I'm Feeling That Itch Again!

After being the sideman for a few other groups who had big concert productions this year, and having the opportunity to play a couple of gigs with my own guys, I must say that I think I'm starting to get "the itch".

It's not the sort of itch that can be cured by using any kind of lotion. The only way to get rid of this itch is to put together a concert production for my quartet and monitor the ticket sales.

The last major concert production I had for my quartet was in 2007. I had the opportunity to put together a production at a 1,200 seat concert hall known as the Patchogue Theatre in 2008, but that fell through because of a lack of sponsors and the start of the economic down turn. Since that time, I've had my quartet in some high quality performances, but it's just not the same as having a box office dedicated to the sale of tickets to concert goers who want to see you as the headliner for a real live concert hall.

One thing I have to keep in mind though is timing. There are a bunch of factors that I must consider before setting the wheels in motion, and one of them is the fact that I would really like to have a new product (ie. album) available by that time because my debut album is now almost 3 years old and there's nothing new to offer my fans and listeners. I think I will have to concentrate on that first. But then, that means that I need to start writing some songs! I haven't written any new songs in 4 years!

As for which venue I will pick, it probably makes more sense during these tough economic times to go smaller with the concert venue. The expense of the Patchogue Theatre, even with them offering me a break, was high in comparison to the amount I could probably expect from ticket sales from concert attendance. I would prefer to go with a venue that seats any where between 150 - 300 seats, because I'm confident that I could fill that many seats...at least here on Long Island. The best candidate is the Boulton Center, which is a venue I'm already familiar with from having performed there as a sideman for "Jack's Waterfall" 3 or 4 times. Also, the people who run that concert hall are familiar with me and have already shown an interest in having my quartet there.

I'll have to sit down and figure all this out, but I really need to scratch this itch!

The Latimer Legacy

I come from a family that has strong ties to the arts. Aside from my cousins who have performed and recorded with some major names in music, and of course me carrying that musical torch, there is also my uncle who is a painter, and my aunt who was an acrobat and dancer in her younger days.

And now I wonder, with my 10 month old daughter constantly around me and my musician and artist friends, will Alyssa have some kind of involvement in the arts as well?

The picture that you can see over in the above right hand corner is of me and Alyssa relaxing on a couch that was backstage at the Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore, New York. This was a couple of hours before I had to go onstage with "Jack's Waterfall", which is a band that I love to perform with when they need to have me in their line-up.

At this point I've had Alyssa backstage with me on a few occasions and she has even been present for some of my live performances and educational lectures. She knows it's me onstage too because she reaches her arms out at me and yells for me so I can come over and pick her up. Laughter and smiles come out from the audience and it makes me wonder what is going to become of her with all this public attention and adoration.

There are so many similarities between the two of us that it's almost scary. For example, I often mention on my blog how I always am on the go or am on some kind of schedule. Alyssa seems to need constant activity and to see new things as well. And, she already has a good sense of schedule because she seems to understand that her favorite TV programs come on at a certain time, and God forbid if we aren't near the television at THAT time! Also, it looks as though, just like me, she will skip the crawling phase all together and go straight to walking. Then there is the little fact that we both share the same birthday...though I guess it's more HER birthday now!

So anyway, I guess I need to wait about 20 or 30 years to see what she will end up doing with herself. I really don't care whether she gets involved with the arts or not, as long as she can at least develop a healthy appreciation for them. As for me, lately I've been wondering what my legacy or the Latimer legacy will be. I'm the youngest Latimer male left in my family, with the next one in line being at least 15 years my senior. Hopefully, the Latimer name will mean things like hard workers, trust worthy, dependable, serious, intelligent, and imaginative. And, hopefully, that will be a legacy that Alyssa finds herself both inheriting and continuing.