Author: Leslie

4th Friday Concerts at Home – Friday, February 26, 7 pm/CST Bill Camplin livestreaming

Join us for Bill Camplin's performance brought to you by Off Square Music - Friday, February 26.
On: By: Leslie

Off Square Music is thrilled to present these 4th Friday concerts to you. You can enjoy the video right here, on the Off Square Music website: offsquaremusic.org (or click on the image in the right column). While you’re here, you may use the buttons in the right column of every page of the site to donate to Off Square Music or to tip the performer.

And now about our guest performer, Bill Camplin

Bill Camplin, co-owner with Kitty Welch of Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, contributes greatly to the folk music scene in Wisconsin and beyond. He kicks off our 4th Friday Concerts at Home series. Bill is a singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist, playing professionally in the Milwaukee area since the late 1960s. Bill writes and arranges his own material and has produced a considerable body of work. He has appeared regularly at various clubs including the Blue River Café, Numero Unos, The Crystal Palace, The Avante Garde and the 19th Street Coffee House. Live performances with the Bill Camplin Band can be seen on Facebook, Reverbnation and on YouTube. Call the Café Carpe at 920-563 -9391, email info@cafecarpe.com or go to cdbaby.com to order Bill’s CDs. You’ll also enjoy The Bill Camplin Band’s CD, “Reunion at Ebbott’s Barn.”  Bill’s songs, “Village of Kindness” and “Inspiration” invite us to think and dream about kindness and follow the inspiration of people we admire.Off Square Music is excited to feature artists that have performed for us before such as Bill Camplin. He has performed in the past for both the Woodstock Folk Festival and Off Square Music. To sign up for the Café Carpe events email list, go to cafecarpe.com. In-house events are cancelled, but you can check for live-streamed events. Many fans are eagerly awaiting the day when we can go to concerts in the listening room, dine in the café and have a drink in the bar! 

What folks say about Bill

“When I think of Bill, I experience his warm voice and gentle guitar that pierces the heart in the night.” ~ Corky Siegel

“Bill is one of THE nicest club owners on the planet, with a keep love of music, and a strong commitment to bringing the best music to Ft. Atkinson, WI. Warm-hearted, generous, and slightly surreal, he and Kitty provide the most simpatico and copasetic vibes possible at Café Carpe, along with great food. Not to mention his great singing voice that I wouldn’t mind hearing more of! Bill, my hat is off to you, even though it’s REALLY cold out there now!” ~ Howard Levy

Bill Camplin is one of my favorite songwriters and performers! His percussive guitar and innovative interpretations of cover songs are second only to his original material. Musician, club owner, head cook or human being, Bill is one of the best! ~ Tricia Alexander

“What can I say about Bill Camplin that you haven’t already heard on your police scanner? Well, when he’s not running from the law, he is singing soulful renditions of his own songs, delivering inventive interpretations other others’ material (most notable Bob Dylan), and accompanying himself on his Martin guitars. He makes a mean jambalaya in the galley kitchen of the beloved Café Carpe in Ft. Atkinson, WI. He is a longtime dear friend and colleague, but if you happen to see him, please remind him he owes me forty bucks.” ~ Randy Sabien“

I have been a follower of Bill Camplin’s music for over a decade. I love to sit in the dimmed lights of the listening room at the Café Carpe and get lost in Bill’s performances. He is one of those rare performing artists who seems to become one with the song–whether his own or a cover arrangement–and, in becoming one with the music, he invites us into that experience as well. To be carried away by Bill’s music is not an escape so much as a journey of emotion and ideas. With Bill, it seems to me that it’s about the music, the art; his guitar playing and singing serve the songs, amplifying their power and beauty. As a singer myself, I have extra appreciation for Bill’s vocals. His strong, passionate voice, gorgeous and true, masterfully conveys all that each song has to say, fulfilling a promise to us as listeners and, also I believe to the Muse, to Art itself. I feel enormously grateful to have had the opportunity to enjoy his concerts, and even learn a thing or two from him over the years.” ~ Kaia Fowler

“Bill Camplin is well known as a singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist. He was an integral part of the Milwaukee acoustic folk scene for many years and is also proprietor (along with Kitty Welch) of the World Famous Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson. The club attracts people on the singer-songwriter circuit, and has gained a national reputation among songwriters. ” ~ Wisconsin Public Radio

Remember, if you’d like to tip our performer, Bill Camplin, or donate to Off Square Music, you may use the buttons in the right column of every page of the site, offsquaremusic.org.

“Every Saturday” | Weekly Open Mics

On: By: Leslie

Join in a ZOOM Open Mic

Off Square Music | Saturday, May 23, 2020

Doors Open 6:30 pm | Show Begins 7:00 pm

The maiden voyage of the Zoom Open Mic was so much a success that Off Square will continue to share live music from the talents of our music community.

When: We will get together for a Zoom Open Mic on a weekly basis, 7:00 pm (promptly) “Every Saturday.” The doors will open at 6:30 pm, and you will not need to wait to be admitted — so come on in, get settled, and visit with your friends. You can also use this time to locate your Mic control, Gallery/Speaker View switch, and (Text) Chat button. Once the music begins, the host will mute all microphones. The host will still be available by text chat, as will your fellow listeners and performers.

How to receive an invitation to join: If you are already on the Off Square Music Open Mic mailing list, you will receive a weekly reminder email with the information to join “Every Saturday.” If you are not on that list, please send us an email via offsquaremusic@gmail.com so you can be added to it.

