Onekaka, Golden Bay, New Zealand.
Information for artists hoping to perform at the Mussel Inn
SUITABLE STYLES:
Any music that that has a good time groove to it including folk, blues, jazz, Latin, pop, roots, classical, Celtic, reggae, R&B, Hip Hop, World, etc. Unsuitable styles would include metal, punk, hardcore electronica, disinterested pub covers bands and anything relying on preprogrammed backing machines. The venue is ideal for original acoustic music although room noise will usually require the use of a PA. Dramatic and poetry presentations are also suitable. Our audience is original music friendly and they like to dance if they get the chance. Check out this list of artists who have performed at the Mussel Inn as an indication of the range of suitable styles .
Occasionally we will have dance parties but due to neighbourly considerations, a 1am limit is set.
THE VENUE:
The Mussel Inn is a single room building 6 metres wide by 10 metres long with a small bar on one side wall, a large open fireplace at one end and French doors opening out on to a deck at the other end. No TV. No pool table. No gaming machines - but we do have a piano.
The construction is all wooden with an exposed rafter ceiling. This makes for very good acoustics although it can be a bit 'bright' when empty of people (like during sound checks)
The room is comfortable for a maximum sit down audience of 75 (with all tables removed) although this arrangement would only be considered under exceptional circumstances as we rely fairly heavily on our diners to subsidise our music nights. For this reason we generally prefer to leave the tables in, in which case a comfortable audience would be around 45.
For a casual gig, when furniture may be removed after dinner for dancing purposes - approx. 120.
By making use of the verandahs, deck and garden - well, sounds like you've got yourself one hell of a party!
For logistical reason, it is not usually suitable for performers to do a door charge. Guaranteed payment arrangements are made directly with the venue owners. An invoice will be required for all performances and unless an tax exemption certificate is produced, 20% withholding tax will have be deducted from the agreed fee.
Because of the casual atmosphere, no guarantee can be made that you will get a 'concert' audience. Likewise, there is no guaranteeing that you'll get everyone up on the tables dancing! (but folk around these parts do love to dance and you'd be amazed at what they can dance to). You can expect an audience of a very diverse age range and social mix.
Due to the limited audience pool to draw from in Golden Bay it would be unwise to attempt more than one gig at one time. This means that we will not concider providing a gig for artists who intend to arrange another advertised gig at another venue in the Bay within two weeks.
EQUIPMENT:
A house PA system is available comprising a 20 channel Yamaha EXM 5000 mixer amplifier (all the usual knobs plus built in effects) going out through 15inch Peavey SP2 speakers sitting on top of 18 inch Wharfedale subs. Monitor speakers are available if required. A house sound tech comes free of charge with the gear. Performers are welcome to use their own sound techs on the house equipment but must be mindful of volume levels and should check with management that levels are appropriate. Any damage to equipment will be the performers responsibility of course.
Microphones (SM58's and a couple of beta58's for vocals), stands and leads are also available for up to 6 performers. A selection of other mics (57's/56's and others) is available for instruments or percussion. Various DI's are also available. Prefer performers to supply their own instrument leads. Guitar and music stands available.
Guitar amp - Fender Stage 1600.
A small basic drum kit.
We also have a double bass and the house piano is usually fairly well tuned.
A stage is provided - up to 4.8m wide x 2.4m deep x 0.3m high - big enough for a 6 - 8 pc acoustic band comfortably depending on the flamboyance of the performers.
Lighting is provided by 6 x par 56 cans with gels and is controlled by the management through a dimmer pack. House lights are also dimmable and will be set appropriate to the performance.
ACCOMMODATION
The hosts can provide accommodation in their private residence which is located just behind the Mussel Inn. We have room for 3 doubles in separate rooms - two of which also have a single bed, and two singles in another room. All bedding provided. There are also mattresses on the floor in the loft if needed.
SOUND CHECK - Before 5.30pm to avoid diner disruptions. Line check only after 6pm.
START TIME - Usually 9pm in the summer; 8.30 in the winter.
DURATION - Usually a minimum of two 45 minute sets. 1am stop.
PACK OUT - Before lunch the next day. (breakfast is muffins and coffee at the Mussel Inn at 11am and artists are welcome to join us)
ADVERTISING - We deal with that and will do what we think is appropriate. We would appreciate 6 posters, left blank so we can attach our logo stickers, a short blurb including a concise description of the performance style and a demo cd if possible, at least two week prior to the gig. If posters are not available, at least some sort of an image would be nice so our art department can create a suitable poster.
BOOKING - by email only - haveabeer@musselinn.co.nz . Bookings are taken at least 6 months in advance - be early to be in!
We are now pretty well fully booked until Jan 2012
PLEASE NOTE: Golden Bay has a resident population of around 5000 - raising to around 25,000 at the peak of the tourist season. Over the peak of the season we will space gigs with at least one day between to allow for the systems to recover. During the 'off' season we limit gigs to one or two a week depending on a number of factors. Just because you see a 'gap' on our gig guide, doesn't necessarily mean that there is a gap there. The gig guide actually signifies that we are in fact fully booked over that time - so if you want a gig - look at some time beyond the gig guide.
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