Sunday, April 19, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Website annoucement
Jill Wyce is working on our website (see link below). We have a myspace page running which will feature music from our promotional cd. We will also soon be on face book. I've set up a twitter, but it kind of creeps me out. So I think I'll maintain this blog for those interested in following our event. Thanks for everyone's support!!!
Paul
www.bluegrassbandshelpinghands.com
www.myspace.com/bluegrassbandshelpinghand
Paul
www.bluegrassbandshelpinghands.com
www.myspace.com/bluegrassbandshelpinghand
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Steel String Session to appear in Dalton
Hi All,
Just an update on our benefit concert. We have a great band from Tennessee that has volunteered to perform at our benefit. Steel String Session - check out their website, www.steelstringsession.com Im really looking forward to the concert. We are going to have a great evening of acoustic music.
Im still talking with a few other bands about the event. Its too early for any more annoucements.
The CD project is going well. Tom Brown has received pledged tracks from over 15 bands. We have a bands from California, Tennessee, North Carolina and Pennsylvania also involved with this effort. The CD will be great- It should be ready in July. (just in-time to promote our benefit concert)
Im looking for sponsors and underwriters for the concert. Please let me know if you would be interested in joining us as a "helping hands" sponsor.
Kind Regards
Paul
Just an update on our benefit concert. We have a great band from Tennessee that has volunteered to perform at our benefit. Steel String Session - check out their website, www.steelstringsession.com Im really looking forward to the concert. We are going to have a great evening of acoustic music.
Im still talking with a few other bands about the event. Its too early for any more annoucements.
The CD project is going well. Tom Brown has received pledged tracks from over 15 bands. We have a bands from California, Tennessee, North Carolina and Pennsylvania also involved with this effort. The CD will be great- It should be ready in July. (just in-time to promote our benefit concert)
Im looking for sponsors and underwriters for the concert. Please let me know if you would be interested in joining us as a "helping hands" sponsor.
Kind Regards
Paul
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Benefit Concert Announcement
Mountain Heart has agreed to come to Dalton Ga and perform for our benefit concert for DOC-UP.
Public announcements will soon follow. The event is call "bluegrass bands & helping hands". The concert will be on Saturday Sept 26, 2009.
Several bluegrass musicians and artists have also volunteered to donate a track to our compilation music cd.
Please watch this blog for further information and links to our website (to be developed) and myspace pages.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Setting the date
This week has had its ups and downs. Everyone I speak with says that this is a good idea. I guess the devil is always in the details. I've received some great advice from people I admire and who are involved in music and the promotion of music. I think the key is to continue to pray and seek guidance.
Cherryholmes and Mountain Heart have given me dates for which they are available in Sept/Oct. Both bands have expressed a desire to help this cause and I have an understanding for the expenses they incur when traveling and performing. At this point, I need a venue. I have asked Rockbridge Church if they would be interested in supporting this event by allowing the event to be held in their facility (Wink Theater). The problem is that it really needs to be on a Saturday night in Dalton and this conflicts with set-up for their Sunday service. I respect this point.
I have since gone back to the trade center and they are working up a bid proposal. I should have it on Monday for review. I also will need to go back to each band to see if they are available on a saturday night in Oct.
I expect that I will have everything next week to make a formal proposal to the DOC-UP board of directors. If they accept it then I will be in a position to make a formal offer to the bands.
Thinking ahead - We will need help with promotion, printing, sponsorship, ticket selling, event coordination, hospitality.
This will be a community event and I will need the full support and resources of the people in Dalton and Whitfield County.
Stay tuned and God Bless
paul
Cherryholmes and Mountain Heart have given me dates for which they are available in Sept/Oct. Both bands have expressed a desire to help this cause and I have an understanding for the expenses they incur when traveling and performing. At this point, I need a venue. I have asked Rockbridge Church if they would be interested in supporting this event by allowing the event to be held in their facility (Wink Theater). The problem is that it really needs to be on a Saturday night in Dalton and this conflicts with set-up for their Sunday service. I respect this point.
I have since gone back to the trade center and they are working up a bid proposal. I should have it on Monday for review. I also will need to go back to each band to see if they are available on a saturday night in Oct.
I expect that I will have everything next week to make a formal proposal to the DOC-UP board of directors. If they accept it then I will be in a position to make a formal offer to the bands.
