wheresbat

This Thursday evening - we hope to see you there!

Front Porch in Lillian, Al tonight at 6!!!!!

To all our beautiful friends in the Cape Fear basin, Brenda & I will be in town at the Franklin Park Square to play the tail end of the Southport Area Music & Arts Concert series on November 9th at 6pm. This is our final out-of town show of the year. My performance is being sponsored not only by the Southport Council, but also by the local Brunswick County newspaper, the State Port Pilot, who have always been tremendous Patrons of ours over the years.
Dad is coming too!!!!!

Dearest friends and Bat People- and fans of my daughter Sinclaire: Our girl is visiting us at our home, and since we have a lot of tunes we didn't perform last time we're planning on doing a live-stream Facebook concert tomorrow (Sunday Night) at 6:45 Central Time for about a half hour.
We get the biggest kick out of playing together.
Tune in if you have some time to burn. You're on the right page if you're on https://www.facebook.com/bat.bennett/
At 6:40 start refreshing the page every 30 seconds or so, and we'll (hopefully) start at 6:45.

Dear friends, I will be shutting down the page for awhile, so make notes of these dates!! There is some non-music related projects that I need to get done, and my focus will be directed exclusively on them for a couple of months. Have a fine time for this, the end of 2023!!!!
October 14, 18, 28 Front Porch in Lillian Al- 6pm
October 31 Florabama Main Stage 11am
Nov 7 Private event, Myrtle Beach, SC
Nov 9 City Concert, Southport, NC 4pm
Dec 9, 13 Front Porch in Lillian Al- 6pm
Dec 24 Florabama Main Stage 6pm
Dec 25 Florabama Dome Stage 1pm
Dec 31 Florabama Main Stage 11am

Hey Bat persons!!!! I will be at the Front Porch in Lillian, AL tonight at 6pm and Friday from 4-7 on the Florabama Main Stage!!
Big love to Rick Berger who sketched this masterpiece.
Thanks Rick- Happy Birthday!

The shows in Michigan were very fun. LOTs of new friends, and some new towns. We spent a good deal of time just bumming around and camping in the U.P.

Nope- I never know what's coming next.

In my hut on the shore of Lake Superior.

Hey there Bat-Persons, here are a few shots from the performances in Wisconsin this week. Thanks to you beautiful darlings for always supporting me. I hadn't been to Racine since the pandemic shutdown, and ALL of the friends from Chicago to Madison came out to egg me on!
I had the great honor to be invited to perform for our veterans at the Clement J. Zablocki VA hopsital in Milwaukee. What an absolute thrill. I never get tired of playing for my Vets. Much thanks and love to the staff there, and particularly Caitlin and Crystal, the music therapists on staff who thought I would be a perfect fit.
First time show in Green Bay- what happened?? Full venue, 50 or more folks that have been watching me in Florida for several years, and a hundred new fans. We burned down the house!! Big love for Coccon Brewing Co in DePere for hosting my concert. next year's concert is already planned!! Also thanks to Gary & Julie Tilkens and Bruce & Mary Muller for sponsoring the event.
Those Florabama people turn up in the darndest places. . . .Just goes to show you- you never get far from the Florabama!!

Dear Bat Persons and other residents of planet earth: This Saturday at 12 noon I will be on the Florabama Main Stage, with a follow-up performance at the Front Porch the same night beginning around 6pm. There will also be another appearance at the Front Porch on Aug 18th at 6pm, and from there we go back up north for a while.

Playing at the Martin Factory in Bethlehem, PA. I took a tour through the facility to see how they put the legendary Martin Guitars together, and gave a little concert in the museum.

