Off the Stage: The Cloers

The Cloers: A 2010 Regional Artist Grant Recipient

Well, it's official!!  We found out on Thanksgiving Day that we have been awarded a 2010 Regional Artist Grant from the Arts & Science Council (ASC).  We have waited so long to hear one way or the other, so we are completely elated that we are indeed going to be able to have a CD in our hands at some point next year.

This grant cycle was very competitive, so we are very fortunate to have been given this honor. As many of our friends know, this has been a tough year for us financially. It has been looking pretty grim on the recording front. We knew that we would not have enough money to record and duplicate our project, so it was going to have to go on hold. Needless to say, this grant came at the exact right time, and we will be able to complete the recording.

We are looking forward to getting started with the recording process, and we will keep you guys updated about the progress of the CD. Thanks to all of you who asked us about the grant and were keeping your fingers crossed for us. It worked!!

A Glam Rocker, a Mall Rat, & An 80's Theme Birthday Party!

On Saturday night, we attended the 40th birthday of one of our artist friends. It was held at Dammit Janet!, a cool little club in Charlotte, NC. She had planned an 80's theme party, and everyone was supposed to dress the part. Well, we aren't shy, so we really did it up big (circa 1984!). Also, she and her husband had asked if we would play a few 80's songs acoustically for the party, so we said, "yes". We knew it would be a stretch because we had a big show to prepare for the same week as this party. And although people never believe us when we tell them this...We seriously don't know even 1 cover tune!!

We had a lot of fun going back and listening to some of the 80's best music while we were figuring out what songs could go from the giant production quality of the 1980's to just vocal and acoustic guitar. The songs that we came up with and learned were...

• Missing You: John Waite
• Here I Am Again: Whitesnake
• Crazy For You: Madonna
• I Think We're Alone Now: Tiffany
• Free Fallin': Tom Petty

They also asked that we sing a couple of our songs as well as the cover tunes. We were very excited to be a part of our friend's birthday, and it was especially great because several of the birthday girl's friends that were in attendance are in Film and TV production. Our friend knows that we are interested in licensing our music, and knew it would be a good opportunity for us. 

There was a problem with the sound system, so we only ended up performing, Missing You and our original tune, I Want To Say. They both went over well, and we had a great time at the party. Also, at the party, they were collecting donations for Broadway Cares: Equity Fights Aids. It's a great cause, and we were happy to have been part of the festivities!

 

2009 Charlotte Music Awards

 On Thursday night, we attended the 4th annual Charlotte Music Awards held at the Booth Theater in the Blumenthal. We've never been to it before, so we wanted to check it out and see what it's all about. Besides, one of our friends, Jeff Luckadoo, won for the country category, so we wanted to go and support him.

 The Charlotte Music Awards were started by Jeff Cheen, the same guy who worked with the LA Music Awards. He's been in the music industry for more than 40 years, and has decided to make Charlotte, NC his home. 

 We saw so many great performances from gospel groups to emerging teen pop stars. Almost every genre of music was represented in this awards show. Many community personalities came out to give out awards. Even Larry Sprinkle was there! 

We made some new friends, saw some other friends that we hadn't seen in ages, and finally met some of our facebook friends in person. The show was a lot more fun than we had anticipated, and we hope to come back to it next year.  

Here are the winners from the 3rd Annual Charlotte Music Awards:

