ROCK-tober on it's way!

Friends and fans.. we’ve got a great month on the way!

BlairOutLoud SOLO, DUO, TRIO, BAND, and Jeremy Would Let Me Drown events all over the map! We are very much looking forward to the cooler weather, lower humidity, and fall festival events that this time of the year brings.

Below are some highlighted gigs that we are looking forward to (with DUO and up line-ups) check the bottom of the HOME page for the full schedule including various SOLO acoustic gigs happening every week!

(click the flyer to go to the event page for more info)

I would like to take a moment to thank all of you that have come to the shows, shared the events, and showed your support all year long. BlairOutLoud, this website and social media platforms, being foremost about promoting my personal events, is starting to expand to promote mine and Amanda’s events, even in other bands (that will be the next blog entry).

If you didn’t see the recent news, Amanda Blair has now joined Nü Wave ATL and will be performing various dates with them to finish out 2024, and several loading up for 2025! This past year, I have been very involved in Jeremy Would Let Me Drown and will be pushing harder than ever with that group moving into 2025 as well.

In order to accommodate new journeys with these bands and other original projects that we want to pursue.. we will be ramping down the TRIO and BAND events moving into next year, like.. down to zero. We will most likely reserve these line-ups for private events only, and you will see a harder push to promote SOLO and DUO gigs, as well as something new that’s brewing. Let’s just say.. for fans of heavy music.. our goal is to bring a metal band line-up into the BlairOutLoud Family. More on that soon!

Again.. thank you for all the support.. and let’s have a kicking ROCK-tober!

-Tom

BOL Update Week of 2024-05-13 - Shows and Announcements!

Hello all!

The BlairOutLoud BAND has an exciting show lined up for next week in Cumming at the City Center Complex at The Well! May 25th, come see us throw and seriously fun rock and roll party!

THIS FRIDAY.. Jeremy Would Let Me Drown is unplugging and bringing you an intimate acoustic set! We will be down a member due to family emergency, and we’ve decided instead of cancel the show, we could still have some fun and bring you some great music acoustically. We hope you will come and enjoy your evening!

All of this and a little more in the video here:

BOL Update - Shows and a little more detail!

Hello ALL!

Recently I was testing out some streaming hardware and software and went LIVE on Facebook. https://fb.watch/qVD1rdScDq/

I appreciate everyone that came on and gave me some feedback and supported the stream. This year I am making an effort to shoot more video, and in the process, trying to learn a lot about the A/V gear that I own, and how to make stuff with it.

Today I decided to make something a tad more concise.. (I still played some of my favorite guitar riffs) and announce some great shows coming up. Here they are in list form with some more detail, and at the bottom here’s the new video that made today with these announcements. Enjoy!

Shows THIS WEEKEND with Jeremy Would Let Me Drown:

Friday, March 22nd - Wing & Tap House - Marietta, GA - 8pm

Saturday, March 23rd - Wing & Rock Fest - Etowah River Park - Canton, GA - 2:30pm

More info about Wing & Rock Fest:

For those of you that might have missed the announcement from 2023, I am now the co-lead vocalist and guitar player for Jeremy Would Let Me Drown. We perform the music of Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden. If you like 90s rock, you need to come check us out…and this weekend could be a solid chance!

Now.. the BlairOutLoud BAND will be performing at several great events through April and into May here:

Our Private Events are so much fun!

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Such a blast this last weekend! The BlairOutLoud BAND performed at a house party in Villa Rica, GA. We were celebrating birthdays for the hosts. Every year (this is our second year to perform here) they have a theme.. last year was 80s rockstars. This year was a 60s thing, Austin Powers groovy vibe.

We picked through our song lists and found some great 60s rock that we could pull off like Magic Carpet Ride, Come Together, some Hendrix stuff, and a few CCR tunes. I looked up late into the first set and noticed that the camera wasn’t on.. so I corrected that and ended up capturing a couple of tunes at the end of the first set, and a few more in the second. When I reviewed the footage, (I really only wanted 2 or 3 quick minutes for a video) what made the cut were a few 80s jams.. HA!

Anyway.. enjoy the Reel below. Let us know what you think!

If you have a party coming up, and you would like to hire some fun music entertainment:

ALSO..we are on GIGSALAD here:

https://www.gigsalad.com/blairoutloud_marietta

Quick favor:

Subscribe to the BlairOutLoud YouTube channel when you get a chance: https://www.youtube.com/@BlairOutLoud

Have a good week everyone!

-Tom

FINALLY FALL - What's on tap?

Finally Fall right?! 🍂

UPDATE 10/5/23: Today I added more flyers, ticket info, and links to the FB Events to this blog post originally from 10/2/23.

It was quite an exciting summer of events, but all my t-shirts smell awful and I’m so sick of sweating.. HA.. (too much info?)

