Bluewine

That's a good point. Even with an empty room, If the band is playing well and I'm playing at the top of my game empty rooms don't bother me as much. Daryl

I can't argue that we're not aartists. I've always thought of myself as a bass guitarist. Daryl

If the vibe is right between the band and the crowd and the band is really on fire band member introductions are ok. I wouldn't go as far as including individual solos. Daryl

Stage Patter. I think it depends on the band, what level your playing at and where. What works in a theater or large stage festival gig might not work in a bar. Just think about it. A signed national touring act might get more value out of cool clever patter. I always thought if your not famous going on and with some personal story is kind of weird to me. I remember some local guy starts off with this banter with something like, " well you know when your in the public eye" and my first thought or reaction was, " but your not in the public eye" lol On the other hand at the local level bands that don't have a member that's good with "the mouth" might come across as boring. Daryl

Outstanding! Daryl

I think of myself as a guy that seems to be able to play rock and roll bass guitar. Daryl

Thanks Dave, We share a huge dressing room with the other performers. Should be fun. Daryl

Thanks Basexperience Agreed, and why am I complaining? 5 minutes away from my almost paid for condo, fantastic room and good food. Daryl

Thanks Dave, We have a good multi-band gig coming up in 2 weeks featuring many local " heavy hitters". Daryl

We played a 1.5 hour acoustic set. Probably 125 in attendance. We we're strictly background music. I get it, but nobody even looked in our direction. Good pay, so I won't complain. No pics. I left my phone at home. Daryl

When venues comp drinks and entrees for the band they're off to a good start . Daryl

We're on the same page. For my band, we do best with the venues with a "built in" crowd. Daryl

We're providing acoustic background music for a posh fund raiser tomorrow night, 10/16. The real value with this gig is not our fee. This is a giant networking opportunity. All the town elders and business owners will be there. We got into The Bend Theatre from doing events like this and hitting up the real " money people" "Roots and Branches is Celebrating 35 Years of Beautifying West Bend! Honoring our roots…it all started in July, 1990. Maradel Sager and about 20 volunteers organized the West Bend Beautification Committee, now known as Roots and Branches. Join us as we celebrate “our roots” at our largest fundraiser of the year, The Garden Party, on Thursday, October 16, 5:30 pm, at The Prairie Center, West Bend. Tickets" Daryl

Love this. I wish we did stuff like this. I'm into to it, however my bandmates don't seem to have much interest in video or social media promotion. Daryl

Agreed. Would you agree that some pubs and bars are just not good for live music. After 15 years, I have to say we turn down more gigs than we accept. And we play close to 65 shows a year. Of course a lot depends on your location. We still have a few live venues with a built in crowd. Meaning when we play there we'll have a good crowd without exception. And how about the gig where the venue is packed and the crowd has zero interest in your band or anyone else's band. And here's another thought . What some of us think is a good crowd might not be a good crowd to someone else. When we play The Bend Theatre we always have close to a full house. Last month we sold 230 seats . The theater holds 300. We were not fully responsible for selling 230 seats. It's an established well organized venue with a " built in " crowd. I'll post the puc from from the last gig we played at The Harley Motor Museum & Restaurant. It's an example of poor planning by inexperienced people. Daryl

Really nice photos. Daryl

Nice cover. Sounds really good. Daryl

Agreed. I learned a few unspoken rules in my band years ago. Don't suggest ideas for new songs or any intros or arrangements. We might have rehearsed once in the last 5 years. I think some bands are not cut out for rehearsal. We gig enough, we have more than enough material and very in tune with each other musically. I truly believe it's why there are no band tensions,disagreements and the reason we've been together since 2007. Don't get me wrong. Overall rehearsals to me are a big part of being professional. It just doesn't work for this band. Daryl

Dave, I'm not sure you'll be able to access the video clip. I know you use earbuds. You'll be able to hear my " meat and potatoes " bass lines. Nothing fancy. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1K5pZJcYJe/ Daryl

Nice gig! Daryl

Would you agree that it depends on the type of originals band and the location? In my neck of the woods there's practically no originals scene. And what there is would come under the " not being sufficiently entertaining " category. Daryl

I agree. However this pic shows how hard it is to give that 110%. Lol Daryl

We're not a wedding band by any stretch of the imagination. But we've been wangled into doing a few. All of them were bad. It's usually when the bride or the groom just happens to like our band. I don't think it occurs to them to hire a band their guests would like. Daryl

Some bands even if they're good will not and will never attract big crowds. Most of the Milwaukee bands that draw large local crowds consistently are established cover/ show bands represented by one of two large booking agencies. These are well organized special event type gigs where these bands are guaranteed big crowds. Daryl

It sounds like the originals band had someone with connections and motivated to book gigs. There are plenty of band better than my band. However, some hardly ever gig because while they're great musically nobody in those bands had booking skills. Daryl