Bluewine

47 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

Exactly, the same here. It also has the benefit of being very listenable to a lot of punters. A mate of mine (who used to be a promoter) described it as everybody over 40's guilty secret! 

 

I'm currently doing a blues project with a mate of mine who is a very good pro guitarist (i.e. teaches, plays in a good paying tribute and does deps for function bands, etc). I originally approached him to help me out as I had some decent gigs offered, but had been let down by the earlier version of the band. However, he jumped at the chance to put together a permanent band, as he had missed playing that type of music. 

 

Were not a traditional cover band . We do ok in bookings with a full summer schedule.  However we don't get the same caliber of gigs the top local cover bands get.

On 04/05/2024 at 07:42, leschirons said:

I'm finding it difficult to meet people here with the same musical taste and mindset.  Not sure the venues exist for laid back jazzy influenced stuff, which is what I'd like to do. Seems to be Blues or pub rock all around.

I guess that's what most folks want but unfortunately not what I want to play. I also think that I'm slowly losing interest in music full stop.

Unfortunately gigging is about what the crowd likes and wants to hear. Gigging is not about our personal taste.

Daryl

4 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Both Hurtsfall and In Isolation played the Goth At The Brewery Event on the 27th as part of WGW.

 

This is a free gig at Whitby Brewery on the Saturday afternoon of the Goth Weekend organised by Dominique from the band Westenra and over the past 3 years has grown from being fairly low-key to one of the major events of the weekend, and for those who attend WGW for the music probably as important as the "main" event at the Pavilion as it showcases the current generation of Goth bands. It draws a massive audience made up of people who are there for the music rather than parading around town in their "costumes" and is now so well attended that the main doors of the room are opened to allow people outside in the courtyard to see and hear the bands too.

 

This weekend was a "Nottingham takeover" with Chaos Bleak also playing.

 

Hurtsfall were on first at 2.00pm. We probably had the best on-stage sound of the afternoon, but even so there were problems with the monitor in front of me which kept cutting out. However due to the nature of the band we are well used to playing under less than ideal conditions, so it wasn't really a problem, and everyone we spoke to afterwards (including several people whose opinions I trust) said the FoH sound was excellent. The audience appeared to enjoy it, and we sold a decent amount of merch afterwards.

 

This photo was taken at the beginning of our set just before Sam, our singer, got everyone to move forward so that more people could get into the venue. Even after that there were still almost as many people outside enjoying the gig as there were inside (and yes that is Whitby Abbey you can see in the background):

 

 

And two more general gig photos:

 

 

 

Chaos Bleak probably pulled the best crowd of the afternoon due to both their time slot and their reputation. And then at 4.00pm I was back on stage with In Isolation. By this time it appeared that all the foldback had stopped working - There wasn't anything coming out of the wedge in front of me, and unlike during Hurtsfall's set I couldn't hear anything from the other two. Still we powered through our set even though it sounded weird on stage. Again we were told afterwards that FoH the mix was excellent, but it was unnerving playing some of the songs with longish intros on the backing tack where they were barely audible on stage, so having no clue when our drummer was going to count us in! Also we discovered that playing last in the afternoon isn't the ideal spot as people tend leave before the end so they can get ready for whatever night-time event they are going to. Still there were a decent number who stayed all the way through our set, and we even had to sign CDs at the end - something which always bemuses me...

 

For some reason there are a distinct lack of photos from our set on Facebook and this one of me was the only one I could find.

 

 

 

Cool pics!

Daryl

3 hours ago, peteb said:

 

Just that these things happen, especially in these uncertain times! Generally, we (the Zep tribute) play ticketed shows, but the last gig was for a fixed fee and was sold out. We probably should have asked for a bigger fee. The two gigs before that were ticketed and drew a healthy crowd, so we made decent money. The gig before that only got 35 people and lost money! 

 

It is difficult times for many people and there isn't a lot of money around for the average punter. We certainly have had shows cancelled due to low ticket sales, but the next venue might be sold out. It is a bit hit and miss these days and sometimes be difficult to sell enough advance tickets to make a gig viable. 

 

" These Things Happen "

That's what my Dad told my Mom when he came home loaded at 3am with our new car smashed up beyond recognition  in 1966. Lol

Daryl

3 hours ago, peteb said:

 

Just that these things happen, especially in these uncertain times! Generally, we (the Zep tribute) play ticketed shows, but the last gig was for a fixed fee and was sold out. We probably should have asked for a bigger fee. The two gigs before that were ticketed and drew a healthy crowd, so we made decent money. The gig before that only got 35 people and lost money! 

 

It is difficult times for many people and there isn't a lot of money around for the average punter. We certainly have had shows cancelled due to low ticket sales, but the next venue might be sold out. It is a bit hit and miss these days and sometimes be difficult to sell enough advance tickets to make a gig viable. 

 

Cool, I'm a huge Zap fan.

Yeah, I'm going to chalk it up as one of those "shot in the dark" gigs. This one didn't work out.

