peteb

I am pretty friendly with all of the people that I play with and we quite often socialise outside of band stuff. They may not necessarily be my best mates, but we are certainly friends. Up until a couple of years ago I was playing in a band of really close mates with no major problems – we are all still pretty close even though the band has packed up, just as we were before it came together. I have played with people that I don’t like in the past but I refuse to do so now, life’s too short… I have always thought that being sociable was an essential part of being a musician. If you are going to do any sort of touring then you are going to be sharing rooms and pretty much living in each other’s pockets for a period of time, so you had better be able to get along with each other and put up with each other’s little eccentricities. There are plenty of great players around but someone would have to be pretty special indeed to get a gig if no one in the band can stand to spend time with them…

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1415655893' post='2602504'] Yeah, that's what it's all about. I come from the generation where just being the [i]"hot band"[/i] or the band with the great guitarist or drummer was enough to keep a following and maintain return business. Unfortunately that's not the way it works anymore, at least not for bands competing for bar and club business. Blue [/quote] I think that still has a part to play but these days you do have social media - facebook is a really efficient way of promoting a band at pub level (basically the only promotional tool we use) and helps you to build a relationship with the people who come to see you and therefore build up a following. It obviously doesn't hurt to chat with the punters, but that is no hardship in the vast majority of cases unless you have real issues with shyness. The main thing is to remember to entertain your audience and differentiate yourself from other similar bands and word of mouth (backed by facebook) will do the rest. We keep the setlist pretty focussed and aim at a particular audience (hard rock) that is prepared to come out to watch live bands in pubs. Also, although the majority of our audience will know pretty much all of the songs we play we make a point of not playing the most obvious tunes. Therefore when we do a AC/DC song it isn't Whole Lots Rosie or Highway To Hell and we avoid Sweet Child of Mine when we pay GnR. Hopefully that helps to make us stand out from every other rock band that they have seen recently! Fortunately it seems to be working so far...

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1415352837' post='2599435'] I see you went for the quintessential "Englishman on holiday" combo of vest, shorts and sandals... good stuff... [/quote] But no sunburn or bad tattoos! Could be seen as letting the side down...

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1415290267' post='2598864'] Ah - the old "can of worms" question again.... This could get interesting! My own opinion is that they are not worth the vast sums they cost. To be fair, I haven't played one... [/quote] I have played one and it was a genuinely exceptional instrument, but was it twice as good as a Roscoe?? There are a lot of really excellent instruments around the £2-3k mark, so it has to be something special to justify the type of prices that a Fodera will go for. But they are very very good...

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1415130335' post='2597094'] I like the attention, you know even at the bar level, people love approaching musicians for a chat.You have all heard this one; [i]" I use to play in a band"[/i]. You know what I say about fun; [i]I have fun while playing, however I don't play for for fun. I play for money.[/i] You really have to understand that very few people get paid to do something they truly like doing. I remember some guy that worked in a retail store was telling me he loved his job. My response; [i]No You Don't[/i]. Blue . [/quote] I play for fun rather than the money. However, I wouldn't dream of playing a normal pub gig without getting the going rate. There are two reasons for that: first I have a skill that can generate revenue for other businesses and I don't see why I shouldn't get a fair share; and secondly if you play for nothing you are putting a value on your services ie. nothing! If a landlord has to invest in paying you a reasonable fee, he will place a higher value on your services and make sure that he promotes the gig, etc and generally treat you well in order to protect his investment! Having said that, I am quite happy not to get any money for a special event if I think that it will be worth it (be it to help a friend or just for the fun of it). I've had some great nights, played with some cool musicians and made some good friends just by helping people out. Not to mention I have got some work out of it and had favours returned. It doesn't always have to be about money, even though in 99% of cases I do expect to be paid...

Now there's a coincidence! I have just come across this clip elsewhere on the web this very evening! Very useful it is too. One question, I always understood (perhaps wrongly) that the muscles that supported the spine were also considered core muscles. Can you suggest any resources that demonstrate Pilates exercises to strengthen that group of muscles? Cheers, Pete

I'm a musician and I like to play. Obviously we all look forward to the bigger and better gigs (in my case bigger clubs and the occasional motorcycle rally) but the majority of the work is in the pubs (or bars). If I'm playing with a decent band to a decent audience that's fine by me - playing the right pub gigs can be a lot of fun. I rarely play to an unappreciative audience. Both bands that I am in concentrate on playing places where we are likely to get a crowd that will be into the stuff that we do and we do our best to make sure that we deliver a convincing performance. Picking and choosing gigs may mean that we are not out every weekend or have to travel a bit, but we still keep reasonably busy. As far as the money is concerned, I am always aware that times are hard for both punters and pubs alike. I don't make as much as I have done in the past, but we still do ok (ie. It wipes it's own a*se as we say over here). I don't think that anyone can make a reasonable living playing at that sort of level...

