Houston-based art rockers Blue October will headline the inaugural PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR–where impassioned artists join together to raise awareness and funds for depression and suicide prevention–and Atlanta-based hip-hop artist and producer B.o.B will open on the trek.

The PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR marks the first-ever tour solely benefiting suicide prevention in history. The month-long trek will launch Thursday, October 22nd at the Music Farm in Charleston, SC and wrap up with a two-night stand at Stubbs in Austin, TX November 20 and 21. See the full PUTP tour itinerary below; tickets are on sale now. To purchase, visit: http://www.putp.org and http://www.blueoctoberfan.com/pickupthephone/.

The PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR will launch with a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Wednesday, October 21 at 10:00 AM. Justin Furstenfeld, the lead singer of Blue October, will be on hand to speak and perform an acoustic set before members of Congress as well as supporters of the tour partners 1-800 SUICIDE, PostSecret and TWLOHA.

Justin–who has struggled with bi-polar disorder most of his life–will be calling on Congress to fund both creative writing and art therapy programs as alternative options for mental health. The press conference will also urge Congress to fully fund the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act which provides the funding behind the majority of the suicide prevention programs in the United States today. The press conference is open to all on a first-come first-served basis, to RSVP, email TWLOHA: PUTP@TWLOHA.com.

The PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR is created through a partnership between the non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), the largest charity on MySpace and Facebook: Postsecret.com; Synclive.com; and 1-800 SUICIDE The National Hopeline Network.

Through 1-800 SUICIDE–which provides a life-saving service that is private and confidential for people in need–callers are routed directly to the closest crisis center in their immediate area so that quick referrals to behavioral health services and other supports can be offered. Since 1998, 1-800-SUICIDE has received over 3.6 million calls and rescued more than 4,000 individuals who had already initiated suicide plans.

The spokesperson for the PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR 2009, Justin Furstenfeld personally understands the struggles those who are affected by mental health issues face on a daily basis. “It has taken 20 years to have the chance to do a tour focusing on mental health issues which have been a daily battle for me for most of my life,” explains Justin.

“It’s great to finally be a part of a positive, progressive-thinking tour for an important cause which will make a direct impact and help people in desperate situations that need it the most.” In a strange turn of events in his own life, Justin worked at a mental hospital one day and, after suffering a breakdown, became a patient in a hospital the next.

Justin–who has taken medication for the condition since he was a teenager–now teaches creative writing at a mental hospital to young adults affected by mental health issues, self-abuse issues and sexual abuse. Through personal experiences and music, Justin challenges young minds to channel their emotions and anger into creative writing and art versus taking their frustrations out on themselves or the world around them.

He performs his art around the world, sending a message of hope to thousands who know and trust his message because he fights the same battles they fight every day. Justin is living proof that if you reach out and allow yourself to be helped you can lead a beautiful life filled with love, family and career.

“In moments of bravery and confusion and honesty, people turn to 1-800-SUICIDE–over three million of them,” points out Jamie Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA).

“The folks at the Hopeline Centers have been answering those calls for ten years, picking up the phone when it’s mattered most. Now to help those who will not pick up the phone, together with 1-800-SUICIDE we are launching the first 24×7 online emotional support network called AliveIM!, which will soon be available at www.suicide.net.”

To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA)–a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide–exists to encourage, inform and inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

Since 2006, TWLOHA has responded to over 100,000 messages from people in over 40 different countries and have invested over half a million dollars directly into treatment and recovery, including $50,000 to help fund the AliveIM! support network.

In another innovative move, the tour has partnered with Synclive.com to air live performances from the artists via the Internet as well as provide an immediate online confidential connection for fans in need. Synclive.com will create an essential connection for concertgoers in crisis who are unable to approach a booth at the show in-person either for direct help or to volunteer for the online counseling program.

Formed in Houston in 1995, the rock five–piece Blue October have released five studio albums and sold over 2 million albums. The group released their fifth studio album Approaching Normal (Universal Motown), the follow-up to their 1.3 million-selling Foiled album; it spawned the hit “Hate Me,” which reached #2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, followed by “Into the Ocean,” a # 1 video on VH1 about a the metaphorical contemplation of suicide itself.

Approaching Normal debuted at # 13 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in March 2009 and produced two top singles: “Dirt Room,” which rocketed to #6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart marking the group’s third Top Ten singl, and “Say It.”

