Who plays gigs?

[mrtcat]

Pop rock covers band playing mostly functions. We average about 90 gigs a year. This year we will be 70% weddings, 29% Corporate and 1% pub. 

 

When looking for a band my main criteria was that it must gig at least 4 times more frequently than it rehearses. Last rehearsal we did was in 2019 so I'm very happy with a ratio of about 200 - 1.

[bassbiscuits]

Currently mostly theatre gigs in a tribute band, but also depping in a mixture of function covers bands.

 

And then solo gigs on guitar and vocals - at various times these have been my main gigs tho I haven’t really pursued it with much enthusiasm of late. 

[gapiro]

17 hours ago, scalpy said:

Mostly functions. Plus 8 or 9 weeks of am dram pit work a year. One original artist on the books if he’s gigging at the time and I’m available, and once I a blue moon some session work. 

Pretty much same for me 

weddings and functions;50% of my gigs 

musical theatre : 40% 

concert band and odd random orchestral: 10%

[gapiro]

12 hours ago, Nicko said:

IMO there's also a small section of BCers that appear to dismiss people playing pub covers as somehow inferior to other gigging musicians.  Something along the lines of pub covers = bunch of amateurs pumping out the same old shite every week, vs function bands = semi pro and play a wide range of styles.

I mean you’re not a mile wrong … except the pub covers is usually more the same old shite once a month and having 2-4 rehearsals per gig 

 

There are a handful of acts, mostly duos , round here that break that mould and do 3 gigs a week sometimes three a day doing festivals and pubs etc and they’re very good but are more tribute duos than pub covers 

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by gapiro

[mrtcat]

15 hours ago, Nicko said:

IMO there's also a small section of BCers that appear to dismiss people playing pub covers as somehow inferior to other gigging musicians.  Something along the lines of pub covers = bunch of amateurs pumping out the same old shite every week, vs function bands = semi pro and play a wide range of styles.

Most function bands pump out the same old shite every week. Rather than the difference being defined by ability I would suggest it is defined by approach.

Most function players are more focused on it being an income provider and for that reason they look harder at efficient earning and squeezing as much income as possible from their musical ability. 

It doesn't make them better just different in their approach. There are tons of great musicians on the pub scene who have the chops but not the desire for function work and that's all that separates. There are however loads of pub players who would struggle with all the guff that goes with function playing (lots of travelling, early arrivals, hanging around for hours on end, awkward clients, being comfortable and competent to play songs that haven't been rehearsed live, very late nights, bridezilla, endless rigging up and tearing down, venues with appalling acoustics, ridiculous noise limiters and on and on and on). 

If you're a great player but want some social fun and far less of the crap then pub playing is a great way to tick those boxes.

[Nail Soup]

Not gigging at the moment, but I do home recording. So that was how I voted.

But here is my history, working backwards:

• Until recently I gigged in covers band, but that's on hold now.
• Before that I played solo.... but at open mics and similar, so may not count as 'gigging'
• Before that was a haitus (raising family) but kept playing in bedroom and home recording 
• Before that I was gigging in originals bands.

 

Just to expand on the open mic  thing.... there are ways to play in public that are not exactly gigs: Folk sessions, Jam Sessions, Open Mics, busking 

[Stofferson]

Originals for me, have done covers in the past but I dont find it a joyous as playing my own music.

Average about 4/5 gigs a month, picking up with some summer festivals.

[bagsieblue]

12 hours ago, mrtcat said:

Pop rock covers band playing mostly functions. We average about 90 gigs a year. This year we will be 70% weddings, 29% Corporate and 1% pub. 

 

When looking for a band my main criteria was that it must gig at least 4 times more frequently than it rehearses. Last rehearsal we did was in 2019 so I'm very happy with a ratio of about 200 - 1.

Have you added any new songs since the last rehearsal?.

If you have- how do you go about it?.

[Muzz]

I'm in a similar position (I think we last rehearsed around the same time...it was certainly before lockdown), and the drummer and I get an email with a list of new songs (the BL/geetard/singist sends it; we're definitely not an anarcho-syndicalist commune with a bi-monthly ratification officer...more like North Korea, to be honest 🙂) with Youtube links to a particular version, sometimes with key changes mentioned* (last one was 21 new songs to 'freshen the set up'...with about ten days notice), we turn up and play em.

 

It's not as drastic as it sounds, as we're a trio, so most songs get filtered through how we sound anyway, we have a superb (reading) drummer, and we've been playing together for more than 10 years, so we all know each others game inside out. Plus the BL/singist/geetard does a lot of solo stuff, so at least he's done most of them before on his tod.

 

EDIT: I should mention that we're not exactly playing prog here; there's a limit to the complexity of what we do...

 

No-one's ever noticed, and it's really good fun launching into a brand new song for the first time with the other two; it definitely keeps you on your toes (see 'Whaddya mean, it's in G?' below...😀)

 

I'm not sure it'd work quite as well with more people, but it's made me a bit allergic to rehearsals - I've left side projects when, after four rehearsals, people were still bimbling about and agonizing and fretting (SWIDT?) and we were nowhere near a gig...

