Gig @ Bill's Blues Sunday 8/26

[Marshall]

I'm doing a 2 set gig at Bill's Blues in Evanston next Sunday (not this Sunday) 8/26 from 7:00 to 9:00. I'll be sharing the stage with Dean Milano.

I've been going to the Open Mic there most weeks since meeting Norm at the Chicagoland gathering. He does sound @ Bill's Blues every week (and plays his Steve Goodman tunes). There's a regular Open Mic from 4:00 to 6:00 (or 6:30) every Sunday. Then there's a show at 7:00.

Nancy Emrich runs the Open Mic and organizes the programs. She's a cool person to get to know. It's a "cozy feel" bar with a great sound system. The Open Mic is casual and supportive. There are some "regulars" and always a few newcomers. A lot of good talent.

[Chicago Sandy]

Congrats, Marshall! Bill's Blues is one of my favorite places to play, and you should consider it quite a feather in your cap to score a gig there so relatively quickly after bursting on to the scene. I've played there several times (as well as in the late lamented None of the Above showcases), and it is a joy indeed to play to an audience that is there to listen. Now, Rich Warren is enthusiastic about Dean's CD and will be certain to mention the show on next Sat.'s Midnight Special. It might be too late to get him your own CD in time for him to play it to plug your half of the gig (he prerecords his show on Wed., but prefers to receive CDs by regular mail--no .mp3s and no overnight delivery services). But if you send him a gentle, low-key e-mail reminder, he'll mention you as the co-bill.

Wish upon wish I could make it (and had to turn down a chance to sit in with Norm tom'w at his gig because I have a SASS! Trio gig). But I'll just be pulling in from Little Rock around 9 pm, and have to go straight to a friend's recording session to lay down some harmonies. Break a leg, not a string, and say hi to both Dean and Norm for me.