EXIT 69 Productions

06/02/2024

Had an awesome night of entertainment last night and a great lunch today at Kretzer's Grill & Bar and also met this nice young man. Not sure who he was, but he asked to get his picture taken with me and I was happy to oblige.

05/31/2024

This is a rare show that you don’t want to miss at an awesome venue! These guys are all Veteran pro’s that only play a handful of shows per year and we’re lucky enough to to be one of them! If you like 80’s and 90’s country done right, then this is your best opportunity to experience it! This is a full band with 2 of the best guitar pickers anywhere - 1 of which switches off to a mean fiddle - add steel guitar to that, along with great bass and vocals and you have the perfect recipe for “real” country music! Show starts at 6 with Caleb Isaacs opening. Don’t miss this one!!!

05/10/2024

A violinist played for 45 minutes in the New York subway. A handful of people stopped, a couple clapped, and the violinist raised about $30 in tips.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. In that subway, Joshua played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before he played in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out a Boston theatre, and the seats averaged about $100.

The experiment proved that the extraordinary in an ordinary environment does not shine and is so often overlooked and undervalued.

There are brilliantly talented people everywhere who aren’t receiving the recognition and reward they deserve. But once they arm themselves with value and confidence and remove themselves from an environment that isn’t serving them, they thrive and grow.

Your gut is telling you something. Listen to it if it’s telling you where you are isn’t enough!

Go where you are appreciated and valued.

Know Your Worth.

04/11/2024

And those numbers are low and a lot of expenses were left out. Unfortunately, especially in Southern Illinois, there is no money to be made in music. It’s an expensive hobby and a labor of love/frustration. That’s why there’s very few of us around. Especially in production. The expense vs pay ratio isn’t even close to what it should be. That said, there are a few venues around that understand and are willing to step up to provide their customers with the best possible audio and visual performances to enhance the entertainment value and atmosphere. When you see me promote these shows and venues, you can bet that’s where the quality entertainment will be and these are the venues that deserve your patronage and will provide you with the best bang for your buck. Support local venues and support local music! 🤘🏼😎🎤🎶

I love this and it’s spot on…Sadly many of us deal with this exact conversation weekly…

CLIENT – How much will it cost hire your band?
MUSICIAN - $3,000 dollars.
CLIENT – That’s too expensive for a band!
MUSICIAN – How much do you think it should cost?
CLIENT – We usually guarantee bands $1500
MUSICIAN – I’m sorry we can’t afford to come out for that.
CLIENT – That’s $1000 an hour. We’d be losing money.
MUSICIAN – Well we don’t want that for you. Perhaps you could perform and save yourself the money of hiring a band.
CLIENT – But I’m not a musician…
MUSICIAN – For $1000, I can teach you everything you need to know to perform. You can then use $500 to pay yourself for the show, and you’re still saving $1,500. Then you can perform as many shows for your venue as you like and will be saving money every weekend.
CLIENT – Deal!
MUSICIAN – Great! To start, you need to buy proper gear. You will need a Guitar, a Pedal Board, a Microphone, in-ear monitors, a mix console, and PA system, and some other things.
CLIENT – I can’t buy all that gear for just one job!
MUSICIAN – Ok. I can rent you my gear for another $500. You’re still saving $1000.
CLIENT – That’s cutting into my savings, but I will rent your gear.
MUSICIAN – Perfect! I’ll be back Monday and we can start.
CLIENT – Wait! I can’t Monday. I only have time today.
MUSICIAN – I’m sorry, I only teach others on Mon/Tues. I have to prioritize my time and my gear needs to be in other rehearsals and shows Wed-Sun.
CLIENT – Ok then. I will sacrifice my day off on Monday.
MUSICIAN – Right, me too! Oh, I forgot. If you’re going to do a band performance, you need to hire band members. Going rate is $300 per band member, so if you have a 3 piece behind you that’s $900. Plus $100 per guy for rehearsal prior to the show. So $1,200 for the players.
CLIENT – Wait… that’s $1000 for the lessons, $500 for me, $500 for gear rental, $1,200 for the players and rehearsal… That’s $3,200!
MUSICIAN – Yes, my friend. And if you hired me I’d still have to rent a vehicle large enough to fit my band, pull a trailer full of gear & pay for fuel and meals for the crew, just to get to your town and back home.
CLIENT – Maybe you should come do the show for $3000.
MUSICIAN – My crew and I will happily do that. And for the record, it’s likely I won’t make a cent because I’m giving you a deal at $3000. The money that would come to me will go into the laundry list of expenses. But nothing brings me more joy and makes me feel more alive than stepping up to the mic and giving your town a memorable experience.
CLIENT — Why are the other bands accepting $1500?
MUSICIAN — They haven’t discovered their worth yet, and they are making it really difficult for me to earn mine.
People are not just paying for music, they are paying for knowledge, experience, gear, time, travel, family sacrifices, and other things you bring to the table.
Don’t let others dictate your worth!

