I'll ever entertain the masses with Gospel. Or even try to. It is too important to treat lightly.

And then there's swing. Not porch swing, not swinger, but swing music. I saw it the other day. I met some musicians. I saw the dancers. I liked it. Sinatra on an energy drink. I'll meet with some swing musicians in Munich soon and put something together.

All for now.

150 Fans and Growing!

Hello everybody!

I just wanted to give you an update on what's going on with my music. As you know, during the past several months we've had lots of concerts doing lots of styles of music. My repertoire continues to grow and there is so much more music to explore and learn. I don't want to be stuck in one musical genre; don't fence me in. Better to have one's own style than to try some cookie-cutter approach to music.

For me, singing my songs is not about seeking fame and fortune. Frankly, I don't wanna be a "wanna-be" music star. Crass commercialism is not my thing. (Heck, I'm still trying to figure out how to put a website together.) There's something more important here. Music is a temporal art, as one of my former choir directors used to say. It is about being in the moment, experiencing the colors and shades of sounds in connection with words and phrases and concepts. The poetry and wonder of a simple song can lead to so many different interpretations and musical presentations. This is what I'm about.

So what am I doing now? Aside from attending to developments in my technical career, I have stepped back to take a fresh look at my songlist and to think about the next step in terms of performance. So out of some 650 songs, I am taking a closer look at about 140 of them. Sometimes it's good to slow down and focus. And I continue to work with other musicians to develop a particular "sound", or should we say different "sounds" depending on the ensemble.

So what can you expect from me and my friends in 2008? How about:

• rich and varied vocal music, duets, trios, quartets, from some great singers
• the arrival of a "rockabilly" sound with the music of Cash, Elvis, Everly Brothers, and more
• the addition of more recent pop and rock songs to the repertoire
• some more exploration of other traditional musical cultures (Irish, African, etc.)

And how about you? Would you like to get involved? It would be great if you could help get the word out. In fact, you could let me know by going to the site www.reverbnation.com/davidscottbrown and finding the right tab to join my "street team". (You could also find html code to put on your website that would help people find this website.) As a street team member, you could join in to help invite people to attend concerts or join this site as a fan. You could join with me in planning events and putting concerts together. You could hang out at rehearsals and let us know what kind of music suits your fancy. And you're always welcome to offer advice. When you become involved more closely with sharing this music, then you will see how far we can go in enjoying these musical experiences and bringing people together.

As the Mac Davis song "I Believe in Music" says: Music is the universal language and love is the key. Hey, drop me an email and tell me what you think!

See you at a concert soon!

-David Scott Brown
http://www.reverbnation.com/davidscottbrown

It's been a great ride so far

The past year has brought some very interesting and exciting musical experiences! I've been doing lots of new material, and my songlist is well over 500 songs now. In the spring of 2007, I performed a few concerts in Frankfurt, Germany, with some great musicians. Over the summer months, while spending time with family in the U.S., I rubbed shoulders with some of the best musicians in bluegrass and country music. And then in the fall, I found myself in northern England and Scotland performing in hotels and restauraunts.

With newfound confidence and a broader repertoire, I returned to Frankfurt and hit upon an ambitious plan. I wanted to explore music -- lots of music! So I set up a series of concerts and got to work. In just over three months time, I performed ten concerts and worked with fourteen different special guests, singing a wide variety of styles. We did music from the fifties and sixties, rock, country, blues, jazz, pop, bluegrass, classical, broadway, and more. The songs included covers of Sinatra, Elvis, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, The Everly Brothers, The Platters, Buddy Holly, and Simon and Garfunkel, to name a few. We've had several configurations of musicians and bands, and we've covered lots of music.

It's been a great adventure so far! Thanks for joining me along the way. The repertoire is continually growing. I keep working with new songs, styles, and musicians. Every musical engagement is different. And we keep making new friends along the way. Come see for yourself!

Working on gigs

I'm having a great time working on so much different music with so many different musicians. It was a such a thrill to do a show with my great friend Kathy Bird last week. She can play anything you put in front of her, she is such a professional, plus she is always so much fun to be with! I've also been singing with Bob Crook music from the 50's and 60's. He's really taught me a lot of songs and is doing a great job helping me move from solo to band. And I really appreciate the contribution of Cisco Ruiz and Dan Carter to my recent gigs.

Now there are more shows ahead. Saturday Mr. T will be there as we do a show of rock and blues. To be honest, I never really played the blues much, but I think the way life is sometimes, I can handle it. Chris Palmer will be back with me at the Rotlint Cafe on 18 January. Everyone enjoyed the sketches we did together last month. The Rotlint is a great venue for this kind of thing. On 26 January, Jogi Kirschner will be along to show us how jazz is done. Jogi can play all my styles; he's such an excellent musician and he's loads of fun. And then I've planned a concert in February that I call "Thistle, Shamrock, and Bluegrass", where I look at the connections among the music of Scotland, Ireland, and Appalachian. Don Lupo will bring his banjo along and we'll be doing some great downhome music.

So why I am doing all these differents styles? Why not stay in one style, like pop, jazz, or country? My answer is that frankly I am so curious and interested in exploring the variations in music. Then where do we go from here? Reggae? Yiddish? Punk? Not telling. I hope you'll join me in the wonder of musical discovery.