In 2009, Mark Pirolli and Nancy Olesen became the proud new owners. They renovated and upgraded the place to make it a safe, clean and comfortable environment for their friends to gather for drinks, celebrate good occasions and enjoy their favorite bands.

This week, I present part two of a three part series showcasing experienced female band members who have agreed to answer a few questions from yours truly about what it's like to live the wild life in their shoes.  This week, we feature Maria Doty of the "The Double Standard".

MD: I've been working in the managed care healthcare insurance field for about 20 years and am currently the Director of Enrollment for a company in Dade County. My department is responsible for the enrollment of Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial lines of business.

When I am not working during the week or playing out, I get to do some of my favorite things which are cooking, I happened to be pretty good at it, visiting with my family and grandkids who live on Florida's West Coast, going on cruises (I've been to more than 20 islands/countries in the Caribbean/South America) and the New Orleans Jazz festival.

MD: Well, my immediate answer would be yes, except that when you say "enough to survive" makes me think twice before I answer. I can't tell you how much enjoyment I truly feel when I am up there singing and really belting one out. When you know you are reaching anyone that is listening because you "feel" what you are singing. Not to mention when someone comes up to you and says, "Wow, you gave me goose bumps!", or "Man, you can tell you were singing from your heart". That is when you know you did your job. That is really rewarding.

However, I do like my job and I worked very hard to get where I am and honestly enjoy the "perks" that it not only provides me but those that I love. That being said, if I somehow had the opportunity to do the music and make at least enough to survive and bit extra than yes, Let's Rock and Roll!

MD: If you are single, there's not too much to think about. You will meet plenty of people of all types. I'd say make sure you like the people you are playing with. You will spend a lot of time with them. Make sure it's fun. For me it has to be fun. I know some of us do it to earn a living but like anything else you have to enjoy it.

If you are in a relationship it can become difficult, especially if your significant other isn't in the biz. Let's face it you have to "schmooze" and mingle and some men can't handle that attention on their significant other. For the record, it works the other way around too if you are a male in a band that is in a relationship. The jealousy monster isn't gender specific..lol!

In my band, my husband is my drummer and I am lucky in that we do not have any issues in this area. This arrangement works for us.  It can be tough for a woman in this business.  As I said I am lucky to have my husband Chuck as my drummer, a fun 10 years. A funny, nutty bass player Billy Bier who is like the obnoxious brother you love and my guitar player Joe Gatermann who has been my longtime musical partner in crime for more than 10 years.

WC: How do feel about the late hours?

Well that's pretty much the way it is. For me it has to be weekends. It's nice to have some days but the party is usually on at night. Fridays are especially difficult for me. I wake up for work at 5-5:30am and get home about 7pm, then "change hats" into rock and roll mode, get ready, go to set up which thankfully my drummer/husband Chuck takes care of with help from our Roadie in-training Alex, and of course Billy and Joe. Then it's do the sets, we do 3 one hour(+) sets, and have some fun. By the end of the night after breaking down and winding down, I get home around 4am. That makes it a 23 hour day so needless to say I am toast. Although at times it is hard to get going, once you are there the adrenaline kicks in and if you honestly, truly love it, you'll feel it was worth it. I do!

Find all the upcoming performances of Maria Doty and The Double Standard at www.WeekendBroward.com

This week, I am starting a three-part series showcasing three experienced band members who have agreed to answer a few questions from yours truly about what it's like to be in their shoes.  This week's featured artist is Jesse Kussack who, up until last weekend, was the lead singer of local band, Love Honey.  Here, then, is my unedited interview which took place this past week:

WC: What is your  full time job and what do you like to do when you’re not working or playing with the band?

JK: I work in Property Management in Boca. In my free time, I love to dine out, I love trying new food. I love to cook and bake especially for the band, the boys really appreciate it. I really enjoy reading sappy romance novels... I am a hopeless romantic what can I say? I enjoy being active. I hit the gym or go for bike rides often. Besides my bed, I love to read on the beach and listen to the waves. When I go, I usually go alone - It puts me in my happy place :) 

JK: HELL YES!  I work in the corporate world. Do you know how many bosses that means???  Someone is always up your ass.  Besides, I love being barefoot and if you have ever seen me perform, that is typically how I like to be!

 

WC: Now that you are no longer with Love Honey, what are your future plans 

for a singing career?

When it comes to bands, the most successful ones have three elements to their advantage - they sound good, they put on a great performance and they have a fan base that is big enough so that they don't spread themselves too thin when they play often and keep trying to get the same friends to see them play at every gig.  Although I have never been in the bar business, I can tell you that as a paying customer, I prefer the ones that have a stage large enough to accomodate at least a 5 piece band comfortably, have reasonable food and drink prices and never demand a cover charge.  

I recently put together a Top 10 list called The Best Bars for Bands in Broward and noticed that all the venues on the list, more or less, had the aformentioned attributes.  The other criteria for making the list was a consistant effort on the part of the venues to hire quality cover bands each and every weekend.  I have always believed in consistancy.  If you want people to come to your venue every weekend, you must make an effort to hire the right bands and let people know about it too!  Some places pay big bucks for a popular cover band and automically expect to fill their restaurants and bars with fans.  If the bar happens to be located on a busy street such as by the beach where passers by can hear the music and stop in to see the band - that's great.  On the other hand, if your place is located down a hidden avenue, you will have to work a little harder to get the word out.  Most bands I know do not have a marketing budget so creativity goes a long way.

Bars and bands have a symbiotic relationship when it comes to publicity.  Many bands rely on friends and family, mostly on Facebook.  Unfortunately, that usually includes college friends and family that are out of town who feel bad about not being able to come to Florida.  You will often see their well-meaning comments such as "Sorry, I can't make it - wish I could be down there but we're out of town".  Then there are the bars who rely so heavily on the fan base of the bands that they don't realize that fans get burned out if the band plays every weekend in the same geographic area.

Another important element for restaurants and bars who strive to make the "Top 10 List" is to ensure bands have a decent stage where they can be both heard and seen - after all, the band's show is just as important as their sound.

Now that I have covered what I feel to be the most important elements for successful bands and local venues who host them, why don't you ask yourself what are the right elements for you to make the most of your one and only life?  Does it include listening to great live music?  Does it include spending more time with friends?  If so, maybe you can help our local bands and bars fulfill their mission by inviting your friends to meet you at a local watering hole and enjoy some great live entertainment!

Best wishes for a great weekend!

Rob aka Weekend Concierge