MIKE GIANGRECO
facebook.com/mike.giangreco.98
Mike Giangreco has been promoting shows for over 30 years. In fact, he’s legendary on the Sunset Strip where he was the in-house booker at the Whisky A GoGo. He also founded Meroke Sky Records to focus on singer-songwriters.
Banter vs Non-Banter
If part of the act is not talking and just playing, it’s okay. But an artist needs to connect with the audience in some way. It makes them more human.
Entertain Us
A lot of musicians don’t realize what the job is. The job is to entertain the audience. And unless you’re a well-known artist with hit songs, the music alone isn’t enough.
Bad Examples
Being annoying, silly or stupid is always bad. But, the worst is calling out audience members for leaving during the show and demanding to know why. That behavior won’t make many friends.
Good Examples
Bruce Springsteen has some of the best banter in the business and he invites audience members on stage to engage them further. Willie Nelson not only tells great stories, he goes into the audience and meets everybody after the show. Artists of that caliber don’t need to do that, but they do to connect with their fans. •
