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Independent Music Series Storms Across The Continent A SoundPress.net Feature Article by Rich and Laura Lynch TourBaby celebrates its 2nd exciting year!
 Joan Bujacich and Joe Bilotti ran the proceedings at the TourBaby show in Montclair, New Jersey. Did you know that the music generally heard on the radio and TV from people on a major label is less than one percent of the actual music that is out there? If you are tired of commercial plastic pop, TourBaby is an event for you. TourBaby is a grassroots movement established by independent musicians to showcase local artists. The events are organized by a performing musician who promotes and picks the other bands to play the tour. A venue is booked and the dates and times are listed at www.tourbaby.com. The planner of one event often will serve as "a tagger" meaning they will travel to perform at another gig in a nearby state. This serves to add to the concept of a tour by having a form of continuity from show to show. The 2003 circuit began in Miami and is working its way up the east coast before traveling out west through December.
 Fallen From Grace headlined the Randolph, New Jersey event and handed off the TourBaby. TourBaby is a great opportunity for top local bands from a diversity of genres and styles to play for new audiences. Hundreds of artists are working together to raise awareness of the incredible music scene that mainstream seems to ignore. TourBaby opens up musical doors right in people's own backyards. The only criteria to perform at a TourBaby show is that bands and artists need to have a CD out for sale that contains original music. We had the pleasure of attending the TourBaby event held at Tierney's Tavern in Montclair, New Jersey. Joan Bujacich who planned this gig did a great job of bring varied musicians under one roof. Joan received the TourBaby doll from tag team member John Grech who was representing the band Fallen From Grace, the tagger band from the previous TourBaby show. The baby is passed on at each event as the torch of the tour and is autographed by the performers of each event. Joan delivered the baby to Brattleboro, Vermont for the next stop and her set scheduled for Wednesday, October 8th. We arrived in time for Joan and Joe Bilotti's set. Their music is straightforward guitar, keyboards and vocals but their songs are sophisticated and textured drawing from a variety of styles such as acoustic and jazz.
 The Charlie Jones band featured the blues and dueling lead guitar players! Also on hand was the Charlie Jones Band, which featured two dynamic guitar players and a hard rocking bluesy beat. They performed an energizing set of originals and Beatles covers. Other groups that appeared on October 5, 2003 were MiMi Ferocious, Lee McClure, Hey Tiger and Melodrome from Western, Massachusetts. Joan Bujacich is also an executive board member of TourBaby. She states that "the turn out at Tierney's was respectable and could have been better if not on Yom Kippur. The crowd was very enthusiastic and responsive and all the performers walked away from the show feeling quite excited. The artists were all happy with the production of the show and the turnout and they all feel that TourBaby is an important vehicle for them to network and gain exposure. I have received very good feedback from everyone involved." John Grech who organized the Randolph, New Jersey event stated that in his case "there wasn't a lot of time to plan. I had looked for larger venues but they were booked by national acts... we did ours at the Black River Barn." John booked three high caliber bands for his show — Iridesense, Fallen From Grace and Supernova who provided a solid night of entertainment for all. Grech had also scheduled a second TourBaby event that gives a glimpse of where this annual circuit may be heading. Currently, most TourBaby shows are booked in bars or live-music venues that have a capacity of 250 or less. Grech had booked a show at a Philadelphia amphitheater that can hold 3200 music fans. Unfortunately, that show was rained out like many other outdoor music events were during the rainy summer of 2003. However, he hopes to do something just as significant next year saying that he hopes to have more time to plan and promote an event with a strong roster of artists. Grech says he hopes next year's TourBaby show that he promotes will be "wrapped together with another indie music event like a convention that will help point out the limitations that indie bands face every day." Gail of G-Spot organized the TourBaby stop in New York City. She states that "The NY show was a tremendous success, they had a great team of bands & really captured the spirit of what TourBaby is all about. All of the performances were fantastic, and definitely showcased the caliber of Independent Music here in NY. The show opened with tag band More Sweet Confusion all the way from Athens, GA, followed by some fabulous female rock/pop talent, the bluesy powerhouse Emily Zuzik, the jazzy, effervescent Allison Tartalia, the wild & wicked Emiko, ferocious & fiery Lorraine Ferro, & G-spot (with the sexy, passionate front women Gail Silverman), then the boys from Law of Fives took the stage. Closing the night was the ethereal & mesmerizing Erin Hill. The NY show had a great turnout and wonderful support from our sponsors, Women Who Rock the Indie Bible and Manic Panic." Dave Madeloni a writer for the Brattleboro Reformer calls TourBaby a "grassroots effort, fueled by the kind of linking that cyberspace fosters, TourBaby could serve as the antidote needed for struggling musicians to overcome the forces that have impeded their ability to be heard and seen." Please visit the TourBaby web site to see if any events are scheduled for your region and if you are a motivated musician there is information on organizing a tour stop in your own town. TourBaby is an innovative movement bring great music to local and national audiences!
 Hey Tiger hailed from Hoboken, New Jersey. Related Links: For more information on Tourbaby and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- TourBaby.com
(Originally Published on October 09, 2003) |
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