Blue October is Justin Furstenfeld (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums, percussion), Ryan Delahoussaye (violin/viola, mandolin, piano, backing vocals), C.B. Hudson (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Noveskey (bass guitar, backing vocals). Due to their hard-won and loyal fanbase, the group now tours all over the world. Check out www.blueoctober.com and www.myspace.com/blueoctober.

Hailing from Atlanta, B.o.B. also known as Bobby Ray is a hotly-tipped hip-hop artist and producer who will release his debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray via T.I.’s label Grand Hustle (Atlantic Records) in 2009. B.o.B. appeared on the covers of XXL and Vibe magazines as was hailed as part of “Hip-Hop’s class of ‘09” (XXL, 12/08). B.o.B describes his music as a fusion of influences ranging from 80’s, techno, rock, funk and du-wop. Check out www.bobatl.com and www.myspace.com/bobatl.

Recently, acclaimed actor James Earl Jones recorded a Public Service announcement for the PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR; click here to view: http://www.preventsuicide.us/hopeline-new/index.html.

Following are the confirmed dates for the PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR 2009:

DATE CITY VENUE

10/21 Washington, DC Capitol Hill – PUTP Press Conference

10/22 Charleston, SC Music Farm (no B.o.B.)

10/23 Charlotte, NC Fillmore

10/24 Hilton Head, SC Shoreline Ballroom

10/25 Atlanta, GA 99X (Blue October radio show)

10/27 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live

10/28 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution

10/30 Orlando, FL House of Blues

10/31 Tampa, FL The Ritz (Ybor City)

11/01 Columbia, SC Headliners

11/02 WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 Club

11/05 Rochester, NY Water Street

11/06 Boston , MA Reason to Live Tenth Anniversary Concert

11/07 Napa, CA Hot AC (Blue October radio show)

11/10 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion

11/12 Chicago, IL House of Blues

11/13 Detroit, MI Royal Oak

11/14 Kalamazoo, MI State Theater

11/15 Cleveland, OH House of Blues

11/17 COLUMBIA, MO Blue Note

11/18 Tulsa, OK Cain’s

11/20 Austin, TX Stubb’s

11/21 Austin, TX Stubb’s

Partners for the first-ever PICK UP THE PHONE TOUR 2009 include:

1-800-SUICIDE – National Hopeline Network

About the National Hopeline Network 1-800 SUICIDE (784-2433) and the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KBHC):
After losing his wife, Kristin Brooks to suicide in 1998, Reese Butler founded the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KBHC), which created the National Hopeline Network 1-800 SUICIDE.

In 2000, Reese gained the support of the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and obtained more than seven million dollars to expand and support the National Hopeline Network which is comprised of 200 community crisis centers in 48 states.

Callers in crisis to 1800-SUICIDE are routed to the closest crisis center in their immediate area so that quick referrals to behavioral health services and other supports can be offered. Since 1998, 1-800-SUICIDE has received more than 3 million calls and rescued more than 4,000 individuals who had already initiated suicide plans. www.hopeline.com

About To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA):

In 2006, Jamie Tworkowski wrote a story, a glimpse into a friend’s life and her first steps to recovery from drug addiction, self-injury, and depression. The story, titled To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), and t-shirts Tworkowski printed to help pay for his friend’s recovery, started a movement, not only within his local Orlando, FL community, but one that was swiftly embraced by people everywhere.

Realizing a strong need to bring these mental health issues to light, Jamie created TWLOHA–a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide–and enlisted bands such as Paramore, Thrice, Anberlin, Switchfoot, Bayside, The Almost to spread TWLOHA’s message.

Jamie and TWLOHA joined national and international touring bands spreading their message of hope before bands took the stage each night. In August 2007, MySpace awarded TWLOHA the winner of their “Impact Award” for “Community Building,” TWLOHA garnered the most votes in the history of the Impact Awards.

To Write Love on Her Arms began with one broken girl, one painful night; addiction, depression, self-injury. It is the realization of what life can be when people commit to meeting a need. “A friend of mine told me there is no such thing as suicide prevention. This is an attempt to prove him wrong, to say that love can change a life. We can hold back the darkness. Rescue is possible,” says Tworkowski. www.twloha.com

About Synclive.Com:

Synclive.com is a highly interactive music and entertainment Internet community that allows users to broadcast their live performances, as they happen, over the Internet to a worldwide audience. Synclive.com is currently reaching 127 countries with over 1 million video views a month. Shows can be broadcast from anywhere, at anytime. Synclive.com offers artists a tremendous promotional platform for worldwide exposure.

