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Category Archives: Site news

Volunteer for Sonoma County Dance Beat

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Ann Hutchinson Posted in Site news

5 Ways to give back to your favorite live music resource

open lap top and plant on desk at window overlooking deck and tree

Sonoma County Dance Beat has been listing live music events for Sonoma County since the April 1, 2014. Founders Kevin and Ann Hutchinson spend hours every week doing a variety of tasks to keep the calendar running, in addition to all of the other ways in which they support the local live music scene.

All of this is on top of their respective careers.

Since reactivating the site after the pandemic, Kevin has been doing all of the data entry himself. It may seem like that since there are fewer places hosting live music, it should be easier. However, the opposite is actually true. Getting the information from the remaining venues and new ones that continue to pop up has been harder than ever. Due to staffing issues, it’s all they can do to stay in business. Few of the venues take the time to send their monthly line-ups to us anymore. And their websites are often less than helpful. Add to that the fact that COVID hit bands hard, too. Many bands folded and those musicians have formed new ones. New ones we know nothing about. Kevin is working twice as hard for half as many events.

This is an area where we can use your help. The time required will vary by task from one to three hours per week. Volunteer opportunities with Sonoma County Dance Beat include:

  1. Entering events for three – six venues per month, for which we have easy access to information.
  2. Gathering information for the venues that don’t do a great job of getting the word out, either by phone or in person, when you’re there for an event.
  3. Updating our band database with the genres that newly established bands play.
  4. Searching through Facebook events and band newsletters for events at venues for which obtaining information is difficult.
  5. Auditing the calendar for errors like duplicate entries, misspellings, missing venues, etc.

If any of this sounds like something you can do, please reach out to us online, and let us know which task you prefer. Thanks so much!

What We Do

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Ann Hutchinson Posted in Services, Site news
Kevin Hutchinson wearing hat, smiling at Ann Hutchinson, who smiles at the camera
Kevin and Ann Hutchinson
Photo: Deanna Thompson Calm Wave Productions

Kevin and Ann Hutchinson, Sonoma County Dance Beat founders, LOVE to dance to live music. This passion is behind the creation of Sonoma County Dance Beat, which started with an online calendar they wished existed and has grown to be so much more.

FOR MUSIC LOVERS AND DANCERS

Sonoma County Dance Beat calendar lists live music at venues ranging from dancehalls, music festivals, restaurants, breweries, hole-in-the-wall taverns to farmers markets, all in one place. Know before you go. Find out who’s playing, what they play, what they cost and what kind of floor is available for dancing. The only things routinely excluded are singer/songwriter gigs and seated shows.

Kevin and Ann teach group dance lessons at events, before select shows and private lessons in its Railroad Square studio.

Sonoma County Dance Beat throws at least one great dance party a year, April Foolery (near April 1), which is also an opportunity to help support the calendar. At least two bands and often costume prizes and other mayhem.

FOR MUSICIANS

The calendar helps bands with publicity, helps booking agents and bandleaders know who they’ll be up against on a given night when booking a gig and may also learn about venues they didn’t know existed. And it’s free.

Sonoma County Dance Beat provides talent buying services for a number of local venues. SCDB selects local bands based on musicianship, reputation, reliability, longevity, stage presence, genre and following. And it has to be a good fit for the venue and crowd. This ensures a positive experience for everyone concerned. Ann Hutchinson, who does the booking, generally does not book bands she and Kevin haven’t seen play in a similar venue. One YouTube video isn’t absolute proof. Nor is a good recording. That’s how the band is in the studio.

Ann writes marketing copy by day and is excellent at tag lines, bios, campaigns and differentiators (gimmicks) that will help get more people excited about checking out the band’s unique sound.

What Fans Are Saying

What a terrific web page! I don't know how many times I've had to wade through the internet, trying in vain to see who was playing and where. Your coverage is better than any I've seen online. 

Larry Natalini, musician

I just wanna thank you both for having such a wonderful and complete list of dance venues! Happy dancin'! Love you guys!

Merrill Dellas, dancer

SCDB Tip Jar

Please consider a small donation to help pay for the calendar's hard costs and upkeep. Thanks so much! - Kevin and Ann





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