Daryl

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Not ticketed, but aside from festivals our biggest crowds have been pay at the door events rather than free ones.

Most of our fairs and festivals are free. And that will include multiple stages

(some nice and some not so nice) several local bands and a known signed headliner national act every night. Most major festivals are atleast 3 days.

Daryl

6 hours ago, martthebass said:

I get your drift on ticketed gigs. We also avoid; unfortunately last year we ended up doing one in a large venue, we didn’t know it was going to be a ticket job so accepted the gig at a set price. Night of the gig it was clear tickets hadn’t been flying as the venue was half empty. Organisers complaining at us as if it was our responsibility……took us 3 weeks to get paid. Won’t be repeating, that’s for sure.

Thanks Mart,

We have a thriving local live band music scene here. However it's all free. It's not 1980, people are not going to pay to see local bands no matter how good they are or how much you promote and advertise. 

Daryl

On 01/05/2024 at 10:48, dmccombe7 said:

Paid rehearsal Daryl. ?

We were due to play a Ladies Day charity event on Sun afternoon but the woman who was organising has been in hospital until few days ago and when she came out she found out no-one had advertised the event and ticket sales were virtually zero. We had been advertising on our own page but not much good to the local area of the venue if they don't follow us. Now cancelled too. Shame as i was looking forward to that one. Nice big venue with a decent sized stage.

Dave

Hi Dave,

No paid rehearsal. The organisers have officially canceled the show.

I'm bummed too. This was a classy room with a beautiful oversized bar.

I was concerned about this gig as soon as I found out it was not apart of their outside roof top summer live music series. 

Is there anything to be learned here?

Daryl

Just now, Bluewine said:

 

You guys know I get worried about ticketed events. We're not that kind of band. We do fine when we stay in our lane, festivals and fairs.

 

Anyway I got a text from our band leader yesterday. 

 

" Hi guys:) It’s looking like Thelma is going to postpone the show Friday🙁 not enough tickets sold. I’ll keep you posted but wanted to give you a heads up. I’m emailing with the event coordinator.

 

We sold 13 tickets, doesn't seem like they have a built in crowd. I'll confirm when they give me a 

 

Daryl

Update:

I just received this text from the band leader. 

"If Thelma leaves it up to us, how do you guys feel about playing to a small crowd in a big venue?"

I'm opting to do it. I don't have anything else to do. Lol

Daryl

On 28/04/2024 at 15:09, Bluewine said:

"After a bit of time off, we look forward to returning to Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts on Friday May 3rd! Get your tickets and join the party!"

 

Ticket sales, that always scares me.

 

Daryl

 

 

 

 

You guys know I get worried about ticketed events. We're not that kind of band. We do fine when we stay in our lane, festivals and fairs.

Anyway I got a text from our band leader yesterday. 

" Hi guys:) It’s looking like Thelma is going to postpone the show Friday🙁 not enough tickets sold. I’ll keep you posted but wanted to give you a heads up. I’m emailing with the event coordinator.

We sold 13 tickets, doesn't seem like they have a built in crowd. I'll confirm when they give me a definitive."

The same organization has a roof top summer music series. Every Thursday night they have a band, food trucks, booze vendors and it's free. Now that gig has a huge built in crowd. That gig would be in our lane .

Oh well, I guess it goes with the territory. 

Daryl

On 29/04/2024 at 20:18, casapete said:

Saturday night I played at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, which was my final gig with

The ELO Experience. Another grand old venue which first opened in 1901, capacity just under 1400

with two large balconies , the upper one being very high and steep.

The gig went well, a good onstage sound despite a change of rig as I’ve sold my usual one!
Used my GK800RB again, this time with my old standby cab - a Loud Inc 4x10. Really enjoyed

using it, and pleased it was enough for such a big venue/stage.

It was a near sell out gig which made it great for my last one, as well as being my 800th appearance

with the band. I first played with them as a dep at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in May 2009, and then

joined permanently in 2011 - first gigs were a short tour of Northern Ireland which were very memorable.

I couldn’t have found a better bunch of people to work with, starting out as a 5 piece & then adding 2

cellists and a violinist.  It’s been an absolute pleasure throughout, and I really will miss the band and

crew (pictured below) who have become like family. I’ll still be playing with the acoustic duo though,

as well as any deps that may come my way so will hopefully be gigging more locally for many years

to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That looks like our Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee. 

Daryl

On 29/04/2024 at 09:38, Woodinblack said:

 

Yeh, I think I would be a bit miffed by that, all the groups I have been in have just been a wad of cash split n ways. Unless you have been employed by some organisation as a hired help, not sure why it would be different.

For the past 15 years it's always been an equal 4 way split. Tips can be huge

( I've seen as much as $ 900.00) over here and we split that equally, however we will share some of our tips with the bar staff.

Daryl

"After a bit of time off, we look forward to returning to Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts on Friday May 3rd! Get your tickets and join the party!"

Ticket sales, that always scares me.