Thinking ahead - We will need help with promotion, printing, sponsorship, ticket selling, event coordination, hospitality.
This will be a community event and I will need the full support and resources of the people in Dalton and Whitfield County.
Stay tuned and God Bless
paul
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Update -Searching for a band
Dear Friends
I have several inquiries with some really great performers for our benefit concert in Dalton. Im hoping that we can find the right performer and reach an agreement on a date and a price. One of the bands Im talking with is Cherryholmes. Let me know what you think.
Im still looking for sponsorships so that we can confirm arrangements for the band and the venue.
Your prayers are welcome.
Regards
Paul
I have several inquiries with some really great performers for our benefit concert in Dalton. Im hoping that we can find the right performer and reach an agreement on a date and a price. One of the bands Im talking with is Cherryholmes. Let me know what you think.
Im still looking for sponsorships so that we can confirm arrangements for the band and the venue.
Your prayers are welcome.
Regards
Paul
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Help Wanted
I've been networking for the past week and I have lots of enthusiastic supporters for getting an A-list bluegrass performer to come to Dalton for a benefit to assist families out of work. They have all volunteered to help work, but what I need is an A-list bluegrass performer. I need help making a connection. If you know someone that knows someone, please let me know.
Dalton is 30 mins South of Chattanooga Tennessee and 90 mins North of Atlanta on Interstate 75.
The Carpet Capital of the world is nearly the Job Loss Capital.
Regards
paul
paulbyrum@paulbyrum.com
Dalton is 30 mins South of Chattanooga Tennessee and 90 mins North of Atlanta on Interstate 75.
The Carpet Capital of the world is nearly the Job Loss Capital.
Regards
paul
paulbyrum@paulbyrum.com
Dalton’s jobless jump 2nd in nation
As I was listing to NPR on the radio on my way home from work yesterday, I heard Dalton mentioned on the radio. This is not how we want to be known. Below is an article from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dalton’s jobless jump 2nd in nation
Rate almost doubles in year
By Michael E. Kanell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, February 05, 2009
To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, the economic tide is ebbing all across the country, but some boats seem to be sinking a bit faster than the rest.
Of 369 metro areas, Dalton unemployment has climbed faster than any other metropolitan area in the country except for one: Only Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., where the jobless rate jumped by 10.6 points, was hit harder, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Georgia Department of Labor last week released the jobless rates for Atlanta and other metro areas in the state. On Wednesday, it became clear where they ranked nationally.
Twelve months into recession, unemployment rates had risen in 363 of the largest 369 metro areas —- 98 percent of them, according to the BLS.
For sheer size, the largest job loss during the year came in the New York metro area, which hemorrhaged 120,300 positions. Detroit was second-worst, losing 89,700 jobs.
Metro Atlanta placed fifth-worst, shrinking by 82,000 jobs.
But Atlanta’s work force is 2.8 million strong. So the damage was proportionally less than for many smaller communities.
For Elkhart-Goshen, the picture is especially grim: an unemployment rate of 15.3 percent in December thanks to layoffs at a number of recreational vehicle makers.
Dalton looked better, if only by comparison: The official jobless rate has nearly doubled in the past year, soaring 6.2 points to 11.2 percent.
The damage in Dalton has been mostly because of layoffs in textiles, a sector buffeted from two different directions.
The collapse of new residential construction has meant plunging demand for the furnishings and floor-coverings that go into new houses. Meanwhile, many of the world’s economies are in recession, which means a worldwide chill in demand for exports like those from Georgia manufacturers.
The pool of unemployed workers in Dalton has swelled from 3,404 to 7,736, according to the state Labor Department.
Economists note that the official jobless rate does not include people who have stopped looking for work, people who have taken unpaid work, like caring for their children, and people who are working part-time only because they cannot find full-time work.
Even so, Dalton’s jobless rate is a clear indicator. Moreover, Dalton was the first Georgia community to breach double-digits in unemployment.
Overall, Georgia’s official jobless rate in December was 8.1 percent. Atlanta’s unemployment rate also rose, but not quite as fast, hitting 7.6 percent.
National jobless numbers for January are to be released Friday. After a series of large layoff announcements in recent weeks, most economists expect dismal news. Expectations are that the report will show hundreds of thousands of jobs lost during the month and a rise in the national jobless rate, which was 7.2 percent during December.