SO.. We have a solid line-up of band events coming this fall that I’d like to draw your attention to below. BTW.. there are some great private events on the books as well, and if you’d like to get in on the fun, CONTACT me here and let’s set up a killer fall private event! Solo, Duo, full Band.. whatever best suites the vibe of your event! Let’s schedule something!

Quick note: Most of you know that I, Tom Blair have been invited to join a grunge tribute band called Jeremy Would Let Me Drown, or JWLMD, or just “Jeremy” for short. I am the co-vocalist and guitar player for the band. We’ve had some fantastic shows already, and I also have several of those coming this fall as well… so in my mix of events below.. I’ll have some of those sprinkled in:

Mark your calendars for some of these band events coming soon!

• Friday October 20th: Jeremy Would Let Me Drown - The Wing & Tap House - Marietta, GA

Clicking on the flyer takes you to the FB Event for more info!

• Saturday November 4th: BlairOutLoud BAND - Good ‘Ol Days - Cumming, GA

Clicking the flyer takes you to the FB Event for more info!

• Friday November 10th: Jeremy Would Let Me Drown - Joe’s Bar & Grill - Alpharetta, GA

Clicking the flyer takes you to the FB Event for more info!

• Saturday November 11th: BlairOutLoud BAND - Center Street Tavern - Acworth, GA

• Saturday November 18th: Jeremy Would Let Me Drown - Dixie Tavern - Marietta, GA

Click on the flyer to go to the FB Event for more info!

• Saturday November 25th: Jeremy Would Let Me Drown - Blackstrap Rock Hall - Gainesville, GA

Click on the flyer to go to the FB Event for more info!

• Friday December 8th: Jeremy Would Let Me Drown - The Wing & Tap House - Marietta, GA

• Saturday December 16th: BlairOutLoud BAND - Grazing Here - Peachtree City, GA

Click on the flyer to go to the FB Event for more info!

Thanks for checking out these events!

JWLMD “Battle” Shows: Back in August we performed what we called a “Decade Battle” between an 80s band and our “90s” tribute. Each band played for 30 mins back and forth for several sets. It is a fun concept that we will be repeating at some of the coming shows listed above.

So that’s it for now.. other SOLO and DUO announcements coming soon, but this post was all about the BAND affairs! Thanks for reading.. Hope to see you at a show this fall!

BlairOutLoud BAND back in action this summer!

Hello, Summer Greetings from BlairOutLoud!

We are happy to announce that the BAND is back in session this summer with several killer events lined up!

Bringing you a healthy mix of classic rock, 80’s danceable, and 90’s alternative tunes to the stage.. the BlairOutLoud BAND is ready to rock the house Friday Night July 21st at 278 South in Hiram, GA!

We’ll have the one and only Darren Goot hitting the skins, and friend and long-time colleague Gary Stone on bass! Of course, Amanda Blair will be there on keys, keytar, flute, percussion, and rockin’ the female vocals. Spread the word and get out to Hiram July 21!!

AUGUST EVENT!

On Saturday August 12th, we will be performing for a Private Event in Peachtree City in the Cresswind Community of Homes! If you know people that live in the this community, can you let them know that we are coming??!.. It is harder to externally promote for this show.. because this community does not have its own FB Page that represents it.. only a Private Group that we wouldn’t be able to join. So.. once again, if you know of people that live in the Cresswind Community of Peachtree City, let them know that BlairOutLoud BAND is coming to rock at their pavilion Saturday August 12th! Thanks all!

SEPTEMBER EVENTS!

• Sept 8th: BlairOutLoud TRIO returns to Guston’s Acworth!

• Sept 16th: BlairOutLoud BAND finally returns to Grazing Here!

• Sept 23rd: BlairOutLoud BAND pulls up to Rosati’s in Cumming!

All shows will be represented on the main Calendar on the HOME page soon, but we wanted to get the word out early!

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT COMING

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT COMING 〰️

STAY TUNED FOR VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT COMING MONDAY JULY 17TH!!

This announcement is specifically about Tom Blair, and the involvement in a new group.. Watch this blog space and socials for hints and full details on Monday July 17th!

Thanks all!

-Tom from BlairOutLoud

Check out this highlight reel!

Check out the highlight reel from our last Good ‘Ol Days show! We are happy to announce that BlairOutLoud BAND will be there THIS SATURDAY April 22nd, 2023 starting at 9pm!

Here is the link to the event page:

BlairOutLoud BAND performing at Good ‘Ol Days, April 22nd, 2023!

Be sure to check out the highlight reel below from our last performance at this location! It was quite a party.. and we’d love to see you all again this Saturday! If you are local, come check out the show, and let’s rock and roll! Thanks all.

Wrapping up Feb 2023.. Monster month!

BlairOutLoud has had a fantastic start to 2023! January kicked things off, but February really picked up the pace! Here’s a quick review of the past week and some stuff coming up mark your calendars for!

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I’ve had lots of great acoustic shows all over town (new spots for me as well) with great responses all around. I think the warmer weather has definitely gotten everyone in a “we are done with Winter, ready for Spring” kind of mood. If you’ve been getting out, supporting venues, and supporting live music.. to you I say.. THANK YOU!

