Monkey Steve Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 (edited) I had an interesting lesson in band finances a couple of weeks ago. I'm doing a charity gig next weekend with a covers band I've notionally been in for a couple of years, but we've never actually played (or until two weeks ago, rehearsed) because the rest of the band are in a signed, name band, and we've never had the opportunity to arrange any actual gigs (though I depped with them for a couple of gigs last year when they were between bass players). The name band are very well known in a specific genre, regularly do (smallish) UK tours at not bad sized club venues, play festivals across the world, sell a ton of merch, and never go out for less than £1k a show...but once they've paid for vans, flights, hotels, and given money to the crew and the non-core band members, there isn't much left over for the core band members (the lot that I'll be playing with). So despite generating a decent amount of cash, it's very far from being a living, and while expenses are covered, it's barely a paid hobby - the core members paid themselves for the first time in about three or four years a few weeks ago, and it wasn't a huge amount of money considering all the band activity in that time (though they did then take me out drinking with the balance of the band bank account as I'd done the dep shows for free). And as men of a certain age with assorted family and job responsibilities, they can't really step the band up to the next level because they can't commit to weeks or months on the road, and at the level they currently occupy they aren't going to be offered many more gigs than they currently play. So they are all very keen to finally get this covers band up and running as they see it being far more lucrative - we can play as frequently as we want, expenses will be low, and it doesn't need three rehearsals a week. The other band will always be their first love, but they fancy actually taking money home with them after playing a gig for a change Edited May 7, 2019 by Monkey Steve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiophonic Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 (edited) It was a belter. Nottingham Metal to the Masses Semi Final. We aren't a metal band - more an atmospheric art-rock with classical singing type of deal - so we weren't really feeling any pressure, despite the music being tricky to pull off live due to all the twists and turns and dynamic shifts. Our singer is due to give birth tomorrow(!), so it was definitely a case of 'above and beyond' but what with the impending hiatus, the previous gig being a total car crash for reasons beyond our control, some higher profile shows coming at the end of the year and the venue (The Maze in Nottingham) about to close, we really wanted it to be a good one and somehow everything just clicked. We've regularly been given horrible live sound at the Maze, thanks to 'that' sound engineer, but it was a different guy last night (Phil, who often does sound at the Salutation) and everything sounded great on stage and off. Very loud but super clear. I borrowed a couple of 1x15 Yamaha cabs and really loved my sound and felt much more in control than usual. I even managed a couple of big jumps. Decent and enthusiastic crowd, lots of Friday night drinking and hanging out going on only added to the good vibes. Three total strangers complimented my playing (I assume they were bass players, because ...er who else would notice the bass playing?). Unexpected but a nice detail, plus everyone who had seen us before agreed it was the best they'd seen us. I feel really beaten up today mind. Edited May 11, 2019 by radiophonic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 I had a pretty good gig last night. We have a very lopsided calendar this year, with busy months and quiet months, so last night was our first gig since the end of March. It was also our first gig with our new keyboard player! For the last 6 months or so we've been playing as a three-piece, which has necessitated some compromises and changes to the set list, so last night was a return to how it's supposed to be. I made a few flubs here and there but given that there were about a dozen songs that I'd never played at a gig before, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. The crowd called out for more, and that's the key thing. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 I played a nice set at Abingdon Jazz Festival yesterday evening. Here is pic of the get in. With a double bass. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leschirons Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 On 06/05/2019 at 00:51, Bluewine said: I had another acoustic gig Thursday night at the BlondiPop. Good crowd and nice venue. A guy complained that he couldn't hear the lead vocals or bass that well. Do you guys ever check how your levels are in the house? GREAT NEWS! My band has a great Summerfest ( world's largest music festival) slot this year. 7/3 at 5:00pm on the ULine Rock Stage. 80s hit nakers Lover Boy are the headliner. Another festival on 7/13 we're opening for The Charlie Daniels Band ( " The Devil Went Down To Georgia") A few other festivals have come through too Guys, I feel so much better Blue Great news Blue. All happening again for you. Nice one. Regarding stage / house levels, yes, our guitarist uses wireless so always sound checks on stage, then front of house and always does another check out front a couple of numbers into the first set when there's a few bodies in the audience. Have a great summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 (edited) I played another acoustic gig with our BL at the Harley Motor Bar & Restaurant Saturday night 5:30- 8:30. Great load in, great looking place. The staff is always organized and professional. They know how to treat the help. Upscale clientele. I was happy with my playing and the overall sound of the band. At least from what I heard on stage. I have no idea how the sound was in the house. Blue Edited May 13, 2019 by Bluewine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 3 hours ago, Bluewine said: I played another acoustic gig with our BL at the Harley Motor Bar & Restaurant Saturday night 5:30- 8:30. Great load in, great looking place. The staff is always organized and professional. They know how to treat the help. Upscale clientele. I was happy with my playing and the overall sound of the band. At least from what I heard on stage. I have no idea how the sound was in the house. Blue My dream gig Blue. Harley Davidson and playing bass all in one venue. Heaven on earth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 19 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said: My dream gig Blue. Harley Davidson and playing bass all in one venue. Heaven on earth My old band played at the party to celebrate the Sportster's birthday at Gaydon Motor Museum a couple of years ago, organised by the HDRCGB and one of the magazines. Good crowd, fun gig. