For a newer, local band to make the big time, two basic ingredients have to be in place:  Talent and promotion.  Then, the rest tends to follow.  I'm not sure which of those takes more work and coordination.  Most bands I've worked with had members who were better at the right-brained (talent) part, but honestly a little lax in the left-brained (promotion) department, which admittedly isn't usually as fun as just playin,' man!

Proper band promotion takes a lot of things to get noticed, get bookings, and hopefully get signed.  A big one is motivation, and another is money.  And it's interesting how money can spur that motivation.

That's where the "Mish Initiative" can come in really handy, if you're a local band who's just looking for some sort of a break.  Get your band signed up for a grant of up to $1500, by filling out the application at the Mishawaka Amphitheater's website between October 1st and November 15th.

By the way, this application is right up your alley, because it's a blank slate!  They want you to create the application as a first step in demonstrating why your band should receive this award.

Don't think the odds are stacked against you, either.  Up to 20 grants will be given out.  And who knows how many bands will even bother with this (hence my "lax in the promotions" statement above.)

The following doesn't so much apply to local bands, but is kind of cool, anyway.  The artist development mission is only one of three parts of the Mish Initiative.  The other two are:

  • Business and event sponsorship opportunities by the Mishawaka, and
  • Employee sponsorship opportunities for those who volunteer for a local non-profit group.

It's great to see the Mish step boldly into these philanthropic outreaches in order to help everybody win, so I hope they see a lot of involvement.  Good luck if you contact them to inquire about any part of this!

Either way, seeing a concert there every now and then is certainly worthwhile.  It's easy to forget how good it feels to be there until you are again.  It's become a stopoff for us when we're coming back from camping or Steamboat Springs, as even having a drink or a bite while looking out over the river can give you some personal power back over the stupid, day-to-day things that tend to add up during the week.

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