Changing from a BBOT to a high mass bridge WILL make a difference to your sound. You will get noticeably more sustain and send a stronger signal to the amp / desk with a slightly fuller tone. You will also get a tighter feel to the instrument (which I prefer) and it will be easier to adjust. Whether you like this slightly stronger sound is of course up to you. I do but if you want to recreate vintage Jamerson type tones then it isn’t really going to help you in that! FWIW I have always upgraded the bridges on every Fender I have owned (including the jazz that I currently have), with the exception of a Nash that I had for a while.

Last time I saw Katie Bradley / Dudley Ross they had my mate Sean Fitzpatrick depping on drums

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1414623738' post='2591652'] As far as I know, Dudely and Katie would have been on that gig......Not sure of the rest of the band and if they are on every date. It sounds like they have had some good gigs tho [/quote] Yes they were, with Roger Inniss on bass. I don't know the drummer - Wes something??

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1414617875' post='2591528'] Difficult to say.... people are a bit sheep like so they tend to need to know the band. Friends of mine are trying to sell the Kirk Fletcher tour for AGES..and they seen to be doing ok with crowds but they have to promote the hell out of it and virtually drag people out. And that is quite a regarded Bluesman..it will be interesting to get the real story when the tour finishes..? We have a few touring acts from France do the same sort of thing...but they only really survive in one town for a couple of dates. Even ex name Rock guys struggle to sell tickets at £10 enough of the times. It is a very tricky one.. [/quote] Funnily enough some friends of mine promoted a gig for Kirk Fletcher a couple of nights ago. It was a really good night and they did ok – well over a hundred people on a Monday night in a small club off the beaten track in West Yorkshire. Of course they promoted heavily on social media and did have the Fabulous Thunderbirds connection / Joe Bonamassa endorsement to help sell it. I do know some Americans that do come over here occasionally. They will often use a UK rhythm section or backing band and will do a short run of clubs in the UK and maybe a festival then possibly a week in Holland / Belgium or wherever. They do seem to treat more as a working holiday and a way of catching up with friends & contacts on this side of the pond…

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1414617527' post='2591519'] I reckon you'd be lucky to cover your costs, to be honest. [/quote] I would add that you should not be expecting to make too much (if any) money from such a trip...

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1414616732' post='2591505'] Question, would a band like mine with a 29 year old female front and lead guitarists doing 70s style blues/rock get decent crowds in your pubs if we came over to do a short pub tour. Or would we fall into the same boat as your local bands. I was thinking cause were Yanks we might be different and interesting. Blue [/quote] You might do OK but you couldn't expect to turn up any old pub and pack it out. But there are loads of places where you could do well, especially as you could have the novelty of being billed as 'from the USA'. Of course you would have to hit social media heavily to promote and talk to small promoters / people who are involved in the scene and could point you at the right venues. Send me a PM if you are seriously considering it and I will talk you thru what you might need to do...

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1414511143' post='2590046'] That's the one. I lived in Acton at the time as well, on Horn Lane. [/quote] I was living on Churchfield Road at that time. I remember that we used to watch bands at a pub on Shepherds Bush Green and another down Fulham Palace Road...!

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1414103155' post='2586026'] I've been visualising it using a rotating wheel for many years. The wheel sits on a circular back plate and is marked in one place. A full rotation/revolution of the wheel is achieved in one bar. Where I need to play each note rhythmically is marked on the back plate. When the mark on the wheel meets the mark on the back plate, I play a note. If I want to imagine playing ahead of the beat, the wheel keeps spinning in my imagination but I play the note exactly the same distance before the mark on the wheel reaches the mark on the back board. If I want to play behind the beat, I'll wait until the mark on the wheel has passed the mark on the back board and then play at exactly the same distance in each bar. [/quote] Actually, that kinda makes sense! I might have a go with working with that concept...

