I’m booking my first out-of-state tour.  In March I’m going to go up the coast of California, and then back down again.  That’s my plan.  I have 2 good dates in Southern California, 2 weeks apart, and I’m now preparing to fill the rest in.

I went to a music conference last week and met a lot of great people who gave me suggestions of places to look into and I’m following up on them all.  I’m loving my new contact management program, “Indie Band Manager”.  What a great investment! (I’m patting myself on the back here)

There’s an old musician joke that goes something like “What will the musician do if he wins the lottery”?  Answer:  ”Keep working till he runs out of money.”  Implying that being a musician is a money pit, and many musicians work for less than free.  It’s 100% true when you’re first starting out.  

(btw, I heard a great musician’s joke last week that I’ve been sharing with everybody:  What do you call a girl on the arm of a banjo player?  A tattoo.)

Anyway, If I just went in & out of CA for those good gigs that are 2 weeks apart, I’d clear a slight profit.  But I’m feeling, if this is what I believe I want to do,  I need to put myself out there, start building an audience, letting people know who I am and what I do. The title of my last CD was “Visible.”  Well, it’s time. 

Today I booked a “songwriter showcase” gig there (i.e. – good exposure/no-pay) and may end up booking a few more.  

I figure I can live on about $100/day.  If I can stay with friends or fellow musicians anywhere along the way, sell some CDs & t-shirts, get at least a few more ok paying gigs during those two weeks, I won’t go too far down the hole and will hopefully a) set the stage for stronger follow-up tours and b) get a clearer idea if this is something I want to do, or not. 

You gotta try.  And I keep reminding myself, if not now, then when?