• Lifetime Achievement Awards - James Foxx, James McGill
• Special Recognition - Al Gardner, NC Music Hall of Fame, Jared Stamey, Jody Sullivan, Julia Dixon
• Recording Studio - Studio East
• Small Music Venue - Puckett's Farm Equipment
• Charlotte Festival - Blocktoberfest
• Singer/Songwriter - Bobby Ray
• Junior Pop Artist - Tsunami Wave Riders
• Blues Showcase - Donna Duncan
• Country Showcase - Jeff Luckadoo
• R&B Showcase - Ida Divine
• Gospel Showcase - The Jones Brothers
• Hip Hop Showcase - McKeve
• Breakout Band - Lyra Shines
• Rock Band - Simplified
• Jazz Band - Groove Masters
• Female Vocalist - Julia Bullock (Lyra Shines)
• Male Vocalist - Clee Laster (Simplified)
• Music Publication - The Carolina Promoter
• DJ Club - Mike Soden
• DJ Radio - Divakar
• Producer's Choice - Dre Money
• Marching Band - Harding University High School
• Junior DJ -Miguel Avila
• Sonicbids Country Artist - CiCi Jansen
• Sonicbids Pop Artist - Matt Annecharico
• Sonicbids R&B Artist- Cagle & Nash
• Sonicbids Jazz Aritst - Daniel D

The Evening Muse Show w/Paul Atkinson

Tonight's show at The Evening Muse with Paul Atkinson was so much fun!! We were thrilled when he asked us to open for him, but we were even more excited when he came up with the idea of us playing 3 of his songs as a trio (Paul-lead, Cate-BGV, and John-Bass). It felt really good to be in a little "band" again! Also, we closed out the night with a cover of Melissa Etheridge's, "You Can Sleep While I Drive". That was a good one! Paul is going to send us the audio recording of the vocals, and we will post them with this entry when he sends it.

Well, this was our 2nd show at The Muse, and we felt so much more comfortable this time. Last time was so last minute that we didn't really feel prepared. We winged it, and we still thought it was pretty good for our first "real" show. However, we had a few months to get ready for this one, so we had time to think about which songs we wanted to do, and had some time to work up a song that John sang lead on, and I played concertina and did background vocals on. We did a little concertina/guitar jam at the end of John's song, and the crowd seemed to really enjoy it. Several people had never even seen me play concertina, so that was awesome! Also, this was the singing debut of John at the Evening Muse, and we were happy to add his vocals into our set.

We ended up having a pretty good crowd for a Wednesday night, so we were thankful that people came out to a mid-week show in the rain to join us for this event. The turn out was about the same as last time, but with only one person returning for the 2nd show. So, it was cool performing for a new crowd of people. Very few of them had heard more than a couple of our songs. Neko Case was in town, so many of our friends went to see her. She hasn't played Charlotte, NC in quite a while. We heard that she put on a great show!

Well, we hope that the next time we perform at The Evening Muse it will be with a CD in our hand. Hope to see you guys again next time!

                    

The Charlotte Folk Society Showcase

Last night, we performed for the Charlotte Folk Society Member Showcase, and had such an amazing time. It was held at Great Aunt Stella Center in Charlotte, NC. What a beautiful performance venue!! What was really cool is that several of our friends also performed, so we got to hang out with lots of people that we are crazy about!

We have been members of the Charlotte Folk Society for a little over a year now, however, we have never been able to attend any of the events. For whatever reason, our schedule has always been out of sync with theirs. A couple of months ago, they sent out a request for members who would be willing to participate in a showcase to show the talent that their members had. Well, we immediately responded to the request, and were so pleased when Harry Taylor emailed back that they would like to have us play.

At the showcase, each performer sang/played 2 songs, and there was quite a variety of performers there. There was a traditional "Waite" band that played instruments that we had never even heard of, a dobro player, a hammered dulcimer player, a couple of fiddle players, an old time string band, and plenty of singer-songwriters. Cate definitely should have played her concertina, because this group would have especially loved it! But, both of our concertina tunes were too long to fit in the 3 minute, 30 second window. So... maybe another time!

The Charlotte Folk Society usually meets once per month (2nd Friday night @ 7:30 pm), and highlights a talented musician. Some of these performers are local, and some are from all around the world. The shows are free, with any donation being welcomed. Afterward, there is a song circle, and a music jam. Everyone is welcome to bring an instrument and participate. Parking is free of charge and the gathering is always held at Great Aunt Stella Center. It's a wonderful way to spend a Friday night! And, don't forget to bring the family as all shows are family-friendly events. Special thanks to the many folks who work tirelessly to make The Charlotte Folk Society Gathering the special event that it is.

