blue

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1411501745' post='2560209'] That's not being patronising, that is an attempt to connect with you by using polite conversation. [/quote] Maybe it's different in the UK, over here we still have a few that look down on musicians especially rock musicians and will take any opportunity to kick them down. The kicking process may start with what seems like polite conversation but it's really their entry to knocking you down a few notches. Blue

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1411468618' post='2559754'] In response to Blue's original post I'd say that... The person who says they're "into music" but [i]only[/i] listens to it on their car radio can still be "into" music. It can still play a big part in their lives and sway their emotions; it can leave them humming a tune all day. I don't see why it's patronising to musicians for someone to say that's how they enjoy music. In fact, that's probably how the majority of people enjoy music. The key word being [i]"enjoy"[/i] The person who asks about your next gig, but probably won't come along, is most likely just scratching around for conversation - and probably have good intentions in doing so. People who have regular jobs (like me!) can sometimes be a little lost for words when chatting with someone whose day job is different, because they don't have the usual points of reference (or 'conversation starters') that they're familiar with. Anyone who works in office has an immediate point of reference with someone else who does the same - no matter whether their actual jobs are different. Faced with a musician, I imagine most people will ask 1) what instrument do you play? 2) are you in a band? 3) when is your next gig?... in that order. That's not being patronising, it's just someone trying to make conversation about somerthing that's unfamiliar to them. So in short: don't sweat it! All's good [/quote] I would say you are a nice person and see the best in people.I'm still working on that. Blue

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1411500030' post='2560164'] It has everything to do with people liking different things.[/quote] True and I am as guilty as anyone else. I listen, I don't say much but "oh my lucky stars" I am not interested in my friend rambling on and on about the work he's doing on his motorcycles. Blue

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1411500030' post='2560164'] It's got nothing to do with being culturally or musically deprived.It has everything to do with people liking different things. Just because someone likes listening to mainstream radio and not more obscure bands doesn't mean that they don't enjoy music.That's like saying that Man Utd fans aren't really in to football because they don't check out the lower leagues. I also don't think it matters how old you are when you get turned on to music. It might happen when you are young, or it might happen when you are a bit older, but if it happens...great.Just because you maybe didn't listen to much when you were young doesn't mean you're culturally deprived. Some people enjoy music, others like football more-it's just the way it is. I don't feel like people are patronising when they ask me about my job.I think it's more patronising to assume that they are. [/quote] Maybe it's not that complex. Now that I think about it it might be as simple as; I don't like being patronized. Patronizing, to me, would be the person asking you about your job and you know instinctively he/she has know interest in your job or hearing about it. And I guess terms like enjoying music vs into music are up in the air. The phrase, [i]"I'm into listening to and enjoying music while I'm driving my car" [/i]makes sense. But do they understand or care about what it's like to stand on your feet and play and sing for 4 hours into the early am? I would say very few do and why should they. Blue

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1411487669' post='2559981'] I I love music, always have. I like long car journeys on my own, so i can listen to my CD`s in peace. I think learning and playing an instrument gives a different perspective though. I always liked Jamiroquai, now they sound even better with the bassline. Similarly, i hate Michael Jackson`s stuff, but i realise how good the bass is on some of his tracks. I hate jazz, but i can listen to it for a bit. I realise how much skill you need to be a top player, so i appreciate it more. So i guess playing an instrument can give a better insight to a piece. You should give the car radio listener a bit more slack, because most appreciate music, they just may listen to it differently [/quote] I get where some of you are coming from. I guess I have a hard time qualifying listening to music on the car radio as being into music. Funny, personally I never listen to music in my car. I listen to talk radio, usually politics, but I would never tell anyone or a politician I'm into politics. Blue

[quote name='gadgie' timestamp='1411451756' post='2559554'] Sorry but I think your post is a little off the mark. You think you can only be 'in to music' if you play it? What's wrong with listening to music in the car? It might be all they can afford at the time, and they need the car to get to or from work.....or even part of their work. In regards someone saying they would like to come to see you play. They might have other commitments on the night and not be able to get there.......it doesn't mean they are patronizing you. Just my opinion of course [/quote] Or it could be they grew up in culturally and or musically deprived environment and have never had any real connection to the arts. I grew up financially deprived, but I don't patronize the wealthy, rich or the well off. For me, music started and hit me at a young age (4 or 5 years old). I distinctly remember being in my high chair (baby chair) in the kitchen where my Mom would have the Black radio station on and we were all grooving to Ray Charles in the late 50s. My point,I just needed to vent about any of us being patronized. Blue

