Performer Spotlight: All You Got Tour

by Molly McCaul, Contributing writer

On August 23, the musical prodigies of the All You Got Tour lit up the Herter Amp stage and celebrated the beauty of art and life.  The tour has become a sort of regional staple for young artists, with its 2017 tour featuring over 40 stops and 65 artists aged 22 and under.  I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to Patty Duffey, the President of the Young Performers Club and a founding supporter of the tour, about the importance of amplifying young voices, providing opportunities to grow musically, and the beauty of it all.

​One of the things that was most important to the process, Patty told us, was “hav[ing] established relationships at area venues, to see if they were interested in hosting tour stops.  Some of them did more than one - that was lucky.”  The key, however, is variety.  “We try to mix it up.  We have anything from farmer’s markets to bigger venues like Hampton Beach...  It’s kind of a variety of different types of shows that appeal to all different levels of performers.”

​The combined experience of Duffey and fellow founding member Jackie LoGuidice has allowed for the program to cater to everyone and even helped boost some of today’s biggest stars.  “We do charity shows every year that are more laid back, and less intense from a competitive standpoint.  Our Grand Finale series is [a competition] for 22 and under performers...  That’s the one Meghan Trainor was in, Sasha Sloan, many other pop performers that have gone on to have very successful careers as professional musicians.”  Events like the All You Got Tour provide outlets for musicians of all abilities to collaborate and make lifetime friends and memories.  “They’re all at different places in terms of their training. Some train a lot, some don’t.  They’re very supportive of each other, they collaborate...  They learn from each other, they follow and support each other online.  I think there needs to be more of this local market here, young performers supporting each other at each other’s shows.”

​Through their connections, the program has also been able to help boost visibility and success.  With a laugh, Duffey described how young artists “have mom and dad’s really horrible, shaky cell phone videos.  So we try to change that a little bit.  And we see that has a huge impact on their ability to get booked in the future.”  Even on the content development end of things, she explains, “We pretty much do it all.  A lot of it is in-house.  We don’t have a recording studio, but we do have relationships with a lot of recording studios in the region...  We know how to drive that process, so that [the artists] save money and they get a good quality project.”

At the end of the day, it’s seeing how this changes the community that Duffey says is the best part.  The All You Got Tour inspires kids to put out their own music - “You see another 14 year-old that’s putting out an EP, then guess what?  You’re gonna get motivated to put out your own EP” - while providing an outlet for healthy creative expression, “These kids are incredible, so incredible...  It’s probably the best part, that they come alive on the tour.”  As for why she does what she’s doing, Duffey explained that “I really, really feel that I’m helping these kids save themselves.  A lot of drugs, a lot of challenges...  We’ve saved kids from suicide.  We’ve been told directly by parents.  Music saves people.”

Many thanks again to Patty Duffey for taking the time to speak with the Friends of Herter Park Blog, and to all of the brilliant artists on the All You Got Tour for bringing such a memorable show to the Herter Amp.