Dear humans, Bat Persons and anyone who can read:
I am doing a live broadcasted show from the town of Southport, NC, Saturday evening at 4pm Eastern time. I don't know how long I'll play. There will be a whole lot of friends watching in person, and you all are welcome to come to the Bat Bennett page to see it. The best way is to load the page shortly before 4, and keep refreshing it until you see a video that is paused. It will be on top of my posts. Click the arrow and you are in.
I hope you enjoy it. This will be a very laid back evening, nd if you have never seen me play live, this is what I do.
This concert is free.
It is not required but you can tip me on Venmo at :
-Bennett-909
Or on Paypal at: [email protected]

Hello to all. It is us, your rambling gypsies coming out of hiding in New England. Hope your summer, though it may be very hot, is fun and safe.
This coming Saturday, July 29th I'm doing a big outdoor town park concert in Southport, NC, a town which over the years has frequently been our home base. Brenda & I have not been there since the shutdown of 2020, and are very excited to be returning. We have innumerable friends here. Our dearest darling friend Marci Marlton Phillips is the person responsible for putting this together, and Daniel "Rev" Guetschow is lending gear, technical support, friendship and love. If the show is postponed by rain, it will take place on Sunday, all the same times, etc.
The concert will be from 4-7 in Franklin Park Square.
Feel free to bring your chair.
I'll try to play with flair.
It'll be just like a fair.
An evening free from care.
You'll fall into my snare.
Maybe you'll see a bear.
Enjoy an iced eclair.
Hope to see you there.
Ok, but seriously-
Bring your chairs, discreetly bring your snacks and drinks.
The concert is free. You can tip me if you feel the spirit, either cash or on venmo at: -Bennett-909. I will start at 4pm.
It may be smart to have bug spray. Clean up after yourself!
I love you all.

Dear Southport, NC,
How are you?
We are fine.
We hope you are still and ever the "Happiest Coastal Town in America"
We are coming to visit.
Marci Phillips has arranged for me to do a concert at Franklin Square Park on July 29th, with a rain date of July 30th.
We can't wait to see you all- it has been too long!!
Thanks Marci!!!!

Hey Folks- for all would like to hear me play a little. My daughter Sinclaire and I are hanging around together in New Hampshire and have decided to let you listen in on one of our sessions- RIGHT HERE, LIVE ON FACEBOOK. We are going to be playing some tunes that we both love, and possibly taking some requests. This will occur on Sunday the 9th of July at 7:14pm. You will be welcome to chime in.

Dear everybody, Bat Persons and the rest of you. . . .
Thanks to those of you up in Ocean Park, Portland, S**o, Old Orchard Beach and Biddeford, Maine, who braved the rain to come and see my rescheduled and relocated concert in the Temple at Ocean Park. Many thanks to the fine folks at the Ocean Park Association who were very professional and inventive in finding a venue to accommodate all the Bat-Persons who came from as far as Nova Scotia & New Brunswick to see the show. It was a tremendous success.
If the weather holds on Tuesday Morning, I will play in the parade through Ocean Park & OOB. Whether it does or not, I will do another throw & go concert at the temple around noon.
Come out, come out, wherever you are!!!!!!

It's Not Because, by Smilin' Planet track by Bat Bennett

Bat is back.
Iowa 2023

Alert, Alert, Alert!!! Bat Cats & Super Villains:
I neglected to include the big Cinco De Mayo show at Florabama Main Stage tomorrow from 3-6 when doing my last post. Forgive me for not giving you more notice. For goodness' sake- get out to the Bama this weekend now that the lunatics have left following Mullet Toss Festival!! Last weekend's show was pretty jammed . . . you'll most likely have an easier time getting a seat and a drink this go-round. Also-- if you can't make it to Florabama tomorrow, come out to Johnny B's Front Porch in Lillian on Saturday at 6:30. This place is a HOOT.

Attention all Bat-infected persons on the line. . . you'll have three more chances to see me in the south, then I'll be gone until August, with the exception of a show on June 17th.
The three shows on the Gulf are:
Johnny B's Front Porch on May 6th at 6:30 & May 10th at 6pm.
Florabama Main Stage on Mother's Day May 14th at 6pm, where my own mother will be in attendance, and probably singled out for much public embarrassment. Love you, mom.
We will depart for Minnesota following that performance and be all over the place for the ensuing month.
I do a LOT of private and corporate functions these days- more than half of my concert schedule is for private or corporate events, and I perform less and less in public venues. Sorry about that, but that is how the world turns. A man's got to make a living.

