We're in the midst of a cold spell here in Texas, which must be preparing me for my little jaunt to Schaumburg, IL (greater Chicagoland ) and the Illinois Polkafest! I'll be playing bass with Klancnik and Friends on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, I'll also be doing 2 sets on button box with the KNF band accompanying. I'm really looking forward to hanging with some ol' friends and enjoying the scene of straight-up Cleveland Slovenian-style Polkas!
Back on the homefront here in New Braunfels, I'm also stoked to be collaborating with my buddy, Boomer, the executive chef at Krause's for an all-new menu of GerTexican culinary delights for a Cooking Demonstration on Tuesday, February 28. He's the master chef, and I'll be providing musical and maybe some comedic interludes. The last time we did this in June, it sold out quickly- as tickets are limited-- so make sure you reserve your spot for the dinner and demonstration now!
Finally, I've been putting a lot of time into thinking about how I can best present the work I'm doing in the studio- creating music with a goal of helping people choose happiness and bringing some extra joy to life. Many of you are aware that the music business, as many other businesses, have experienced a lot of change in recent years. I have been touring throughout the USA (with a few trips to Canada and Europe) for over 30 years. I love traveling, performing, and meeting so many people out there and hope to continue doing touring as long as I can, but it's also not my goal to travel 50,000 miles every year, as I also feel it's necessary to pursue composing and arranging new music and exploring in the studio (in addition to spending more time with Paula and the kiddos).
I entered the Patreon platform during the Covid pandemic and it was a good vehicle for me to connect with fans that wanted to support my music as well as cultivating a community of my music students. I am hoping to build upon that site. Current and new patrons will have first access and in some cases, only access to some of the music that I am recording. Currently, there are over 30 songs of my work that are exclusively available to my Patreon followers to download. Additional perks are available at different levels, including our monthly zoomer meetups where I perform solo (and sometimes have guest performers) and discuss music and whatever our crew requests. I would greatly appreciate it if you check out www.patreon.com/alexmeixner and consider supporting my music there and/ or give me some suggestions on what you'd like to see on the site.
Best wishes- stay warm everyone!
alex