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Obviously, this site can be useful to find local coffee house venues to play at.
Any Christian musician within about a 2 hour drive that has a web site may be added as a link on this site. (And there are a few exceptions for musicians that frequently play around town that are a little further out). Please send a graphic or let me know the address of your web site that contains a usable graphic file.
AIR PLAY OPPORTUNITY
If you have any quality praise and worship original songs recorded, you can send them to KTBJ (91.9 & 89.3 FM) for consideration for air play.
Their station manager is open to local artists. They are a Praise & Worship format (not CCM) with a taste for modern, "edgy" music.
Also, if you know of anyone who would be willing to sponser a weekly radio show that would spotlight local artists (churches, Christian coffee houses, Christian bookstores, etc.) let them know - I am encouraging the station manager to consider this. When I lived in Seattle, the huge CCM station there would run a weekly show showcasing Northwest artists. As I do not believe any of the local Christian stations are paying a lot of attention to the local artists (let me know if I'm wrong about this!), I think this would be a neat addition in our area.
A FEW NOTES
And I'd like to add a few observations I've seen lately (I'm confessing my own sins here):
1) Watch your volume. Coffeehouses are places where people should be able to talk, not shout. If your band has a drummer, think very seriously about substituting a djembe or congos. At the least consider using brushes when playing at coffeehouses. (I know it seems that just about every drummer I've ever met likes to play LOUD.)
2) On the same note, a lot of places that provide sound systems do not provide monitors. Learn to be able to be sensitive to just play off the mains if this is your situation, or think about bringing your own very small monitors. I've heard some bands that had the monitors so hot the mains weren't even on - you couldn't hear a word that was said as the intelligibility was worthless.
3) Think about blessing all the workers at the coffeehouse with your CD, especially coffeehouses that rely on volunteer help. It'll make their day.
4) Depending on the venue, think about the material you will use. Although it is appropriate in some places, a coffeehouse is not church and some places do not want to get a reputation for overtly in-your-face Christian material. Check with the owner. On the other hand, it is really neat to see some musicians connect with the audience and deliver a spiritual message in a very non-religious manner. For example, places like "Kingdom Treasures" you can do straight Praise & Worship since it is in a Christian bookstore. But other coffee houses that are open full time and have musicians on weekends (e.g. "Latte Da", "Cafe Hebron", "Cuppa Jo", etc.) you may want to tone it down a bit. Check with the owner before you play.
5) If you are coming to St. Louis from out of town, keep in mind that very few people come to any given coffeehouse unless they know
the band that is playing - don't expect to show up and see a big crowd if you don't have some sort of local following. The St. Louis
coffeehouse scene is not well developed yet.
6) And lastly, don't get buried in your music stands. It makes it harder to connect with the audience. It is real nice if you have your stuff memorized and don't have to look down the whole time.
Got more suggestions here? Send me a note...
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