Here is the line up of last night's showcasing artists... 

• Amissville
• The Charlotte Waites
• The Cloers
• Mike Corrigan
• Peter McCranie
• John Renwick & Mark Willingham
• Susan Sherlock & Pj Brunson
• Maddie Shuler
• 3/8 Pentatonics
• Work Release String Band

After the show, 3 performing songwriters played in the round while everyone was socializing. All three were terrific!!

• William (Bill) Draper
• Paul Finnican
• Scott Parry

 

Taste of Hope Benefit for Hope Haven

Tonight we were the musical guests for Taste of Hope 2009. Taste of Hope is a fund raiser for Hope Haven Inc., a residential recovery facility for homeless, chemically dependent men, women and families. The event was held at Charlotte Marriott Center City.

Our good friend Alan Taylor, who is a fellow NSAI songwriter, is on the board of directors for Hope Haven and asked us to participate. He also acted as MC for the night along with Erica Bryant from WSOC Channel 9 news.

Taste of Hope invited 17 local restaurants to come and prepare a sampling of their menu. Attendees moved from table to table picking up delicious food. One price got you as much food as you could eat. In addition to the food vendors, there was a silent auction, raffle prizes, and a cooking contest between football stars Rod Smart and Terry Cousin (Carolina Panthers). 

Although, it was mostly a night for fun, it was great to hear the testimony of a graduate of Hope Haven, and the support she received there. It really made what we were doing there for that benefit become real.  Also, a girl that we had known since she was little is one of the residents. We didn't know that until we showed up, and she was helping prepare the dessert tables. She said that Hope Haven had really given her a chance to get well without the pressure of leaving after 30 days. The past few months had been the first time she had been clean in almost 11 years. Talking with her made tonight very personal, and we are so glad that we were able to participate and help Hope Haven raise the funds that they need to help with their expenses.

By the way, John was asked to bring the sound system, and it sounded great! The small system of 2 front-of-house speakers, and 1 monitor was the perfect size for that room (a typical hotel ballroom). We had a great time, and received lots of compliments from those in attendance as well as those who were responsible for planning the event. It was a lot of fun, and for a great cause.

The NC Songwriters Co-op Contest 2009

On October 25, 2009, the NC Songwriters Co-op held their 12th annual songwriting contest. Every year, songwriters from across the country enter this contest to see how their work holds up to that of their peers. Finalists and honorable mentions are chosen, and then the finalists perform at a contest concert. This was our first time attending, and it was really exciting. The event was held at the Carrboro Arts Center in Carrboro, NC, and was organized by Jamie Anderson. Several members of the Co-op worked very hard to make this contest come together. 

 At 7:00 pm, the stage went dark and the first of the finalist made his way to the microphone. Each contestant is introduced, then they perform the 2 songs that they used to enter the contest. After all 8 of the finalists had performed, the judges deliberated for about 20 minutes. During the time that the judges were making their decision, the Transzenders (last year's winner-Letha Costin) performed for us. We really enjoyed their sound. It reminded us a lot of Crosby, Stills, & Nash.

Because we are a little behind in our blog posts, we're just going to link the finalists and the winners. We highly encourage all songwriters, but especially those from NC to enter this contest next year. From what we hear, the concert and contest just keep getting better and better.

WINNERS & FINALISTS:

Amber Darland 

(Bellingham, WA) - 1st Place

Valorie Miller 

(Asheville, NC) - 2nd Place

Andy Hackbarth 

(Nashville, TN) - 3rd Place

Jocelyn Arem 

(Chapel Hill, NC)

Brian Hershberger 

(Hillsborough, NC)

Steve Hill 

(Statesville, NC)

Ken Kiser 

(Black Mountain, NC)

Alex Michaud 

(Raleigh, NC)