Delicate arches and the art of promotion.

Delicate Arch - Arches National Park

Recently back from the Moab Flute Festival. Moab is nice and I always enjoy my visits to southern Utah. This time I was able to make a short day trip to Arches National Park and hike up to Delicate Arch. I lie on the rocks after the 1.5 mile steep hike and felt the support of the ancient stones and gave it my grief and sorrow. I brought a couple of smaller flutes along and began to play, eyes closed and finished to applause from the fellow tourists and hikers. I, of course invited them to the concert that evening. Some very nice players and music to a modest audience.

Moab Flute Fest. photo by Mark Hawkins

I left a day early because of weather and drove through blowing snow from just outside Moab to Albuquerque, a normally seven-hour drive. Just outside Farmington I became very ill and thought it was food poisoning. Turns out it was more likely the Norovirus that has been hitting the area where I live pretty hard. I pushed on three more hours to get home and collapsed into bed then the toilet the rest of the night it seemed.

The Thursday I left I filmed a feature for our local PBS station. I have word it will air this Saturday night, February 25^th at 10:00PM MDT. For now it will air in the southern New Mexico, El Paso, Juarez, Mexico markets. The station is KRWG-TV, Channel 22. Station website is KRWG.org. This is the premier of a new series for them called “Music Spotlight” where they intend to feature musicians from the southern New Mexico area in a performance type program they say inspired by Austin City Limits. I was their first artist, their guinea pig so to speak. It was a strange being in a huge production studio with only three professional cameras, no audience and just me for 26 minutes playing flutes, the Hang, singing and talking between songs. Just like concert but very much Not. I’m sure something good will come out of it and I’m very grateful for the coverage.

A neighbor came over with a complaint. She said she was just about to fall asleep with the TV on the other night and I woke her. I said I was sorry. She laughed and said my promo for the upcoming show came on and I said, “Hello, I’m musician Randy Granger …..etc.” She said she was surprised I hadn’t told her that I must either have no ego at all or didn’t want her to know. I bring this up because it comes up often, from non-musicians especially, how my being in the paper all the time, on the radio, on Sirius or Pandora, on television occasionally how big my ego must be or how it must give me a big head. I’m dumbfounded and try to just be gracious. You simply don’t sustain a career on ego. It takes passion, dedication, a calling, a belief that you have something to communicate that is worth hearing. I do. Promotion and marketing are just tools.  How else do you think people hear about your music I often want to respond? I mean Coke doesn’t need advertise but they do.

I should be receiving a DVD copy of the special and hope to include it a DVD of my music videos I’m producing. Thank you for your support as always.

Randy

Feeling the Love in February

Concert at Branigan Cultural Center Feb. 3, 2012

February is the month of Love as they say. I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and happy. Here in Las Cruces, NM where I live we have a month-long celebration called “For the Love of Arts” when our dynamic arts are in full tilt. All mediums of art, poetry, sculpture, fabric etc. are on walls of restaurants and galleries and events happen almost daily. It was my honor to be asked to perform a concert for the kick off. The first Friday of each month we have a downtown arts ramble where our entire downtown area, where a plethora of galleries and theater’s are, organize opening exhibits, musicians, food, wine everything you need to enjoy art. I was the main attraction at the Branigan Cultural Center and the people were out in force. It was so much fun and so enjoyable to play. Two younger boys joined me on stage as fans oblivious to the hundreds of people listening in their seats or milling about enjoying the art. Enthusiasm is always welcome I say!

In conjunction our local weekly paper The Las Cruces Bulletin ran a feature story “Making music of life and loss” on my in the arts section at page C004. It was a nice story and I appreciated the coverage. Last week I was contacted by our PBS Television station, KRWG-TV, about filming a half-hour piece about me and my music in the style of Austin City Limits or similar. Of course the taping is this Thursday so not much notice but I’ll crunch it out and do what it takes. I’m grateful. I’ll have a nice piece of film to help me get gigs. And that is what it is about really. As musicians we compete for people’s attention against the slew of media, social media, iPads, Kindles etc. How to stand out is a daily question. It is never about ego but getting your music to as many people as possible because, isn’t the goal of art? Making a living is a pretty serious goal these days for me so if I sell a few more cd’s, get a few more bookings then I’m making progress—doing something right.

