Bluewine

I think the bass chat community is a lot more mature than talk bass. Daryl

If my band was still playing bar gigs regularly it would be tough on me. Over here the bar/pub band scene is also dieing at a rapid place. We probably don't gig as much as we use to. However the gigs we do are premium, and fun to do. I really think it's those bad gigs that cause guys to stop. I never hear complaints about the good gigs. Daryl

Yes, very true. I've been the bass player for Maple Road since 2009. I've been out gigging in the Milwaukee WI area most weekends for 16 years. Daryl

Why don't you like 58s. Aren't they still the industry standard? Daryl

I guess I can throw a couple out there. 1.Synth bass pedals 2.Knock off basses 3. 4 hour gigs Daryl

Agreed 100%. Daryl

Seems like that's the way it is most of the time for me. Of course I can hear my bass and vocals when nobody else is playing. Why don't these sound guys come on stage when your actually into the set with their tablets and chrome books and and check the stage sound then ? Daryl

I think Bass Chat has to be the best community for sharing experiences, history and stories. There is apart of me that's a little superficial. I like being shuttled to a stage in a new transport van. I like it when a stranger wants to engage me in conversation just because I was playing on stage with a band. Last week I was recognized by two strangers. Once was at a Foreigner concert, " your that Maple Road guy" and he gave me a thumbs up. The second time was at the local Aldi store and an older women gave me a " Hey Maple Road ". Isn't there a little of this in all of us? Daryl

Wow! We had cars floating down the street, flooded basements and backed up sewers Daryl

State Fair Park a few hours after we left. 14 inches of rain. They closed the fair on Sunday. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19UAzxynQP/ Daryl

I love mine. It only has one flaw. If the 9 volt battery for the pre-amp dies it won't play in passive mode. Daryl

"Why Didn't They Go Back" We had a disastrous "bar gig" a couple of months ago. Bad acoustics , not much of a crowd, out in the " boonies" , long commute and the crowd that was there had no interest in us. On the way home we decided we would cancel the August 16th booking. I guess we never went through with canceling the gig. We go back next Saturday for more torture. Blue

Cool, .my blue burst G&L ASAT is my primary gigging bass. It's a 1994 and I've had it since 2009. Daryl

We played The Major Goolsby stage at Wisconsin State Fair this afternoon. It was a good gig. We were well received. The whole thing went over a lot better than last year despite the 100° weather. We played three 45 minute sets. As usual I couldn't get any decent pics. We

Stub I can go back and forth on this topic. This is how I feel today. I'm 71 years old and I'm lucky I have something as cool as gigging in a rock band almost every weekend. That's what's keeping me in the game. After almost 60 years I haven't lost the interest in this or the ability to play . Plus I need the money. Lol Daryl

Not unusual. I've seen it where at the end of the night the staff has no clue about settling up with the band. If the head boss man isn't there, usually there's an envelope under the cash drawer. Daryl

Interesting. Over here I'd have to say the booking folks couldn't care less what the patrons think about bands Daryl

I think the other element we have to consider is, a lot of these venues change management every other week. Daryl

This is typical of what happens with new management. It was nice that you guys pulled the plug on them before they pulled it on you. We have a great relationship with The Harley Motor Restaurant. We get on great with the staff and manager, comped drinks and food. However, the manager has absolutely nothing to do with the bookings. It's done by a 3rd party agency that could turn on as at anytime for any reason. Daryl

Alot of times we don't really know the process venue owners use to determine who gets booked and what date . I wonder if you could get an honest answer if you asked the owner; " What criteria do you use for rebooking bands, how can we get in your weekend rotation schedule?" Daryl

I think all bands should bring a professional performance and professional behavior. Daryl

Interesting. It's not just a change in ownership that can hurt a band. If you lose your main contact you can end up back on the streets too. We had a great on going gig at The Wilson Performing Arts Center. Our contact got fired and we never got asked back. Daryl

Agreed. It's the " Don't Stop Believing " type cover bands that bring the women in. Daryl

I think we had a theatre gig earlier this year. The dressing room had a refrigerator stocked with beer & wine. I heard some rumblings that a band member and a friend drank the thing dry. We're going back in October to open for a national act. Lol Daryl