[size=3][font=Arial]This is probably frustrating for some of you and but not all. Your a musician, a bass player and your passionate and enthusiastic about your craft and what your doing. You share some of this feeling with others and for some reason we don't realize till after the fact, they just don't get it. [/font] [font=Arial]Sorry,but I'm pretty cynical when it comes to people that don't understand musicians and patronize us.[/font] [font=Arial]There are a few of us here like myself, who are not family types, not into sports, the corporate world, no real hobbies, not good with or in relationships, but people who are unfortunately only engaged in music. It's a huge part of our lives. Most generally don't understand us and were constantly being patronized by people. When I say that I mean, well here's two examples; [/font][/size][list] [*][size=3][font=Arial]The person that tells you how much their into music, but in fact their connection to music doesn't extend much beyond listening to music on the car radio.[/font][/size] [/list][list] [*][size=3][font=Arial]Or your in a conversation they learn your in a band and feel the need to ask where your playing so they can come see you. This person generally has not gone to see a live rock band anywhere in the last 20 years or more. They have no real intention on coming out to see your band, but for some reason feel the need to patronize you.[/font][/size] [/list] [size=3][font=Arial]I think music is a very small part a fraction of most peoples lives and when you get down to people that are into obscure,underground or lesser known music that group of people gets even smaller So, whenever I meet someone who is truly into what I'm doing I'm surprised. But it's gratifying and it's why I get up everyday. [/font] [font=Arial]Blue[/font][/size]

Sunday gig, 3:00-7:00. Everything was cool.[list=1] [*]Cool Room [*]Cool crowd [*]Great stage volume and our stage monitors sounded awesome.I understand the house sound was great too. [*]The band was tight with lots of good stage energy [*]Good pay. [/list] Blue

I don't think there is anything wrong with using inexpensive bass guitars at gigs if it's giving you the sound and tone you desire. I'm not sure and it's really a case by case decision, but if your gigging a lot, play something that looks good, makes you feel good, plays good and sounds good. You can pay a lot or a little and get all those things. Me, I only gig with name brand easily recognized bass guitars;[list=1] [*]1951 Fender P Bass MIJ re-issue ( usually seen in butterscotch with black pick guard and Tele head stock) [*]1959 Fender P Bass MIJ re-issue ( Sting Bass ) [*]Gibson Gold Top Les Paul Bass [*]Gibson 1991 Thunderbird [*]Hofner Limited Club Bass ( not the violin body style ) made in Germany [*]Gibson ES-335 Bass ( vintage faded cherry ) [*]G&L ASAT ( Tele body style with active pre-amp ) [/list] These are middle of the road basses in terms of price. I use only name brands because as a kid I struggled financially and had to use cheap basses that didn't play very well for years. As an adult I treat myself to what I can afford at any given time. It's different now, I think you can pick up a very giggable bass for not much more than $300.00 Blue Just a side note. I think some of us can get caught up in the romance of the [i]"vintage bass guitar".[/i] Back in the early 70s I owned a 1957 pre-CBS Fender Precision Bass. Action and intonation was a chronic struggle. I would bet most current Squires would be a much nicer bass to play.

Yeah, we are back at The Road House this Sunday. 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Nice stage, lots of room. I might bust out my 91 Gibson Thunderbird with ebony fret board.

I own all the classic vintage iconish basses so, no I'm not shopping or looking. The only bass I don't own is a Tick. Blue