This past week was one of my busiest of the year so far! 5 gigs.. 🤘😝

Starting out at Lola’s in Roswell last Wednesday with a full house.. everything seemed to be coming together for a busy wonderful week.. and it did NOT disappoint. Thursday at Los Magueys Marietta.. I have such an awesome group of regulars that really support me and love when I stop in over there every two weeks.

Friday the TRIO was over at Guston’s Grill in Acworth, GA. We had my friend Derrick Gaddis filling in on bass and he absolutely killed it. The house was packed when we arrived and we had to load-in through the big garage door just to get our equipment inside. It was a little cold and rainy, but the crowd was on fire that night. We threw a whole bunch of stuff at them from Black Crowes, to ZZ Top, to Metallica, and a little Motorhead at the end of the night. They ate it up and we truly had a great time. Great tips and atmosphere.. THANK YOU ACWORTH!

Saturday, my wife joined us as the BAND made our return to perform at Good ‘Ol Days in Cumming, GA. We made a splash there last October, and they invited us back to bring the party!

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It’s typical in the 1st set for the room to warm up to who we are and what we are doing there… but 2nd set was bananas! The crowd picked it up a notch, and the video below highlights some of the best parts of the night. Enjoy!

But wait there’s more…

I had one more thing happening on Sunday afternoon.. I debuted my SOLO show at Stillfire Brewery in Suwanee, GA. This was an interesting experience to say the least.

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First of all, this area is fantastic. The town of Suwanee has really put a ginormous effort into creating a “town center” area with a park, shops, restaurants and StillFire Brewery all within walking distance.

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There were tons of people there.. it was great weather, and this really brought a lot of people out in this area for sure. But.. this Brewery also had a Girl Scout Company there inside selling cookies all day to the patrons.. umm okay. So I played in front of like five 6 year olds dancing around an being crazy for over an hour… Not something I expected at a Brewery 😆.

But it was truly a great day.. people tipped well and the Brewery liked what I did.. gonna try and get some more events there later this year!

Everyone have a fantastic week!

-Tom

Thanks for reading.. Here’s a quick glance at some events coming soon:

Let's Review 2022 🧐

Well… it’s mid February of ‘23.. perfect time to offer some reflection about 2022 right?

HA.. well I would have preferred to get a “Review of ‘22” post up at the end of 2022.. but I was just barely keeping up with everything week to week! I’m blessed to have the gigs and engagements that I do.. and BlairOutLoud finished the year pretty strong I must say. So.. finally, I’m taking a moment to stop, reflect, observe, learn, and review the brand.

Let’s look at some official numbers:

Total BlairOutLoud gigs for 2022 (basically, the number of gigs that I performed either as SOLO, DUO, TRIO, or full BAND): 178!

• Pretty solid number I believe! I hit the ground running after a three week hiatus in February (used for brand organizing plus we got in a quick family vacation).

• I’m not sure I’ll ever quite reach 2019’s number of 247 - That year was just absolutely insane for me.. and I learned that less gigs with higher paying base pay was my real goal.

• Relationships felt stronger this year, private events were paying better, and tips are much stronger this year with an improved live show and better audience engagement.

Enjoy this photo reel with some highlights from the events in 2022:

In reviewing the pics, and thinking about all the ways that we performed, it is obvious that we really put ourselves everywhere in 2022. From restaurants with built in stages, in parking lots, on flatbed trailers, on lake docks, at pool side parties, and even one glorious gazebo in there.. we really played all over in lots of unique places in ‘22.

Here is the breakdown with the line-ups:

SOLO: 119 events

DUO: 19

TRIO: 20

BAND: 20

Concepts brought to the stage:

We worked hard on audience engagement this year. I had an idea to integrate a request system (one like I do at my acoustic shows: people text message me their requests) into the TRIO and BAND shows!

My vision was for people to scan a QR code and be given access to a special page on the website with artists and songs that we can perform. When the patron selected one of the songs, it automatically sent the request to my Google Voice line, where I read it in real time on stage and directed the band “in real-time” according to the requests coming in. I implemented this system at several shows on the back end of the year and it showed some promise. Check it out the link below and let me know what you think!

Here’s the “Live Links” BAND page with the Song lists and Tip offerings!

I feel like it’s a bold concept, and I’m going to continue to work on the look, feel, and workflow of this “Live Link” page moving forward. Over time I’ll continue to tweak it and make it better. Feedback is VERY WELCOMED.. good or bad. I’m just playing with this and looking for better connections with the audience.

Retrospection:

Let’s talk about BlairOutLoud BAND.

We are highly entertaining.. quite the talented group of musicians that are interested in getting paid decent to have fun and bring joy to those that participate. What we don’t have is a theme.. an outfit.. a tribute to a specific band, or decade, or really specific style. And we are good with that.. sort of..

