We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Reynolds a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
The music business is tough. Though a top quality jazz band, a lot of our gigs pay about half of what musicians insisted on as a minimum 35 years ago. We have many wonderful fans, but not everyone understands how bands depend largely on tips. The public misconception is that musicians play because they love it, not because they’re trying to earn a living. It’s true that we love music, but people are also trying to earn a living. How wonderful it would be if there were federal support for music and arts groups as in other nations.
Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Colorado-based band Espresso! merges two musical traditions with red-hot interpretations of American swing and Gypsy jazz favorites. The traditions of the past come alive with powerful instrumental leads and vocals in French and English. Very danceable, this music is infectious. “You owe it to your ears.”
The ‘Best in the West’ Bill Pontarelli delights audiences on both tasty clarinet leads and vocals. Jordan Ramsey, National Mandolin Champion, is a super force on mandolin. Chanteuse Emily Reynolds shines on rhythm guitar and vocals. Rounding out the saucy sound is the exceptional Duane Webster, holding down the bottom end on stand-up bass and vocals. We have played this music many years and love keeping the tradition alive!
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
We try to keep in touch with people via social media. Espresso! has FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube accounts where people can listen to the music, watch videos of the players, and exchange info. Recently we’ve also started working with a Member’s Area of our website to promote more interaction.
Our loyal fans are true to us because they love the lively music we play. We have stickers and occasional give aways to promote brand loyalty, but our biggest source of clients is from those who have heard us live at our weekly gig in Boulder at Spruce Confections or other venues as well as the online listeners. We value our fans tremendously as they inspire us to do better, achieve more, excel in all respects.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Truly, the most rewarding part of our musical journey continues to be our fan base. We are always grateful for attentive listeners who don’t try to talk over the music. These are the people who realize and value the fact that it takes decades to become a superior player. Another area of particular joy is when we can play for dancers. The swing dance movement is very active these days, and it’s ever so much fun to see people moving to your music.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.espressoswing.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EspressoCaffeinatedSwing
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Espress53401904
- Youtube: https://www.facebook.com/EspressoCaffeinatedSwing
Image Credits
Mandy Espinoza