It is a great way to promote new music, a new tour, new merchandise, and stay intimately connected with your fans. Shows are streamed live, recorded and stored at the artist’s discretion for future on demand viewing. Our most used tool is the embedded player which allows an artist’s live and on demand shows to be placed on all of their websites so fans can watch the show in the artist’s environment. Synclive.com is free for artists, fans, and venues to use and is open to all genres of music and live entertainment. www.synclive.com

About PostSecret.com:

Called “the most trusted stranger in America,” Frank Warren is the sole founder and curator of the PostSecret Project: A collection of nearly 500,000 highly personal and artfully decorated postcards mailed anonymously from around the world, displaying the soulful secrets we never voice.

The PostSecret.com site now receives more than 1,000,000 visitors every week. In 2005, the All-American Rejects approached Warren about using images of actual PostSecret images in their “Dirty Little Secret” music video. They offered Warren $1,000, but Warren instead asked them to donate $2,000 to 1800-SUICIDE where Warren is a volunteer.

The donation was made and the music video became one of the most requested on MTV. The National Mental Health Association presented Warren with an award for his work in raising public awareness of Suicide. The PostSecret project has now raised over $210,000 for 1800-SUICIDE. PostSecret was awarded the December 2008 “Myspace Impact Award” and donated 100% of the proceeds to 1-800 SUICIDE. Look for the new PostScret book titled Confessions on Life, Death and God due out October 6. www.postsecret.com

For more information about the PUTP tour, visit:

• www.putp.org
• www.hopeline.com
• ww.twloha.com
• www.synclive.com
• www.postsecret.com

Try to come up with an original date idea, this should be something that the person probably has never done on a date before. This should be something that your date will enjoy doing.

Here is a list of things you can do and places you can go when you’re going on your first date.

1. Going to a casino

This can be a good idea if the person is not opposed to gambling. Going to a casino and playing some games with your date, can be a great way to get to know each other better.

2. Going to the highest point in the city

Imagine looking down on the city while enjoying a quite evening with your date. This is a great idea which will win you a few points from the get go.

3. Going to a live concert

This can be a great alternative to going on a traditional date, assuming that your favorite band or her favorite band is coming to town on the same night. It will be a great experience to take your date to the concert.

4. Having a picnic on the beach

All good dates do not involve spending a large amount of your money. This is an inexpensive date which will give you some quality time to engage in a stimulating conversation.

5. Go for a ride in a hummer limousine

This is a great idea if you’re trying to impress your date, this will give you the ability to sit back and unwind while taking a tour around the city.

6. Go to Disney World

Although amusement parks generally cater to the needs of little children, adults can have fun participating in different rides and activities as well. This can be a great way to relive your childhood.

7. Go to a live sporting event

It may be football, basketball, baseball, or any other sport if the person you’re going on a date with is a sport fan. You can use this as an opportunity to bring the both of you closer together.

You should try to be creative when planning your date, before going on a date you can ask the person what types of things they enjoy doing in their free time. This will make it easier for you to come up with a good dating idea which will be enjoyable for the both of you.

Casting Crowns Concert Tickets – 5 Tips to Get Christian Concert Tickets Without Standing in Line-Got to have those Casting Crowns Concert Tickets, but aren’t into camping out all night in a line of desperate fans on the same quest? Good news, you don’t have to! You can have those tickets at competitive prices without ever leaving home or standing in a single line. Read on for 5 hot tips to get the tickets you want, (even for Sold Out artists like Casting Crowns, Third Day, Steve Curtis Chapman) at the best prices without all the hassle.

Where to Buy?

1. Secondary Event Ticket Sellers – The ultimate source for hot demand concert tickets are secondary event ticket seller’s online sites. Bottomline – someone bought tickets they now need to sell. Their loss can be your HUGE GAIN. They sell them via a secondary Event Ticket Seller’s online website.

While there are gads of seller sites cropping up – beware to pick your ticket seller site carefully.

