peteb

Cheers mate. I did find it actually - this is pretty cool as well, Sklar reminiscing with John Patitucci Fascinating stuff...

I don't suppose that you have a link for that?? Cheers

Signed and I would urge everyone to do likewise. What they are doing to the entertainment industry, pub trade etc. is disgraceful.

Early eighties – I was living in a student hall of residence in Islington with Ezee Studios on one side and a big old-fashioned boozer on the other. We all became quite blasé with the number of superstars we would be propping the bar up with on any given night of the week. One Saturday, me and a friend were looking for a mate before setting off for a big night out after a few early beers and a couple of other, ahem, liveners. I was leading the way and headed into the back room, bumping into a short haired bloke playing pool who had then fell into his fellow equally shorthaired, short-arsed pool players. The bloke I had bumped into looked up at me angrily, causing me to look down and laugh before heading off to try and find our missing drinking partner. I enquired as to what my mate found so amusing? He said ‘you’ve just played skittles with various members of Madness’ (Suggs wasn’t there, so I just didn’t recognise them) …!

There are a lot of Americans (and guys from other countries) who want to play the UK because this is where the Beatles, Stones & Led Zep, etc came from. In the same way, British blues musos all want to play Chicago or in Texas. In reality, the music scene in the UK has declined and there are better countries to play in (both in terms of the audience and the money). If you do come over, I'm sure that there are guys on here who would be happy for you to sit in for a few tunes on their gigs...!

Hi Daryl I'm afraid that it is vastly different, in fact the fair and festival market that you know doesn't really exist over here. And as Dave says, I'm afraid that you are unlikely to cover the costs of your plane ticket. I do know some Americans who occasionally come over and do it, mainly doing the blues circuit. They are generally visiting muso mates over here who will lend them gear and book a string of club dates on their behalf. If they have a bit of a profile and have the right contacts, they may get on the bill of a blues festival. If they have a much higher profile, they may do it legit and get the right permits and play a European club tour. There are certainly more opportunities if you have some contacts in mainland Europe. They also have more small-scale music festivals than we do in the UK. Pete

Quite a lot of money, not to mention getting work permits etc. Remember you are only likely to pull £250 - £300 (less than 350 USD) for a pub gig and you are unlikely to get any festivals unless you have some sort of a name in a specific genre. If you have any contacts to book gigs, you might have better luck in northern Europe.

I must admit, I find it difficult to take him seriously after reading his autobiography. As talented as he is, it was fascinating (in all the wrong ways) to see how someone who has been lucky enough to have had such a fortunate life could whinge so much about virtually everything and everybody...!

You mean the more they invest in you, the more they feel that they have to look after their investment! Who would have thought...

Generally, there doesn't tend to be a rider when you're playing pubs IME

That is the problem with playing gigs for free - you have put a value on your services and that value is zero! If they had committed to pay a couple of hundred quid (or whatever the going rate is) then it is the venue's interest to make sure that they act professionally and keep you reasonably happy as they want to make their money back. If it's not costing them anything then why should they care? I'm not saying that you should never play for free, but it has offer something significant to make it worthwhile. For example, a support to a semi known band in a club where there will be a couple of hundred people there - you still may be treated badly, but at least it has put you in front of a suitable audience that may help your band to establish a following / sell merch, etc. As far as free drinks go, some places will give the band free sodas all night and many (but by no means all) landlords will buy you a beer at the end of the night. I would be more concerned about playing an unsuitable venue where they aren't bothered about having a band, but doing it anyway because it's not costing them anything.

To be fair, Sixx & Simmons have done what they have done and although I'm not a particular fan of either band, they are each responsible for more than a few good tracks. By all accounts, Nikki Sixx is a pretty decent human being these days now he's sober. The thing is that they are just treating fans like marks. These are the people who made them what they are and trying to exploit them in this way just seems a bit cheap. Beller is a proper musician (rather than a 'Rock Star' like Sixx & Simmons) and seems to appreciate his fans and how they have made his career possible. I saw Pat Travers about tens years ago at a half full club in Leeds. At the end of the gig, he said before the last song that they would be going to get changed but if anyone wanted to have a beer or to chat or get anything signed, him and his band would be at the bar in twenty minutes. He may not be as big a star as Gene Simmons, but I know who I have the most respect for.

That's because Beller has a level of class that Sixx and, especially, Gene Simmons could never begin to understand...

But there is a world of difference between him and a genuine semi-pro like me who gigs regularly and makes some money from music, but has a full time 9 to 5 day job.

I think that tells you pretty much how Brexit is going to work out for ordinary British workers! The real question is, will there be a tariff applied when the blue passports are imported into the UK??