Wendell Visual Arts Exhibit - January '10

The annual Wendell Visual Arts Exhibit titled "Animals In Art - for the SPCA" will be January 22, 23, and 24.
This Exhibit is designed to raise awareness for the SPCA of Wake County.  Exhibit will showcase original fine art piecess local artists that depict companion animals.  I will be entering 2 pieces in the show.  In addition, I have been asked to provide music for the Artistss' Reception.  Should be a great weekend.

Notes Cafe

I will be playing at Notes Cafe in Washington, NC on December 19th from 8:00pm - 12:00am.  It will be a nite of acoustic blues with 2 friends from Washington, Eddie Wilcox and Randy Wood.

Cafe Capistrano - Cary, N.C.

I will be at Cafe Capistrano this and every Tuesday providing music for your dining pleasure.  Stop in for some delicious California Style Mexican,  great wine and beer selection, and relaxing music.

Notes Cafe - Washington, N.C.

I will be playing this Saturday, 11/14/09, in Washington, N.C. at the  Notes Cafe .  This will be the first time in Washington playing primarily blues and jazz instead of classic rock.  If you're in the area join me.  Music starts at 8:00pm and continues until 12:00am.

New Artwork - Pencil Portrait of 'Bud'

Recently completed Equine Portrait

Georgina's Pizzaria - Morrisville, NC

I will be playing tonight, 10/17, at Georgina's Pizzaria in Morrisville, NC.  Come out and let me play for you while you're eating some great pizza.  Check out the calendar above for details.

New Page - J L Collins Art

I recently created a page for my art studio, J L Collins Art.  You can see some of my artwork there.  Comments are welcome.  I will be posting art shows, fairs, and other events that I will be showing in on this page as well as any new works as they are created.  There is a Fan Page box to the left of the blog for those who wish to become a fan.

Thanks, Jimmy

New Raleigh Area TBS Blues Jam Starts Oct. 15!

TBS has announced a new TBS Blues Jam for the Raleigh area. Starting October 15, 2009, TBS will be hosting a jam at BoneDaddy's Hideaway on the third Thursday of the month. BoneDaddy's Hideaway is the newest music club in Raleigh, NC and is located at 605 Creekside Drive Raleigh, NC 27609. For more information click here.

Cancelled Blues Jam

The Tuesday blues jam at The Big Easy is Raleigh has been officially cancelled due to lack of support. There is a possiblity that a new jam will be started at The Busy Bee right across the street. I was able to participate in the last 2 sessions at The Big Easy and made some new friends and contacts. If the Busy Bee jam starts up I'll be taking part in that on also. I'll post an update if and when the new jam starts.

Blues Jam Downtown

After I got off work last Tuesday I drove into Raleigh to check out some restaurants downtown. I found out The Big Easy has a blues/jazz jam every Tuesday from 10:00pm - 1:00am. Since I'm already out and about on Tuesday nights I will most likely be attending those jams and participating. Hope to make some new friends and maybe run into some old ones while I'm there. Would be nice to hook up with an upright bass player to work on some projects with. If you find yourself sitting around with nothing to do on a Tuesday, get downtown and check it out.

Music News and Art Not So News

I've been so busy with teaching guitar and working on new material to play at engagements that I failed to take the time to work on an art project for the fair this year. Maybe I'll be better organized next year. On a better note though, I should be playing new venues soon on solo guitar. I'll be adding any new dates to the calendar so keep watching. I have some upscale restaurants in the Raleigh area, Durham, and Chapel Hill that I will be contacting next week. I also plan to get back out to Washington, N.C. soon to work on a project with a couple of friends. Guitar, Acoustic Bass, and Mandolin. We hope to get into some restaurants on the coast. Should be fun.

Calendar Addition

As you can see I have added My Google Calendar for Upcoming Engagements. I discovered that if I update my google calendar with new play dates, by embedding the calendar on my blog, facebook page, and web site, they all reflect the added dates and I only had to make the updates in one place. Saves me a lot of time and work by eliminating a repetitive task. Stay tuned for future updates.

Cafe Capistrano - update

The first night at Cafe Capistrano went very well. The owner is happy with my music and a really great person to deal with. The audience was very appreciative and tip eagerly. Looks like this will turn out to be a very good ongoing gig. I didn't eat tonight so I can't say anything about the food yet but I plan to try it next week. I look forward to seeing all of my friends coming to this restaurant soon.

Jimmy

Update on gigs

It's Sunday morning and I can't get back to sleep. I got home last night around 3:00 am from playing at the Nite Cap in Washington, N.C. , went straight to bed and awoke at 7:30 this morning. Since I'm already up I might as well update the blog. The gig last night went well. Eddie Wilcox was the drummer. He played bass last time. Rob Biledeau was on bass this time. The guy knows more songs than I knew existed and he's an excellent vocalist and bassist. Barry Pilot was on keyboard (Another great instrumentalist with a vast knowledge of tunes). Horace and myself (forgive me Horace for not remembering your last name I'm still half asleep) were both on guitar. Horace is an excellent guitarist and the kind of musician that makes you want to play better.
Anyway, that's the scoop on last night.

Now for the news. Beginning next Tuesday, March 17, and every Tuesday thereafter I will be providing music for your dining pleasure at Cafe Capistrano in Cary, N.C. You can get more details on http://www.myspace.com/jcollinsguitar. I'm looking forward to this ongoing gig. Cafe Capistrano is an upscale California Style Mexican Restaurant. Check them out on the web, http://www.cafecapistrano.com/. I've been told the food is excellent. I'll find out next Tuesday.

I'm starting to get sleepy again. Think I'll lay the head down for awhile. More later.

Jimmy

March 12, 2009

I really enjoyed the classic rock gig in Little Washington. I'm going back up there this weekend for another at the same club, The Nitecap. It's fun playing those old tunes and getting together with old friends, but classic rock is not really what I'm into these days. I guess it's true that you slow down a lot as you get older. I prefer jazz, blues, or easy listening restaurant gigs in my later years.

My daughters and I might be playing in Hartsville, S.C. in May. That's my hometown and when I was there last month I spoke with the manager at the Midnight Rooster coffee house about setting up a gig there. Haven't gotten back with him yet but as soon as I get it together I'll let everyone know.

Not much to talk about in the art world. I'm still trying to get my studio off the ground. I haven't been able to spend as much time creating artwork as I would like. If you want to view some samples visit myspace.com/jlcollinsart or mosaicglobe.com/jlcollinsart.

More later.

Beginning

I've created this blog so clients, friends, family, and anyone who cares can keep up with what's happening with my art work and music. From time to time I will post new artshow info, new works, and performance dates as they occur. Not much to talk about right now concerning art, but I will be playing a wedding reception in Washington, N.C. this weekend with some old friends who are killer musicians. We'll be playing blues and classic rock (it was new rock when I first played it). I'm really looking forward to this gig. I don't play much electric guitar now, mostly acoustic blues, so getting my hands on a Les Paul again will be a lot of fun. Talk some more later.