JAM IT NASHVILLE - PLAYER INFORMATION
VENUE:
Fat Kat Slim's, 730 8th Avenue S, Nashville, TN
TIME:
Load-in: 7:30pm
Start time: 8:00pm
Featured Artist End time: 9:00pm-9:15pm (one hour + after start time)
Jam End time: 11:00pm (or longer if we have a lot of Jammers)
LOAD-IN:
There is parking circling the venue. If you have a large load-in, fell free to temporarily park near one of the doors.
FEATURED ARTIST:
The Featured Artist will play for approximately 60 minutes. We’ll then mix and match players until the end of the night. If there is time, we may bring back the Featured Artist for 1-2 songs at the end of the night, if they want.
If you are the Featured Artist, please send us the names of all of your band members at least a week before the show, if possible. That way, we can give them proper acknowledgement and thanks in our promotions prior to the show and when announcing and they can, hopefully, participate in promoting the show.
TO FEATURED BAND MEMBERS: House back line is evolving and currently includes a full Yamaha drum kit with snare, throne, hi-hat and pedals. Drummers should bring crash and ride cymbals and sticks. No bass or guitar amps have arrived yet. There will be no keyboard rig, although if you don't have one in your band, a Jammer usually will bring one. There are mic's and DI's. Also, since we do a Jam after the Featured Artist set, we ask that you let the Jammers use your back line equipment (guitar and bass amps, keys, key amps, cymbals, etc.). They are all vetted professionals and guitarists and horn players will bring their own instruments and drummers will usually bring their own sticks.
JAM PARTICIPANTS:
Some Jam slots are filled by invitation prior to the show and others are filled by regulars and friends of regulars who show up. Invited guests have priority over everyone else for the opportunity to play. We make every effort to get everyone up to play, but there will be certain nights that not everyone that wants to play will fit into the allotted time. If there’s time, we’ll try our best to get you up to play. We end the music as close to 11:00pm as we can although being at Fat Kat Slim's gives us the flexibility to go longer, if we choose.
Feel free to just show up to play, however, we can move you up the list if you let us know ahead of time that you're coming. Email us at jam@crushworldwide.com or text John Haring at 615-974-4886 and let us know that you're coming. Or, feel free to show up any time and visit and network with the other great players and get a feel for how we do things. We’re trying to make this a great musician hang whether you’re playing or not.
PRODUCTION:
Fat Kat Slim's has an in-house sound guy that will take care of you. He will decide if we mic amps, drums, etc. Direct boxes are available for those that need them. Percussion and horns may or may not be mic'd depending on need. We can also mic instruments without pickups. Mic's, mic stands, direct boxes and cables are all on-site.
MATERIAL:
JAM IT @ FAT KAT SLIM'S is open to any material, either original or cover. Featured Artists are encouraged to play their own material. As you may have heard, we're going back to an all inclusive, multi-genre format, much like we had when we started so successfully in 2013. There will be Jazz, Rock, Country, Blues and anything the Jammers can agree on. The features will also be across the genre spectrum. For the Jam portion of the evening, being that most of the Jam participants will not have played together before, we encourage familiar cover/Real Book material that the audience would know and enjoy and that you can get together on quickly.
Please also show respect for the other players coming after you by keeping songs to a reasonable length. Twenty minute jam band extravaganzas and five cycles through solos are nice if we had unlimited time, but they don't work with our limited show window.
Also, since this is a family venue, please be aware of your audience when choosing your material and what you say onstage.
SHOW PROMO:
We try to get a Facebook event up by at least a week before and we will be doing generic postering around Nashville. In addition, Fat Kat Slim's has a robust marketing effort that we can take advantage of. We encourage all of the artists to share the event and send out Facebook invites after we post it (you'll be tagged so you'll know when it's live) and to let your fans know via other social media. We also send out Facebook invites and a few Twitter messages to our lists, but it's always more powerful coming from the artist. This is critical since we want an impressive start at Fat Kat Slim's and we want to generate significant buy-in from fans and players to continue.
TIPS:
We will continue our tradition of having two big, red TIP BUCKETS available for the Featured Artist (if they choose to use it). Placement is up to the Featured Artist and is usually on or near the stage and at the rear of the room. It's big, red and easy to see. Hopefully, this should offset your expense for getting there and bringing your gear. The Host will announce that the buckets are there and encourage people to contribute. Feel free to mention it whenever you like as will the host. Unlike the Commodore, we have gotten no push-back (yet) about it being carried around the room.
PARKING:
There is lots of free parking on the Fat Kat Slim's property as well as in the neighborhood.
BEVERAGES & FOOD:
Food and drinks are available at Fat Kat Slim's. The Featured Band will be offered two free drinks for each member.
CD’S & MERCHANDISE:
If you have any artist merchandise that you would like to sell during the show, set up at one of the rear tables. You must, however, bring someone to cover the table and make the sales.
CLICK HERE to go to the JAM IT @ Fat Kat Slim's Main Page