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1414059491' post='2585239'] Here's an easy one for you all. Steve Lukather David Benoit Lee Ritnour Chaka Khan George Duke [/quote] Leland Sklar??

[quote name='woodenshirt' timestamp='1413982738' post='2584370'] They say he was only paid £27 for the Baker Street session. Mart [/quote] And that the cheque apparently bounced...!

Thanks for sharing this, will download when I get home. I have read two of his other books and he is a very funny writer...

I have always thought that assuming that you are not going for the costume type image (KISS, Lady Gaga, Blues Brothers, etc) then the idea is to look like your audience only a bit cooler…! Ideally people should be able to work out who is in the band as soon as they enter the room. Jeans and tee-shirts are fine if you look cool in jeans and tee-shirts! However, if you look like you are trying too hard then you’ve blown it! Part of the secret is look like you don’t give a f***! Of course, the whole of the secret is to genuinely not to give a f***…

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1413927685' post='2583830'] Sorry mate but that's a load of tosh. My girlfriends brother can't read music but is an absolutely amazing guitarist. He plays with really high standard musicians who all get annoyed at him because he just plays by ear. They have to study their parts and he just turns up and plugs in and away he goes. I, to a much lesser extent, do the same when I'm playing in my pub band. I think venues couldn't give a rats whether you can read music as long as you can make a nice noise! [/quote] The point is that there are plenty of incredible musicians who can’t read a note (Jeff Beck, Billy Sheehan, etc, etc). But unfortunately these guys never get to play the cruise ships! Of course if you do want those types of gigs you do need to be able to read. However, if I was to be a bit contentious, I would suggest that the best musicians who can read tend to be those who learnt to play first then learnt to read afterwards. IME some guys who learnt to play by reading tend not to develop their ear as well as those who did not start off by reading notation…

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1413534021' post='2579152'] I would be pissed off not getting the best slot if it was because of us that the whole thing worked as well as it did..i,e provide all the gear. I understand it is very hard to predict when that best slot will be on any given bill, but doubley galling that the other bands could not be bothered to support you the way you supported them. This is a common and ugly trait from a lot of muso's, I find. However, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, by the sound of it... but use this as a lesson not to get involved on those terms again. The first thing is to see what the rest of your band thought and then devise some sort of strategy about what YOU get out of it next time.. if you agree to a next time..!!! 1st rule..if you are a KEY part of the gig..then you get a KEY role/choice... [/quote] OR... you could take the view that the event is not about you but trying to raise a few quid for charity! It seems to me that this been organised by a girl with good intentions who has enlisted the help of a friend who plays in a band to make it happen. This friend has then recruited his band to help out. I don't see anything wrong with that and the rest of the band (with the exception of the OP) seem to have been happy to indulge a mate and help out. It makes sense to give the best slot to those acts that can pull the most people. If the OP's band were the biggest draw then more people would have stayed for their set. Of course it would have helped if the main bands had got into the spirit of the thing and hung around to show their support! Overall, it seems like the event was a success and the OP should be pleased that he contributed to this...

Just think of it in terms of having built up a store of psitive karma and you will get your rewards in heaven! More importantly, did the frontman get laid??

Unlike some people here, I am always happy to do charity gigs providing that: a) I think that it is a worthwhile cause; the event is not just going to be a cynical ploy by a landlord to sell lots of beer without having to pay the band; c) it is not going to be a complete shambles! Once you agree to do it you have to commit to doing the best for the charity. I would not be too bothered if we only ended playing ten minutes if the overall event was a success. In this case I would do it with good grace to humour the band leader, but take an absolute minimum of gear and make the point that if you do any similar gigs in the future then at least they must be properly organised…

[quote name='Kirky' timestamp='1413011720' post='2574045'] I play two venues where the management passes round a bucket for contributions which we get on top of the comparatively small fee. It's never occurred to me to do it ourselves at other venues. Perhaps we should try it tonight at our Bikers Clubroom gig - last time they passed a bucket round for collections for one of their members who had just been sent down for a stretch at Her Majesty's pleasure, so they're familiar with the concept... [/quote] Funnily enough, I remember a very similar thing happening at a gig I did at a biker clubhouse a couple of years ago…!

There are some gigs where a member of the bar staff will go around with a bucket a couple of times - generally smaller gigs that are not the best payers.