Bluewine

Agreed, and great point. Looking like a band , 4 people on stage coming off like they know each other and having fun goes a long way. Blue

I'm awful on stage, my best move is " no move". Blue

I'm a fan. Blue

I don't think we're that far apart. Blue

I always liked the idea, concept, and time of The Bay City Rollers. I liked the sound too. I think I look at the value of a gimmick, hype and the non- musical feature a lot different than I did back in the 70s. Blue

Not a new topic, but worth revisiting. I'd like to keep the discussion at the working bar/ pub band level. Original or Cover shouldn't matter. Used to be ( back in the early 70s) bands were judged primarily on musianship. If you weren't around then, even at the bar level crowds would come out to actually listen ( not necessarily to dance) to bands. If you had a bunch of guys that had something going on, great musianship,& material, you didn't need much more than that to draw a crowd and stay booked. But now it's different, even at the bar/ pub level personality and likability factor comes into play, IMO. In my neck of the woods the days of 3-4 guys with great chops no longer gets you very far. So we're do you stand on personality and fronting skills. Do you want to be with the guys with great musianship but poor stage appeal or the band that has a great sincere personality and energy but only ok with musicianship. It's a hard call for me. This discussion could go anywhere or nowhere.

Well , I can't debate the one. However, we have a 4 hour bar band busines culture and I understand your Pub business is more like 2 hours. Blue

My comment was directed at cultural differences nationally and internationally for bar bands not compression. Blue

I recently removed my EBS Multi-Comp from my chain. Never really understood how it worked or what it was suppose to be doing. If I can't hear a difference it's worthless to me. Blue

Lot's of varibles, even in the States. What we do and what happens in our Midwest for bar bands can be different on the east and west coat. For me and other Seniors still gigging so many things have changed, attitudes, what motivates musicians, disipline the list goes on. The main thing that bugs me are those that don't see the value in learning to play material correctly. If you want to switch things up and add your own spin after you know a song that's fine. But starting out derrière backwards is not my disipline. Blue

I realize I'm a Yankee. But how can anyone not want money? I can't imagine myself after stainding on my feet performing for 4 hours and after tearing down and packing lights and sound at 2:00 AM saying; " Oh no, that's ok I don't want any money. I do this completely for free" Blue

I can only speak for my little region around Milwaukee. Originals bands unless they're famous or known to some extent passing through town don't get paid. Blue

Lot's of varibles, even in the States. What we do and what happens in our Midwest for bar bands can be different on the east and west coat. For me and other Seniors still gigging so many things have changed, attitudes, what motivates musicians, disipline the list goes on. The main thing that bugs me are those that don't see the value in learning to play material correctly. If you want to switch things up and add your own spin after you know a song that's fine. But starting out derrière backwards is not my disipline. Blue

Yeah, becareful. Some folks here go insane over Beatle issues. Blue

I haven't read all the comments. Wow, technology has come so far. That pre-amp looks like an auxiliary power booster from a 1950s space movie. You know, I've listened to some isolated Motown bass tracks from back in the day. The playing was awesome but sound ( not tone) was questionable. Blue

Did Anyone Notice or Comment When You Switched Your Compressor Off? The proper question would be, "Did Anyone Notice or Comment When You Switched Your Bass Off?" Blue

Agreed, amateur is the way I'd decribe these guys. More than likely guys that haven't paid their dues and don't know how innapropiate and poor their communication was. I'd say this happens a lot, bands only care about solving their issue and others involved don't matter. I would bet there are guys here that have learned material, auditioned for bands never to hear word one back from the band. Blue

These guys seem imature. If you don't need the money, I'd diplomatically decline the gigs you have committed to and explain why. Blue

True, playing along with groove tracks can't hurt. My point, I wish I had a proper vehicle to employ what I've learned. Like discreet mentions, say you bulild up your chops and playing in tempo and then the drummer you play with struggles with tempo. 😢 Blue

My opinion, it's difficult for most local level bands to compete with; 1. A main bar that's in a separate room from where the band is playing or even a bar in the same room but considerable far away from the the band. 2. The clientele is not necessarily there to hear a live band. 3. Very active series of pool. 4. Major sporting events on loud wide screens. Those are just a few, there are many others. In my area not many bar owners put much thought into the logistics of live music. Don't get me wrong, few places are great and know what they're doing. Blue

I occasionally practice with backing tracks. The down side is your playing in pretty close to an ideal environment. Playing along to backing tracks can give some guys a false sense of their true ability. Many times I've felt great playing to backing tracks only to be jolted back into reality when playing with my band. Unfortunately unless your playing with high level pro studio musicians you may also find yourself dissapoinred. Blue

If my band folds, I'll be in an awful predicament. First of all my desire to play in 2018 is just as high if not higher than it was in 1966. You would think someone with passion and conviction would have gotten further than "bar band" level. It will be very difficult to find a band with steady good paying gigs in my area. And even if I found one, there would still be the issue of "fit". Thereis nothing none of us 60 plus guys can do about our age except hair dye. 😁 Blue

When I started playing bass in 1965-66 there were no 5 string basses. Hence, I never got the whole appeal of basses with more than 4 strings. Blue

Playing bass has been my life since 1966. When driving to gigs gets difficult and my playing starts to decline, I'll still milk it out for another 3-4 years.:) Blue

I'd say it's pretty dated. Blue