“American Idol’s” approach doesn’t cut it for Gordon “Gordy” Yancey.

The lead singer for Freddy Pink, a nine-piece rock and blues band based in Port Townsend, said sitting around waiting to be discovered by talent agencies doesn’t work.

“There’s a way to make a living in the area, but you have to be smart,” Yancey said.

The band decided to shoot a video of a free concert on Saturday, April 10, at 7 Cedars Casino and send it to corporate buyers, concert promoters and casino talent buyers to expand their base.

“The bottom line is, out-of-state buyers need to know firsthand what the experience of Freddy Pink looks like,” Yancey said.

“There can’t be any question. If you really want the job, then they need to see how it goes.”

Freddy Pink shot a video at the Experience Music Project in Seattle that Yancey said was huge and put the band in the right direction.

“We’ve secured many more jobs because of that video, out of state in Montana, Sun Valley, Salt Lake City and more.”

Freddy Pink, a nine-piece rock and soul band based in Port Townsend, has worked 29 years hoping to become a nationally known act. They plan to shoot a live video Saturday, April 10, at 7 Cedars Casino to spread their sound globally. Admission is free. Photo courtesy of Freddy Pink

Casino countdown
For its second video, Freddy Pink decided on a straight-up concert-set approach in a favorite local club at 7 Cedars Casino.

“It’s more of an intimate setup, like older clubs, with great sound and a beautiful room,” Yancey said.

“It’s large enough to accommodate a band our size and a good-size crowd.”

He thinks the setting will be great for showing crowd interaction.

“People always respond (to our shows) but for film, we need it bigger and better.”

Fifteen minutes …
A nine-person film crew will document the evening with some coaching of the crowd.

Some of the crew have done work for Bette Midler, Christina Aguilera and Neil Diamond. 

A casting call was made for 100 well-dressed women, with some response, Yancey said. Their corporate clients want to see everyday people looking good on the dance floor because Freddy Pink typically plays events following conferences, he said.

“These are people who have been in meetings all day long and hopefully we are one of the memorable things that they take home.”

His plan is to convey high-energy music with lots of audience interaction.

“We’re looking for shots over the crowd — full dance floor — with lots of callbacks, like yelling, ‘yeah,’” Yancey said.

Perfect sound
Due to the nature of the video shoot, the band might need to repeat a few songs to ensure the sound and video are to the film crew’s standards. 

The band will meet at 11 a.m. for pre-shot close-ups. These shots and full-band choreography will be pieced together with Saturday night’s performance for the video.

Yancey plans to send the finished video and promotional materials across the U.S. and abroad.

Those who attend the concert will receive a free download from the Freddy Pink Web site.

Freddy Pink will market the concert as a live CD, as downloadable MP3s on their Web site and as a live DVD.

For more on Freddy Pink, search “Freddy” on the Sequim Gazette’s Web site and visit www.freddypink.com.