blue

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1416488309' post='2610716'] I never saw the Fab Four live but saw them a lot when when they were filming Help and A Hard Days Night. My school was a couple of hundred yards from Twickenham Studios. The Beatles homes (4 terraced houses in a row) in Help was in my friends road, The Turks Head pub where Ringo played darts was next to my school, the park where they spell H-E-L-P was near me etc. Hundreds of screaming kids descended on Twickenham Studios when school finished at 4 pm every weekday. So lots of happy memories of those times and places. [/quote] Sounds like heaven to me. If I could walk pass the 4 terraced homes, sit in that bar Ringo played darts in, my life would be complete. What wonderful memories. Shea was done just shortly after the boys finished filming Help. I remember when I was 9 years old, I don't listen to lyrics much anymore but I listened to the lyrics on Something New , Hard Days Night, Meet The Beatles ect... I was young but I understood conceptually what they were singing about and I wanted to get in on it. BTW, my Mom purchased an imitation Hofner violin style bass for me the week after their debut on American Television. February 9th,1964, The Ed Sullivan Show. 50 years later and I'm just as active gigging as ever. The whole thing was inspired by the Beatles for me, I think that's why you won't hear me moaning. Those guys always looked like they were having fun and I'm still having it. Blue

Whiter Shade Of Pale and What Become Of The Broken Hearted. Both in my top 5. Blue

Creativity is relative and way over rated. Fact, a lot us of think were creative but were not. You want fun? Take fun with pay ( whether you need it or not ) and go out and gig with that cover band with work. [i]"If your not gigging your not in a band"[/i] Blue

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1416444027' post='2610384'] Even more amazing at places like Shea Stadium..................[/quote] Magic, my Dad took me to the Shea Show. I think the tickets were like $5.35 a bargain. I saw Paul last summer and paid 160.00 for 20th row in front of the stage, still a bargain in my book I still wear my Shea Blazer and Beatle Boots. Blue

Great clip, I also thought it was odd that Ringo had to help move the riser. I love this sort of stuff. I always say to younger people; [i]"Don't say you don't like The Beatles or I don't get what the big deal was, it makes you sound ignorant. Just say, I am too young to know much about the band.[/i] [i]They broke up long before I was born".[/i] Blue

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1416408332' post='2609890'] I'm sure the pros are. For us pub players we barely break even when all costs are taken into account. [/quote] Break even? All I know is after a gig, I have at least $100.00 cash in my wallet that wasn't there before the gig. And I had fun earning that $100.00. Blue

The whole made in China discussion could go on forever. For me, I wanted a Gibson Gold Top Les Paul Bass, a Gibson ES-335 Bass and a Gibson Thunderbird so that's what I purchased. I have no idea how the Epiphones stack up. I'm pretty superficial and prefer to be on stage with the real deals. I do play a couple of MIJ Fender Tele Basses and I love them and think they are just as good if not better than the American Standards. I do not like the necks on Fenders MIM bass guitars. Blue

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1416350137' post='2609378'] Yep – I've played a lot of biker places and usually they really friendly places if you go in with the right attitude, although one or two can get a bit tasty if you don't. Funnily enough, the least friendly gig I can remember if the past few years was playing a private party at a golf club! Going back to the OP and the reason why we bother playing pubs, last Saturday I played a pub in a tough mining town 30 miles away. I had never been there before and my first impression was that it was a bit of a dive / biker joint, certainly not the sort of place that JT would want to take a lady friend! However everybody was really friendly, the place got packed and they nearly took the roof off. Great night (despite my pre-amp tubes going for the last three songs) and we got an extra £80 in tips from the ubiquitous bucket, not to mention bookings for a couple of bike rallies. A night like that is the reason that we carry on playing the pub circuit... [/quote] Yeah, Pete that story really hits home. When I first joined the band, I was terrified of some of them. But I learned you can't judge a book by it's cover. And yes,, we have picked up gigs for rally's poker runs and small summer festivals. Blue

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1416344800' post='2609309'] I can leave it, myself. I am not saying it isn't possible to have a good gig in a rough type bar, but it is not impossible for a fight either. I don't go to those type of places so not interested in playing there. We give whole towns a miss for that reason as well....as in, no places that we fancy playing. [/quote] For me, I knew my band played these lower end places when I joined 3 years ago. I also knew they stuck to their $100.00 a man minimum. I understand why some won't play these places. For me it was a simple matter of; [i]'[/i] [i]" It's part of the job "[/i] Blue blue

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1416324126' post='2609061'] It's all band money. At this stage we don't expect to make a living. However being in the band doesn't actually cost any money other than consumables for our individual gear - strings, drum heads etc. Our band transport, rehearsal space, recording costs, merchandise production etc. all comes out of the band fund which is paid for by playing live and sales of music and T-shirts at gigs or through our website/iTunes etc. It's been quite some time now since individual band members have actual had to pay for any band-specific expenses out of their own pockets. [/quote] No band funds for me, been there done that. Now it's cash on the barrel head, right into my wallet at closing time. Blue