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 2 hours ago, FinnDave said: My old band played at the party to celebrate the Sportster's birthday at Gaydon Motor Museum a couple of years ago, organised by the HDRCGB and one of the magazines. Good crowd, fun gig. Another great gig Dave but the Harley Museum i'd love to just visit let alone play there. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Bit of an odd one on Saturday night...odd may be over-stating things. Not what we expected is probably closer to it We'd been told that we were playing a charity night for the tenth anniversary of the death of someone that our singer knew. The band being one that I've notionally been in for a while, but we've never played, or even rehearsed, because all the other band members are in a much better known, much busier band. This one is purely playing old hard rock covers for a laugh, and this seemed to be a great opportunity to cobble together half an hour of those, get out and see if it works. There are a couple of bands playing, plus mention of a bit of a jam session to follow, but it's tricky to get any details. Nothing on t'internet about it, or on social media, which seems a bit odd considering it's on at the Face Bar in Reading, a venue that has regular gigs and club nights. It's pretty close to where the singer lives, bit of a trip out of town for the rest of us, not least the drummer who is in another band playing the Incineration Festival at the Electric Ballroom in Camden that afternoon. The singer has to bring a bass cab to the venue (not mine, long story) and because of post gig drinking logistics decides that he'll do that in the afternoon rather than taking it as we arrive for the gig. First he's going to a lunch that the widow is having for friends. The first subtle shift is that the lunch seems to be for the widow's birthday rather than the anniversary of the death, although it may be the deceased's birthday - I'm a bit fuzzy on that. On mentioning that he's going to drop the bass cab off at the Face Bar, the widow tells our singer that the gig isn't happening there! Instead it's at an arts centre on the other side of Reading, and no longer seems to be a charity night, but a birthday gig. Ah, that explains the lack of any social media coverage then. Messages quickly sent to the band telling us of the change in details...slight concern that any mates who were going to come to the gig will now be gatecrashers... Still, it's a gig for the band, and when we arrive the stage is set up, and the "jam" part of the night is about to happen - do I know the bass lines for any of the following songs? This seems to be what the guitarist currently on stage and the singer are pretty sure they know. I can cover one song, and the bass player from the other band that is playing can do the rest. Songs are played, guitarists and drummers are swapped, and it's a really nice vibe. I guess two or three dozen people are there, certainly enough to make a reasonable crowd, all of them into the sort of stuff we're playing, with a small chunk of them participating one way or another We get up and do our half hour, go down pretty well (not that I think the crowd would have told us if we were awful, but we thoroughly enjoyed it). Not as tight as we would hope to be if we'd rehearsed more than twice, but close enough for rock n roll. Then over to the other band, an established covers outfit, who played a great set. Interesting set up too - everything (including the guitar head - they seemed to be using a Kemper) went through the PA, and levels were controlled on an iPad. No long, tedious sound checks when we played or the jam was happening - they'd set everything before the crowd arrived so those playing just plugged in, tuned up and away they went with a tweak or two on the iPad as and when required. So, not what we were expecting on many levels, but a really nice evening, a good first gig with the band, and all of us agreeing that we should do more of the same 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 On Saturday, playing a dairy farm in the middle of the plains of Emilia Romagna in northern Italy, during the soundcheck we lost all power...we went outside to see bits of tree flying around - we'd been hit by a tornado!! 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckinthepod Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Great gig with We Three Kings at Blossoms in Stockport. Small crowd but everyone into it and appreciative. Sweltering temp under the lights and two flights of stairs with my ancient Laney 4x10 not so great though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 (edited) Saturday night at the Birds Nest in Deptford. We'd not been before so I had no idea what to expect. We set off from Stoke at 3pm and got there around 6:30 which isn't too bad. I had to set up the drums for the other bands to use, but leave off my cymbals and snare. All standard stuff, except the only place to store gear was in the pool room behind the stage. I was a little nervous leaving my fancy cymbals alone in a pub I don't know. Thankfully they were safe enough. The support bands were pretty good, as was the beer, and we played well and went down well so it should have been a good night, even if it was a late one (to bed at 3:30AM). However, one idiot put a