Behind CrossGig - Who writes this thing anyway?

If you've been visiting the CrossGig blog, you may have been wondering just who is behind the blog and upcoming site... so, I thought it was about time I introduced myself to you and gave you a little peek behind the scenes of CrossGig.

CrossGig was born from a concept that originated in late 2007 from three people who gathered at a sushi restaurant to talk about music. One of those three people is the writer of this blog; my name is Andrew Baker.

My passion for music, and for Indie Christian bands, stems from my own experiences as a performer, booking agent, concert promoter, stage manager and lover of music. For me, CrossGig is a natural product of my experiences within the industry.

I grew up in Central Kentucky within short driving distance to Asbury College and Ichthus Music Festival. I attended countless concerts of top touring Christian bands starting in the early '80s. The first Ichthus Music Festival that I attended was in 1984, and since then I've seen hundreds of Christian bands in concert. (Just so you know-- I still have most of the cassette tapes that I got bands like Whiteheart and the Altar Boys to sign when I was not older than 12.)

Ichthus 2006 was the first opportunity that I had to actually work for the festival-- a long time dream of mine-- the chance to book bands for the festival that I fell in love with as a kid. I had no idea how much hard work it would take to not only book, but also manage, a stage at a music festival like Ichthus. But, I quickly learned that the hard work and sacrifice is worth it. To those who are looking for a worthwhile volunteer experience, I highly recommend getting involved in festivals like Ichthus. It is an experience that will change your life! Through my work at Ichthus and in following up with bands afterward, I often feel as if I have played just a small part in the friendships and relationships that are made between bands and their fans.

I have also always considered myself to be a "church musician". I have been singing in churches since I was a young teenager, and first started playing guitar when I was volunteering as a youth counselor at a church, while I was still in college. Being a church musician, and leading worship is also very rewarding, and for those of you who are involved in church music ministry, you know... it requires a lot of practice and attention to detail... and wow, is it an amazing experience to be a part of!

As for the "booking" side of my life-- my first booking job was for a praise band mate of mine who happened to open a coffee shop that featured live music. When the coffee shop first opened, we had live music several nights a week, and as the only "booker" I was responsible to fill all the slots. I learned a lot about organization from my experience at the coffee shop-- things I am still very thankful for learning. Within the next two years of beginning my booking experience, I was booking for two coffee shops, an annual community festival, as well as for Ichthus. Because of those first experiences in booking, I have had the honor of booking a lot of bands that are now signed to major labels. I've also booked concerts for churches, start-up festivals, and a few bands who just asked for my help.

As a booking agent, I have always tried to stay "in the trenches" with the bands. All of the bands that I work with are treated the same way, and that is with the same amount of respect that I would hope that they would give to me. Some of the bands might be less known-- and some even break up right after I have booked them-- but a few that I book are going to get their big break and become as well known as Fireflight or Addison Road (who I booked as Indie bands). Until either one happens, I hope to be able to help with every bit of booking and promotion knowledge that I've picked up over the years, and hopefully learn some from the musicians, too.

As I've hinted about here on the blog, CrossGig will be a lot more than a way to help bands connect with venues, and as this is something that I've done for many years in many different ways. I share all of my background with you to say that THAT is the purpose behind CrossGig. At it's roots, CrossGig is about the relationships that we can help to build between bands and venues, and the knowledge that we can share to help the bands along their way. This is my passion... deep down, I'm still a musician and a fan of the music, and I am just happy to be part of it all.

Stay tune... it's coming!