I had a brand new experience this past Friday night. I went to Wichita with the Daughters to watch my son-in-law, What’s His Name, perform at a CD release party in a cozy and crowded eating and drinking establishment. I confess that initially I went because I thought I should. He is family, you know? Some things you just have to do.

However, he and his group put on a sensational show and I admit that I really did enjoy it. There were a number of other Peabody people in the house as well as friends from other communities. While I was probably one of the oldest in attendance, there were some others who looked like they might remember the Ronettes and Bobby Vee. There also were some patrons who likely do not even remember vinyl recordings. It was quite a mixed bag of ages and I was pleased at their enthusiasm for Shane Marler and his fellow musicians.

I also found out that a CD release party is kind of a gutsy way of getting your family, your friends, and total strangers to buy your latest musical offering. I was interested to see how this works. Instead of stocking the music aisle of a store with your CD and hoping someone buys them, you promote yourself with a free concert in a good venue and remind the patrons from time to time that you are there to sell them your product.

My mother always said that “one shouldn’t just put oneself out there.” Instead one should wait for others to discover one’s talent. Well, Mom, I think that probably is not how one does it in the music world today. No one seemed offended by the chance to purchase Shane’s recording. They either did it or they didn’t. However, the place was packed and no one seemed inclined to leave. They stayed put and enjoyed the show. Apparently, many of them did purchase not only the new CD, but copies of the first one as well. He was pleased with the CD sales.

The Daughters often give me grief about not embracing the millennium and I expect that to an extent, they are correct. I am pretty comfortable in my routine and probably don’t stretch my horizons far enough. But, hey! Now I know what a CD release party is — imagine that!

— SUSAN MARSHALL