Bluewine

Agreed! Blue

You guys have heard me say a million times, only audition when you have clearly defined what you expect from and are looking for in a band experience. I'd pay attention to the guy that knows what he's looking for. I'll throw this out there,if your band has a heavy gigging schedule I'd be careful about bringing a drummer in with little to no gigging experience. Drummers with traditional full time jobs, a wife and young family can be problematic with bands that gig 2-3 times a week. Bring in the best person for the band not the best drummer. Blue

So, when I go to have the strings replaced on my Hofner, I'll ask them to use D'Addarios and I'm good? Blue

My German made Hofner Limited Edition Club Bass. Blue

Cool, all large festivals are different. We've played Summerfest for the past 7 years.Opening for the likes of Gary Clark Jr. And Peter Frampton all on the strength of knowing a Summerfest board member. It's an hour set with above average pay.No auditions or video or CD submittel. To be honest and I've shared this here before. I don't think our band is good enough for Summerfest. I've never been happy with our performances. We're a great dance hall / bar band, but our act does not transend to the large festival stages. There's probably a lot of good local bands that will never play Summerfest because they don't know the right people. There are contests you can win to play Summerfest, however it's for no pay and not a main stage. I'm always suspicious of contest judging And at least for Summerfest I still contend that opening acts don't get the same level of sound as the headliner. Blue

99% of our gigs are local, half hour or less in most cases. We only travel once or twice a year and we make sure we charge appropriately. We do a gig every year in Minnesota, that's 3 hours one way. We, charge $1,500.00 and now that I think about it, that's not really enough. Blue

Ok, I get that, however a 3 hour drive and he wouldn't comp anything? That be a tough one for me unless the pay is outstanding. Blue

Those main stage slots usually have nothing to do with how good a band is. In the States the major festival main stage slots are all about who you know. Blue

I've seen a lot worse set ups. We played a restaurant that books live music . It was so small we couldn't bring in lights or sound. But the place was packed and the crowd was fantastic. A good engaged crowd will make up for a lot of other evils we have to deal with. Blue

You guys really value free food at gigs. Must be a cultural thing I never eat at gigs. I did get a $75. 00 gift certificate from our New Year's Eve gig. I like that. Blue

When your an old timer like me that learned songs from moving that needle back and fourth on a machine called a " record player" YouTube song tutorials are great. However, I know the type . The type that would rather not learn the material than look at a YouTube clip showing you exactly how to play a song. That would be way to much work. Blue

This is a stretch, but if your playing with guys that have traditional full time jobs and family, the band will never be a priority to them. Blue

Nice, Sunday afternoon gigs can because hit or miss. Blue

That's the way to do it. Nice story Blue

I must sound like a broken record People want different things out of a band. Some guys want very little, just the opportunity to play/ rehearse once a week is enough. Some guys want a lot, specific genre, gigs booked and money. Age matters, a would think what a 21 years old is looking for might be different than what a 60 year old wants. My point is, if you don't know what your looking for more than likely you will be disappointed Blue

The only decent resource for publically advertised opportunities we have is MilwaukeeRocks. The Bass Player Wanted section has had absolutely no opportunities for over 3 months. Blue

I learned the hard way. Blue

Sounds like it wasn't the right band for you. The drop D stuff should have been discussed prior to the audition. Me, If I don't completely own the audition material, I'll cancel BTW, none of this " heres our set list, pick 4 songs to audition" No way would I comply with that. You pick 4 songs and you find out too late they're songs they no longer play and don't even know anymore. I say, you tell me what songs you want me to audition. Blue

I have always questioned the sound support acts get compared to the sound the actual star/headliner gets. Blue

To be honest ,my thing is cool small bars and clubs I've never felt comfortable on large stages. Blue

I've been lucky to play headliner stages at Summerfest, the world's largest music festival for the past 7 years. Blue

Cool, I've heard about this fest. They get some acts from the States. Blue

I'm still maintain my " you had to be there"position. However, all of the younger guests on the show we're inpressive and well versed. Blue

Most bands never sell 500 units. I'm impressed with all the old bands that had a string of gold and platinum selling hits. Blue

Sure, several of my high school Beatle fanatic friends have told me I should buy it. I accept their recommendation. Blue