Johnny Never has performed in hundreds of venues in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

 

Mr.Never, as he is sometimes referred to, has performed in hundreds of music venues, performance spaces, arts centers, music festivals, bars and restaurants from Memphis to New York

For music festivals and performance spaces Mr.Never employs the fine picking style of the  Delta, East Texas and Piedmont blues along with his inspired original works.

For Bars and restaurants,  Mr.Never mixes in old popular jazz songs like Ain't Misbehavin and Dream a Little Dream with the sounds of early  Chicago, and the root songs of early rock and roll.

 

A note to perspective restaurateurs:

I’ve been in this business for years.   I will always be upfront and honest with you.  I love to perform for restaurants! 

I want to say that if you are just launching your restaurant, there are many pitfalls.  Music can be one of them,but if employed the right way it can be a great tool to help you grow your business. 

 

 

 

Use us.  We are tools...

There is a myriad of good reasons to hire local musicians!   Believe it or not, your own personal love of music plays an important role in whether you want to invest in live music.  Just as atmosphere, theme, good interior design, quality of service and food all play integral roles in the success and/or failure of your dining establishment, good local music is one of the tools you can deploy to help build your establishment’s reputation and your total nightly receipts.  And it is all related to your own taste and preferences.

If you think the purpose of hiring a musician is to fill your restaurant with patrons, guess again.  It simply does not work that way.  Unless you are considering becoming a major-act venue and selling tickets to nationally touring acts, live music is not going to instantly fill your restaurant with throngs of beer guzzling fans.   Many acts, myself included, may bring in some folks.  But that is not why you should hire a local act.

Local music is an investment that does not pay off immediately.  If done correctly, however, I have seen it pay off over time. I’ve seen this happen in places that hire me, many, many times.  If you like the idea of having live music, but don’t want to shell out a thousand dollars or more for a national act, there are hundreds of extremely accomplished local musicians that can entertain your existing patrons, keep those existing patrons staying a little longer, and get them talking about their experience to friends and family, and over time, help you build your reputation as a place to go for good food and music. Over time, that can help really build your business. 

 

Just don’t expect it to happen overnight. 

 

(But don't abuse us)

You get what you pay for.

Musicians who are willing to “play for exposure” or “gas money”,  however, are not likely to help build your reputation and may actually do more harm than good. You definitely want to attract the better local acts to your establishment.  So musician pay must be reasonable.  As I said, it's an investment!

 

The Particulars...

Decide what you want as far as music.  What works with the overall theme and atmosphere of your place?  Do you want music down and under as people savor your exceptional cuisine?  Do you want dance music?  Laid back or in-your-face?  Perhaps you want to create a dine-in listening room?  One regular gig I played had a dedicated music room where if people wanted they could groove to the tunes and watch the band while they ate and they had a separate room where people could hear the music without paying attention to it. 

And then there’s style and flavor:  pop hits?  blues? jazz?  a mixture of all that? 

Johnny Never is not the ideal choice for all audiences or venues.  Venues that hire me repeatedly favor blues/jazz and/or acoustic music.   Some  are very much listening rooms with fine cuisine and a bar. Others want music under as people dine.  Many are very sophisticated.  Still others like to see people get up and dance.   My acts are great for any of the following: 

Blues and jazz fans. 

Acoustic music fans. 

Music lovers. 

Guitar enthusiasts. 

Back ground music playing while people dine. 

Listening room scenarios - playing for people while people listen and dine. 

Blues dancing (with the band).

 

I know many of the very best musicians in the tri-state area.  If I am not the right act and you are interested in a quality act, I am happy to make recommendations for you.  Just shoot me an email.

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM FOR YOU!