Mike Hall wears so many hats these days that he's going to have to grow a bigger head. With Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse, over the course of 13 years of volunteering there, he's literally gone from washing dishes to co-managing the place, moving progressively down the ladder. He oversees the booking process and is there essentially every Friday hosting the shows, signing the checks, and keeping the other volunteers in line (an impossible task, which is the reason for the grey, thinning hair). He's grateful for the able assistance of since-the-beginning-of-time co-Manager Ed Gunsalus, who's primary job is to keep him in line (and have you seen Ed's hair lately?). If that's not enough, he's also the Calvin's webmaster and website designer (with the quality that you'd expect when an engineer designs a website).
Mike, needing to cut back on the hours that he sleeps, also for the past six months has assumed the role of booking agent for a friend and young Dallas-native, Nashville-based singer/songwriter, Allie Farris. He now gets to experience the throngs of rejection that an artist undoubtedly feels when they try to contact Uncle Calvin's for a gig and get a reply back - well, possibly never. Luckly Allie is extremely talented (shameless plug), so he still manages to get gigs for her despite the laws of Karma.
Then there's the "real" job, working 8-5 as a software developer for a big huge massively-polluting electric utility company (no shame whatsoever, cough-cough, wheeze-wheeze). He's very proud that he still gets paid despite spending much of his time from 8-5 working those other jobs (shh, don't tell).
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About Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse
Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse is a non-profit, volunteer-run music venue, featuring weekly concerts by some of the most talented singer/songwriters and groups in the country. Located in the fellowship hall of Northpark Presbyterian Church, Uncle Calvin’s donates its net revenues from concert performances to a variety of local charities. Known as one of the best possible environment for listening to music in the Dallas/Ft Worth area, Calvin’s prides itself on clear, pristine sound, in a room free of smoke, alcohol and conversation. Over the past thirty years, Calvin’s has featured artists such as David Wilcox, John Gorka, Janis Ian, Tom Paxton, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Patty Larkin, Slaid Cleaves, and the original Dixie Chicks, just to name a few. For more information, please visit www.unclecalvins.org.