Daryl

On 27/04/2024 at 09:06, Stub Mandrel said:

 

 

Alex was trying out his new Gretsch Electromatic for the first time. I barely appear in the short vid below, but it gives an idea.

 

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?id=100024370338008&story_fbid=1613621292793533

Nice Job!

Daryl

On 26/04/2024 at 01:25, dmccombe7 said:

Might be worth looking at how to tidy up the stage when playing. Recipe for problems there. 

Dave

We played a sound provided theatre gig last month. Great sound but not tidy.

Daryl

On 22/04/2024 at 02:25, dmccombe7 said:

Looks like a nice venue Daryl, sure you will pull in a decent crowd. Who is doing the advertising and promotion for it. You just need to push that and make sure the local Facebook "what's on" or "gig guide" pages have your promotion on them.

We have around 3-4 FB pages in different areas we play that we fire the gig advert onto. Not sure if it helps but i like to think it brings the band to people that may not normally follow us.

Dave

Thanks Dave,

Thelma Performing Arts will do some advertising and so will we.

I'll be reporting on the gig with pics.

Daryl

13 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Actually... does this answer the question?

 

Looks like your another " upfront " guy.

Daryl

19 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

No gigs till start of May for me. Its actually been a welcome break in April having just the drummers birthday gig last weekend which took up 3 days Set up Fri, gig Sat and collect the gear Sun.

Enjoying the quiet weekends.

Dave

May 3rd , Thelma Performing Arts Center is my next gig. Tickets are $20.00 and the event an hour away from our base. I don't know how we're going draw even a respectable size crowd.

Daryl

21 hours ago, obbm said:

Prefer to stand where I can see the kick drum pedal, usually next to the snare/high-hat.  This is probably why I have defective hearing and tinnitus.

Being able to see the kick drum pedal is a good idea. However I'm more concerned about the crowd seeing me. Lol

Daryl

I've always been an up front stage guy. I won't position myself in corners back by the drummer .

Daryl

On 15/04/2024 at 10:25, Jack said:

Saturday (so not quite last night, sorry) was the very first ever gig for my new project Pop Punk Prty. It was, in my estimation, a little too early to be 'out there' and we all felt very unrehearsed. However, it was better than I expected! If we play like that on our 5th gig I'll be annoyed, but for a first gig I'll take it.

 

Rig was my trusty (and suitably pastel green) SB-2 into my HX Stomp. Everyone on IEMs apart from me (I have soundman duties) so I've got one of my QSC wedges. To complete the rig there's genuine 00's baggy jeans that were sourced by my wonderful friends at Tender Hooligan.

 

Gosh I'm fat.

 

 

Nice job Jack !

Daryl

17 hours ago, moley6knipe said:

It does look good! A haze machine is an excellent investment, just presents lighting nicely. I’ve been operating the lighting desk for a local theatre company this week and I’ve had a REALLY big one to play with.

We own our own sound and lights which includes two haze machines. One for each side of the stage. It looks great, however most of our big stage gigs provide professional sound and lights.  For smaller gigs our lighting and sound would be overkill. 

The pic is from a " tent gig". One of the few gigs where we used our full arsenal of sound & lights.

Daryl

3 hours ago, peteb said:

A bit late, but my new blues band played our first couple of gigs a week or so ago (Tapestry in Bradford on the Thursday & Venue 23 in Wakefield last Sunday), supporting Mick McConnell's (guitarist from Smokie) new blues rock band at both gigs. 

 

It all went really well for our first gigs and went down very well. It looks like it's going to be a good band with some top players. Just need to get some more gigs booked now... 

 

Nice lighting!

Daryl

On 18/04/2024 at 03:58, dmccombe7 said:

Gotta ask Pete. What's the Danelectro bass like to play ?

Dave

I wish I would have kept my Dan Electro Long Horn.

Daryl

On 07/04/2024 at 05:14, stewblack said:

Not the Saturday night I anticipated. One of my regular bands has become sniffy about slumming it in low paid pub gigs so I'm rethinking my strategy.  Playing is my only source of income so I can't afford to be so choosy.

Last night they had pulled out because the singer was sniffy in a more literal way, another bad case of vocalists throat put her off the team sheet so I cast about for a bassless band to fill in at very short notice. 

The pub we ended up in could have been called the Sandpaper, The Stormy Sea, or the First Draft - in a word it was rough. 

All day drinkers in a forgotten backwater of a grim city, not many of them and all of them with a distinctly under evolved nature.

But we played, we got paid, I earned money I wouldn't have otherwise seen, and although I couldn't actually decipher what was being said, the little knot of tokers standing around my car as I loaded up at the end of the night seemed to be very positive.

 

It's all well and good playing once a month for 200 quid each but playing twice a week for 60 earns me a lot more. Case closed.

 

Our busy season doesn't start until May 3rd at The Thelma Performing Art Center in Fondulac. It's a high end roof top gig.

I've only had 1 gig for March & April . 

Daryl