During my initial search for good talented singer-songwriters to perform at the first Singacoustic, I reached out to Sam Pura, the owner of The Panda Studios to recommend artists that he might know, and Sam recommended I contact either Dave Haberman or Jonny Williams from a Livermore, CA band called Crawdad Republic. Sam provided me with their contact information and l sent them an email inviting them and asking if they were available on 10/29/2022. I did not get a response, and a few days passed by, I sent another email, a week, 2 weeks, and no replies from either one, and eventually, I had to move on, so I put those two names on the back burner.
The decision to stop seeking artists was put in affect about two weeks prior to the show, as it was time to start the ad campaigns and exactly 5 days before the show, as I thought I was done searching for talent, I received a text from Dave Haberman asking what was going on with the show, and I have to admit, I had totally forgotten about their music and who they are so I had to look them up again and that was a sweet surprise. I listened to their music and I was moved shaking with the rhythm of the tunes, the band sounded great, addressing issues we all face with a flare of wickedness and humor. In my own judgment (don’t hate me), I don’t usually get an upbeat, energetic, and funny attitude from singer-songwriters, again (don’t hate me). Singer songwriters usually talk about the song and their inspiration behind the story, and as I kept watching their videos, the desire to feature their music for the show was so strong that I gave Dave Haberman a call immediatly. I got the voice mail followed by a text explaining that he is a teacher and in class and we scheduled a time to chat.
As a former teacher, it was so intriguing to learn that the music that the great music I was listening to was created by a teacher, and to my astonishment, it turned out that Jonny Williams is also a teacher, both in the Livermore school district.
On the phone, Dave sounded sincere and humbled. Dave is a teacher, a profession I have had a great deal of respect and passion for its core principles since I was a teacher for 17-plus years. We chatted for a few minutes about the show, the band, their style, the music and being a teacher. I explained what I was looking for in a show, and my vision of how I see it all happen, and at the end of the conversation, I was told that he and his bandmate Jonny Williams are excited to be a part of Singacoustic and I was thrilled to hear it. Having the Crawdad Republic duo will add a lot of thrills to the show. My intention for Singacoustic is to produce an exciting show, one beyond the normal sitting on the stool with a guitar and singing a song, so let’s have a great show with mandolins, banjos, and upright bass and try to make it exciting and Crawdad Republic delivered my vision better than I have imagined. Thank you, Dave Haberman and Jonny Williams. Within a couple of hours, contracts were signed and I had to start a different social media campaign that includes the new addition to the show, and off to the show we go.
As one viewer commented “I’m dancing in my living room watching and listening to the stream” and that is exactly what I have envisioned, a show of excitement that is fun to watch. The fabulous dynamic duo delivered an awesome performance, with an upbeat energy that got the viewership to climb during their set. Mission accomplished for sure.
I can’t express enough my gratitude to the dynamic duo for their exceptionally cheerful performance, their impressive songwriting, and their musical talent. It was an honor and a privilege to have met you, and work alongside your brilliance of showmanship. Hurray to local talented singer-songwriters out there. It is what Singacoustic was created to do. 🙏
With every talent featured on Singacoustic, I learned a great deal about the philosophy and the psychology of event production. I have always interacted with rock stars from the technical side of view while searching for a talented and active local singer-songwriter is an adventure, to say the least. Thank you to all the wonderful musicians that became a part of a growing community of fabulous music by amazing musicians. Cheers!