CoffeehouseTour.com: Brewing Connections Between Musicians and Coffeehouses

A chef, web designer, event planner and a songwriter/musician with a passion for good food and good music, Annette Warner launched the web site CoffeeHouseTour.com in 2000. Based in Wilmington, N.C., the web site is a free booking resource for musicians who travel the country playing coffeehouses. Annette has made it her mission to help bring quality music to the more than 1,000 venues listed in the CHT database and at the same time connect musicians with an opportunity to perform and perfect their craft. My dialogue with Annette for Indie Mosaic Music.

Indie Mosaic Music: What's the concept behind CoffeeHouseTour.com?
Annette Warner: The concept is simple - to connect the coffeehouses that support and book live music, and the musicians that play in them, all across the U.S. and abroad. The database provides detailed information about these venues.

(IMM): What was your inspiration for launching CoffeeHouseTour.com?
Annette Warner: My inspiration was solely attached to the fact that I love the atmosphere of coffeehouses and music and I was not able to go to one source and find information to either book myself or others. It seemed like the natural next step, especially being that I was a web designer, to create this resource. I wanted CoffeeHouseTour.com to be a place where others could go and get information for free because I know how hard it is as a musician to find gigs, and even afford the next pair of strings, much less to have to be forced to pay for every resource out there. And, I know the struggle of an artistic environment, and coffeehouses specifically struggle harder than any other venue to keep music programs going if they have to pay for the talent and are not recouping. I strongly believe that new musicians need practice ground as they hone their craft and coffeehouses are a perfect stage for that.

(IMM): What criteria do you consider when booking acts for each of your five Java establishment clients, and what type of genre do you typically book?
(Annette): I insist on professionalism from initial contact to the end of the gig booked. I want to know the musician is ready to play and can play at least one hour of material. I support original music, and we book only those artists that play original stuff. Depending upon the venue and licensing issues, covers may be permitted, but the musician must be an original artist to be considered. There’s a wide variety of music played in the venues, everything from solo acoustic preferences, to full band bookings. The one limitation I have for booking someone is if I can't understand their lyrics or melody because of screaming-style vocals, or music that is obnoxious and filled with hate speak, and violence.

(IMM): If a musician wants to submit for one of your clients, what's the process?
(Annette): The musician would simply review our submission guidelines on the CoffeeHouseTour.com site, read information about the venue and be sensible about whether or not they think they are a fit for the place. Next, send us an email indicating they have read the information and are interested in a particular venue, including a link to where we can listen to [their music] or let us know a CD is on the way if nothing is online. From there, the information is sent to CHT's booking manager, Jake Melnyk, who follows up and makes it happen if it’s a fit.

(IMM): Why do you believe coffeehouses are conducive to the indie artist?
(Annette): I not only believe they are conducive, they are necessary to the progress of an indie artist. I don't know of an independent songwriter that hasn't played in one –not one. It's the first stage many artists play on. It's the stage many aspire to from the living room couch. It's the first place I ever saw a songwriter play that I really paid attention to. I was enamored. Coffeehouses are to music what an ingredient is to a recipe, gotta include it, or it’s just off.

(IMM): What's in the works for CoffeeHouseTour.com?
(Annette): CHT is continually expanding its database, and we are working on taking on more venues for booking responsibility. We are also working on developing sponsorship proposals to support the printing of the first resource book CoffeeHouseTour Offline, a combination resource manual that includes sample forms helpful to new musicians, the database, tour planning information, locations of hostels by town, and articles focused on touring and making the most of a musician’s budget.

(IMM): What indie musicians/bands make your top five list?
(Annette): Georgia Winfree and Kathryn Jones of Someone's Sister are perfect examples of a coffeehouse-style duo that has gone well beyond that atmosphere, having started at coffeehouses not that long ago. They make the top of my five because of their effort and cause as musicians to stop child abuse and provide resources for survivors.

Next, I'd have to say would be Shirley Logan, a contemporary artist who has the world at the tip of her fingers with voice and style.

Now this one hurts, Nathan Davis, because he was a crazy friend and fellow troubadour with the passion of passion itself who passed suddenly a couple years ago. He was one songwriter's songwriter. The world got cheated out of seeing him grow to certain fame.

Next, an all-around artist, actor, photographer, musician, songwriter, bran to the colon, sun to the wildflowers, yeast to the brew, the artistic world would be severely lacking without Stefan Hajek.

And local favorites around here, that should really be in Nashville, Memphis, out West somewhere, or somewhere famous are L Shape Lot, a new-bluegrass, acoustic-country-rock kinda energy, fun, lyrical kick butt duo consisting of fellow Wilmingtonians Alex Lanier and Eric Miller.

It's all great music and I'm just glad you didn't ask me to pick the top 15. I truly thought about this question in all the music I hear. If I plugged them, they deserved it.

(IMM): Here's the Indie Mosaic Music blog non-music related question: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what would you want to make sure you have in your possession?
(Annette): Other than the obvious being food and water, beer and a float, I would have to say pen and paper.