Getting The Most Out Of Your Event
Jallen wants you to have the best event imaginable. With that in mind, here are our requirements and some creative ideas to help make your event a sure success. (Thanks to Romanovsky & Phillips and Terry Brewer for their own check lists from which some of these ideas were drawn.)

Planning Your Event:

Know Your Event
What does your organization hope to accomplish with this event? More specifically, what are the hopes of those who will be attending? Be sure to communicate those ideas to us so we can support them with you. Be aware of the calendar so your event does not conflict with other events or holidays.

Negotiate The Details
Have all the details of your event been put into writing and clearly approved by everyone involved, including dates, time, expenses, fees, transportation, accommodations, sound and equipment rental?

Accommodations
Jallen does not require staying in a fancy hotel. He does ask if he is to be a house guest, that it be a cat-free environment since he is severely allergic to cats and that can drastically affect his performance.

Media
Working together, yet with different focuses, we can muster a lot of free publicity. Your focus is to publicize your organization and the event. Create a press release (see the sample above). Always try to include a picture or two. Make a list of every newspaper, bookstore, magazine, radio show, record store, and local TV show that would be interested. As you know, the nature of media is not what you do but who you know. Before you send anything to the media, call first and try to talk specifically to the person who will handle your event. Confidently inform them of it and that you are sending information about it. This makes all the difference in the world. Send the press release and then follow through with another phone call a week or so later to make sure they have received it.

In addition, let us know of the same venues and we will also approach them with the focus of publicizing Jallen as an artist. We are happy to send them press kits for possible interviews, features and free publicity. Most of all, remember word-of-mouth is the most effective way to publicize an event. Tell everyone!

Getting People There
The best concerts we have encountered are when an organization sells tickets. Sometimes, free concerts seem not "worth the money." Keep in mind, though, tickets don't sell magically. A selling committee of, say, ten people takes responsibility for ten tickets per committee member. Whether each member pays for ten tickets and passes them out to friends, or each members actually sells every ticket, you will be guaranteed a house of at least 100 people. Even a built-in audience like a conference or church service does not guarantee a full house. Have we mentioned that word of mouth is the most effective way to get folks there. If you tell them, they will come!

If you are selling tickets to your event, give some of them away on the radio or to charitable organizations. Especially as the event gets nearer, it is better to have a full house than a half-empty one.

Especially For Churches
Often, Jallen performs within the context of a church service. Since he has probably come a long way just to provide you with the gift of his talents, please streamline the events in your service as best you can. This way your congregation has time to really get comfortable with Jallen, hear his message, and you get your "money's worth."

If you are planning an event that is specifically geared to getting the public to darken your door, seriously consider leaving familiar religious traditions out of it (passing the plate, singing hymns, a time for hugging, etc...). Doing what is familiar to you, may be unfamiliar, and even uncomfortable to others. Best to let folks get to know you first by friendship, then ease them into the traditions of the church. This goes double for publicity. Emphasizing that Jallen had a Christian upbringing in a, say, gay newspaper may keep more people away than spark their curiosity.

At The Event:

Prepare The Setting
Set-up details are essential for a successful event. Make sure the sound system, lighting, programs, and merchandise table are handled exactly as we have requested below. Not only do you want the equipment ready but you want capable people running it. Be sure to inform Jallen the exact time you hope the event to end.

Sound System & Piano
For everyone to hear Jallen effectively, he requires a basic sound system including a microphone on a boom stand. Always have a spare microphone nearby. To perform, Jallen needs a recently tuned piano. If an acoustic piano is not available, Jallen can perform from an electric keyboard, but only a keyboard with weighted keys. Anything less is asking for disaster. Most keyboards with weighted keys and acoustic pianos can be rented for about the same price, about $150.00 a day.

Lighting
Jallen has no lighting requirements. If lighting is possible, we hope that during the performance the auditorium can be dimmed with the lighting focused on Jallen and the piano.

Where Food Is Involved
When at banquets and parties, Jallen does not provide background music while people eat. He is happy to perform after people have finished eating, but this requires getting the audience's attention with a solid introduction. Otherwise, people may assume that it is a social time with the option to either talk or listen.

Introductions
Have someone introduce Jallen right before he performs. A good person to do this is either someone who is familiar with Jallen and his music, or a leader of your organization. Not much of an introduction is required. One might say where Jallen is from (San Francisco), mention an award or quote. A personal story regarding Jallen or his music is always effective.

Merchandise
We ask that you provide a large table or booth in the lobby for Jallen to sell recordings and merchandise. We also ask that you provide at least one volunteer that can assist Jallen in the managing of this table. This person will meet with Jallen ahead of time and possibly watch the table before the performance, during intermission and afterwards if nessacary.

Work The Room
Once the event has started, your work continues. During the first few seconds, discretely move around the room making sure the sound system is strong and consistent. At the same time, be sure Jallen can be seen clearly by everyone. Next, begin monitoring possible crowd distractions such as room temperature, open doors, and unnecessary noise.

Deliver Payment
If your approach is to make the payment after the event, inform Jallen that you have a check ready. This alleviates any anxiety an artist can have about payment and will contribute to the success of your event. Payment should never be delayed beyond the day of the event.

Feedback
Jallen desires your feedback and will even provide an evaluation form. Evaluation, whether positive or critical, is best made in writing after the event. Remember, immediately following an event, any artist may be less receptive to criticism.

Photos:
If you need publicity shots for promotional purposes go to the photo gallery. From there, e-mail a list of the I.D.#'s that you need, and we will e-mail you high resolution versions of the images you selected. Unfortunately, we are limited in sending you hard copies of these images.

Contacts
To contact Jallen by snail mail, please write:

Jallen Rix
c/o Triam Artist Group
PO Box 14371
San Francisco CA 94114

or call him at: 415.551.0845

or e-mail him at: jallenrix@hotmail.com

Sample Press Release:

eighth note records is proud to announce Jallen Rix in concert. He'll be performing songs off his latest recording The Sacred and the Queer. The recording has been nominated for three Gay & Lesbian American Music Awards (GLAMAs) in the categories of Best Male Artist, Best Debut Artist, and Album of the Year. This project marks a new direction in his musical career: "This recording highlights a new way my music reflects my personal journey. In the past, it tended to reflect only my spiritual experience. In doing this, I neglected singing about my sexuality. This recording integrates my spirituality and sexuality. This freedom and wholeness feels great!"

This wholeness is honestly and poetically dealt with in several of Jallen's songs. The Pendulum Swings is a mainstream pop song that deals with the changes and complexities of relationships. I Hold His Hand Loosely unfolds a story of knowing the difference between infatuation and real love, sung in the context of a light Latin sound. Probably most direct is the R&B tune Down at Stonewall in which Jallen lets two seemingly opposing subjects dive headlong into each other with positive results. The song has Jesus miss a church service to go hang out at Stonewall, the now famous gay bar. "This song started tongue-in-cheek with a friend. But I realized it actually exemplifies what is happening in my heart."

Jallen's songs certainly are not "queer exclusive." Issues of sexuality, injustice, creativity and unconditional love are subjects many people can relate to in his music. "As a composer/lyricist I am challenged by the task to create music that bridges the gap between an artist's expression and the listener's understanding."

These songs, along with Jallen's occasional political humor, create a recording with diversity and depth. Jallen clearly bridges the gap between in-your-face gay and watered-down pop. The Sacred and the Queer is available for sale in better record stores and gay/lesbian bookstores distributed by LadySlipper and Golden Rod.

All content is © by RixArtz unless otherwise noted. Please obtain written permission before duplicating.