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You see.. because I have decided to not take the BAND into a specific direction, the thought originally was that this would open up opportunities to do lots of different events, and for example.. play classic rock where needed, 80’s danceable rock where needed, and 90’s alternative grunge and heavier material where appropriate. This is a solid plan, right? Keep it open?

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Apparently not. Atlanta cover and tribute bands have gotten so specific, and so curated into a specific style or act.. that some of the OG cover “party band” style acts are getting passed over in favor of the flavor of the month tribute band (one of my friends called it “rock and roll halloween” bands). Instead of just getting up there and selling yourself to your audience, bringing them an authentic killer rock show, many musicians are trying to promote themselves as a “rock tribute” (whatever that means).. or specifically tributing one band.. the “Journey Experience”, the “A Night of Bon Jovi”, etc etc.

This is really not the direction that I care to take BlairOutLoud. If it means that I’ll have less opportunities in bars and clubs, then I’m fine with that. I would rather follow private party opportunities that are more intimate and connected with people that genuinely love what we do, rather than try to be the best cover act that beats all other bands to the punch when getting into all the hottest spots around town. It’s just not worth it to me, and I don’t have the drive to compete in that space.

Conclusions:

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If you’ve read this far.. you rock. I wanted to commentate for a minute about the big picture of how I think, regarding our status. I’m confident that I portray the right amount of care for the audience, mixed with just enough of a curated song choice, and deepened connections with the audience to make a small dent on the scene with what we do.

This attitude I hope I bring to every line-up from my solo act to my full band. I’m here to have fun, make a decent pay.. and create connections/establish relationships with people that matter and feel good. I’m not here to play every sold-out terrible song that I don’t like.. nor am I here to dress up like the coolest cat on the scene with just right sunglasses, leather jackets, bandanas around my leg, etc etc. I’m not down with the “rock and roll halloween”. HA.

I believe that staying true to who we are, and what we do best.. ultimately is the best formula. We might lose members along the way, or change things up every now and then to grow and learn, but that’s okay.. at least we were honest, connected, and brought fun musical entertainment to our little world.

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After covid, and up to the end of 2022, I chased the cover music scene hard with what I thought was a decent winning formula.. but as I see where I faltered, I’m beginning to understand that I’m not as concerned, as I once was, about being on top.

In 2023, things are changing.. I’ll still be all over the place with my solo acoustic show… I work with 4 scheduling companies now, with 2 of them prominently scheduling me in lots of great spots everywhere. The Trio and Band will still be at some of the bigger places.. but we will work to get lots more private events, festivals, and contracted dates with better appreciation for what we do.. and that will be just fine.

I wish you all a fantastic year! We will be seeing you out there for sure! If you’d like a great solo, duo, or band for your special event.. CONTACT ME HERE.. and let’s set it up!

Thanks all

-Tom Blair

2️⃣ MAMMOTH BlairOutLoud BAND Dates! ✏️📆

Howdy peoples!!

Two seriously cool BlairOutLoud BAND show announcements!

One this month, Feb 25th, and a killer St. Patty’s Party on March 17th!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!

First up:

BlairOutLoud BAND rocks Good ‘Ol Days in Cumming, GA!

Click the flyers to go to the event for more info! Free shows!

And then in March.. one heck of a St Patty’s Day..

BlairOutLoud BAND St Patty’s Day at Center Street Tavern in Acworth, GA!

We are excited to bring you these rockin’ shows.

One sad announcement is that Tom Carling, the bass player and vocalist is no longer with the BlairOutLoud TRIO or BAND. He has decided to pursue other interests and we wish him well.

So.. we have got some great bass players lined up to fill-in for the next few months! Each person, with their own unique style and offering, will bring some fresh energy to the stage, and we will be mixing up the sets based on who is with us for the evening.

February 25th at Good ‘Ol Days, we will have Derrick Gaddis holding down the low-end with us… and then on St Patty’s at Center Street, the mighty Gary Stone will be jamming with us.

Derrick and Gary have offered to fill-in when they can, and we are excited to have them. We will be focusing on festivals and private events even more this year, so if your hood wants a fun street party, BlairOutLoud can provide! Contact us HERE and let’s set it up!

Thanks all

-Tom Blair

Finishing out a fantastic month!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.. GREETINGS from all of us at BlairOutLoud!!

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BlairOutLoud would like to say THANK YOU to all the venues, private parties, fans, and friends that have made October 2022 one of the best months of the year for us!

October feels like the last big push for all the “stuff” that you wanted to accomplish in ‘22… Not that we don’t have some great stuff still to come in November or December! But it feels like you wake up on Nov 1, and the world starts spinning so fast that you really just have to hold on to something, and ride out the storm until January 1. Do you ever feel like that? The holidays are a mess and I just smile and take it..LOL.

However, this is a solid time in the next few weeks to be planning and prepping for ‘23! We are already contracting, and confirming some interesting events for next year, and the BAND has been brainstorming lots of new material to debut next year for the fans. Should be a killer year! More on all of that in future posts!