I have been doing a heck of a lot of songwriting and producing in the last couple of months. There will be new material posted soon with collaborations from some old friends and some solo work. I will blow the dust off of my old Patreon site and get it operating for those true fans who really dig my creations.
Stay well.

Amazing. Phenomenal. Unbelievable.

These are the adjectives most commonly used to describe the Singer/Guitarist from New Mexico, whether they are talking about his voice or his guitar playing. Bat leaves quite an impression wherever he plays. He has an amazing ability to cover almost anything from Rock, Folk, Country, Soul, Metal, and Oldies catalogs.

For tickets visit https://www.lakesart.org/performing-arts/bat-pomerantz-0 or call 712-332-7029

wheresbat

Ahoy, all you darling Bat-People- I have just returned to the Gulf area from a little tour of Texas. Thanks to all of my beautiful supporters in the Rio Grande Valley deep in the heart of Texas on South Padre Island, Brownsville, & Alamo. This week you folks in Alabama & Florida can catch the Bat show at Florabama on the Big Top Tent Stage Saturday the 15th at 1pm. If you can't make it to that one, you can see me at Johnny B's Front Porch in Lillian on Saturday the 22nd at 6:30pm. These shows have become very highly attended, so you might want to think about showing up a little early if you want to have a seat. They serve food, so come have dinner and sing-along with me!!

Hello you beauties. If the weather up north where you are is terrible, I'm sorry. You could always come down here to the Gulf where the rest of the US currently is vacationing in glorious warmth and sit in traffic like the rest of us.
When I returned from my tour of Florida, this was in the local paper.
It is always a beautiful surprise when someone writes something nice about me. I do not know who wrote this story, because it does not show a byline, I am giddily grateful for such kind words.
There have been articles in numerous papers from Boston to San Diego, Minnesota to Texas, but my own hometown in Albuquerque never gave me a single line, in any paper, at any time in my career, even though there were two or three "Arts" or "Events' papers going perpetually. For decades.

Thank you to whomever wrote this.

Dear Bat Persons in the deep South,
I hope you're all doing well. I don't get on social media very often any more, so this is probably all you'll get this year- a short rundown of Bat's near-term future.
You will have the chance to see yours truly a few more times this year:
12.23.22 The Front Porch, Lillian, AL at 7pm
12.24.22 Florabama's Big Dome Stage, Perdido Key, FL 5:30pm
12.25.22 Florabama 12pm noon
12.31.22 Florabama Main Stage, Perdido Key, FL 11am

Keep on singing!

Dear Bat Persons in the Maritimes or far Eastern Canada- if you have wondering when you'd see us again, your wait is over. You will find Brenda and myself in Halifax, right down on the waterfront Friday & Sunday 5-8 at the Stubborn Goat Bier Garten and Saturday from 4-7 at Durty Nellie's.
It is such a kick to be back in the Provinces. . . it has been three years since the last time we were able to get into Canada. The weather is fantastic, the water is blue & beautiful, the whales are splashing around and the firewood has been crackling and popping. We have been camping up & down New Brunswick & Nova Scotia for a week, and are ready to be seen in public again this weekend. Brenda is going to make me take a shower & shave.
Come on down to the wharf! We can't wait to see all our friends in N.S.
The photo below is was shot at low tide on a cove in the Gulf of St Lawrence.