**From my 5 favorites (see link below) you can expect:

- Huge selection (one site alone carries over 1 million tickets in inventory to events worldwide)

- Authentic ticket guarantees

- Consistent pricing structure (the playing field is the same for all ticket sales on their site, unlike eBay where the multitude of sellers call the shots)

- Competitive pricing (comparison shop and see for yourself)

- Multiple payment options

- Reliable delivery guarantees – Even though you are buying tickets that are being resold, you have the comfort of knowing that the sale is managed by a reputable company.

2. Ticket Sales Site Wishlist – Some of the Secondary Event Ticket seller sites have an Alert List or wishlist of sorts. Enter your info there and you’ll be alerted ASAP if what you’re looking for comes available. Think of it as a free lookout service.

3. Fan Sites – Sites dedicated to fans of a particular artist, sport, entertainment event often offer a forum (electronic bulletin board) where fans can post. If another fan has tickets they can’t use, they use this avenue to try to sell them. Keep in mind you’ll be dealing directly with the seller.

4. Pre-sales – Internet searches will give you info on pre-sales and the passwords required to take advantage of the discounted prices they offer. Keep in mind the cost of the passwords adds to the overall cost of your tickets. Some pre-sale passwords can be acquired for free, others have stipulations that prohibit you from being privy to the pre-sale even *with* the password. Always check out the details before paying for a pre-sale password.

5. Youth Pastors – If the event is one that high school or college age Christian youth would be drawn to – check with local youth pastors. They often buy tickets in bulk to concerts or sports events at group discount prices to make available to their students for a group outing. It’s not uncommon for them to have extras that they simply want to get their money back on and will try to sell at the event door for face value. If you contact them beforehand, you’ll have 1st shot at them and scoop them up for sweet prices.

It seems that everyone has a favorite singer, musician, sports team, or performer that they really enjoy. When the time comes that you want to see an event where they are playing or performing live, where do you go to get tickets? Well, these days, it’s so easy to get things online, that it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to travel to a box office far from your home, to try and get tickets for an event. It’s much, much easier to turn on a computer, get on the internet, and find ticket suppliers that carry tickets for the event you want to attend. It could be cheaper too, with the price of gas these days!

Of course as with so many other things online, there are many scam artists out there, and plenty of online ticket dealers that may not be exactly what they seem. It’s important to know the ones to deal with, and the ones to avoid.

I am an avid concert goer, and have seen many, many live concerts over the years. I’ve even performed myself as a singer and musician in many concerts. It would pain me to know that some unscrupulous ticket dealer cheated people trying to buy tickets to a concert of mine. Consequently, I have done the research over the years, and found what I consider to be the Top 3 online ticket sources.

What you are looking for when considering purchasing concert or event tickets online is really what I call the “Big 5 Reasons to Use a Particular Online Concert or Ticket Event Supplier.”

1. Security – Their website has a secure ordering process (No ID theft worries.)
2. Pricing – Their prices are competitive and the service offers a good value.
3. Selection – They have a large selection of tickets for all sorts of events with great seats.
4. Reliability – They have a track record showing great customer service. You can trust them.
5. Navigation – Their website is easily accessible, easy to use, and the ordering process is intuitive.

In my opinion, there are three website sources for concert and event tickets in particular that go above and beyond the call. These sources are TicketsNow, PurchaseTix, and RazorGator. I have assembled even more info while searching for Sugarland concert tickets, that applies to anyone searching for online tickets to any concert or major event.

Take heart! That’s all about to change. I’m going to let you in on some information that can literally take you to the front of the line the next time you want to buy concert tickets!

But before I do, I need to make sure we are alone.

Why all the secrecy you ask?

It’s simple. I’m about to divulge the very same information that the ticket sellers on eBay use to buy their concert and sports tickets for face value all over the country. I’m about to tell you little-known information that will take you from customer to competitor. In short, I would be in serious trouble if they found out I was practically giving away the store.

Think about it this way. If you had a hidden gravy train that let you purchase tickets for as little as $35 each and then sell them later for 200-300% profit, wouldn’t you be pretty ticked off if someone told the whole world about it?

And how do I know about this valuable information?

Easy, I’ve been using it to buy and sell concert and sports tickets for everything from WWE wrestling shows to Kenny Chesney to Beck to U2. This proven information has been refined and developed over the years to make people a lot of money. I know it can do the same thing for you, too.