Dalton’s jobless jump 2nd in nation
Rate almost doubles in year
By Michael E. Kanell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, February 05, 2009
To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, the economic tide is ebbing all across the country, but some boats seem to be sinking a bit faster than the rest.
Of 369 metro areas, Dalton unemployment has climbed faster than any other metropolitan area in the country except for one: Only Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., where the jobless rate jumped by 10.6 points, was hit harder, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Georgia Department of Labor last week released the jobless rates for Atlanta and other metro areas in the state. On Wednesday, it became clear where they ranked nationally.
Twelve months into recession, unemployment rates had risen in 363 of the largest 369 metro areas —- 98 percent of them, according to the BLS.
For sheer size, the largest job loss during the year came in the New York metro area, which hemorrhaged 120,300 positions. Detroit was second-worst, losing 89,700 jobs.
Metro Atlanta placed fifth-worst, shrinking by 82,000 jobs.
But Atlanta’s work force is 2.8 million strong. So the damage was proportionally less than for many smaller communities.
For Elkhart-Goshen, the picture is especially grim: an unemployment rate of 15.3 percent in December thanks to layoffs at a number of recreational vehicle makers.
Dalton looked better, if only by comparison: The official jobless rate has nearly doubled in the past year, soaring 6.2 points to 11.2 percent.
The damage in Dalton has been mostly because of layoffs in textiles, a sector buffeted from two different directions.
The collapse of new residential construction has meant plunging demand for the furnishings and floor-coverings that go into new houses. Meanwhile, many of the world’s economies are in recession, which means a worldwide chill in demand for exports like those from Georgia manufacturers.
The pool of unemployed workers in Dalton has swelled from 3,404 to 7,736, according to the state Labor Department.
Economists note that the official jobless rate does not include people who have stopped looking for work, people who have taken unpaid work, like caring for their children, and people who are working part-time only because they cannot find full-time work.
Even so, Dalton’s jobless rate is a clear indicator. Moreover, Dalton was the first Georgia community to breach double-digits in unemployment.
Overall, Georgia’s official jobless rate in December was 8.1 percent. Atlanta’s unemployment rate also rose, but not quite as fast, hitting 7.6 percent.
National jobless numbers for January are to be released Friday. After a series of large layoff announcements in recent weeks, most economists expect dismal news. Expectations are that the report will show hundreds of thousands of jobs lost during the month and a rise in the national jobless rate, which was 7.2 percent during December.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Finding Support
Dear Friends
I've received many emails supporting my idea to bring a bluegrass charity event to Dalton to benefit DOCUP. This organization helps families with emergency assistance such as helping to keep their electricity turned-on. With the rise in lay-offs and and job terminations many people that have helped others in the past are finding that they now need help themselves.
Today, I had a nice conversersation with an event coordinator at the trade center. She shared some information with me regarding the recent Casting Crown benefit concert that was held at the trade center. The event was very successful with over 4400 people in attendance.
Several individuals around town have been very helpful in guiding me in the development of this idea.
All my bluegrass buddies are fired up about the idea and it will be no problem putting together a great group of North Ga musicians for a compilation CD that can be used to promote the event and generate additional revenues.
I still need connections for a great performer that will make this event a success and will draw an audience from the surrounding areas.
Im willing to listen to any advise and would be interested in partnering to make this a success.
Regards
Paul
paulbyrum@paulbyrum.com
I've received many emails supporting my idea to bring a bluegrass charity event to Dalton to benefit DOCUP. This organization helps families with emergency assistance such as helping to keep their electricity turned-on. With the rise in lay-offs and and job terminations many people that have helped others in the past are finding that they now need help themselves.
Today, I had a nice conversersation with an event coordinator at the trade center. She shared some information with me regarding the recent Casting Crown benefit concert that was held at the trade center. The event was very successful with over 4400 people in attendance.
Several individuals around town have been very helpful in guiding me in the development of this idea.
All my bluegrass buddies are fired up about the idea and it will be no problem putting together a great group of North Ga musicians for a compilation CD that can be used to promote the event and generate additional revenues.
I still need connections for a great performer that will make this event a success and will draw an audience from the surrounding areas.
Im willing to listen to any advise and would be interested in partnering to make this a success.
