Bluewine

Ronnie Wood replacing Mick Taylor (actually Brian in my book) sort of worked. Actually it really did work quite well. Blue

Are there any good examples of bands that are several incarnations away from the initial line up and key members are missing and it works? Blue

No question from my perspective. They're not. Blue

I like this. Funt to listen and fun to watch. Blue

Some clubs help promote and we promote and do a pretty good job on making sure people know where and when we're playing next. But IMO you can only promote a bar gig so far. And yeah some places have a " built in crowd" and if you have a bad night you can clear out that crowd. Nobody wants that. 5 people, it happens. Usually if the crowd is that small I've heard that landlords will pull the plug and pay the band half the fee. In the States we don't have a choice, you really have to think in terms of the landlord having a good night. Blue

Excellent, "our job" a label many misunderstand and struggle with. Blue

Yes, funny guys that have been in this business for years still don't get. Even for me it's been slow to sink in., We're far from the best bar band around. So why do we pack bars on our circuit with loyal local fans? It's simple, I think 1. We have a talented young female front, she's an awesome 70s style rock guitarist with a great voice a sincere personality and sense of humor that transends to the audience. 2. We have decent material. Could be better, but we don't rehearse so, oh well. 3. We interact with each other, were fun to watch ( it wasn't always this way, we sort of evolved into it). IMO Blue

Agreed, no Chris Squire, no YES. Blue

Welcome, Blue from Montclair New Jersey. East Coast 70s style Rock Bass Guitarist. I've been at it since 1966. Blue

I'd go with the Ibanez, especially if it's MIJ. Blue

Agreed, now I'll say this. I would lend gear to any of my band members. Both guitarist are over the top regarding the excellent care they give to gear. I know there are some guys that have no respect for their own gear so why would they have respect for mine. Blue

I keep a sharp eye on the crowd, the size, the age and what they're drinking as well as how often the bartenders are in and out of that cash register. Thing is, on these really good financial nights I'm not sure all landlords know or understand the relationship between those sales and the band they booked. I remember recently some landlord had the nerve to tell us he'd try us out on weeknight (for free) and if it went well he'd book us for our fee on a Saturday night. We didn't even bother to tell him we were 12 years an established act and we were trying to throw him a bone. Keep in mind even though we're a known commodity Milwaukee is a large metro area. Every landlord does not know who we are. Hell, there are some Milwaukee landlords that don't know who "home town boys" Greg Koch ( Joe Banamassa)or Daryl Stuermer (Genesis) are. Blue

Hi Lozz, I get you point regarding how pro touring originals have expenses and things to pay for most bar/pub bands don't. My concern is really more about the business challenges Bar / Pub Bands face. For those of us taking our fee home with us and more directly responsible for drawing a crowd and selling alcohol. Blue

GK 1001rb, 750 watts through 2 tens. Headroom, it's all about headroom. Blue

When I was a teen we were all hurting for gear, we didn't have any money. Lending gear to each other was common. Blue

I'm hoping we do. I'm a hired gun so I'm not directly involved and have no contact with landlords. Blue

Bar/Pub Band Level Is your band consistent in terms of the crowd you draw and the alcohol sales you drive? I hope so , if not it might be a goal to consider and work towards. It's not easy and doesn't happen overnight. When we have these great nights where we're clearly driving the revenue stream are we using it as leverage for more bookings, better nights ( holiday dates, like NYE, Holloween, St. Paddy's ext...) As well as our fees? Other businesses do. Comments, thoughts. Blue

Nice story, and nice that the management understood the impact your band had on their business. I've seen it where a band is really good they have the crowd engaged and buying premium drinks all bight. Some owner can't connect the dots. They can't see when a significant portion of the business is driven by the band, Blue

We're not good at video clips. We really don't have a good ones. Hopefully we'll have something professional done. Blue

Our BL shares vocals with our other guitarist. Blue

Teen Town probably wasn't the best example. I've learned that even songs that sound like simple straight forward rock songs are not as easy as one thinks. When I listen to a song through good head phones I'm surprised how tricky bass lines can get. Many time theres overdubbing with several bass tracks being played. Very subtle, but it's there in many cases. My point, there's a lot more to a proper bass cover than pre determined notes. Blue

I'm not sure, me I haven't had a scone in years. Blue

We take 2 ten minute breaks. Blue

Bazzbass, there's much more to it than that. There are guys that don't have the chops and or ability to accurately play those pre determined notes riffs or structure of a song. Maybe you can but I could never accurately cover all the notes and nuances in "Teen Town". Totally disagree. Blue

Agreed, original or cover doing it well takes more work than most think. I hate to say this guys, but most guys in my neck of the woods that are critical of learning covers don't have the ability or disipline to do it. Blue