June so soon?
Summer’s the time for riding roller coasters, I guess— we sure did it this first week of June, looking at the attendance numbers as recorded. Of course, that hot and cold, yin-yang, come-n-go audience would characterize Moonlight’s imprint from the day it opened to the very last show. And that, certainly, was all of a piece with the experience of our songwriters, who lived every hour of their lives in the Up and Down, buskers on the plaza, taking home what managed to fall into their hats. Our door split was generous, they told us, and some of the finest performances we witnessed were delivered to the smallest groups of listeners. Remarkably, nearly every one of our players, even after we settled out the cash at the end of the night, asked us to put them on the return schedule whenever we could.
Dana Cooper didn’t expect a big crowd, but he’d graced us at the original place enough times to know it would be a comfortable gig with old friends. By then, we regarded him as a seasoned veteran, and described him as such— I saw him just recently at a local house concert, all this time later, and lemme tell ya, that guy is still fresh, fast, and funny as ever… the best ones just get better.
Local wunder-kids Act of Congress were near the peak of their long hot streak that night, and we knew we’d have a stuffed house for the show. I think it was at this one, or possibly a later return date, that we had to turn away people we just didn’t have any room for— the band felt so bad about it, they came out to the parking lot first to play three gratis tunes just for those folks who couldn’t get in. I will never forget that gesture of good will— that bunch was SPECIAL.
Our inaugural Open Mike only drew ten people, seven of whom offered a tentative peek at their budding talents. As time went on, that bi-weekly event would grow to unexpected proportions, and served as an exciting springboard for some of our most cherished future discoveries.
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June 2, 2010
Friends of The Moonlight---
This first month of Alabama summer rolls in with a few empty spots on our schedule--- not by design, more just by happenstance. As our main objective is to bring more and more original acoustic music to this Birmingham hilltop, we are constantly finding and booking performers of exceptional quality, as they make their way around the Southeast on tour... turns out that lots of them take a little break in early June, to catch their breath and power up for the months to come.
No matter--- we keep hearing from a surprising number of well-known artists who want to take a night at The Moonlight, even on short notice.... so keep checking the website Calendar, you never know when we might add one of your favorites with only a few days notice!
This weekend--->
Friday, June 4--- DANA COOPER, 7:30pm, $10
Might be a mistake to mention that Dana's been a musician for forty years now--- you'd think he was hide-bound and ossified in yesteryear's traditions, croaking out the mossy chestnuts that defined the music way back when... nay, nay, good friends, he knows the path ahead of most of his contemporaries, constantly touring, traveling, tasting the influences that provide him fresh insight into what new people want from new folk music. Recent years spent cross-pollinating with artists in Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, and Germany have provided him with a perspective that overfloats his Texas/Nashville background--- "an extraordinary writer and an eternally gripping performer. You need this music in your life."--- Robert K. Oermann, Music Row Magazine
www.danacoopermusic.com
Dana Cooper, June 4 2010, 20 present
Saturday, June 5--- ACT OF CONGRESS, 7:30pm, $10
The last four years have been straight uphill for this gifted quartet of NewGrass alchemists--- not in the sense that the road has been challenging, rather that their fan base has grown ever larger and more enthusiastic. All this for a number of reasons--- their fetching, unconventional song arrangements; their jaw-dropping proficiency on the traditional guitar/mando/fiddle/bass instrumentation; their magazine-ad look; and a work ethic that's created a sure-footed confidence evident in every show. All this time working without a drummer has made 'em curious--- so they've been experimenting with a local jazz percussionist, who will be introduced for part of our concert tonight. Gonna be a full house, no doubt--- come early, we can handle up to 90 people before we have to call it sold out...
www.myspace.com/actofcongress
Act of Congress, June 5 2010, 107 present
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We told ya it was coming--- so let's go ahead and do it---
Monday, June 7th--- OPEN MIKE, 7:30pm, $5
Here's your chance to get onstage yourself, and show us what you got as an acoustic performer... each person in the door gives $5, either to play or to listen. The five bucks from each player goes into a prize pot, and we'll pick the best from all the night's contenders as the cash winner. Each performer gets two songs or ten minutes, to keep it brief--- points awarded for originality, musicianship, professionalism, and audience response. Open to solo and duo players only, come in at 7pm to sign up... this is how we find openers and co-bills for our upcoming shows. For now, we'll be hosting Open Mike on the first and third Mondays of each month--- future plans include a more structured competition over several weeks, with a big cash prize to the Best of All. Bring friends to support you, and come help us get this started!
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We gotta say it again--- The Moonlight makes a great place for you to have your own private event--- to celebrate, orchestrate, or pontificate--- with room to gather 85-100 people, depending on how many you want to have standing around. We've been making a list of other party rooms for rent in this part of town, and there just ain't a whole lot of 'em that we can find.... certainly none with the casual air that we've so painstakingly crafted. Price-wise, we're somewhere between a library conference room and the Carraway-Davie House.... soon as you've picked a date for your down-home soiree, come chat with us so we can set aside a spot for you on the calendar. Thank you!
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