Bluewine

Agreed, just think of that feeling a big applause from an appreciative crowd gives us. Only those of us that entertain understand it. Daryl

It amazes me how popular Blues bands still are in England. Do you think the blues band are more popular in the UK than here in the states? Daryl

Sometime those gigs that have " disaster " written all over them can turn out to be awesome gigs . Daryl

Our first outside gig this year. Good gig, why? We were tight. The dep drummer kept great time and actually learned most our set. Not a lot of technical stuff and crazy fills he just provided a great foundation for me to play in. I was very impressed and pleasantly surprised. The opening act was really good. A solo singer song writer with good material. I was so confident I actually got into some on stage banter with Jenny. Not much for pics. Daryl

Agreed Daryl

80 is great as far as I'm concerned. Dave we've had high profile gigs cancelled due to poor ticket sales. That's no fun. Daryl

Man what a cool shot. Love the lighting and the crowd. I wish we could get a photo like this. Daryl

That's great. Appreciative crowds make the night go fast. However, all gigs are not going to be great. You have to take the good with the bad. Daryl

When talking to random people at a gig always have a good exit plan. Daryl

I like where your head is at. When I think of the guys I played with as a teen I think some lost interest, some had awful tragedies in their lives that hit them so hard they stopped playing. And some I think we're never really into it. Daryl

So true Len. When I arrive at a gig my mindset is, what can I do to make this gig fun for my bandmates. Not argue over the set list, lighting, monitor mix, weather , how loud someone is, ect... Daryl

Unfortunately that's not an option for me. I need the money. And for me I'm not sure it's a gain. It's money to survive and pay bills. Daryl

Great perspective Len. I realize that I have a pretty sweet thing going for me with Maple Road. Fantastic bandmates, for the most part decent gigs and good money. Daryl

This probably is more for you guys that are over 60 but not necessarily limited to that range. I'm 71 and most of the musicians I grew up with and started playing with are no longer gigging and have zero interest in it. Share your thoughts and position on why you're still gigging and why you think some guys lose interest. Daryl

Thanks for the additional details Axe. Interesting scenario. With this singer's background and experience I'm surprised the audition didn't go better for him. Daryl

Being an hour late would have garuanteed a " no " from me. Auditioning is usually a tough nut for a lot of bands. I'm curious, what did you know about this singer prior to inviting him to audition? How much gigging experience did he have or band experience in general? Did someone recommend him to you? Daryl

My bandmates never complain when I have a bad night and I don't complain or bring anything up when they do. Daryl

Our situation with drummers is far from ideal. Our drummer has a lot of other things going on and can't make a lot of our gigs. He provides nice harmonies and he makes it easy for me to lock in with him. Auditioning drummers is not an option. We don't want to go through that process right now. We have 2 dep drummers. Unfortunately they don't play enough with us to become completely comfortable with the songs and what we do. Our band leader looks at it more from a business perspective. The pros are, while our drummer situation is not great we've never had to cancel a gig or turn down a booking. The band has been in business for 18 years. Daryl

Dianna Jones Rocks joins the party with Maple Road Blues Band THIS SATURDAY on the big ol’ stage at Old Falls Village Park! Bring your crew and grab some brews, and a chair, and maybe a blanket or snuggie, and join the party too! 5:30pm sharp! Please let this be a good gig. I really need it. Dep drummer though. Daryl

Only use guys that have nothing but your band going on in life and can make every gig like my situation. Lol Daryl

I use my 1001rb all the time. But it's just for the stage. What goes out to the house is completely different from what I hear on stage. Daryl

I'm also having hearing issues. Last weekend I thought I was playing out of tune while my tuners indicated I was perfectly tuned. Daryl

I like those pics. Very clean ! Daryl

Love that band jacket. Daryl

Thanks Dave, Next week we have our first outside gig for the year. It's more of a festival crowd. I'm hoping we redeem ourselves. Daryl