massive downer on my night. He was clearly far too drunk and coming on to one of our fans in a way that can only be described as sexual harassment. I asked him very politely to leave her alone, that did seem to calm him down, and she said she could take care of herself, but I couldn't shake the anger and it killed the atmosphere for me. Edited May 13, 2019 by cheddatom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Two cracking gigs over the weekend with Glam Fever. First up on the Friday evening, a national bikers rally event at the Royal Cheshire showground near Knutsford. Although we were the first band on the marquee was pretty full (a few hundred) and the crowd were pretty much on their feet from the start. A cracking 90 minute set with 2 encores - we look forward to returning next year. Second, at a very nice club in Sleaford, South Lincs. We were pretty knackered from the day before but the crowd were brilliant and were on their feet from the first song in the first set to the last song in the second set. Wish all weekends were like this! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 1 hour ago, martthebass said: Two cracking gigs over the weekend with Glam Fever. First up on the Friday evening, a national bikers rally event at the Royal Cheshire showground near Knutsford. Although we were the first band on the marquee was pretty full (a few hundred) and the crowd were pretty much on their feet from the start. A cracking 90 minute set with 2 encores - we look forward to returning next year. Second, at a very nice club in Sleaford, South Lincs. We were pretty knackered from the day before but the crowd were brilliant and were on their feet from the first song in the first set to the last song in the second set. Wish all weekends were like this! Great biker gig. Saw the band VID clips on FB. Excellent guys, thoroughly the clips. Great sound, vocals really clear and guitar, bass and drums had a great balance. Nice one. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 10 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said: Great biker gig. Saw the band VID clips on FB. Excellent guys, thoroughly the clips. Great sound, vocals really clear and guitar, bass and drums had a great balance. Nice one. Dave Cheers Dave, much appreciated. The sound engineers did a great job at this one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 5 minutes ago, martthebass said: Cheers Dave, much appreciated. The sound engineers did a great job at this one. Its good to hear the vocals so clear especially with the Glam Rock material. Sound guys did you well altho the talent has to be there to start with so give yourselves the credit i'm dishing on you. Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 (edited) On 13/05/2019 at 01:55, FinnDave said: My old band played at the party to celebrate the Sportster's birthday at Gaydon Motor Museum a couple of years ago, organised by the HDRCGB and one of the magazines. Good crowd, fun gig You guys know HD is headquatered here in Milwaukee. They provide a lot of work for bands with all their events. Very professional the way they treat bands. We have 2 Harley Festival gigs coming up that we played last year. They provide a top notch stage with wireless sound and lights, Green room( actually a VIP tent) with beverages and sandwiches. I night start a new thread addressing how bands should behave and how owners and organizers should treat bands. Blue Edited May 14, 2019 by Bluewine 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 When the museum was being built HOG members could buy a name plate for one of the walls if i remember right. Its like a Harley Mecca. You should visit once in your lifetime. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown_User Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 First gig with the originals band I'm in last night. I think everyone was a bit nervous to start off with but it went pretty well. Despite the place being mostly empty. Ah well, it's not the first time I've played to the bar staff and the other bands! The bass player in the band on after us used what looked like a cello bow to play one song. First time I've seen that technique before! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 26 minutes ago, Unknown_User said: The bass player in the band on after us used what looked like a cello bow to play one song. First time I've seen that technique before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 1 hour ago, Unknown_User said: a cello bow to play one song. He should have used an actual cello! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown_User Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 7 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said: He should have used an actual cello! That bit in Spinal Tap did spring to mind! I'm glad he wasn't actually playing a cello though because he was in a kilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 I was depping for the Razors tonight and it was an awful gig , we played alright , but the lads didn’t take control of a random coked up pisshead who was close to the edge , he came on stage twice and each time I stopped playing , but the others carried on . It wasn’t till I got in the way and stopped the song that the landlady got involved and took him away , restarted the song , finished the song and said our goodbyes. Lots of decent punters came up to apologise and insist we go back , I certainly won’t be, but then I’m not actually in the band any more ! The bloke who took over is struggling with issues at home and has dropped them in it somewhat. I have told the lads I will cover 3 weddings and a carnival (and a house party) as they are important , but have declined all the pub gigs , my diary won’t cope with most of them , and I left the band to get some weekends to myself ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SICbass Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 11 hours ago, Unknown_User said: I'm glad he wasn't actually playing a cello though because he was in a kilt. Ewwwwww! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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