Concert Prep

PROMOTION SUGGESTIONS

Posters and fliers and photos are here.

PRESS RELEASE: Use mine, or write anew, as you like. NOTE: Do not include info about George Stump, moderate clearcutter. He is not coming. Neither is George Shrub.  Only Dave. And maybe Wild Bill Bailout.

It’s a good idea to emphasize the website as a place to hear/see samples of the show in advance.

ADVANCE TICKET SALES: Good idea, sometimes. Some radio stations will do ticket giveaways coupled with airplay of the album.

ADVANCE BUZZ: In publicity/email notices, you can direct people to my site, davelippman.com, where they can hear songs and read my comical pontifications. They can also go to my youtube channel (lippmandave) or follow me on twitter.

RADIO: You might want to go on the air before the show to promote it, and I will be available, usually, for interviews the day of the show, or further in advance by phone. CDs are available, and downloads of songs are at http://davelippman.com/mps3.html

VIDEO: You can point the press to the ones on the site. They run from one to 15 minutes and are good previews of the show.

PRESS: Advance write-ups are good for attendance, but follow-up reviews also give your group a good name. I like them too.

TICKET PRICE: Compare to other concert prices and adjust for degree of name-recognition. What the market will bear, minus a bit. If it’s too low people will think it’s not worth much – and not come. Or we won’t make money. Try a sliding scale, $7-10, $8 -20, $8-2,000…  If you’re using a church and you can’t set a price at the door, make sure your donation sign says “Suggested donation,” and put a sliding scale there. $3 per person for a concert will not do, is not on, and will be a great embarrassment to all concerned. Don’t let it happen. Thank you.

MO’ MONEY: Consider selling drinks and munchies, a raffle, dinner, printed program with ads. Avoid Coke products, also Sabra and Tribe hummus – these consumer items ruin the world.

THE SHOW: You may add other performers, speakers etc. to the show, and you may shorten the Lippman show (normally two 45-minute sets). But please arrange all changes in advance. Also, it’s best not to put anything immediately after the first (satirical) act. That’s intermission time. Add announcements and other acts at the beginning of either set.

CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS

I am happy to talk in high school and college classrooms on the following topics:

  • Popular culture: consumerism, advertising, privatisation
  • Big Box culture:  The Wal-Martization of our world
  • Media: varieties of news presentation (I am a former correspondent for Free Speech Radio News)
  • Race and culture in music – historical overview of African American and Euro-American folk and popular music in the United States.(My book on this is forthcoming.) Includes film clips – VHS required.
  • Creative Political Activities – arts, tactics, ways to communicate
  • Palestine/Israel

These sessions sometimes include song performance.

Honoraria are appreciated when possible.

CONCERT NEEDS

SETUP: One hour before doors open, or 1-1/2 hours before showtime, to set up props and sales table and to test sound and video.  You need sufficient time to set up chairs, lights, sound, etc. Background music when audience arrives.

STAGE NEEDS: 

Dressing room near stage.  Not a public bathroom.  Big closet OK.
Two stools – with or without back. For computer and projector.

SOUND SYSTEM:

Two microphones (mics), with stands, preferably boom or goose neck.   Amp/mixer with 3 channels. Direct input for guitar if possible. Speakers.  Extra extension cords. Stage monitors if possible, especially in a large hall.

You may not need a sound system in a small room.  When in doubt, consult an experienced person such as a musician who’s played in the room, or the hall manager.  It’s a good idea to test the system, with the help of an experienced person, if possible, to see if it’s really adequate.

PROJECTOR: To connect to laptop (mine). Sometimes I bring my own. Ask me first. Same with screen.

DOOR: Change, and a box. Flyers to put up on door and nearby to direct people to event, and one for me.

RECORDING: People who want to record the show, audio or video, need to speak with me about conditions of use. Preferably before the day of show.

SALES TABLE: Card table size or larger, for sale of CDs, books, etc. Should be in an area that can be lit during intermission and after show.

LIGHTS: The stage should be brighter than the rest of the room; audience area as dark as possible.  If there are no formal or adequate stage lights in the hall, bring a couple of clamp lamps – reflectors with flood lamps.

PERSONNEL:

Loading in help.

MC for introductions.  (Intro will be provided on paper, though MC can of course improvise.) Check with performer before starting, to be aware of costume changes and set order.

Sales person for performer’s tapes etc. at intermission and end of show – not the same person who staffs another table at the same time (it gets crowded).

INTERMISSION:  Put background music on.

IN CAFÉS: Cappuccino machines are the enemy. If at all possible, please work out with the crew or management in advance that noisy drinks will not be made during the sets, or at least not near the stage. Also, regular clientele do not come in free. Period. Paragraph. They will only chat. During the show. How rude.

CHILDREN often enjoy the show, for a while, but crying, talking, and running around are very distracting.  Please consider offering childcare, perhaps paying someone rather than having the producers miss the show.  Assist in removing persistent distracters from the room if they don’t get it.  (Note:  this problem is especially common when the show follows a group dinner.)

FLYER FOR SHOW: Please bring me a couple copies of whatever you did.

AFTER THE SHOW: Party (optional).  If in a public place, should be a quiet one. Quiet-ish.

LODGING: Necessary.  A bed.  No hard futons please. Private room preferred, cats and dogs ok.  Noise late at night un-desirable.

THANK YOU!

Press Releases

Long Press Release:

List under:  Folk, Acoustic
For interviews or further information, please contact: ___________

Satirical songster Dave Lippman brings his Fairly Unbalanced Cabaret to _____________. Get ready for high-end parodies and some very wise cracks.

Lippman provides a passionate, comedic, participatory, multi-media romp through society’s ills and thrills. This show has delighted and en-smartened audiences throughout the Free World, and in some pretty cheap places as well. Attendance is optional but strongly suggested.

Lippman has toured from San Francisco to Sydney, from Boston to Berlin, from the Midwest to the Mideast. Utah Phillips said of Lippman, “God, that man can talk! What a great writer!” “Viciously funny,” said the Guardian. “Lippman is a national treasure,” countered the L.A. Herald-Examiner.

The artist’s most notorious CD is I Hate Wal-Mart; on this tour he brings his brand new release, You Don’t Own the World.” Newly minted tunes include National Berniehood Week, The Hillary-Trump Tango, The Climate It Is A-Changin’, Hands Up Don’t Shoot, and Whistleblower Blues.
Visit http://www.davelippman.com/mp3s/  for audio and video samples of the show.

Short Press Release:
List under:  Folk, Acoustic
For interviews or further information, please contact:

________________________________will present satirical sharp-shooter Dave Lippman, at ______________________________ on_____________________________. Admission $___.

Lippman provides a passionate, comedic, participatory, multi-media romp through society’s ills and thrills. Get ready for high-end parodies and some very wise cracks.

Visit here for audio and video samples of the show.

For Palestine solidarity events:

Satirist/troubadour Dave Lippman is a fixture on the Palestine solidarity scene, writing and performing music for New York street actions and appearing around the country. His comedic evil twin, Abe Foxhole of the “Arab Defamation League,” offers balance by providing the pro-apartheid, anti-international law point of view. Together they provide laughs, singalongs, and a dash of hearty flavor that’s always welcome in human rights struggles.

contact: lippeman at icloud dot com