For now.. here’s a look back at OCT 2022. What a month! Again.. THANKS TO ALL for the support! Here’s to the Holidays and on to a strong and bright 2023!

-Tom Blair

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BlairOutLoud BAND rockin’ at Rosati’s Pizza Pub Friday Night October 7th, 2022.

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BlairOutLoud BAND at MS Society Event at Wild Leap Brewing Oct 8th, 2022.

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Amanda, Tom, and Tom at MS Society Bike Ride Fundraiser at Wild Leap Brew Oct 8th, 2022.

BlairOutLoud TRIO packing the house at MacCrackens late night Oct 8th, 2022.

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Packed house at MacCrackens “Crack Outback” with BlairOutLoud TRIO Oct 8th, 2022.

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BlairOutLoud DUO, Amanda and Tom Blair jamming at Center Street Tavern Oct 14th, 2022.

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Horsemen’s Run Neighborhood “Oktoberfest” Gathering, BOL BAND setting up in a gazebo!

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BlairOutLoud BAND performing for the Horsemen’s Run Oktoberfest Event in Fayetteville, GA on Oct 15th, 2022.

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Gazebo rockin’ on Oct 15th, 2022.

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Amanda and Tom Blair on stage at Grazing Here, Oct 21st, 2022.

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BlairOutLoud BAND having a blast entertaining the crowd at Grazing Here Oct 21st, 2022.

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BlairOutLoud DUO performing for ‘Que & Brew Festival sponsored by Livesafe Resources on Oct 22nd, 2022.

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BlairOutLoud BAND burning up the stage at Good ‘Ol Days in Cumming, GA on the evening of Oct 22nd, 2022.

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The group doing our thing at Good ‘Ol Days.

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Three guitar attack.. well.. one keytar, one guitar, and one bass guitar slaying on stage at Good ‘Ol Days Oct 22nd, 2022.

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Tom from BlairOutLoud was invited to play to raise money for the North Georgia Legends Baseball Team at a Chili-Cookoff Event in Blue Ridge, GA on Sunday Oct 23rd, 2022.

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Finally getting back to Marietta Wine Market to play for folks on the Marietta Square on Oct 29th, 2022.

Thank You Horsemen's Run!

Last Saturday October 15th, the BlairOutLoud BAND performed for the Horsemen’s Run Neighborhood in Fayetteville, GA for their annual Oktoberfest Gathering. This is the second time that we’ve been asked to be their musical entertainment, and we were happy to set up in their beautiful park area, and we put on a great show!

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The Horsemen’s Run gate at the front of the subdivision.

Horsemen’s Run has a huge centralized park in the middle of the neighborhood. They also have a gazebo that faces the park, and this is where the band sets up to play for everyone that comes and gathers for the event.

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Horsemen’s Run’s gazebo that faces the park: a great place for photos, gatherings, and live music.

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Last year we sat up in front of the gazebo on the softer ground. The thought was that we wanted to be closer to the participants. Although it was a fun night, at the end of the evening as the band was cleaning up and loading out, every cable and a lot of the equipment was wet with dew. It got messy and we quickly regretted that decision.

For this year.. we decided to go ahead and set up fully inside the gazebo. This would be a little easier on the gear, and it made our load-out a lot easier as well. We weren’t as close to the crowd of course. But at the end of the evening, we received many complements on our sets, and several folks commented that it we were at a perfect volume “to rock out to the music”, but also be able to “catch-up with our friends”.

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We took a mixed approach to the music that we performed. We started with a few tunes that we’ve done at many recent shows, opening with “Come Together” (with Amanda Blair singing lead), and then followed it up with “We’re An American Band”.. both in the key of D. Both of these songs work to warm things up. All of us sing so we’re also listening for balanced sound levels for instruments and voices. We can usually iron out the kinks in the sound within the first few songs.

After two or three tunes, we opened up the invitation to request tunes from our online song list. Have you seen this yet? If you haven’t checked it out yet, when you get a second, click the button and it will take you to the BAND Tips and Requests Page.

The requests started pouring in, as well as the tips.. and we so appreciate that Horsemen’s Run! We really appreciate your participation and the support that you gave us all night long. We had a blast and look forward to doing it again in ‘23! Below are some more pics of us jamming in the gazebo.

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BlairOutLoud BAND left to right: Amanda Blair, Tom Blair, Darren Goot, and Tom Carling

Oktoberfest participants staking out their area to sit and enjoy the show.

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BlairOutLoud BAND rockin’ the gazebo!

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We always bring an assortment of colorful lights to brighten up the stage area at every show.

Thank you again to Horsemen’s Run for having us again this year to play for your neighborhood! I wanted to include this in the blog because there might be some of you reading this that would love for the band to come play your neighborhood party.. maybe you don’t have an awesome gazebo like Horsemen’s Run LOL.. but we can set up almost anywhere, as long as it’s a hard surface and level.

