odysseus

3 hours ago, Quilly said:

I hate those gigs where you just want it to be over.

Only had one of those, and that was when the singer/guitarist was as p!ssed as a mattress.... fortunately, so were most of the punters.

9 hours ago, Bluewine said:

I think you also have to consider the level of an originals band  The guys that have been around a particular scene for a while, the act is solid with a large number of fans can get good festival bookings.

 

I'm not sure how it works for new guys starting out 

Blue

For sure. In my experience, established bands would be further up the order while newer bands would be playing earlier in the day, or possibly on one of the smaller stages if it is a multi-stage event. Where I am it is common for more established band to take a newer band out with them as a support act, and the whole networking thing kicks in with bands recommending each other for festival slots or multi-band events like biker rallies etc.

18 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

Depends on what the originals scene is like where the band is playing.

Festival gigs would be far and few in-between for local originals bands in my neck of the woods.

I've seen it from both sides.

Blue

Yes indeed. There seems to be quite a lot of variance between areas. Fortunately, the festival scene is predominantly original where I am, and small festivals seem to growing in number year on year, which is pretty cool.

1 hour ago, Stylon Pilson said:

Don't take my original post too seriously. It was intended as a light-hearted poke at both sides, from the perspective of someone who has seen both sides. I was hoping that I'd represented both angles reasonably well.

S.P.

Fair play, mate, I've been on both sides too. As long as everyone's happy doing their thing, then all is good! 🙂

1 hour ago, Stylon Pilson said:

 You get paid in "exposure" instead of real currency, and the audience is usually either ignoring you or staring at you blankly.

My experience of playing originals is that you get to play festivals in front of people who want to see original bands, not some bunch of Man U shirts squawking for Wonderwall all night.

If I wanted money I'd be playing Agadoo (and possibly Wonderwall!) in some function band.  Nowt wrong with that, if you're in it for the wedge. We all got our motivations. Vive la difference and all that... 🙂

It's one of them.  Gigging, recording and jamming tickle my gonads in different ways. Jamming is the one I couldn't do without, though, if I had to choose.

On 17/07/2019 at 00:25, Woodinblack said:

 You are sitting on an acoustic guitar bashing out  C, F and G chords with the occasional little riff, you are really stretching the bounds of original. 

I would suggest that many 'big artists' are in the same category....

However, I think for our purposes, 'original' means 'not a cover'.  I played in a mate's original rock'n'roll band for a while.... it sounded like most other rock'n'roll I've heard lol...

Yeah, there aren't THAT many venues open to original music down here, but as none of us are relying on it for the money (good job, as their ain't much!) we can avoid any crappy ones. Gimme a little festival over a pub gig!

"People don't want original music"

They like it well enough when it's on the radio, and their music collections are full of original music, albeit from peer and corporate-approved sources.

Strange world we live in....

If we're to give the punters what they want, how long before pubs just have juke boxes?  - The punters can have Mustang Sally and the Crazy Frog all night, and they'll pay for it too... and no more having your in-the-doorway fag rudely interrupted by some bunch of posers with coming through carrying large objects.... 

40 minutes ago, steantval said:

Some people do those day jobs and still play in bands, fair play to em.

Yup... Isn't that most of us?  I live in Cornwall, so making a living from playing in bands is nigh-on impossible unless you're an acoustic guitar and vocals act and can bag enough gigs, and even then you're going to be looking for a girlfriend/boyfriend with a house.  I can't honestly think of any local musicians that don't have a 'day job', even if it's just a bit of teaching or few hours in a music shop or studio.  Maybe there is more opportunity in the cities?  I can't comment on that...

Jamming and writing music is where the fun's at for me.   Gigging I can take or leave.  Fortunately my current band plays originals, and we mainly play small festivals, which is usually good fun.  I played in crappy pubs on and off for years and, with the odd exception, I really can't be arsed with all that any more.  

I've played a range of styles, and 45-105 have never let me down.   But like the other guys said... technique!

Usually ain't enough room to swing a cat, let alone 4 of us move around in the venues we play.  However, loading in and out of some of these venues can be tiresome due to no parking, flights of steps etc.  4 gym workouts a week, two mountain bike sessions and as much surfing as I can fit in keeps me something like it at 49.  Just as well, as nobody else in the band does anything sportwise! 

Only if I'm looking to buy. I've got a couple of mates who work in music shops, and it really boils their p!55 when people mess them around.

So.... a mid-teenager wants strangers to give them money..... what could possibly go wrong?.... 😳

There's nothing quite like getting hit on the cranium by a flying bottle of p!ss.  Happy days.... 😬

On 12/06/2019 at 13:29, Leonard Smalls said:

Me at a recent gig...

 

Nice pair of strides there, sir! 😎

4 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Then where was the smilie?

On his facey….  😊

"My old man stuffed 17 candles up a poor slut's butt. Well done, dad"

Not saying they're my favourite lyrics, but it was a bit of an eye-opener the first time I listened to Freak Kitchen's 'Porno Daddy. 🙉

If there's someone in the band who regularly doesn't do their homework, then I'm out of there. 

I was at a Saxon gig with a mate, getting a couple of pints in before the set and some guy comes up to me and says, "Hey, you're the drummer from Saxon, ain't ya?"

P*ssed me right off.... Nigel Glockler is about 20 years older than me... 😠

6 right now:

Status 4 string

Status 5 string headless

Yamaha JM6

Dingwall NG2 5 string

Marusczyk 4 string fretless

Musicman Stingray HH

On ‎22‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 16:59, Leonard Smalls said:

They were excellent every time I saw them (6 times),but then the biggest venue was the Astoria so they were still hungry for it!

That could well be why... 

I'm a life member of SBL.  To be honest, I've learned a hell of a lot and more than had my moneysworth.  As for GW... I guess his time costs money.... if you don't like it, don't do it.  It ain't for everyone.  I didn't because I'm still working my way through a lot of other stuff, and I felt I didn't really need it right now.  That may or may not change, I dunno. 

On 16/03/2019 at 17:28, uk_lefty said:

Flea is a huge inspiration and BSSM is, for me, untouchable as an inspired bass album. In 2012 I saw the Red Hots live in Knebworth and it was.... Dreadful, boring, hollow... Nothing like what I expected. So disappointing.

Yeah I know what you mean. I loved RCHP up to BSSM but live performances always underwhelm me for some reason....