This Sunday, Feb. 12^th I’ll be performing special music at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Albuquerque, UUABQ for short. Services are 9:30 am and 11:00am, 3701 Carlisle Blvd NE in Albuquerque. Website is http://UUABQ.org. I enjoy performing here as they crowds are large and enthusiastic and the message is always thought provoking for me. I’ll be performing special music before and during the services on Native American flute, Hang and vocals. Come out and say hello.

Next weekend I’m a guest artist at the Moab Flute Festival in Moab Utah Feb. 17-19. Evening concerts are at 7:00 Saturday and Sunday nights at the Moab Arts and Rec Center, 111 East 100 North, Moab, UT http://www.moabmarc.com/marc/. $10 covers for both nights. In the lineup, as far as I know, will be myself, Steve Rushingwood, Wounded Healer, Nino Reyes and others. Moab is breathtakingly beautiful and next to the Arches National Park. Here is a short synopsis: Friday night Meet and Greet at the Archway Inn fire pit @7:00pm. Saturday 10:00am gather at Moonflower Canyon for opening ceremony. Following will be an Echo Hunt into private canyon. Indoor concerts at the MARC at 7:00pm Saturday and Sunday nights. $10 covers both nights’ concerts. Sunday 10:00am Rim-Blown flute workshop with Frank Harter. Sunday field trip to Corona Arch followed by evening concert.

Visit their Facebook page for more info at Echo Hunters Association or type in Moab Flute Festival.

Last weekend filmmaker David Salcido and another friend filmed footage for my new video for “I Am the Mountain Within” from Pura Vida. It was a blast if not a little chilly in a kilt and thin tight shirt. Here is a photo from that day. It is so nice working with others to get your music out there and get their creative input as well. It should be out in a month. Watch my YouTube channel. 

Much love, music and peace.

Randy

Hallelujah! the Music Video for Hallelujah

Greetings and Happy New Year friends. I hope this early 2012 finds you filled with optimism that everything you desire comes easily, friends and loved ones are healthy and that our world is filled with Peaceful cooperation. Or at least things stay steady. We had an unusual snow early in December. It was beautiful though shut down the county.

Feb. 3^rd I’ll be performing a concert at the Branigan Cultural Center 501 North Main St. downtown Las Cruces. The concert is to kick off the 15^th annual For the Love of Arts Month here in Las Cruces where arts definitely take on front and center stage during February. My concert will be 5-7pm. It is free so I hope to see you there. The Downtown Arts Ramble will also be taking place that night which we have every first Friday of each month. I’m still updating my calendar for 2012 and always open to performing House Concerts, festivals, flute circles etc. Email me with suggestions or questions.

I released my album Pura Vida-This is Pure Life in 2010. My partner was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer that year; I was the caregiver until he passed in March of 2011, moved into new home, selling his old home, settling his estate etc. In other words a full-time job of mostly love and duty. I had to put my music career on hold as well as promotion of the new CD. So slowly I’ve edited videos and released them on YouTube. I’m so very excited to announce the release of the video for Hallelujah from that CD. It is my version of the iconic Leonard Cohen song. It took me a while to come to this song because of the reverence I have for both the song and the songwriter. My version is the culmination of my life as a musician with all the exotic and magical instruments I’ve begun playing since 2004 when I bought my first Native American flute. This version has the Halo, guitar, bass, flute and vocals. I’m proud of the song and the video.

Making videos as an independent musician is strange in that you have no budget but also no record company execs telling you what focus groups think you should do in your video. However it is a total DIY undertaking. I had a good friend Randy Garcia, from the Chicago area out to visit me in New Mexico and he did the filming work after we talked about storyboarding and the mood I was envisioning. I think he did an astonishingly creative job. Videos, to me, are about telling a story that compliments the song. But they are also about building your image as a performer. There is nothing egotistical about this. Some musicians I meet give me a hard time for always promoting, what they see, as “Myself” incorrectly. Being a musician IS my day job and my night job and my passion. Making a living so I can continue to produce the music the best to my ability is the goal, the means to an end so to speak. That is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. It’s been a serious challenge to recover from the hit last year did to my career with fewer rebookings, fewer festival invites, less airplay because I didn’t promote the CD etc. I’m still struggling and selling instruments and equipment on EBay under the handle guitarpoetnm. I’ll get there and am working on my new album already. Forwardly on!

If you enjoy this video please share it on Facebook, twitter, in forums, message boards, with all your friends and family. It will help build a buzz and possibly gain more exposure for my music and my sales. We can hope. Thank you friends and a prosperous new year.

Randy