People have asked me what the differences are between promoting your book and promoting your band, and while there are plenty of big differences—it sure is easier to get one person to the venue on time than four, it sure is nice not have to set up and strike a drum set every night, the quality of your dinner can make or break the entire day—there are are also lots of similarities. For one, that first hometown event will be your best chance for a large crowd, thanks to friends and family.

I met Jeff Calder in 1985 (ish), and as soon as I finished King Cal, I knew the Atlanta legend would be the perfect conversation partner. The first time Uncle Green met him, in a dressing room of the 688 Club, he turned to us and said, “Get a lawyer,” so clearly this is a guy who has long understood the music business. He’s also been writing amazing songs for many a year, so I felt like he could understand Calvin’s drive, even if he also might have taken the kid aside and asked, “So, do you really wanna do this?”

And then the band played. There aren’t many drummers who could stock his pop-up band (thanks to keyboard Allen Broyles for the perfect term) with ringers, but I pulled it off. They all showed up prepared, and it sounded like we've been playing this songs for years. It’s hard to explain, how weird, and affecting, it is for me to hear live performances of music that started as stray fragments from a fictional universe, bouncing around inside my head. We ended the night as we had to, as One Four Three always will, with “My Dear Friend, Mr.Heineken,” and then I signed books, though this last thing confused my youngest daughter, manning the merch table. “Wait, they really want you to sign the books?” she asked. “But why?"

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WhichI guess encapsulates one of the big similarities between working to spread the word of your indie book and working to spread the word of your indie band: it’s a lot easier to take it on when your friends and family show up to show their support. And now Cal will leave the safety of Decatur, Georgia, and head out into the world. What will happen next!

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