The Probables To Perform At Chautauqua Sunday Afternoon
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If you attend any music festival in the region, you probably will see him there.
Not only is John Streed there because he likes the music, he's there because it's a good bet that a band performing is one he manages.
One of the bands he manages, The Probables, an all-original band, has a big regional fan base, so it's only fitting that the band will be performing Sunday at Chautauqua on the coveted Amphitheater stage.
The performance certainly will amplify the band's presence throughout the are region even more.
And it took some work to get the gig.
Streed is an avid swimmer and likes to swim for health. In late 2022, he was in the right place and the right time, at the Turner Center, near Chautauqua Institution, waiting for it to open at 6:30 a.m. It happened that Deborah Sunya Moore also was there waiting to begin her spin class, Streed said. Moore currently is the chief program officer/senior vice president for Chautauqua Institution and a national workshop leader for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Moore also is a percussionist and arts educator, has a long history as an advocate of performing arts programs for youth and persons with disabilities, according to CHQ.org.
So Streed and Moore had a conversation. He gave her his business card, and she told him to reach out and he did. Some time had passed, and he received an email asking him to come and meet some department heads at Chautauqua. He took the meeting, and then emailed a performance of The Probables at WRFA studios. He received an email from Moore stating that, after completing the calendar, there were some open days, so Streed accepted the performance for Sunday from 2:30 to 4 p.m. The concert is free and made possible in part by The John Alfred and Oscar Johnson Memorial Trust, the website said.
The Probables are Steve Johnson lead singer/acoustic guitar; Matt Gronquist, accordion, guitar, fiddle, vocals; Adam McKillip, mandolin, vocals; Ryan Ecklund, bass; and drummer Nick Campbell.
"I love music, and I love great music. And we have a wealth, and have for a long time, of great talent in this area," Streed said.
Streed has learned how to cultivate musicians into musicians that will have the skills to perform and ultimately being able to tour. He prepares bands to get to another level or two beyond where they are. Some bands will meet the challenge and progress with their music while other bands may not – it's all trial and error.
"So, over the years, I've learned and developed the skill set to figure out through trial and error -- lots of error, lots of victories, but a lots of mistakes -- to get people to the next level -- but the biggest thing is to have the talent," Streed said.
He also noted that in music you have to have a product and to be able to sell that product.
"And if you don't have a good product, you're not going to be able to sell it," Streed said.
With The Probables, Streed happens to have a very good product that sells well.
But the common denominator is that a band has to have musicians that communicate and that are cohesive, Streed noted.
"If they believe they can do it, then they're going to work harder, and then they will just naturally progress to a bigger level," he said.
He prefers to think as his role not as a manager but more as a motivator. With The Probables, his responsibilities are clear: he runs the day-to-day operations which means dealing with the musicians and the business-side of the band. He also makes decisions with Johnson, who happens to be the main songwriter, about upcoming events. Streed said even though he makes decisions, he works for the band.
"We make lots of decisions together, and making them understand that although I'm part of this, I'm not. I work for them. And, I tell Steve that he has the final say whether I disagree or not," Streed noted.
Johnson does have a wealth of diverse material and he draws on everyday life when writing songs.
"It is whatever is going on in the moment or past experiences. It might be something that I can on the news or anything else. We (the band) are evolving in new directions that keeps us interested and the fans interested," he said previously.
Streed has known Johnson for more than 20 years, and said Johnson doesn't like to be in a box when writing material.
"He writes songs. Yeah. And it could be this style or this style, but ends up being a Steve Johnson signature style, whatever it ends up being," Streed said.
Johnson can write about difficult topics and present the material in a way that people will have a better understanding of the topic after they have heard his lyrics. The draw for The Probables is their live set. Each member in the band is very good on his instrument -- the band can play. Streed said when they play Sunday as the band progresses through songs, the intensity will increase as well. People who follow the band will listen and people new to the band's material also will listen -- no frills, no gimmicks -- just really good music.
Streed's company, Blue Moon Management, has been managing and also booking bands since 1996, and he has been with The Probables since they formed in 2016. Streed has booked many shows in Canada, and in the United States.
For more information on The Probables visit probables.com.