Hire BlairOutLoud for your musical entertainment at your next event! Thanks all!

Fall Greetings from the BlairOutLoud camp!

So..

it has been a minute since I posted here. I had big plans to keep this blog updated moving into Spring, and you can look back and see some evidence of that, but summer busy-ness and our day to day personal and performance schedules just took off. It’s about all I could do to just keep up the calendar of events updated.

But I personally have been working to redo my own daily goals and after shifting some priorities around, I’m going to try and post here on Mondays, every Monday if I can, a quick little review of my weekend. I feel like I promote my events as much possible, then I perform, and then just start promoting something else and move on. Sometimes I don’t take the time to look back and reflect on what was great, what was bad, what I could have done better or what I should maintain in the future… It’s a healthy part of the overall plan, and I don’t want to ignore it anymore.

So…

Let’s talk about the weekend!

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Left to right: Amanda Blair, Tom Blair, Darren Goot, and Tom Carling. BlairOutLoud BAND performing at Rosati’s Pizza Bar in Cumming, GA on Friday October 7th, 2022.

Friday night October 7th, BlairOutLoud BAND played at Rosati’s in Cumming, GA. We pulled out all the stops.. lined up a killer two-hour solid set. We were having so much fun, the two hours came quick for me, and my bass player Tom Carling was chatting in my ear.. “hey this is last song” and I was surprised.

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Amanda Blair plays keys, flute, keytar and takes some lead vocals as well!

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The band rocking out with Amanda Blair on flute for one of the tunes.

Amanda Blair blew everyone away (like she always does) on the flute when we played tunes like “Can’t You See”, “ROCK In The USA”, and “Baker Street”. We do a “Foo’s”cover version of Baker Street and instead of saxophone, Amanda plays the flute to “sing” out the main melody in the instrumental theme of the song before each verse.

This show was a blast.. a little low on attendance. The folks that were there tipped us well (Thank you Cumming), and sang along and cheered after each tune. We love playing at Rosati’s and I hope that the ownership with give us some more fun dates in ‘23 to do it again!

On Saturday, October 8th, BlairOutLoud BAND was invited to perform at an MS Society Biking Fundraiser Event on in LaGrange, GA at the Wild Leap Brewing Company. The weather was amazing, and we performed on a huge amphitheater stage. We had a good time rocking for all those in attendance. Shout out to Crestpointe Entertainment Group for getting us this opportunity.

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Left to right: Tom Blair and Tom Carling performing at Wild Leap Brewing on Saturday October 8th.

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Drummer Darren Goot performing at Wild Leap Brewing on Saturday October 8th.

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From left to right: Amanda Blair, Darren Goot, and Tom Blair performing at Wild Leap Brewing on Saturday October 8th, 2022.

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The MS Society sponsored a Bike ride fundraiser and Wild Leap Brewing Company hosted the event. (This picture was taken when many people in attendance had walked back up to the main road to greet the last of the final biking participants who were just arriving.)

That evening, the BlairOutLoud TRIO headed back to Marietta, GA to perform on the backside of Johnnie MacCrackens (called The Crack Outback) just off the Marietta Square. This was an insane night.. there were soo many people there rockin’ out with us. We’d like to give a quick shout to our buddy Will Daniel for filling in on drums. It was a total riot.

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Left to right: Tom Blair, Will Daniel, and Tom Carling squeezed in the middle of a ton of friends and fans rockin’ out at The Crack Outback.

Friend Nick Jijon sent me this shot from video that he got from the show!

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Somewhere in the middle of “Enter Sandman” lol. Tom Carling on bass.

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Fill-in drummer Will Daniel

The BlairOutLoud train rolls into another week of killer gigs, including a return to Fayetteville, GA to perform for a neighborhood Oktoberfest Festival that they put on every year. Check out the calendar at the bottom of the HOME page for all the events coming up! Below are a couple of highlighted special things for the next few weeks.. click on the pics to link to the event if you are interested.

Thanks for supporting us around town.. and thanks for the interest in the Private Events! WE LOVE THESE and if you are interested in booking us click the button below and lets set something up!

Upcoming stand-out events for October below.. everything else coming CLICK HERE.

Tickets Here: https://www.livesaferesources.org/event/quebrew2022/

This is a BBQ Fest hosted at Tipping Point Brewery in Blue Ridge, GA. I’ll be there 3-6pm!

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you like, and come say hi on social media! Have a great October everyone!

- Tom Blair

FULL BAND Show Announcements!!

Hello from BlairOutLoud HQ!

We are lining up some great events this year for BlairOutLoud BAND!

What is BlairOutLoud BAND??

BlairOutLoud BAND features the guys in the TRIO: Tom Blair (guitar, vocals), Tom Carling (bass, vocals), and Darren Goot (drums, backing vocals) PLUS the one and only Amanda Blair (added percussion, keys, flute, keytar, vocals and more!).