While this may all sound like typical marketing hype, I can assure you it is absolutely true. Concert promoters, radio stations, fan clubs, booster clubs, and other groups sponsor ticket presales or special promotions for their members. These sales typically occur online a few days or weeks before the tickets go on sale to the general public.

These special advance ticket sales are offered as either an incentive to join in the case of a fan club or radio station mailing list, or as a perk for a loyal group of fans like season ticket holders of an NFL team.

Passwords may be distributed by the venue, artist, team, fan club, promoter, radio station, etc. Whoever is sponsoring the presale will handle the distribution of it. During the presale, a portion of tickets is made available to this select group of people so they may purchase tickets before everyone else has a chance. As you can see, this gives them a huge advantage over the general public. Obviously, the group sponsoring the presale only wants members of the intended group to purchase tickets during the presale. So in an effort to limit the presale, these special sales are, in essence, password protected.

In the past, virtually all presale passwords were a simple word, and anyone who knew this word could purchase tickets. These were considered generic passwords.Recently, in an effort to further limit who could use presale passwords, some groups have begin to utilize unique passwords. A unique password, as the name implies, is specific to each buyer, and may not be used for multiple purchases. Once the password has been used to purchase tickets, it’s no longer valid. Unique passwords are used often by sports teams for season-ticket holder presales or by fan clubs of the more popular musical groups and artists. Due to the additional requirements necessary for unique ticket presales, most of the passwords you find on the Internet are generic passwords, but you need to be aware of the type of password you receive.

Generic passwords are very often used during radio station presales or presales sponsored by concert promoters or venues. Traditionally most passwords have been generic, but more and more artists are employing unique passwords to thwart ticket scalping. Keep this in mind on your quest for a password. I would hate for you to think the password you scored for your favorite band was generic when in fact it was unique.Here are a few things to keep in mind.

* Presales are usually sold from a specified block of seats or a certain price level.
* An event may have more than one presale with its own password selling tickets from the same or different ticket pools.
* The tickets available during the presale won’t necessarily be the same sections that will be available during the general sale to the public.
* Presales provide the advantage of exclusive purchasing links which often results in less people competing for the pool of available seats.
* Presales may have limited seating available in various areas. Since presales are intended as advance purchasing opportunities, they don’t always provide access to better seats. In fact, it is possible that better tickets may be available when the tickets go on sale to the general public, but there will also be more competition for those tickets.
* Presales often have stringent purchase limits that restrict purchasers to 4 or fewer tickets each.
* Presales may be restricted to “will call” only.
* Presales may require you to purchase with a certain credit card or other form of payment, ex American Express.
* A presale may require an additional fee to join the bands fan club.

Hopefully I’ve shown you the value of presale passwords and how they can help you score tickets to your favorite band. With this information, and a little time and effort you, like me, can skip to the head of the line the next time you want to buy concert tickets.

Stay tuned for part two of this guide to learn more specific ideas for finding and using presale passwords. Until then, I’ll be seeing you on the “inside!”

The world of concert promotions is full of contracts, legal agreements, insurance policies and riders. In order to make the best business decisions, a concert promoter has to have a working knowledge of all of these legal documents. Not understanding parts of a contract or rider can lead to confusion and difficulties down the road.

Concert promoters can make a huge amount of money, and then, they can lose money as well. Most people don’t realize that quite often, concert promoters actually use their own money to fund a concert event. All of the event expenses are his or her responsibility up front. Once the tickets have been sold, the band gets their cut and the bills get paid. It’s only then that the promoter gets what’s left. For this reason, it’s of the utmost importance to get as many paying customers in the door as possible.

Some of the major costs involved with concert promotion are the venue rental and event insurance. The promoter contacts the venue and works out a cost for the duration of the event. Some venues will require up-front payment while others may require a down payment with the remainder due at the end of the concert. Insurance is absolutely necessary and helps to protect the venue owners, concert promoter and band from possible litigation.

In addition, the concert promoter bears the cost of all advertising promotions and other marketing costs. Promoters these days have a variety of choices for marketing. They can use the internet, radio, TV and even flyers to get the word out about their event. Marketing, when done properly, usually takes up a fairly substantial portion of the concert promoters budget.