I use to not like Sunday afternoon gigs very much. But I guess it depends on the venue, the crowd and the pay.Probably in that order. Again, I never much cared for them.I always thought the crowds were made up of the people that didn't quite get enough Saturday Night. You know, the people that wanted it to stay Saturday night. My past experience was more or less a combination of wrong venue, wrong crowd or maybe the wrong town. It seemed impossible to engage these people. My current band has a decent following,decent, not great. For those who don't know were a 70s style 4 piece hard rock/blues band fronted by a 29 year old female lead guitarist and vocalist ( Cream, Hendrix ,Savoy Brown, Mountain, Trower ect...). I knew all those endless blues jamming in the 60s & 70s would pay off for me someday. We pretty good about promoting our shows (not me personally, I'm to lazy) and we have this place, a biker Road House were these Sunday afternoon are actually fun.Mostly 50 plus folks for obvious reasons. We start around 1:00 and it's starts out slow but gradually we always generate a nice drinking crowd by 2:30. I'm pretty distant from the biker culture, but I have more fun schmoozing and talking to people there than any other venue we play. Anyway, I thought we would be interested in thoughts, stories and comments on Sunday Gigs. Have any? Blue

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1410853255' post='2553766'] That just the way it is. If you're a pro musician who won't open your bass case without being paid then that's fine as well. [/quote] That would be me, I love performing and it's always fun. However I charge a fee for having that fun. Blue

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1410720756' post='2552337'] Bearing in mind he was 'the hardest working man in show business' for decades, I've never heard of anyone who has actually seen him live. [/quote] A lot of us older cats saw him live. I did many times and when he was young. I saw all the great new pioneering artists of the 60s and 70s live including The Beatles. James live shows, well you could tell he was a perfectionist and one of the few that truly had an advanced musical vision. He was one of the few that whatever he had going on in his head he could transfer it to his recordings and the stage. I love to hear about the younger generations taking interest and appreciating these [i]"once in a life time"[/i] recording & performing artists. Blue

[quote name='LemonCello' timestamp='1410901296' post='2554588'] Love gigging.....hate gear humping [/quote] There ain't nothing fun about humping gear. I with you on that one. Blue

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1410896909' post='2554509'] Love gigging but having recently become a dad I miss my wife and baby girl when I have a gig that requires me to leave home before baby bed time. That said I still really enjoy the bigger gigs and look forward to hanging out with my bandmates when we play. [/quote] Then gigging is definitely in my blood. For one, it's what I do and am fortunate to be a member of a band ( 3 years, next month ) with a busy schedule. Second, you bring up an interesting point, when I audition for bands I make sure I know the ages of the members, married or single and if they have kids I want to know the ages. I think family comes first, if you love your family chances are they love you back. If you love a band, that band is not necessarily going to love you back. My point is I'm not going to join a band with members that have young children. At some point the responsibility with the kids is going to conflict with a gigging band. Blue

I started smoking cigs at age 14, I stopped at age 23. I'm 61. You can do it. Move forward and don't look back. Blue

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' timestamp='1410729155' post='2552558'] I did a Sunday afternoon one at the now defunct Grove Tavern in South Wimbledon & my car was broken into while I was playing. Another that band played in Guildford, it was plainly obvious that the 'charity gig' was really an excuse to get the mayor to cut the ribbon when they reopened under a different name and get publicity in the local paper and a bunch of goodwill from the locals. The promised free pints for the band and petrol money never materialised. My opinion these days to not play 'em for free unless the bar & security staff are also working for free. Its a ripoff - even if the pub makes a song & dance about donating a few hundred quid from the takings, I doubt they're likely to be out of pocket if the beer has been flowing from lunchtime to closing. [/quote] Spot on, Agreed! Blue

Charity and benefits for the most part are slowly making a bad name for themselves with bands. There are 2 key concerns;[list] [*]Other vendors are getting paid, it's only bands they feel they can get for nothing [*]You never really know where the money is going [/list] I feel good giving the homeless guy that asks me for money $5.00 because I know he is going to use it and I don't care what he buys with it. There will always be young ambitious bands that fall for the whole [i]"exposure"[/i] thing and will play free of charge. In my experience the only thing your exposed to are other businesses that want you to play for free. My band had been playing a a large county festival for the last 3 years and they did not book us this year. They told us they were giving bands that had been trying to get in for the past few years a chance. We did some research and found the festival organizer was not being honest with us. What happened was they went out and recruited bands that would play for free. Blue

On the side issue of pay, I have noticed that most bands are up front about pay. I will often see in ads [i]"If your looking for a pay day every weekend, this ain't it."[/i] Blue

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1410735910' post='2552663'] When I was younger I hated gigging, too many classical recitals. Loved it from my first proper 'pub gig', and miss it now if I'm not gigging. [/quote] Nice YouTube clip. Tight! Blue