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1416335780' post='2609181'] Good job that the boys playing in Chicago in the 40s & 50s didn't take that approach or we wouldn't have any decent music to play in pubs many decades later...! Actually, I've had some cracking nights playing in places that you wouldn't normally go into without an armed escort...! [/quote] I agree with Pete. I gig a lot of these low end bars/clubs. 2 Comments; [list] [*]These places look a lot scarier than they actually are. [*]Funny, how they can come up with the $$s to meet our fee and the nicer clubs in the city can't. Or should I say won't? [/list] Blue

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1416253317' post='2608381'] Can't see the logic there. Youngish bands playing newish songs to youngish audiences, fine. Middle aged blokes playing 70s blues rock to older audiences, fine. Both playing to their own segments. What are the middle aged rock star wannabes supposed to do to 'up their game'. [/quote] Exactly what I'm faced with. I'm in a band, blues/rock with good people, a 4 piece. Good pay and we play the biker bar circuit, we gig 2 times a week. However, I would like a taste of the higher pay, better stages and gigs. The only option is agency represented cover bands. Thing is guys like me will probably[i] "age out"[/i] on the audition. I'm 61. Why do We Bother? I'm 61 and have been doing this since I was 12 years old. What else am I going to do. I don't know anything else. Blue

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1416172793' post='2607656'] Again, it's a matter of perspective. You won't play without being paid (fair enough) so will have a tendency to see people playing for free being taken advantage of by the pubs and bars where they play. However, because I play for enjoyment, I need somewhere to gig . . . so perhaps I'm the one taking advantage of a venue that will let me play there? In the UK, the pub business is dying on its feet (not because of music) and pubs are closing down at an alarming rate. If I'm happy to play for free and can tempt a few people into a local pub to listen to some live music instead of sitting at home drinking their supermarket beer while watching TV and the pub makes a bit more money as a result and can therefore remain in business, then I suggest that could be a win, win, win situation - I get to indulge my hobby, people get to hear live music in a social setting and the pub gets to stay in business. The alternative is that the pub goes bust and everyone loses.[/quote] Good point, however I still don't understand how your taking advantage of the venue if your contributing to the sale of alcohol. The owner goes home with a pocket full of cash and you go home with a pocket full of love. Hmmmm ? maybe it is a win for you. Blue

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1416139296' post='2607207'] if you have a full time job, and can pay the bills, why not do it for the love of music and playing. ? depending on your circumstances of course. sounds very frustrating for you though Damon.. Keep your chin up dude.. [/quote] Well, that sounds fine, but there's another piece to your analysis. Playing for free because you love playing is one thing but ad to it that some venues are using you and taking advantage of your love. For those who say, I'll play for free because I love it, i have a question; Do you also love being taken advantage of? Blue

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1416163468' post='2607503'] I got alright money doing covers, but I'm much happier doing originals for nothing [/quote] Exact opposite for me, made nothing in originals bands. Lot's of rehearsals and dreams but no money. I switched to covers about 4 years ago and I will never look back. I'm much happier doing covers for money. You know, for those of you on the fence with this, you can still have a lot of fun when your getting paid. There is nothing wrong with playing for free. It's like someone said earlier we all play for different reasons. I play for; [list] [*]The attention [*]The fun [*]The money [/list] Blue

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1416135101' post='2607136'] Used to be the same for us until we said " from now on we want £400 per show or we don't do it". We still do approx 90 gigs per year. [/quote] Amen! Our fee is $500.00 and that's a bargain. We don't discount or make deals with venues. It comes down to this, some venues can't afford us and that's where it ends.With our sound and lights in actuality it probably cost closer to 700.00 to put the band on stage. Now, we have been together for 8 years so as an established band we might have more leverage than others. I have read a lot about love of playing vs money, I say; [i]"I love performing and I also love getting paid for something I have invested a lot of time and money in".[/i] Thing is for some, that "I[i]'m in this for the love of music not money, "I don't care if I get paid because I have a traditional job that pays well."[/i] Ok, I get that. But for some it really means; we haven't figured out how to get paid, sounds to hard, so we play for the love of music. For the OP, I would suggest figuring out how to up your fee. Always keep your eye on that bar. If there is a good crowd and their turning over a lot of premium alcohol over the course of the evening you deserve, no not [b]deserve[/b], your [b]worth[/b] much more than more than £150. I might ad that a 5 way split is tough, any way you can get it down to 4. You know, we would love to ad keys to our band, however we simply can't afford it. The venues are not going to pay for another man. Blue

