How was your gig last night?

[Stub Mandrel]

5 hours ago, Bluewine said:

Instead of taking home $200.00,

3 1/2 hour gigs suddenly don't seem quite so bad!

[51m0n]

Weird one. 50th Birthday party, got asked to play, punter knew what to expect (we aren't your typical party function funk covers band).

We arrive, set up - very reverby splashy sounding room, sprung floor to boot!.

Soundcheck has some challenges, but we get through them no worries.

Play the gig for the surprised birthday boy and friends and family, who pretty much ignore us throughout, no clapping to speak of. Really weird atmosphere for us as a result.

Afterwards we tear down and politely say our goodbyes assuming we had gone down like a lead balloon - the only people dancing were three 10 year old girls after all...

Apparently they all loved us and thought we were great, and the music was superb.

Well you could have let us know that!!!!

Sheesh.....

[Bluewine]

2 hours ago, FinnDave said:

I remember playing a gig at a biker pub where there were several bands and there were collection buckets all around. I tried picking one up and it was too heavy to lift. According to local accounts, the landlord disappeared with the lot after the gig.

The bands all gave their time, equipment, and expertise for free, on the basis that it was a genuine charity event. Which in a way it was, but not for the 'cause' most of us had expected. 

Dave,

I played a paid benefit for the Washington County Humane Society thus past Thursday. A reputable organization I was happy to do it.

Here in the States you have to be careful with these charities and benefits. Many times they're poorly organized and questionable.

I say a "red flag" is when you find out out all other vendors and people providing goods or services are being paid and the only folks unpaid are the bands.

Blue

[Bluewine]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

3 1/2 hour gigs suddenly don't seem quite so bad!

True, especially when everything is clicking. The band was good and playing to a nice crowd that's into the band. It makes. That 3 1/2 hours go by fast. 

We worked hard for that money. 

Blue

[Bilbo]

Gig with our new digital PA. Couldn't get the thing to work so the band leaders had to shout. We got it going 15 minutes after the end of the gig. 

 

[FinnDave]

9 hours ago, Bluewine said:

Dave,

I played a paid benefit for the Washington County Humane Society thus past Thursday. A reputable organization I was happy to do it.

Here in the States you have to be careful with these charities and benefits. Many times they're poorly organized and questionable.

I say a "red flag" is when you find out out all other vendors and people providing goods or services are being paid and the only folks unpaid are the bands.

Blue

Absolutely right, Blue - there are a lot of pubs that organise 'charity festivals' where everyone is paid except the bands - but without the bands there'd be no one there!

I refuse to play unpaid 'charity' gigs as in my experience, you get treated according to what are worth paying - at free gigs bands are treated like rubbish, but if the venue is investing a few 100 in you, then they look after you.

Minimum has to be expenses, that would mean at least £300 for my current band, and I'd have a hard time trying to sell the idea of playing for that to the other guys, so really we'd need at least double that.

[Muzz]

2 hours ago, Bilbo said:

Gig with our new digital PA. Couldn't get the thing to work so the band leaders had to shout. We got it going 15 minutes after the end of the gig. 

 

Oooo, Shouty Jazz...you might have inadvertently created a whole new subgenre there, Bilbo me old chum 😁

[PaulWarning]

we play the pub with the jar regularly, it's not that bad an idea, one of the moans on here is about 'free' music, and that gets round the problem of charging an admission, it gives the pub a buffer of having to pay out the full fee on bad nights and if it keeps music pubs going (and this pub is a long established one) it has its merits

btw, the Landlady is very nice and an in house PA is definitely a bonus

[mikebass456]

2 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

we play the pub with the jar regularly, it's not that bad an idea, one of the moans on here is about 'free' music, and that gets round the problem of charging an admission, it gives the pub a buffer of having to pay out the full fee on bad nights and if it keeps music pubs going (and this pub is a long established one) it has its merits

btw, the Landlady is very nice and an in house PA is definitely a bonus

Fully agree with the above - the jar is a great way to help the smaller venues to put live music on regularly, which at the end of the day is the main point.

The 'LL is very nice and good at getting the PA sorted for bands - I've been to see quite a few there over the years.

It was just bizarre that my old band got all their gigs cancelled and barred from the place for playing elsewhere in the town though.........

[KevB]

6 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

we play the pub with the jar regularly, it's not that bad an idea, one of the moans on here is about 'free' music, and that gets round the problem of charging an admission, it gives the pub a buffer of having to pay out the full fee on bad nights and if it keeps music pubs going (and this pub is a long established one) it has its merits

btw, the Landlady is very nice and an in house PA is definitely a bonus

I agree, though it helps if you actually get the money from the jar😂 In my case it has become clear (as I suspected, hence me making positive remarks about it in my report) that the venue had nothing to do with what happened and the birthday boy has been contacted by a band member about it, he says he 'just forgot' to consult the band before donating it all to one of his favourite biker charities.

Edited March 9, 2020 by KevB

[Muzz]

Shows how much he thought of the band doing him a favour...I'd definitely 'forget' to do it next time...

