4000 Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 [quote name='Bassassin' post='562597' date='Aug 7 2009, 09:51 AM']Don't do it! Never give up, never surrender! As another 40-something old duffer playing originals I am painfully aware that broadly speaking Joe Public won't take original material & bands seriously unless it has been validated for them - people need press, radio, TV, the web etc to basically say it's OK to like something before they'll front up cash - or even make the time to go & see it. I have played covers (to help subsidise an original band) and the fact that you're playing other peoples' songs gives you a validation that playing your own material doesn't - no matter how accomplished your own work may be there's an attitude that "if you can play ******* then you must be good!" Madness! The band I'm in now has been gigging since 2000 and it's fair to say couldn't attract flies to a sh!t fight, but it's not because we suck. Our favourite gigs are out-of-town ones where we're a completely unknown quantity, often playing first on the bill to another band's audience - we always, without fail, get massive amounts of praise & compliments, sell CDs & T-shirts (when we're organised enough to remember to bring them) and have new people getting in touch through Myspace. It seems in no way a disadvantage that we're often twice the age of the bands that we gig with and the people we play to. For me, playing music, specifically gigging, whether it be to 2 people or 200 is a life-affirming experience - we've had a couple of long breaks (6 months or so) and I hate it - in a sense gigging is what I play music for. However covers isn't really an option despite the advantages of audience size, public approbation, regular gigs & even money - I need to have a passion for what I play. I co-write my band's material with our singer, and it may be wildly egotistical, but I like our stuff better than 99% of pretty much everything else - and I actively don't want to play anything else. Jon.[/quote] +1 to 99% of the above. We always go down a storm away from home too; problem is fitting those "away" gigs into busy 40-something lives. I think what I live for musically these days though is the writing (probably always was really). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 [quote name='4000' post='563250' date='Aug 8 2009, 01:16 AM']+1 to 99% of the above. We always go down a storm away from home too; problem is fitting those "away" gigs into busy 40-something lives. I think what I live for musically these days though is the writing (probably always was really).[/quote] Having just spent something like 4 years writing the best music I've ever been involved with - I can understand that entirely. But now I just want to play it! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 [quote name='Bassassin' post='563255' date='Aug 8 2009, 01:28 AM']Having just spent something like 4 years writing the best music I've ever been involved with - I can understand that entirely. But now I just want to play it! J.[/quote] And therein lies the dilemma.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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