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1416091598' post='2606894'] I've just bought a new toy - a Chauvet Mini Kinta. It's a compact LED wide-angle moonflower type of light and a brilliant (ooh - nice pun!) bit of kit for the money. I can't wait to try it out at a gig. It got me wondering what other bands use. Anyway, my lighting kit for our pub covers band is: Stairville (Thomann) DMX Master-1 controller 4 of their cheap PAR-56 DMX cans Plus the one I've just bought I assume that a lot of you will be responsible for lighting (and probably everything else too!), so what do you use? DMX? LEDs? Do you have a lighting engineer or fly it yourself? [/quote] Lighting, didn't you read our ryder. We don't use any reds or greens. Blue

Cheap Trick, There our local Midwest heroes. I see those guys all the time. Last time I saw Rick I was standing next to him at a Jeff Beck concert. In a nut shell Rick is just one of those guys that [i]"gets it"[/i]. Weren't their some legal hassles that resulted from their association with material that involved John? Blue

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1415798683' post='2603871'] The sound suited a l lot of the heavier songs that we do much more than the fender precision bass, but i still find it a bit uncomfortable the body shape is a lot different but I guess I will get used to it. [/quote] Could be a generational /age thing. For us older guys that grew up seeing Brian Jones and guys like Ronnie wood playing those Gibson Explorers ( guitar version of the Tbird) it was and still is for me the ultimate rock look. Blue [size=4][font=Arial][color=#0000FF][color=#000000][b]Bass Guitars [/b][/color][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#0000FF][color=#000000]Gibson Les Paul Gold Top Bass[/color][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#0000FF][color=#000000]Gibson ES-335 Custom Shop Bass[/color][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#0000FF][color=#000000]Gibson 1991 Thunderbird Bass[/color][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#0000FF][color=#000000]Fender 1951 Telecaster Bass[/color][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#0000FF][color=#000000]Fender 1959 Telecaster Bass[/color][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#0000FF][color=#000000]G & L 1991 ASAT Bass (active pre-amp )[/color][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=#0000FF][color=#000000]German Made Hofner 502 Limited Edition Club Bass[/color][/color][/font][/size]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1415800239' post='2603897'] I wouldn't be in a band that had revenue as a goal. It's all about the art dears... [/quote] [i]"It's Art when the check clears"[/i] Andy Warhol

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1415983876' post='2605864'] Don’t you find that at least with ‘start-up’ bands you can control who you will be involved with and what direction the band will take?? In the past couple of years I have been asked to join a number of established gigging bands, none of which appealed to me. However in the same period I have started a band from scratch that is now playing out and doing far better than any of the bands that I could have joined. Also, if making money out of gigging is one of your main motivations then why are you playing bars with a blues rock band? Surely it would make more sense to join an established top 40 type band where you would get more and better paying gigs?? [/quote] No, that has not been my experience with originals bands. My experience has been, originals bands with great material but at the end of the day it was lot's of rehearsals and no gigs. There is no real market for originals bands in Milwaukee. My situation is a bit different. Our 70s style blues/ rock band gigs so much I doubt I would make more money with an agency represented top 40 type band. Per gig, I might walk away with $200.00 in my pocket instead of $100.00. Keep in mind some of these top 40 show bands only gig once or twice a month. Don't get me wrong if the right opportunity came along I would at least investigate. Also those top 40 vacancies don't show up everyday and here there a very clicky bunch. I'll tell you something else about those top 40 agency bands over here. It's where age and look seem to be a lot more important than how well you play. blue

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1415995062' post='2606031'] The Epiphone Classic IV uses Gibson pickups I believe. Same as the U.S. Thundrbirds. The bolt-on Epis have different pickups though. [/quote] That might be true. I think the Epis are ok, however if you are buying the Epi solely because of the price and you really want The Gibson I say wait and get what you really want. Me, I'm pretty superficial and like being on stage with the [i]"real deal".[/i] Blue

[quote name='DaytonaRik' timestamp='1415964365' post='2605596'] [sub]Interested by the comparision Blue, esp concerning the new Epi Classic IV vs Thunderbird IV as the older Epi's were bolt on and definitely built to visually resemble the 'real deal' while in no was getting close sound-wise. Would like to know how the thru' neck Epi Classic IV stacks up sound-wise agianst the Gibson as I could be tempted by one as a spare. Has anyone been able to copmare them side-by-side?[/sub] [/quote] The PUs are so different , much hotter on the Gibson, and my 91 has a much thinner neck then the new Gibsons or the Epis. Blue

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1415965416' post='2605617'] Maybe I'll give it a go... I'm not convinced it would be the same without knowing a little about the personality of people who post, it puts peoples comments in context if you've learnt a little about them from their previous posts. [/quote] If you have a different opinion than the mods, they ban you from the site. Very childish. Blue

On this side topic of recruiting online, for fun/no pay bands as opposed to gigging for pay bands. It's a lot of work to come up with a marketable 4 hour nights paid gigging band. You need a strategy to book the band, located in a decent sized market, musicians, plus a decent investment in sound and lights. I can see how that would be a big hassle for some. Blue