I'd agree with the premise that the more you're getting paid, the better you're looked after: wedding gigs (with a few exceptions, mostly because of arsey Wedding Planners getting involved) are a good example of this. The Charidee stuff is very often apologetically neglectful, sometimes bordering on exploitative (in those cases where most other people are getting paid)...

[PaulWarning]

48 minutes ago, mikebass456 said:

 

It was just bizarre that my old band got all their gigs cancelled and barred from the place for playing elsewhere in the town though.........

you do have to be careful about that sort of thing, especially if it's close, datewise, and if the venues are in direct competition with each other.

Edited March 9, 2020 by PaulWarning

[mikebass456]

We were about 3 months apart on the gigs, not as if it was the week before, and i have had to move gigs before in other venues for this purpose, so i do appreciate the thinking behind a request not to book too close in another venue.

I'm in another band now that doesn't play in the same town, so might grow a tache and see if I can sneak in under the radar.......😜

[Muzz]

We've had this with a couple of venues on the same main street; one gives us at least half a dozen Satdy night gigs a year, it's a great venue, pays well, the other ummms and ahhhhs about booking us, but then will phone up at short notice for the odd gig, usually on a Sunday night, when it's much deader. Guess which one got all arsey when the LL found out we were playing at the other... 🙄

[stewblack]

Technically speaking my gig was tonight not last night. Early start as the punters had been hard at it all day gambling on the outcome of horses running with little people sat on them. 

The human detritus left by the time we were in full swing did not give a hoot for live music. Still, got paid and home in bed before 11. I'll take that. 

I used my Trace in biamp mode. Two ten with horn on top, fifteen below. Best on stage sound I can remember having. I guess the height, being able to adjust the volume levels going into each cab and the inherent Trace magic, combined with those Detroit Flats on my Bass Centre P just came together to create a perfect storm. 

I keep vascilating between TE and SVT as the greatest thing ever. I guess they're equal but just very different beasts. 

[Cat Burrito]

My occasional CCR tribute played Swindon last night & the general feeling was we did good. I'd spent the day revamping my Ric and it did get a couple of nice comments, 

[41Hz]

@stewblack @Cat Burrito

What were the numbers like last night, was it quieter than usual due to Coronavirus?

[Cat Burrito]

1 hour ago, 41Hz said:

@stewblack @Cat Burrito

What were the numbers like last night, was it quieter than usual due to Coronavirus?

I think it's still early days so maybe a drop in about 10-15% tops but then this venue wasn't a chain pub and apparently the Greene King / Wetherspoons type pubs are hit a bit harder. My feeling is it'll get worse before it gets better. We already lost a 10 day run in Spain this week that was due to start end of the month. 

[stewblack]

3 hours ago, 41Hz said:

@stewblack @Cat Burrito

What were the numbers like last night, was it quieter than usual due to Coronavirus?

No this is Midsomer Norton, it was rammed. Until most of them staggered off to find kebabs. 

My band mates who live in posh cities like Bath and Oxford were aghast at all the close contact and sharing of bodily fluids. 

[Woodinblack]

Mine wasn't too bad, new place for us in weymouth (40 minutes away, we don't normally get to travel that far!), tricky place to load in as you can't park but turned out not much traffic and the roadworks meant even less. Small but nicely done stage, small but appreciative audience. Was a bit concerned about doing this because of the virus and all, but it wasn't rammed so that was ok. 

Everyone else in the band said they really enjoyed it, but for some reason for me it was a little flat. Oh and the singer messed up 3 of the first 5 songs, but luckily me and the drummer were there to correct him on all of them for a change

[dmccombe7]

16 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Everyone else in the band said they really enjoyed it, but for some reason for me it was a little flat. Oh and the singer messed up 3 of the first 5 songs, but luckily me and the drummer were there to correct him on all of them for a change

Bass & drums saves the day as always. 

Dave

[lozkerr]

First gig for our six-piece 80s covers band last night. It was a fundraising night at Edinburgh College in Granton.

We went down a storm, in spite of my backline playing up. Lots of people dancing and enjoying themselves. It was livestreamed to YouTube too.

All in all, a great start for the band. I'm looking forward to our next one!

Edited March 14, 2020 by lozkerr
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[bassbiscuits]

Mine was a 40th birthday party of someone the singer knows. Decent gig, tho the inevitable “drunk people dancing and falling over into the singer and breaking his mic stand” scenario by the end of it.

Its all tuned down a half step, which I’m realising doesn’t sound too good on a short scale mustang so I used my spare Yamaha all night instead which was far more feisty.

It was my second gig with my recently acquired BF Big Twin 2 cab, which sounds very different from my regular Schroeder, so I was quite preoccupied by trying to listen carefully to my sound to be honest.

Had a cool drive home thru the countryside tho, spotting various barn owls and rabbits dashing about. 

[leschirons]

How was my gig? Cancelled, like all the rest this month😅

[MGB]

Same here.