 

 

* Sometimes not...which is fun on the night; first time playing a song live, and Whoops, you're transposing already...eeeekkkk... 😕🙂

Edited April 19, 2022 by Muzz

[Marc S]

I'm not really sure which way to vote. I play in a covers band, and an originals band, but I have also played several tribute bands too (and would again, if / when the opportunity was right). I also record with a couple of other people - mainly singer/songwriter acoustic guitarists. I really like each aspect, and for different reasons. Maybe I enjoy the covers band most, as it can bring in a bit of pocket money, and I enjoy playing live anyway. However, I also like the other aspects a lot too..... Sometimes, even a small audience at a folk club or acoustic event can be as rewarding, or even more rewarding than playing to a packed pub, where people have danced and sung along all night.

 

Just a couple of months back, my pal released his CD which was also the soundtrack to a small, independent film - and I was really pleased with that too. It's never going to make any money, it will probably only be played on Radio Wales (Frank Hennessey's "Celtic Heartbeat" show - fingers crossed) but it was great to be involved in the recording, and rewarding to hear the final result.

Hence, I wanted to vote 4 times in that list - but really can't choose

[Gothic]

I don't gig anymore. Last one was January 2020.

 

After covid, the scene here's pretty much dead if you're looking to start a new band. The older bands are creeping back out but there are, what, two or three viable places to play, people outside of friends aren't likely to show up and money's laughable. Not great prospects, sadly.

[neepheid]

I disagree with the aversion to rehearsals.  While I freely admit there is a social aspect to them (for us at least) it is critical for keeping us weekend warriors sounding tight.  It pays off too - in both my bands it has been commented upon on several occasions how tight we sound.  This would not happen if we rehearsed once in a blue moon, especially the originals band since it gigs less than once a month on average.  Also the originals band uses weekly meetups to develop new songs - but that's out of the scope of what most people consider "rehearsal" (again, another example where originals and covers/tribute bands differ).

 

Play a new song (or, *shudder* songs!)  having never played it/them together before the gig?  No thank you.  I consider that to be folly and horribly underprepared but maybe that just means I'm a crap player and my band(s) are crap too because I'm surrounded by like minded folk who wouldn't want to do that either.  So be it, it's not my profession and it isn't putting food on the table - more of a hobby that mostly pays for itself.  I'm bloody great at other stuff - funnily enough some of that excellence corresponds with my day job.

 

Also, I'm a lazy git - if I didn't have weekly rehearsals, I might not even pick up the bass between gigs

 

[Barking Spiders]

Some other options not in the list i.e.

 

Do you dep occasionally if a local function bad is kinda desperate?

Do you jam with mates, in between bouts of drinking?

Do you play at open mic nights, in between bouts of drinking?

 

In my case, yes to all three

[tauzero]

The covers band I was gigging with is on hold due to health issues - I did vote for that although at the moment I'm mostly recording with an originals band, but I'm also looking for a gigging band (which the originals band isn't at the moment). I also record solo work at home.

[Staggering on]

2 hours ago, Gothic said:

I don't gig anymore. Last one was January 2020.

 

After covid, the scene here's pretty much dead if you're looking to start a new band. The older bands are creeping back out but there are, what, two or three viable places to play, people outside of friends aren't likely to show up and money's laughable. Not great prospects, sadly.

 

Similar situation here, last real gig was in February of 2020. I am in two jazz groups and we have been rehearsing sporadically for months but with members getting Covid and not many venues available it is hard getting gigs, we are hoping things will improve as the weather warms up and outdoor gigs become a possibility.

The one bright light is a musical being put on in a local theatre in early June and I will be using my new to me Shen SB100 and Acoustic Image amp as part of a seven piece band in the show and we will be on stage, not in the pit so that's nice. The venue seats about 1000 and has a great sound system and technicians so it should be fun.

It's better in the big cities but I am in a very rural area of northern Ontario and even at the best of times pre Covid it was hard to get gigs, at least we are rehearsing both bands now and maybe by summer things will improve.

[martthebass]

Just one band for me doing about 40 gigs per year (down from 50 as I'm on chemo and need some recovery time at times).  A tribute to 70s Glam Rock at its finest.  Mainly play in the North of England but do bikers rallies and other bits and pieces further afield.

[Nicko]

4 hours ago, neepheid said:

I disagree with the aversion to rehearsals.  While I freely admit there is a social aspect to them (for us at least) it is critical for keeping us weekend warriors sounding tight.  It pays off too - in both my bands it has been commented upon on several occasions how tight we sound.  This would not happen if we rehearsed once in a blue moon,

I agree to some extent.  However one band that I left carried on and were gigging maybe three times a fortnight.  If that's your schedule then rehearsals are only for new material.  Personally I enjoyed rehearsals more than gigging when I was in a covers band.  The enjoyment of gigging never quite outweighed the derrière ache of travelling, setting up, waiting around and stripping down.