The BAND’s song selections are expanded beyond some of the other BOL projects, as we have the added flexibility of playing more tunes featuring keyboards, and adding songs that feature female lead vocals!

We are very proud of where we are taking the 4 piece, bringing a higher level of production to every stage with added lighting and sound, and we look forward to where this will lead down the road!

BlairOutLoud BAND is available for all types of musical events, performing at venues, weddings, private parties, and special occasions. Within the last two years we have performed neighborhood cul-de-sac shows, rocked for wedding parties, played for a high school reunion event, and we are starting to build a following at some of the more prominent venues around metro Atlanta, as crowds are starting to notice the energy, diversity in music, and personalities that BlairOutLoud bring to the stage!

So let’s get to the SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS!

We have some fantastic events lining up over the next few months, so this entry will highlight when and where we are going to be! As always, check the Calendar of Events at the bottom of the HOME page for the updated list. Events are subject to change so the Calendar and EVENTS page should always show the latest info.

APRIL

BlairOutLoud BAND Live at Wild Wings Alpharetta: Friday April 22nd 9pm!

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BlairOutLoud BAND debuts as a 4 piece on the Wild Wing Cafe Alpharetta Stage Friday April 22nd! Music at 9pm

MAY

BlairOutLoud BAND returns to Grazing Here: Saturday May 7th 8pm!

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BlairOutLoud BAND returns to rock Grazing Here in Peachtree City, GA on Saturday May 7th! Music at 8pm

MAY continued

BlairOutLoud BAND Live at Wicked Wings Kennesaw: Friday May 13th 7pm!

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BlairOutLoud BAND debut at Wicked Wings Kennesaw Friday May 13th! Music at 7pm

JUNE

BlairOutLoud BAND debut at Rosati’s Pizza Pub: Saturday June 11th 9pm!

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BlairOutLoud BAND debut at Rosati’s Pizza Pub on Saturday June 11th! Music at 9pm

There you have it! Some great shows for the full band around metro Atlanta.

BTW, if there is a spot that you would like to see BlairOutLoud BAND come play, CONTACT me here to let me know.. and do us a favor: Tell the establishment that you’d love to see us play there!

Remember, we do all types of private events like I mentioned above. Read all about our Private Events by clicking the link below.

https://www.blairoutloud.com/blog/2021/10/12/special-event-coming-soon-book-blairoutloud

THANK YOU FRIENDS, FANS.. FAMILY! We’ll see you out there!

-Tom Blair

HUGE THANKS: Rocco's Pub in Jasper, GA!

Hello friends!

BlairOutLoud BAND recently had a killer show at a location called Rocco’s Pub in Jasper, GA. The band was connecting well on stage and the audience was so supportive and fun!

I would like to take a quick moment to THANK Dan Rocco and the staff at Rocco’s Pub for being so gracious and supportive!

We began the year performing there as a TRIO, still under the name LK3. Leonard Koggins Trio had a fantastic run for many years, but it was beginning to be obvious that as we were taking on bigger events, and as we also had plans to add Amanda Blair into the line-up for those bigger events, the group voted to change the whole title of the project to BlairOutLoud BAND.

Rocco’s Pub staff were the first to notice the change, and started asking questions about our transition. We could only paint them a picture of our true plans, but when the time was right, we were able to deliver what we promised, our full BAND and full song selection to reach every person in the audience, to prove what we are made of. That formula worked, and Rocco’s was the first place to really understand those goals, and it provided a platform allowing us to grow into the band that we are trying to be.

So yesterday I posted some video on my FB Page. The clips below are from our recent performance at Rocco’s, on September 18th, 2021. The second set especially was on fire. We were able to run our own light show (Rocco’s is still a restaurant, so we mainly used the house lighting for the first set as people were eating as getting settled in, and we were allowed to kick it up a notch for the second set). Some of you aren’t on my FB pages so I didn’t want you to miss some of these energetic performances. I’ve decided to re-share these here on the blog. Enjoy!

• BTW, if you’d like to Follow the FB Page CLICK HERE!

• Also BTW.. In the coming months, my media pages are all going to be changed around, the YouTube channel will be re-purposed and the FB platforms will be cleaned up and refreshed. Thanks all!

First up: “The Middle”

Amanda Blair brings this song full circle with the synth part that you hear on the record (during 2nd and 3rd verses). The song is genuinely really fun to play live.. It has a great guitar solo and lots of positive energy. We’ve often thought that it goes by too fast, so that’s why we extend it here, and eventually we sing another 2 choruses at the end.

Next up: “You Oughta Know”

When we first started our discussions about bringing Amanda Blair into the “LK3” line-up, my long-term vision was eventually to add some of the female 90’s alternative material into the mix. Amanda and I had been in another project that was focused on 90’s alternative female lead singer material. The project was actually called “You Oughta Know” and we played the “title” track in that band. See my HISTORY page for a little more detail about that time period. We are slowly reaching that vision now… in addition to everything the TRIO can perform, the BAND is adding great songs like this one and Amanda Blair is killing it!

