Another Season at Mt.Abram
January 13th, 2011I'm back at Mt.Abram again this year. It's just a few gigs, but I'm doing something different than I have done in the past. I've invited my brother "Frank McDaniel" to join me. We'll be taking turns on stage to perform each of our own solo acts and then closing out the event as a duo.
Check out the website for upcoming show dates. Happy 2011!!! I hope to see you soon! :)
Where is Billy McDaniel?
September 16th, 2010The funniest thing happened today while checking my email. Someone named "Billy McDaniel" wrote to me to tell me he was born in Las Vegas. He said he'd like to come to one of my shows, which reminded me that I still hadn't updated my website since relocating to Las Vegas back in May. I guess I should update my website more often, lol... (Thanks for writing Billy McDaniel!)
For those of you who actually read this stuff, and don't already know... I came back to Maine because I had difficulty finding work in Vegas. I took the summer off but just started booking gigs again. For now, I've lined up a weekly gig at Applebee's on Brighten Ave in Portland (EXIT 48). I will be performing 8 to close every Wednesday for the next couple of months.
I'm hoping to book more gigs at the various Ski Lodges this year. I had a great time rocking out at Mt.Abram last season, and intend to pursue more gigs like that this winter.
My set list has changed a bit, although I haven't taken the time to update the website. (I guess I should get on the ball) I'm covering more music from the 1950's now. Still doing a lot of 60's, 70's and 80's but nothing any more recent than that.
A couple of new cover songs to look for; "Jenny Jenny", "Moondance", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Oh Darlin'" and more to come.. Please feel free to write me and request songs that you'd like to hear me perform.
Rock On! :) from the Other Billy McDaniel
Las Vegas Relocation
May 15th, 2010Well, I finally did it. I packed up everything I own, and moved far away from Maine to Las Vegas, Nevada. My goal is to take my career farther than would have ever been possible in Maine.
If you are from Maine and ever spend any time in Las Vegas, please be sure to contact me. I'd love to get together in Vegas and show you some of the places that I like to hang out. It'd be cool to catch up with friends from Maine, so be sure to let me know if you do visit :)
In the meantime, I'm going to be booking gigs, and focusing on my photography career. I have only been here a few days, but already feel at home. I seem to fit in well, and have already made some new friends.
The music scene in Vegas is much different than Maine. I'm going to miss the HUGE supporters of Local Original music that exists in Maine. (There doesn't seem to be an original music scene at all here in Las Vegas) But as most of my friends know, I'm as much of a cover performer as an original artist, and it really makes no difference to me so long as people are having fun, dancing or singing along. (which is easy to do here in Sin City!)
2010 USA Tour
February 12th, 2010I have always wanted to tour, but rarely have the opportunity due to being a solo performer. This year, I have set a goal to book a United States tour on my own. My goal is to travel from the East coast, all the way to the West coast and back again, performing in major cities all along the way. Here are a few of the stops I have picked out along the way...
Buffalo, NY
Chicago, IL
Kansas City, MO
Denver CO,
Salt Lake City, UT
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Flagstaff, AZ
Roswell, NM
Oklahoma City, OK
Memphis, TN
Nashville, TN
Virginia Beach, VA
Philadelphia, PA
Boston, MA
I'm currently trying to organize this trip for the month of September in 2010. In the meantime, I am working on my performance, improving my health and preparing for the long tiresome journey that is to come.
Billy's First Newsletter
January 18th, 2010In the past couple of years, I have tried several different things in the local music scene. I put together an original band which I called "Trazom Effect". I wrote twelve original songs and recorded a rough demo which a lot of friends and fans were able to listen to through myspace.
I also tried constructing a rockabilly cover band. It seems that no matter what kind of band I try to put together, I can never get out of practice mode and onto the stage.
I have gone back and forth with the acoustic gigs, taking breaks from time to time, but always coming back to it. I have never really given the acoustic solo thing an honest effort because my heart was always into forming a full band. My New Year's Resolution for 2010 was to finally start to take this acoustic act more seriously.
I started by re-constructing the website. It was long overdue. Now that the new site is up and running, I need to record some new sample material. I'll be adding recorded audio tracks to my jukebox in the coming months. For now, I have put up some of my older recordings.
I also hope to start capturing some of my live performances on video to embed into the website. These videos will be compiled onto a DVD that will be used to book gigs. I "may" offer these DVDs for sale too. (We'll see)
Another hope for 2010 is to record some new original material. I still haven't decided whether I will record new original songs as a full band, or just me and my acoustic guitar. A lot of the songs I've been performing include the use of my Loop pedal too, which is something I hope to demonstrate more on the website in the coming months.
Last but not least, I have decided to change my song selection around a bit. I've removed most of the hard rock songs that are not suitable for all audiences. Those adult oriented songs are always there if I need them, but I've had to replace about twenty songs, which means new material was added. I'm always fine-tuning my set list, but I'm focusing more on mainstream rock songs that appeal to a wider audience. Therefore, I won't be using the "Hard Rock Acoustic" sub-title anymore.