A successful concert promoter understands how to advertise to get the most people to buy tickets for the show. They’ve got to have a good sense of the band that they’re promoting as well as their fans. Whether a concert attracts a huge audience or a small one depends on how well the event was promoted, plain and simple. Concert promoters really have one objective; to make sure that enough tickets sell to make a profit. Ideally, all the tickets will sell for every night or day the event will run, but that’s not guaranteed.

The location, size and even layout of a venue has to be taken into consideration by the concert promoter. In order to put on a great rock concert, everything has to be just right. Everything must be considered, from band dressing rooms to the house sound system and lighting. Pleasing the band is only part of the story though. The audience has to be taken care of as well, both inside and outside the venue. Things like security, parking and even restroom facilities all fall under the concert promoters watchful eye.

At some concerts, the concert promoter will have to pitch in and help in other ways. Concert promoters are usually responsible for making sure things are ready for the band. This might include setting up the stage, doing sound-checks and lighting adjustments. Quite often it also means they’ll have to decorate the venue to suit the concert.

At smaller events, the concert promoter is often responsible for collecting tickets or working the merchandise table. At certain types of events, they may even have the task of checking ID’s at the door the day of the event. Promoters are often also responsible for helping to break down the stage used by the band. Clean-up after the concert may also be the promoters job, depending on the negotiated contract.

Being a concert promoter can be exciting, rewarding and risky, but it’s worth it. Concert promoters have great jobs because they work directly with the musicians. Besides that and the fact that the income can be excellent, remember, they’ve got some of the best seats in the house at every show.

You will require the talent for singing or playing an instrument. However, there are productive band members who only sing or only play an instrument. The characters in your band will depend on the people included in the band. Once you have the band staffed you will need a few more items, such as a microphones and microphone stands, cables, speakers, monitors, an assortment of jacks, you power mixer and guitar stands as well as any other instrument or prop you band may personally require for live performance. Keep in mind, however, that one essential aspect of successfully performing live in concert is the need for practice, since we all know that practice makes perfect.

Practice and determination for creating and performing your music in concert are only part of successful live band performance. One of the most important characteristics of a live band is knowledge of how to work the crowd. If it comes natural to you, then just go with the flow. However, if it makes you a little nervous to interact with the audience, you will need to learn how to do so. It is easy really, but first you have to relax within your own self. Think of the audience as hundreds of your very best friends gathered in one place, only you and your band have the microphones.

If performing comes natural to you, this is great, just work up some witty introductions, comments and banter to work into your live performance. You must get the audience involved and enjoying their time with you. If you are a bit more shy or nervous, sit down and write up creative and witty conversation to share with your fans. Then practice this commentary on your friends and family, however, you do not want to sound too rehearsed as you want your comments to feel fresh to those you are entertaining. You just want to create an air of fun and enjoyment for you and your audience.

Ideas for entertaining your live audience

- Have fun enjoy yourself.

- Tell the audience a funny story or joke.

- Perform the music of others, only in your own rendition of the music. If you need permission, then get permission before performing the music of anyone else.

- Let the whole band in on entertaining your live audience, bantering back and forth while cheerfully having a good time. However, stay away from any true personal comments.

- Introduce your band members and let them have the spotlight for a few minutes.

- Audience participation is always a winner, so interact with your live audience.

- Create a personal signature move for your band, and soon your audience will be making the same signature move.

- Be spontaneous and natural, just be your entertaining self.

Promoting your concerts will take time and you will need help, therefore when working with a band, delegate different duties to different members when promoting your band. Some ways to promote your band would be the use of several ideas below.

- Posters and Flyers

- Promotional materials from the manager

- Promotional material for radio stations, such as sound clips and song samples

- Create a website featuring your band, and then promote your concerts online

- Perform free while passing out your bands CD or tee shirts.

Remember, to be truly successful, you must get out there and let the public know your performing live in concert. Once you have your equipment and a set of songs to sing, you will need to promote your band. You will require a public location such as county fairs, school dances, restaurants, churches, a skating rink or perhaps a nightclub that features the type of music you play.

Any location that features an open mic night are generally a good bet. The point is to get out there and let the public know that you are available. Once you have begun your bands performance, it will not be long before you have adoring fans, waiting on batted breath to hear your newest release. Then like the pink battery bunny, you just keep going, and going and going. Keep up the good work, practice and remember to smile. Love your audience and they will love you in return!