Some people tack up posters for their lost dog, others to advertise a yard sale, but a series of signs by Mike Cooney are on a campaign for rock stars.

Cooney, who co-owns the Vogue in Chelan with his wife Janice, began gently pursuing Dave Matthews to play at his nightspot in 2008, with posters declaring “We Want Dave” beneath an artistic rendering of the bandleader masquerading as Uncle Sam.

“We, in a tongue-in-cheek way, stalk a rocker every year,” explains Cooney. “Dave was a couple of years ago, followed up by Neil Young last year, and then Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam this year.”

Matthews began his music career after college in Charlottesville, Va., forming the Dave Matthews Band in 1990. The band has put out seven studio albums since 1994, most recently last year’s “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.”

A native of South Africa, Matthews has a home in Seattle and performs with his band annually over Labor Day weekend at the Gorge Amphitheatre. His fanbase may be a bit much for the Vogue’s capacity, which according to Cooney is “right around 100 or so,” but he’s returning this Friday through Sunday for another three-day Gorge layover. Openers include Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 and Alberta Cross.

Part gag, part ambition, Cooney’s endeavor has yet to yield results, but he soldiers on and has even decided upon a musician (he won’t disclose who) to set his sights on next year.

“What we’re targeting are some people that started out playing coffee shops, wine bars, small bars,” he says, “and maybe they would find it in their heart to come back to their roots sometime.”

Go! Magazine: What have you done to try to reach Dave Matthews?

Mike Cooney: What we do is do up a poster and we send it off with a handwritten note on our letterhead. We only got a response from his management company which is located in Virginia, and it was kind of a nice, “Thanks, but no thanks. Dave’s really busy.” I don’t think they really understand what we’re asking. I think if it ever got in front of Dave, he would at least be interested in my letter to him. I put at the bottom (of the note), like all musicians, “P.S. Dave, it’s a tips-only gig.” I know he’s got a world tour going every year, so we’re just thinking somewhere in between some of his stops, when he’s in the Northwest, that he would find some humor in it to come and play a small little venue like ours.

Go!: Have you had a response to any of the notes you’ve sent?

Cooney: I recently saw Neil Young at the Paramount (in Seattle), and I waited outside his tour bus and almost got him to sign. That’s another thing I’d like to do is get the posters signed. I gave it to Neil’s right-hand man and he told me he would get it in front of Neil, and who knows whatever happened there. I waited for about four hours outside the Paramount alongside his tour bus and I think I was the last remaining person standing there, like a little kid waiting for an autograph.

The one that we did get back was really cool: the Pearl Jam one — it’s a takeoff on our company’s mission statement. It said “The Vogue: Working To Get ‘Vedder’ Every Day.” That one got returned, signed by all the Pearl Jam members. Along where it says “Mission Statement,” Eddie Vedder wrote, “Mission impossible.” So that was kinda cool that he took the time to do that.

Go!: Do you make the posters yourself?

Cooney: What I do is I draw them out on a sheet of paper each year and then I give it to Kyle Batch at Chelan Printing. His mind and my mind are almost connected. He does the final artwork and I’m just so pleased with what he does. They’re pretty cool pieces of art; people want to buy them all the time, and we get a lot of comments from people coming through from Seattle or whatever and they like the idea.

It’s a subtle way to let everybody know that we promote live music in Chelan. We put on live music every weekend of the year; we’ve never missed a weekend, and this is our sixth summer. We have had some really good acts come and contact us from Seattle, Portland, Spokane, and they drive to our place and play. Pretty amazing talent, so we’ve been really blessed.

Go!: Do you think any of the rock stars you seek will ever come to the Vogue?

Cooney: It’s kind of a pipe dream to expect somebody to do that, but unless you ask I don’t think anything would ever happen.

We’re still not giving up. Jones Soda from Seattle got hold of (the Matthews poster) and did up some Jones Soda bottles with “We Want Dave” on it. We don’t sell them; we just have them as memorabilia around our shop. What I’ve done is I just took two out of the box, and I’m gonna box them up, send them off to Dave and see if maybe this would get in front of him. Our shop is a coffee and wine bar with live music, three things that he’s pretty much into. It’s hard to get that message to him, because he has so many handlers in between.

Go!: Are you planning on seeing Dave’s Gorge concert this year?

Cooney: I think this will be my 10th year in a row. I used to get to go for all three nights of Labor Day. I have a ’71 Volkswagen Bus and I camp and have a wonderful time. I’m kind of an oddfellow in that I like going down there by myself, going to shows and camping, and I’m 55 and somehow I tend to mix it up with the young ones.

Abby Holmes: 661-6390

holmes@wenatcheeworld.com