Enjoying music on Zoom: Zoom was designed for video conferencing . . . i.e., speaking. Eventually they will probably tweak the app for the musicians that are using it, but in the meantime, you can optimize your experience by making a couple of changes in your setup. Here are current best-practices: https://offsquaremusic.org/2020/05/set-up-for-zoom-open-mics/

Performers:

If you’d like to perform, please email offsquaremusic@gmail.com no later than noon on the Thursday before the event. Andy Andrick will contact you when we receive your email. Please be sure to check out the Instructions for Performers on our website: https://offsquaremusic.org/2020/05/set-up-for-zoom-open-mics/

We look forward to your participation. This is a work in progress and suggestions are welcome. 

Donations

A $3.00 donation is appreciated to help us continue to bring live music to the community. You may use the button below to pay by credit card or through your PayPal account.

Amount: USD

How to Set Up for ZOOM Open Mics

On: By: Leslie

Enjoying a Better Zoom Music Experience

Here is some information to help you get ready for your “Every Saturday” session, whether you’re an audience member or a performer:

Download & Install ZOOM

Your Zoom music experience and performance will be better if you make some changes to your Zoom settings. The only way you can make these changes is to download and install the Zoom app to your device and set up your account (login, etc.). 

Please note that responding to a Zoom invitation doesn’t mean the app was downloaded and installed. Also, even if it is installed on your device, you may need to install the latest Zoom Cloud Meetings upgrade, 5.0.4, which contains important security fixes.  

  • Mac users – here are Download and Install instructions for you: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360016688031
  • Windows users – using the download link listed above, download ZOOM Client for Meetings and follow the prompts to install.
  • For i-Devices, download from the App Store as mentioned above and follow the prompts to install.

After installation, locate the Zoom icon in an easy to access place on your device: for Windows and Macs, in the Taskbar.

Click on the Zoom icon to open the app and login — or create a login. You will have three options, a login with your email address and password, login with Google, or login with Facebook. Once you have done this, you shouldn’t have to do it again. When you click on the icon, you will be on your Home screen, which you can identify because it’s called “Home” — and because it has four icons on it, New Meeting, Join, Schedule, Share Screen.

Windows and Mac users should see a gear in the upper right corner of the Zoom screen. That’s your Settings. Click on that gear, choose Settings, then choose Video to test your Video settings. Then choose Audio to test your speakers and microphone. 

If you just come to Open Mics to enjoy, you only need to make one additional change here. Go to the bottom right corner of your screen where you’re testing your mic and video and click on “Advanced.” At the top of that next screen you will see “Show in-meeting option to ‘Enable Original Sound’ from microphone.” Check the box. That’s it! You can close the screen.

iDevice users click on the icon to open your app. You should be on the Home screen. You’ll find the Settings gear in the lower left corner. Click on it, and in the list, choose “Meetings.” On that screen, scroll down to “Use Original Sound” and make certain it’s enabled. 

Finally, take time to get comfortable with your Zoom app. On your home screen, you can click on “New Meeting.” You’ll be able to see the controls that are available to you while you’re in a meeting. Locate your Mic Mute/Unmute button, your Video On/Off button, Chat, Participants (so you can see who’s there if they don’t show up on your screen), where to Enable Original Sound (which you should always do for music get-togethers), and more. Be sure to “End” (red button) when you are finished. Jeremy Simon prepared a video for us to show you around the ZOOM app:

For Performers

The deadline for emails from folks wishing to perform will be noon on the Thursday before the event.

If you wish to perform, please send an email to offsquaremusic@gmail.com and put “Every Saturday” in the Subject line. Andy Andrick will contact you about particulars and how to participate using Zoom.

While you can use the speakers and microphone built into your device or laptop, you may find you’ll have a better performance using a USB Microphone, and a standard headset or earbuds. There are several inexpensive examples of these products available online for purchase. You may find other good ideas in various YouTube videos including the one shared below.

With Windows and MAC devices, performers can make additional changes in the settings. Windows instructions are below (MACs are very similar), and here’s a video that gives you a visual:

  1. Open your Zoom app (installation instructions above). If you have installed it and logged in, you should land on the Home screen. Find the settings icon, a little gear in the upper right corner. Click on it.
  2. If you haven’t already done this, choose Video and test your Video.
  3. Now Choose Audio, and Test your Mic. If you are going to use something other than the internal mic, this is where you choose it.
  4. Uncheck “Automatically adjust volume.” When Andy contacts you before your performance, you can test for the best volume level in your system with him.
  5. In the lower right corner, select “Advanced.” 
  6. At the top of the next screen, check “Show in-meeting option to ‘Enable Original Sound’ from microphone” if you haven’t already done that.
  7. Below that, select “Disable” for “Suppress Persistent Background Noise” and “Suppress Intermittent Background Noise.”

These instructions should help everyone enjoy the best possible Zoom music experience. We’ll provide updates as Zoom adds features and we learn of additional tweaks.

First Saturday Open Mic & Singalong – February 1, 2020

On: By: Leslie

Sign yourself up to play on February 1st at 7 PM at Unity Spiritual Center, 225 W. Calhoun, Woodstock. Each performer or group gets 2 songs or 10 minutes.

As always, we not only enjoy lots of great music from the talented musicians in our area, including Laurel Palma greeting us on the piano and Gloria Burchfield preparing our fun sing-a-long halfway through the evening, but we also enjoy delicious food contributions from the sharing table. Thanks in advance to everyone who contributes. 

If you love listening to live music, this is the best thing you can do on a Saturday evening! So sign up to play by emailing Andy Andrick (aandrick28@yahoo.com). If you forget to sign up early, you can also sign up that evening when you arrive.

Not performing? Bring your instrument anyway and join in on the sing-a-long. No instrument? No problem! You can still sing along with the words flashed up on the big screen — we promise you a fun evening!

With great music, good friends, food and fun, there’s not a better way to spend a Saturday evening. Bring your family, bring your friends, and bring yourselves. See you Saturday evening.