Well, I was thrilled to find they would be playing Venice that night we arrived. And I found out in a fairly unusual manner. Among the hordes of street merchants, a man dressed in Victorian garb approached us and spoke in Italian, then English to tell us about this band. He was selling tickets...in the streets. Sure you find Hawkers doing this all the time, here, but it struck me as interesting... Even more so when we came across the second and third groups of Hawkers. It was a coordinated effort.

You see, what this lesson is about is getting people to your shows. It takes work, but think about it for a minute. What if they next time you had a gig, you went down there a week in advance, handed out flyers, sold tickets, gave out discount coupons that many clubs are so fond of? What if you had a mailing list with you telling them you could send them more info? Could you bring in twenty, thirty, fifty extra people to see you play, even though they've never heard of you before? Maybe. What if you add a theme to it? Dress to impress your selected audience. Or a theme that would inspire people of all ages. Think you could bring out a helluva lot of load of people out to see you. Do you think the club owner would consider booking you again? On a better night? Opening for one of the top local acts or maybe even a national act?

I'll tell you what. If you show that you're willing to put in that much effort, then hell yes! They'll book you. If you can pack a place, particularly on a bad night, then you are an asset to the club that they don't want to lose. They'll book you and treat you right. Plus, you will entertain countless people and gain some new fans, sell some CDs, and get people talking about you.