About eight years ago now, I heard the word Florabama for the first time. I heard it in Tennessee while I was performing around the Chattanooga area. More specifically, it was at the Suck Creek Grocery, when the owner, Gary Osbourne, whom I was working for (yes, in a grocery store) that evening, told me that I “had no business at the SCG, I should be at the Florabama!!!”
Brenda immediately made finding the Florabama a priority, and started hounding the poor woman who booked the gigs there relentlessly. We usually passed through Lower Alabama (LA) about four times every year, which put us in the proximity of this establishment. They never would book me. For about a year and a half, anyway.
One day Brenda got a phone call from Donna, the talent buyer at Florabama, who explained that today was my lucky day. One of their groups had cancelled at the last minute, and they needed someone to cover the gig. I got in there and did my thing, and from that day forward, I played at least four times a year at the venue. At each performance one of the four owners would approach me and ask if I wanted a more permanent position there, and at first we were just too booked up to consider it . . . but finally we agreed and dropped our anchor on Perdido Key.
I played there four times a week for a couple of years, up until the pandemic shut us down.
At least once a week, a guy would come walking through the bar, usually not drinking (unless there was a football game on) but talking to all the patrons table by table. He was not dressed differently, and did not act any differently than any other patron. But I soon came to know that this was the guy responsible for creating the World Famous Florabama. . . Joe Gilchrist.
I had heard stories about Joe from EVERY SINGLE employee that worked there, and most of the guests, too. Everyone has a Joe story. He made each person very welcome and comfortable at his place at all times, and listened intently to what they had to say. He was one of the most generous people I’ve ever met. This unassuming man was the ringleader of one of the most notorious bars in America.
Joe bought the place when it just a bait shack on Peridido Key. There was very literally NOTHING else there. He loved music, and so started featuring a musician on the weekends. For a while it was a well- known and much maligned biker hangout. A few years later, Pat McClellan stepped in and convinced Joe to let him make some changes around the place. Joe cut Pat in as a partner, and the two started developing all the events that you have come to love, including “Bulls on the Beach” (Pro Rodeo- yes, on the beach) “Mullet Toss” (a contest to see who can throw a fish the furthest) and the internationally renowned Frank Brown Songwriter Festival, which I have had the privilege to play for several years now.
Many other features began to appear as part of the ‘Bama’s weekly routine; Bingo, Church Services, Restaurants, Boats & Jet Skis, Fishing Rodeos, etc. . . It took some time, but the Florabama became a DESTINATION, not just a bar. The scrappy biker image was slowly shed, and suddenly the Florabama became the place that you would go for a week’s vacation every year. More bands, more food, more contests. . . enough stuff to keep you busy all day, even if you are not drinking. It really is a marvel, if you haven’t been there. More than 2,400 acts play there live every year. That’s astounding, and a real scheduling feat. (Props to the staff!!!)
Very often I would see Joe sitting at someone’s table while I was playing, and ultimately I got to know him pretty well. He called me the “Hardest Working Man in Showbusiness” because I never take breaks. He loved the segues, and he REALLY loved the audience participation that occurs in my show- that was what he was all about. He wanted people to have the time of their life in his club. He was always around, buying a round of drinks for random tables as he made his way through his legendary venue. It was very common to see him leading around a group of young Marines just out of boot camp and about to be sent overseas. It was just as common to see him leading a troupe of Cub Scouts around, or police cadets or whatever. . . everyone was welcome from kids to seniors. To say that Joe was very civic-minded is an understatement of great magnitude. . . he had his hand in everything from the development of the roads on Perdido Key, to the beaches, to the local zoo in Gulf Shores. He sponsored all the big-time events, and gave grandly to worthy causes. He believed in people. . . and people’s ability to work things out. He preached from “How to Win Friends and Influence People” without being aware the he was doing it. And he would sit in the corner booth of the main room with my father while I performed, telling incredible stories of the place. He was a genuinely nice guy.
Today Perdido Key is one of the nation’s leading vacation destinations, and it has a LOT to do with Joe’s character, persistence, and vison. It wasn’t like that when he got there. He stuck with it through hurricanes, lean years and numerous personnel changes. He made it happen, and he was always generous and fair with everyone around him.
When the pandemic shut down the property, Joe gave away food packages & supplies to the folks struggling without. He also, even though the bar was not allowed to have live music or people gathered, paid his absent musicians and staff for the slots they’d been scheduled for, just to make sure that his people didn’t go broke. That is enormous. That’s how I made it through.
To those of you who have seen me performing down there in the great state of Florabama, I must relate the sad news from the home office. . . Our long-time host (and enabler) Joe Gilchrist has shuffled out through the backstage door for the last time. He will be missed.