[upside downer]

Started out with a couple of originals bands in the early 90s, family life took over, got back in on the pub covers circuit some 20 odd years ago but haven't gigged for just over 2 years now and, with an ever-expanding family, it's hard finding the time for a regular gigging band at the moment. Potter about with home recordings (hurrah for Basschat's monthly Composition Challenge) and sometimes record with others. I've put the 'don't gig, record on own' option.

[steantval]

Gig in a Classic Rock covers band, used to do a minimum of 20 paid gigs a year, this year it’s dire, first gig of this year is not until the middle of May !!

 

We have 6 gigs booked so far this year, can’t see us getting many more, half the live band venues around this way are just not putting on live music, lack of footfall and won’t pay for bands.

 

Most of the bands around here are still going despite the onslaught of Covid over the past couple of years, I would have thought several might have called it a day but not the case, we now have a dire situation where we have the same amount of bands looking to gig at 50% of the venues there used to be.☹️

Edited April 19, 2022 by steantval

[ubit]

We used to rehearse regularly but back in the 90's and early 2000's we never rehearsed as we were so busy all the time. Now and again we would get together for learning new songs but the set took care of itself.

[Bassassin]

Not any more, inclined to think I might be done with it. My last band started in the mid 90s as an original recording project with me & the singer/co-writer, grew into a band which gigged a lot, achieved very little and ultimately ran its course.

 

Now things have gone full-circle, me & singer are (very sporadically) writing & recording again with no consideration to playing the music live. This is surprisingly liberating as we don't have to be restricted by what we can realistically reproduce live, and without the cat-herding chore of trying to arrange rehearsals or gigs.

[peteb]

15 hours ago, mrtcat said:

Most function bands pump out the same old shite every week. Rather than the difference being defined by ability I would suggest it is defined by approach.

Most function players are more focused on it being an income provider and for that reason they look harder at efficient earning and squeezing as much income as possible from their musical ability. 

It doesn't make them better just different in their approach. There are tons of great musicians on the pub scene who have the chops but not the desire for function work and that's all that separates. There are however loads of pub players who would struggle with all the guff that goes with function playing (lots of travelling, early arrivals, hanging around for hours on end, awkward clients, being comfortable and competent to play songs that haven't been rehearsed live, very late nights, bridezilla, endless rigging up and tearing down, venues with appalling acoustics, ridiculous noise limiters and on and on and on). 

If you're a great player but want some social fun and far less of the crap then pub playing is a great way to tick those boxes.

 

Absolutely.

 

I never really thought that you needed chops to play in a function band. For every top band playing the high end of the corporate circuit there’s a couple of dozen acts playing tired versions of Mustang Sally for middle aged aunts to dance to at weddings at mid-priced venues. Like you say, you do need to be focussed on the money and be prepared to put the work in, but that seems to be more about getting the event management right rather than the music. I’ve done it (briefly) in the past and it was alright, and we made decent money. I’m not saying I wouldn’t do it again if the money was right, but it’s not something that I would want to commit to long, or even medium, term.

 

The thing with the pub circuit is that there are some terrible bands out there, but also plenty of very good ones. There isn’t as much commitment or hassle as playing functions and at least, with a bit of thought, you can avoid the lowest common denominator stuff and still get a following. 

 

[Dad3353]

Several years as a 'pro' drummer in variety bands, more years still 'depping' or functions as a duo (keys/drums...), several years doing first the sound, then the lights, for a touring punk/rock/ska band, odd-jobbing FOH and rigging for festival-type events, playing firstly bass, then drums with our sons and a couple of chums, playing covers, my gigging calendar has in these last few years reduced to very little indeed. I ticked the box 'I record at home', which is my current situation, but I could have ticked most or any of 'em, really. Hope this helps (but I don't see how...) 
What was the question again..? Who are you..? Have the visitors been..? 

[Stub Mandrel]

Blues band which is covers but very loose and even improvisational in places.

 

Covers band which does the 'compare live versions off YouTube and choose which one to do' thing.

 

I love the contrast. Especially when both bands do the same song very differently.

Edited April 19, 2022 by Stub Mandrel
🤭

[ubit]

12 hours ago, peteb said:

I never really thought that you needed chops to play in a function band. For every top band playing the high end of the corporate circuit there’s a couple of dozen acts playing tired versions of Mustang Sally for middle aged aunts to dance to at weddings at mid-priced venues.

 

 

If that is your audience then that's what you have to do. What's the point in playing complicated musical pieces of original material if no one is going to bother coming?

Lots of people slag off cover bands for doing certain songs but sometimes they are forced to. We started playing music WE wanted to play and soon found out the hard way that we had to play what THEY wanted to hear.

I happen to think we were good at it too as we were not short of bookings. This snobbery at cover bands gets right up me.

Edited April 20, 2022 by ubit