I am so impressed by all that my husband, Pete, has been able to accomplish. You might think that it's a very subjective view given that he's my husband, but truly, every day he manages to push through the daily grind to find the beauty in The National Hotel. While I'm in NYC working at a local non-profit and spending my evenings with our two beautiful daughters, he is working towards creating a truly special atmosphere, a welcoming environment, and a destination for all who want to feel like they are a part of something unique, all through The National Hotel. It's a joy to witness, and an even greater joy to be able to share this through our blog, marketing, communications, and outreach efforts.
Tonight was just full of exciting prospects. Our Thursdays will kick off our Open Mike sessions beginning on Thursday, February 4th!!! Sign-ups start at 8:30 p.m. and the show jump starts at 9 p.m. downstairs in The Rathskeller Pub. Click here to get contact information to let us know if you're interested in participating!
And, Sundays truly got better! Not only will we feature local artists in our Rathskeller Pub Lounge, but we will also be the proud hosts of an open mike session for writers and poets. Wait...that's not all. Pete has also secured other entertainers, who will just wow you. And everything is done through our local artists, our local talent! I'm going to leave those details to my next post, because I don't want to gush all over this page.
Super Bowl Sunday is on the 7th, so we'll save our next performer, Teri Rambo, for the 14th. Please join us in the Rathskeller Pub Lounge, on February 14th, from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Teri is an Indie/Folk musician who has written her own music. We hope you'll make the time to share this special upcoming afternoon with us. Mark your calendars!
I do think it's important to recognize how fortunate we were to be able to feature a truly special Sunday afternoon on January 24th. We were treated to the performance of Dennis Thatcher ("Den"), and after the 1st hour or so, he was joined by two lovely ladies who accompanied him with beautiful voices, rhythm and talent.
Den played classic cover rock, and was able to entertain one and all. Even our youngest daughter, Laina, who is a Beatles' fan, was able to request a song from Den. He captured all of our attention, even drawing some of our staff from the upstairs Bar, downstairs to The Rathskeller Pub Lounge, to listen to his music. We were all transfixed by his music, and by his stories. He told some pretty funny tales about growing up in Frenchtown and the different people from town who helped shape his life.
It truly was a fun, relaxed and enjoyable afternoon. I even had the pleasure of having 2 assistants: Laina, as the new videographer, taking turns with Shiara, our oldest daughter, as an additional photographer! And to add to this wealth of involved people, I received an email from one of our very first supporters, Alana Balogh, who helped spread the word about Den! She took it upon herself to email her friends about our Sunday program. This is after all she did a couple of months ago, when she single-handedly contacted musicians in the area to let them know that The National Hotel was hoping to feature live music in the near future. We received such an incredible response from musicians who were interested in performing, that we will always be grateful for her interest and for her continued support. The National Hotel has truly allowed us to meet wonderful people, who continue to give of themselves, and to show us an immense trust in our ability to ensure that The National Hotel surges forward even in this recovering economy. Thank you to all our friends, new and old.
We hope you had the opportunity to join us, but if you didn't, click on the webclip below to get a sampling of the music Den played.
We hope that you'll come and support our local artists and send us your feedback if you'd like to see us reach out to other musicians, or have a particular one in mind. You can also email us at info@thenationalhotelnj.com if you'd like reach us directly rather than on this public forum.
See you on the 14th to welcome Teri Rambo!
