Bluewine

We've all experienced this, pubs with noise meters. What do owners think when they hire a rock, pop or blues band. If they have issues with volume, hire an acoustic jazz trio. Blue

How about Legion Hall gigs? The pay is good and the staffs are always nice. But all those 4 prong walkers and oxygen tanks make the atmosphere a little weird. Blue

Seen that many times. Blue

It was ok. The band was sounding pretty good. We played a biker Road House, but is was some sort of an event. They raffled off a Harley. There were a lot of people and they had bars set up outside. Some people were into us and some not. It is what it is., a 4 hour bar gig, 3-7. Blue

They're from Milwaukee, Yeah! Blue

Ok, not what I was thinking at all. Although as " hard up" as I am, even a beating from an attractive lady might not be all that bad. And I have no idea where the invisible bear is. Blue

Neither do we. We still play some bad places, we just don't play the really bad places anymore. Blue

Yeah, the no audience thing is a big one. First of all, it's no fun. We're so lucky, we don't have on stage talent collecting are fee. We have a young lady that does marketing stuff, sells merch, and manages our web site. She also collects and distributes the money. She is very business like and a little intimidating. She doesn't mess around. Blue

Ok, you got me on this one. Can anyone tranlate this into Yankee talk? Leathering? Is it something I might enjoy? Blue

Don't temp me, I'm quite 'hard up", haven't had much action lately. Blue

I'll start. First of all there are not many places we've pulled out of and decided not to play. I can only think of 2 over the last 7 years.. 1. Jimmy's, we stopped playing Jimmy's because of the distance. Too far to drive ( an hour one way ) for what what we charge. 2. The Goose & Hog, we stopped playing there for several reasons. A. The hours, 9:30 - 1:30. B. We raised our rate and the owner could no longer afford us. C. To be honest the place was in a bad area. The neighborhood and clientele scared the hell out of me. Definitely not the kind of neighborhood you'd want your vehicle to break down in. Blue

Are there any venues ( clubs & pubs ) your band has decided not to play anymore. If yes, please share your story and why the band decided not to play a specific venue or venues. You don't have to reveal the venue name. I think it will be valuable to some, to learn why we pull the plug on some places. Blue

My position and comment, not so much of a comparison of me to others, more of a general point of interest. Blue

Very cool pic. Blue

So interesting how we all have different needs, wants and requirements. I couldn't afford to join a band that didn't have several months of weekly gigs booked. I'd even want to review the history of bookings from the past year. I couldn't afford to join a band that didn't own and manage there own sound and lights. It's always partially the fun and creative outlet but mostly commerce for me. I prefer it this way. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority where I depend on the money. Blue

Even the Fender Bass was not a great instrument when it was introduced. Neck, action and intonation was a constant battle. However it was the best you could get at the time and was a huge innovation. Blue

Don't get discouraged, building business is not easy. Blue

Thats a great case for the 5 string. Blue

I love the smart phone. Never had any use for a 5 string bass guitar. 5 String Bass Guitars, Lots, actually most guys I see use them, personal preference, right? Pic, nice 4 string, I'm stuck in the 60s. Blue

Best pro bass players? For me there is no "best" anything. There are bass players I like and there are different types of bass players. 5 string bass guitars, when I started playing bass in 1965 there were no 5 string bass guitar to my knowledge, so the 5 string bass never resonated with me. Blue

In my neck of the woods your story is definitely the exception. There might be areas where "start ups" do well with booking gigs. I joined an established band with a nice book of business 7 years ago. We're still together and have good gigs booked. Even for joining an established band, my case is the exception. Blue

Kelly Clarkson American Idol first place winner on the first season of Idol finally got out of her contract a year ago. She has no regrets and owes her career to American Idol. It's not a great deal but probably better than playing pubs for $250.00. And for those not into money I guess it doesn't matter. I'd gladly give Simon his cut. Blue

People want different things.Gigs and money is only what some of us want. My question is, for those looking to gig on a weekly basis and make money, is a ,"start up" the best vehicle to get there? For those looking for a creative outlet and nothing else a "start up" could be perfect. Blue

That's a good point,however in my neck of the woods I can't think of an owner that's going to respond to an email, return a phone call or click on a link to hear a band. It's just not the way business is done here.

Agreed, at the local level here I've seen really talented musicians. But some don't have the gig bug or the ability to build a book of business. Blue