Regards
Paul
paulbyrum@paulbyrum.com
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Let's reach out and help others
Ok - so if you read my previous entry you know that job loss is a big problem in North Ga.
There is an organization call Docup that is funded by the down-town churches. The purpose is to pool the resources and provide emergency relief to individuals and familys in need.
I would like to have a fund raiser for this organization. As you may know, Im the music committee chair at FUMC and we could have an event there, but I would like for Dalton to have a first class bluegrass event with the proceeds going to Docup. I think a goal of $10,000 is not unreasonable, we just need the right performer(s) and venue.
Here is where I need help. I'd like to get someone like Ricky Skaggs or Rhonda Vincent to come to Daltong and perform at the trade center or the Wink. I think it would need to be a big name inorder to draw a large enough crowd.
I would also like to reach out to some local musicans and form a group (Bluegrass Musicians AGainst Job Loss) and either perform as the warm up band or put together a CD that would be sold locally as to raise funds.
If you are interested in this idea or have suggestions, please feel free to post on this blog.
I have a few names of people to contact locally that maybe able to give me direction. We need sponsorship, either corporate or civic. and just plain old friends.
Those of you that know me and the CD that I released last year, know that Im pretty strong on the faith promise idea. Well, somethings been eating at me on this idea, so Im ready to follow it where ever it may lead.
paul
There is an organization call Docup that is funded by the down-town churches. The purpose is to pool the resources and provide emergency relief to individuals and familys in need.
I would like to have a fund raiser for this organization. As you may know, Im the music committee chair at FUMC and we could have an event there, but I would like for Dalton to have a first class bluegrass event with the proceeds going to Docup. I think a goal of $10,000 is not unreasonable, we just need the right performer(s) and venue.
Here is where I need help. I'd like to get someone like Ricky Skaggs or Rhonda Vincent to come to Daltong and perform at the trade center or the Wink. I think it would need to be a big name inorder to draw a large enough crowd.
I would also like to reach out to some local musicans and form a group (Bluegrass Musicians AGainst Job Loss) and either perform as the warm up band or put together a CD that would be sold locally as to raise funds.
If you are interested in this idea or have suggestions, please feel free to post on this blog.
I have a few names of people to contact locally that maybe able to give me direction. We need sponsorship, either corporate or civic. and just plain old friends.
Those of you that know me and the CD that I released last year, know that Im pretty strong on the faith promise idea. Well, somethings been eating at me on this idea, so Im ready to follow it where ever it may lead.
paul
The alarm is sounding
Dear Friends
Did you know "Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond calls the current economic downturn the Great Recession. He says the situation is worse thanmany people know as many companies are opting to shift full time workers topart-time leaving many making much less than they are accustomed to.Georgia's unemployment rate continues to rise and is currently higher thanthe national average. In northern Georgia cities like Dalton, unemploymentclaims have increased 350 percent since last year. Thurmond says people whofind themselves underemployed are having trouble making ends meet. Many areworking two part time jobs just to make ends meet. He says he expects theunemployment rate to continue to rise in the coming months. "
Did you know Metro Dalton lost the third most jobs of any area in Georgia(4100 jobs) as the state unemploymet rate climbed to 8.1 percent?The labor department will soon release the December 2008 unemployment rateswhich are anticipated to be higher than the 10.4 percent jobless rate inNovember 2008.So what do we do about it?..............as individuals very little, but together I think we can make a difference and help our community.
Did you know "Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond calls the current economic downturn the Great Recession. He says the situation is worse thanmany people know as many companies are opting to shift full time workers topart-time leaving many making much less than they are accustomed to.Georgia's unemployment rate continues to rise and is currently higher thanthe national average. In northern Georgia cities like Dalton, unemploymentclaims have increased 350 percent since last year. Thurmond says people whofind themselves underemployed are having trouble making ends meet. Many areworking two part time jobs just to make ends meet. He says he expects theunemployment rate to continue to rise in the coming months. "
Did you know Metro Dalton lost the third most jobs of any area in Georgia(4100 jobs) as the state unemploymet rate climbed to 8.1 percent?The labor department will soon release the December 2008 unemployment rateswhich are anticipated to be higher than the 10.4 percent jobless rate inNovember 2008.So what do we do about it?..............as individuals very little, but together I think we can make a difference and help our community.
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