Thanks for the share and Musicians stop cutting each others way to make it a good gig and Pay Get your worth!!!!

04/11/2024

Kretzers this Sat. 4/13/24. Kretzers just built a new addition with a big stage and plenty of room for fun. We're going to break it in!! TACO TRUCK, 830 to 1230. Come early and check some bluesy tunes from Rolling dirty fron 5 to 630. Brought to you by EXIT 69 Productions.

02/24/2024

An “Exit 69” production

We are super excited to get back up to Muddy Saloon! See y’all Saturday. It’s been too long! 🤠 🍻

02/17/2024

TACO TRUCK Bretz Wildlife Winery, Carlyle Feb 17, 830/1230. Bring your sweetheart or hookup with a total stranger. It's all about love❤️ Let's Rock!

01/19/2024

HEY TACO TRUCKERS! We are at Muddy Saloon in Wheeler IL this Sat 1/20/24. Cool place!! We are trying a couple out of town venues such as this but don't worry we have plenty of local fun coming right up for our friends at home.

01/04/2024

An EXIT 69 production.

TACO TRUCK Live! Jan 20 at Muddy Saloon. Wheeler IL. 8 to12. 80s & 90s Rock favorites🤘

10/12/2023

The following vendors will be joining us for this beautiful autumn weekend 10/14 & 10/15:

Sat 10-6 & Sun 12-6

Two Fall/Christmas decor vendors at incredible prices!
Teddy Mountain Stuffed Animals (similar to Build-a-Bear)
LIT Candles
Professional face painting
Pampered Chef
Local Honey 🐝
Delicious PECANS!
Painted glass and bottles
Oh So Delicious bundt cakes and other desserts!
Charm bracelets (that are so cool!!)
Custom cowhide items and leather work (you should see these baby moccasins 🥹)
Handpainted hats! (I own one and it's lovely) Fairytale Goth Mother
Storybook Hollow hoodies and goodies.
Down the Rhodes Food Truck Rhodes Promotions
Affogato with hot coffees and other yummies. Affogato

And more...too many items to list!

Also, don't forget about the music brought to you by EXIT 69 Productions!! Leight July will be joining us Sat 1-5 and Raquel Rae Sun 1-5.

10/11/2023

Cinematic Rock | “Serve & Unite” | Artist/Musician/Composer | Southern Illinois

05/03/2023

All production provided by “Exit 69”. We’re extremely excited to be a part of this festival! Come out and enjoy all of the activities and bands!

04/23/2023

I think the weirdo part applied to me since birth.

04/22/2023

11/04/2022

Our year is winding down and we are glad to get back to Salem, IL before it’s over! See y’all Saturday!!

08/31/2022

http://www.coverbandcentral.com

07/09/2022

A violinist played for 45 minutes in a New York subway. A handful of people stopped, a couple clapped, and the violinist managed to raise about $30 in tips.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. In that subway, Joshua played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before he played in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston and the seats averaged about $100.

The experiment proved that the extraordinary in an ordinary environment does not shine and is so often overlooked and undervalued.

There are brilliantly talented people everywhere who aren’t receiving the recognition and reward they deserve. But once they arm themselves with value and confidence and remove themselves from an environment that isn’t serving them, they thrive and grow.

Your gut is telling you something. Listen to it if it’s telling you that where you are isn’t enough!

Go where you are appreciated and valued.
Know👏 Your👏 Worth👏