Next: A Joan Jett cover of “Crimson and Clover”

The original Crimson and Clover was dreamy and classic but not necessarily anything I would consider doing in BlairOutLoud, however, Amanda Blair brought this idea to the table of doing the “Joan Jett” cover of the song. So.. it’s a “BlairOutLoud cover of a cover” if you will… Once again, Amanda rockin’ those vocals!

Last but not least: “Everybody Wants You”

So this is a song that I have played in many other cover bands.. and I admit, within the last minute when the band stops and tries to get the audience to chant “Every-body-wants-you!”, I took that from the last project I was in, where my lead singer at the time would have a little fun with the crowd.

What shocked me at this show, is that our crowd here actually gets it right the first time… AND THIS NEVER HAPPENS! So the band stopped the song anyway.. because we always stop! But this was a very rare occurrence where we probably could have continued on “in time” with the music because this crowd was so great. Kudos Rocco’s patrons!

One more thing.. the kicks… Yeah.. I don’t know.. HAHAHA This band is starting to do kicks and jumps in this song to make each other laugh. It started long ago with a kick here or there, and now it’s grown into this ridiculous thing that we do just for fun. LOL

One last thought.. The camera on these videos is tucked back behind the PA, so occasionally the vocals are low in the mix and my guitar is louder. I apologize for this. This is about the only place I can set my camera so that it doesn’t get trampled on the dance floor with the party people.

Also.. the tambourine that Amanda is jamming’ on.. it sometimes clips the audio on the crappy camera microphone so that overall sound is compromised on the video. As much as I do care about the sound of my videos, in these instances, I don’t have a way to monitor this so I let it go. Most importantly here, I’m working to capture the fun and energy of the performance so I hope that translates the best. Thanks all

- Tom Blair

BOL BAND mini-set of ZZ Top Dusty Hill RIP

Hello all!

BlairOutLoud BAND recently had a killer show down in Peachtree City at a location called Grazing Here. Grazing Here has been so good to us this year, and the fans have been so excited for us to be there performing.. its been a treat every time!

So back on 8-6-21 we had a fantastic show, and the BAND dedicated a 4 song mini-set to ZZ Top’s bass player Dusty Hill. He had just passed from recent health complications, and the band felt like we wanted to perform some ZZ Top in honor of his passing.

Captured here is a 4 song ZZ Top set:

1. La Grange

2. Cheap Sunglasses

3. Sharp Dressed Man

4. Tush

What I love is that each of us upfront sang a different tune, Tom Carling (bass player) opened us up with La Grange and also sang Sharp Dressed Man, Amanda Blair (keys) took the lead vocal on Cheap Sunglasses, and I took the lead vocal on Tush.

The energy from the band was great, and I think I captured this well. The audio and video could be better, but I was just working with a simple camera audio feed and a FB Live feed from an iPhone on the other angle. The FB Live feed for some reason did not originally upload to FB in HD so the feed is a little grainy. The vocals are low in the mix due to the cameras being behind the PA slightly.

So other than some technical issues, I thought the show was fantastic! I thought the band’s performance and energy were well captured, and the audience “woos” every now and then that you can hear just put a smile on my face. ENJOY!

Can I ask that you LIKE the Video on YouTube when you get a chance?

Also..

SUBSCRIBE to the BlairOutLoud YouTube Channel so I can create more content and grow that platform. Thanks all!

-Tom Blair

Instagram: @feltphotographyatl THANK YOU!

BlairOutLoud BAND Live from Grazing Here in Peachtree City, GA on 8-6-21.

HELLO FRIENDS AND FANS!

So I’m just chilling on this fine Monday afternoon reflecting on some special moments from our events over the weekend. Thanks to all that came out to support our efforts! BlairOutLoud BAND performed at Grazing Here in Peachtree City, GA last Friday, and we met someone extremely talented. I wanted to highlight his work in today’s entry.

We met a photographer named Andrew McDowell, and his business name on Instagram is @feltphotographyatl. Click the link under the name to go check out his work! His tagline on that page states: “Capture moments meant to be felt.” Well after seeing these shots, I have to admit, he’s accomplishing his goals! 100%

Andrew approached me while we were loading in and setting up for the show. He claimed that he had another gig that had fallen through, and he was offering to take some shots of our show. I appreciated his approach and I agreed that this would be great.

Long story short, these shots were off the cuff, in the moment, captured magic.. and honestly, this is some serious talent. Our lighting wasn’t the best (wasn’t bad), but make sure you pay attention to how he used the available light to frame the action.

Also..we are a little short on pics of the full BAND together (when Amanda Blair performs with us). I’m so grateful that Andrew was there to get some great shots, but also to capture the essence of Amanda on stage with the guys and the energy that we strive to deliver.

Great work FeltPhotography!

Here’s a gallery of the best of the batch that he sent us. Click through and Enjoy!!