Hi folks, it has been a very long time since I have posted anything, because frankly, I've really had nothing to report. The pandemic basically shut down my career for quite a while, and though I have done a few small and scattered tours here and there, I haven't undertaken a performance load -the kind that you all know to be pretty common for me - in nearly two years. So I've just been quietly doing other things. I haven't recorded any new music in at least a year, because I'm not touring it. . . you generally need to be out on the road promoting your new music in order to sell copies of it. Well, I got a very nice surprise this week. I checked into an account that I never use for personal stuff, and it had more in it than I thought it should, so I started poking around. It turns out that there have been a bunch of deposits by ASCAP (American Society Of Composers, Authors and Publishers) over the last few months, and while it is not a fortune, it is a lovely surprise to find that my song "Old Lady O'Leary" is being used on TV all over the world. Right now it's being used in Japan, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, South Africa, Italy and India. How about that? If you want to hear it, there is a link below, and you can purchase it, if you wish, after listening to it. Cheers!
I am working on new works. Yesterday I performed at the Frank Brown International Songwriter Festival in Florida and broke in some newer stuff, and I intend to be recording again by the beginning of next year.

https://batbennett.bandcamp.com/track/old-lady-oleary

Hey Bat-Persons, for those of you who keep track of this stuff, here's the review from the Pearson Lakes Art Center Performance last week. For my part, I had an absolutely terrific time, and it's always great to see all the folks out there in Iowa., though some came from Minnesota and others from Illinois to see the show. We sold it out again this year, so I might end up doing two again next year.
You can find Doris' review from the Dickenson County News Here: https://www.dickinsoncountynews.com/blogs/1933/entry/77350

What in the world is going on in Iowa?

Bat

Posted a new song: "Spaghetti Western " https://www.reverbnation.com/q/6zbj90

reverbnation.com Singer Songwriter | Flower Mound

Bat

Posted a new photo: https://www.reverbnation.com/q/6z9yci

reverbnation.com Singer Songwriter | Flower Mound

This was in my tip jar at the end of the evening on Saturday Night in New Jersey.

I decided that it would be a good idea to gear up for the show at the Bitter End in NYC by going down to Prospect Park ( I live in Brooklyn) to rehearse the material for the concert, and think about what I want to talk about tomorrow evening. I found a great spot on Park Slope, got myself comfy and tried to practice, but ideas for new tunes kept flying at me from all sides. I'd start a tune and then take off improvising, like I do, and wham! A new song. I think the muses were crawling out of the lawn and straight up my pants leg to the guitar. Poetry too. . . it was one of those days when everything just came out as as a poem or prose. I love days like that.

Bat

Bat has a show on 06/11/2017 at 08:00 PM @ The Bitter End in New York, NY https://www.reverbnation.com/q/6ysg4s

reverbnation.com Singer Songwriter | Flower Mound

Sunday at 8- don't be late!

Attention Michigan Bat Persons!!!! Tonight and tomorrow we are back on the Pontoon at the one and only Northshore Lounge on Houghton Lake. This place has the most relaxed atmosphere and best food & cocktails anywhere in Northern Michigan. . . come out and spend the afternoon at the water's edge!! Tonight's show starts at 5, tomorrow (Saturday) starts at 3pm. Don't miss it!

Bat

Bat has a show on 06/03/2017 at 03:00 PM @ Northshore Lounge in Houghton Lake, MI https://www.reverbnation.com/q/6yjxbe

reverbnation.com Singer Songwriter | Flower Mound