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1410795842' post='2553228'] Yup, just love gigs and get a bit cheesed off if my calendar doesn't have a week with at least one gig in it. Sometimes the looking forward outshines the gig itself but not very often. Happy to do a 'genuine' charity gig for nowt these days but otherwise I expect to be paid. It's not how much I receive but how much the venue pays. By that I mean I expect the venue to pay a fair rate and not take the piss, otherwise I don't do the gig. Don't like to do more than two hours these days and don't like to fanny around with sound checks. Oh, and I don't practice: it bores me. I work freelance for about a dozen bands in a year and I have two regulars. I love it. 74 next year but I look like a rock god. Last bit is probably not quite right because I play jazz. [/quote] Were on the same page. When I hear the ,[i] "I play for free because I'm in it for art and creativity"[/i] it's generally from the younger musicians 17-25. I think it takes a while before the whole concept of what service their providing and how much they have invested in music before they realize their financial value. I also hear the [i]"I play for free because I'm in it for art and creativity" from older guys that say[/i] , I have a regular job that pays me well and [i]"I don't need the money".[/i] Key phrase [i]"need the money"[/i]. Completely different from saying[i] "I don't want the money or I won't accept the money". [/i]Personally, I have never seen one of these guys at the end of a gig giving their pay to other band members that do need the money. But I guess it happens. Blue

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1410797532' post='2553264'] I'd be a bit surprised if many bass players didn't enjoy gigging, its not the most satisfying instrument to play alone. I'm an entertainer and it's such a buzz to have people singing and dancing in time with my fingers. Nothing better than coming off with people grinning from ear to ear. The compromise is playing the songs they like rather than what I'd choose but I can listen to that any time. [/quote] And the big crowd applause and cheers always get me, I love it. But yes I have had to compromise, in my neck of the woods, Milwaukee if you don't play covers you don't gig.It's that simple. Blue

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1410793860' post='2553204'] I don't really like gigging; it's the least enjoyable part of the whole music thing for me, largely because I have no desire to "entertain" people. Used to do it a lot, nowadays only very rarely. [/quote] I know a few at home recording type musicians that feel the same way about gigging. Me, I'm the opposite. I definitely am in this to entertain people. I love all aspects of gigging but it's the entertaining people part that's driving me. Blue

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1410742367' post='2552681'] I have been having mixed feelings about one of my bands lately (the first link in my signature) and I'm trying to decide if I may end up leaving when we get together to talk to each other about it. I've played in the band for several years; we've had some really enjoyable gigs and recorded some things I'm quite pleased with. It's an amateur concern, as while some gigs are paid, when all band activities are taken into account we break even or less. I also play in two other projects, one of which gigs very rarely and the other of which can occasionally be busy though it's quite sporadic. When asked about my availability for gigs, I will confirm the earliest offer for a given date without giving priority to any one band, so short notice gigs (less than a fortnight ahead) are sometimes turned down. This summer I've had limited availability as my Father-in-Law had a prolonged period of illness and passed away last month and we've had to travel up and down from Scotland to England a number of times to care for him and my Mother-in-Law and to sort things out after his death. I had to cancel a couple of gigs at short notice the week he died, but what else can you do? The band keep accepting gigs when I have told them I'm not available and playing them without bass, which for our particular lineup isn't going to work very well. I have told the band that I'm uncomfortable with this as I don't feel that going out like that represents us very well and I would prefer to feel like a core part of the band rather than an optional add-on. If anything I would rather they used a dep rather than going out bass-less. Two members of the band have responded to this by saying how disappointed they were in my limited availability recently and that they thought I must be losing interest, and this is when when I've already made my family situation quite clear to them. We have already disagreed a few times recently over which gigs we should accept, as our singer believes we need to say yes to everything in order to "make it". I have no concept of trying to "make it" and just want to play gigs which I enjoy. We haven't worked on any new material in over a year and it appears that my priorities are not the same as the rest of the band. I'm fond of this band, so it's a difficult choice to make. Looking at this description, what do people reckon? [/quote] As soon as someone or a band has a goal of "making it" it's really a judgement call. For most of the 60 plus guys here "making it" is something we generally don't have to think about. I started playing bass and gigging at age 12. I'm 61 and still gigging every weekend and getting paid so in some ways I've "made it". blue