Bluewine

I don't think so. As long as you knew what you personally were looking for in a band. For me the 50 mile round trip would have been an issue. The deal breaker for me would have been the no gigs on the books. My question use to be how many gigs has the band played in the last 6 months and how many new gigs are booked. It sounds like it was a start up band. Daryl

I've always been a CT fan. They're hometown boys. I was going to their shows when they were still playing bars. Stood right next to Rick Neilson at a Jeff Beck show at Turner Hall. Daryl

Yes, Fahrenheit. Daryl

Hi Dave, Here’s a little more info on the tipping culture over here. While we command a nice fee for a 4 peice, the tips just make the gig a little more lucrative. Tips can turn a $150.00 a man gig into a $200.00 a man deal. Tips are acceptable, actually expected by the venue and the punters. Here are our exceptions. We don't use the tip jar at Theatre gigs, charities or private events events. Obviously the Tips are much better when you're playing to the more affluent clientele. If you’re playing at Freddie's on Martin Luther King Blvd and Cherry St. there won't be any tips. You'll be more worried about if your car will still be there at the end of the night. Lol I'm getting my hair cut today and trying to figure out how much I can afford to tip my barber.lol The pic is my new AI band . Lol Daryl

It's -5° right now and will be colder by Friday. Daryl

They canceled the Legion Hall fish fry acoustic gig this Friday due to cold weather. Daryl

I plan on going into it super positive and staying there. I just hope we're a match for the room. Daryl

Acoustic gig Friday night. Guys, I'm not good with Legion Halls. I haven't played one in awhile. In the past they've always reminded me of an Assistant Living Facility or what we use to call Old Folks Home. OMG, and it's a 7-9 show. Daryl

Nice! Daryl

I think that pic was on my other current thread. I don't remember removing it . Here's another AI pic Daryl

I think that's great for those who are not in this for the money. I can't afford to play the music I'm interested in . If We did we'd get no bookings. Daryl

A lot of bands struggle with this. Songs you like vs songs the crowd wants to hear. At the local regional mid market level fairs and festivals, playing songs the crowd likes and knows is always a winner We have a few songs that I think we should drop from our set list. Daryl

How long a band has been in business is definitely part of the equation. Daryl

This might be a good discussion. It's certainly something many of you deal with. Staying booked and getting the higher caliber gigs. I have a buddy who's in a good 9 piece horn band. They might gig 5-6 times a year. Most members are professionals and play with other bands. My buddy wants more gigs but they have so many things working against them. It's hard to get 9 people together at the same time in the same place. And it's hard to pay 9 people. Their real issue is I don't think they have anyone in the band that's motivated to book the band. For some reason the agents won't touch them We're certainly not the best band around ,certainly not the most talented. However, our manager loves the business, he's networked and here's my point. People like the guy. I think that's where our booking success comes from. My position is talent is only part of the picture. We deliver a professional product and we're nice to everyone when we arrive at a gig and we're humble. I know bands that arrive with bad attitudes and drama and then they wonder why they don't get asked back. Let's hear your thoughts. Daryl

I'll be 72 in a couple of weeks. I hope I can get into a healthier lifestyle and practice more. I appreciate that since age 12 or 13 I'm still gigging. I blessed that I'm working with younger musicians. These guys are in their early 40s and motivated. They're not emotional like me, everything is strictly business. I'm more conscious about the caliber and logistics of the gigs we play. We're starting to fill up our summer schedule . I'm hoping we get some of the bigger festivals and fair gigs with big stage and big sound. Am I asking too much for a 72 year old ? Daryl

We do a couple of benefits and charities every year. However they are paid corporate gigs . We have done a few non paid benefits for friends & family. Daryl

Stub, Over here you have to tip everybody for just about anything over here. Daryl

I sort of know what you mean. The winter months seem slow to me because we don't play much in the winter. My last gig was New Year's Eve. I have an acoustic gig next weekend. Daryl

All situations with bands, band members, bookings and money can be different for a myriad of reasons. I have a buddy a senior guy who's band doesn't gig much and he says ," I'll play for 50 bucks" because he just wants to play. Me, I'm not in that situation and would diplomatically decline 50 bucks a man gigs. And some guys are not in this for money at all. I'm not sure, but I think the tipping culture over here is a little different. And it depends on the venue, the crowd and the vibe of the room. I've seen $1,000.00 tip jars more than once. Stuffed with 20s and even a few 100 dollar bills. I've also seen empty tip jars at the end of the night more than once. It sounds like a great gig but the business part is a little weird. Daryl

We always slow down on bookings in the winter as we're more of a fair, festival band. I've got nothing until next month. Daryl

Love this ! Daryl

I love tele body basses. Great pic. Daryl

Packed ! Daryl

I know, my comment was just a general response. Here's another Pic with a fan from last night. Daryl

Agreed, you really have to make the best of it. All bands are going to be faced with a gig that goes south sooner or later. Just don't carry around a lot of guilt over it. It's usually not the bands fault Daryl