Folk Project: Minstrel Coffeehouse Booking Information
Folk Project: Minstrel Coffeehouse Booking Information
CDs sell well at the Minstrel
The Minstrel is a coffeehouse/concert series run by the Folk Project, a non-profit folk music and arts organization. We have been in continuous operation since 1975. We use the facilities of the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ. (About 1 hour west of NYC and an hour and a half north of Philly.) We hold shows every Friday, year round, and the second Friday of most months is an open stage/audition night. The music we present is "folk" music in its broadest sense. That is, in addition to traditional American and ethnic "folk" music (in its purist definition), we welcome music of contemporary, primarily acoustic songwriters, and other types of music more folkie in attitude than in content. Our performers are professional and semi-professional, both local and those on the regional and national coffeehouse and festival circuits. Preference in booking is given to members of the Folk Project, with more consideration given to those members who are active in our activities or organization. (You can view a schedule of our performers, both upcoming and from our history since 1976, on our website, www.folkproject.org.)
Our usual format is an Opening Act and a Feature Act. The evening is split into two halves with an intermission in the middle, and each act does one set in both halves. The Opening Act does a 20-minute set to start the half, and the Feature does a 40-45 minute set to close the half. Our capacity is around 200, and our actual paid attendance over the past year has been averaging around 100, plus an additional 15 or 20 for volunteers and comps. Our pay scheme for Feature Acts is based upon a guarantee plus percentage of the gate plus an archaic, but traditional and effective, donation basket, and of late has been averaging around $600 (plus or minus a whole lot, depending upon the performer's draw, the time of year, the stars, and other factors of Kentucky windage.) The Opener's fee is a straight $75 for a solo, $120 for a duo, or $180 for a trio or more. The audience does tend to buy a lot of recordings, though, so if you have any, it can add a tidy extra sum. The second Friday of most months the format changes to an Open Stage, which can be used for audition purposes. (The Open Stage is occasionally moved or pre-empted for events other than the Open Stage, so check the Minstrel Web Page to confirm the schedule before showing up. The website also gives our Open Stage procedures.)
What we do offer you is the finest of all possible audiences. Our crowds average around 85, and are knowledgeable, and packed with lots of fine singers. Given any encouragement, we'll come back at you with choruses, harmonies, and good natured supportive heckling. We feed the head, which for a performer can be as important as the pocketbook. Many fine national performers make it a point to include us on their Northeast tours. We are a well-run organization (if I do say so myself), and we treat you right.
Performers and agents interested in securing a booking should be aware that we do not have a "season." We hold a show virtually every Friday of the year, but that the 2nd Friday of the month is generally reserved for our Open Stage or some other special function. We generally book 3 to 9 months in advance for feature acts and 1 to 3 months in advance for openers (although that can vary a lot sometimes). I must have a feature act booked on a given date before I can confirm an opening act booking for that date. You can refer to the Minstrel Coffeehouse page to see our schedule as far ahead as is booked to look for which dates are open, and might coincide with your touring schedule. That schedule gets updated monthly around the 20th of the month, so the information may be not quite up to date.
Now for the bad news: I usually have to see a performer in person before booking a feature act. My judgments are based on more than just out-and-out musical prowess. Heavily weighted in my consideration are such elements as rapport with the audience, intelligence of presentation, content and poetry of lyrics (for songwriters), balance and diversity of musical style in a set, ties to traditional music, and more undefinable and esoteric qualities. I prefer to see this for myself by seeing a performer live. I have made exceptions based upon recommendations from those I trust implicitly or from live recordings. Recording quality is of secondary importance, but it must be a recording of a LIVE PERFORMANCE IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE WITH LITTLE OR NO EDITING. This applies to both headliners and opening acts. I need to hear a full set with talk, tuning, and all the warts left in. (Please, no radio interviews, no "live in the studio with no overdubs" recordings. Let me hear you in front of a crowd of people.) We're talking audio here, on cassette or CD-R. Send a video only if the visuals are important to what you are presenting. I generally review submissions in the car, and a video would require me to schedule some precious special time to review it. The recording need not be professionally done. A home cassette deck hooked into the sound board and left to run is perfect. A mini-disc or MP3 recording off the board and then transferred to standard CD-R will do as well. Even so, I have to be really blown away by a recording to book a feature act on that basis. In grey areas where I'm not sure, I've occasionally asked a performer to do an opening set on a sort of a paid audition basis. I'm aware that this makes it hard on a performer, particularly a traveling professional, but the facts are that the system works for us, and we have no shortage of fine acts. If you'll be playing in the area, let me know. I can't promise, but I'll try to get to hear you.
If you're still interested, give me a call and we'll talk, 973-335-9489, weekends and evenings till 11:30 PM Eastern time. Good luck to you.
Sincerely,
Mike Agranoff
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