Bluewine

The music biz has changed so much since my day. Is there still such a thing as " the next big thing"? If there Is I would say there was more of an opportunity to become "the next big thing" back in my day. Blue

Funny how life works . I started playing in rock bands at age 12 in 1966. I've always been enthusiastic about playing but none of the really cool stuff happened for me until I was in my 60s. I don't mean fame and fortune. I mean being in the right band for me, consistent gigs, good gigs and making enough money to pay my bills. ( mortage, utilities, cell, WiFi, food and maintaining a vehicle ) Everything happens in a certain order for a reason. Blue

Nice assessment! If you change your mind you can crash at my place. I'm only 20 minutes north of Milwaukee. Blue

I have a feeling this is a few older guys that like The Eagles and want to hang out. The whole tribute market at the local level escapes me. Seems like you can only play special events or a 1 hour feature in a festival setting. You can't play a 4 hour bar gig. Blue

Call me an old grandpa , but how reliable are most 18 year olds. When I was 18 I'd skip out on a rehearsal if I had an opportunity with a lady. At 66 I wouldn't know what an opportunity with a lady was if it slapped me in the face. Maybe kids are different now. 18-30? Wouldn't a 30 year old be ancient to an 18 year old? I think it was 1972 when I was 18. Blue

Yes, I've heard of both bands. However, I can't name one song either band is known for. Blue

Really? does that mean taking up bass guitar is not as big of a thing as it was for our generation? Blue

Dave, hopefully were proof to the young bass players on BC that this bass playing stuff goes on for a long time. Blue

That's really cool Dave. Played to my largest crowd ever when we opened for The Charlie Daniels Band. When I was on stage and looked out at the crowd I also felt like all my hard work had paid off. Blue

Our guitarist had one of those flight cases for his amp. It's a pain to load in and out. Blue

Great comments Acebass. Yeah, "we want someone as committed as us" Yeah, so committed ,you didnt follow up on the initial ad you placed. Opportunity 4, 18years old. No way, I remember being 18 that would not work at all. Blue

Excellent comments, they could have been mine. At 66 I feel the same way as you about most of the listed opportunities. The " life got in in the way" comment threw me off too. Who's to say life won't get in the way again, it usually does. Good to hear things are going good for you. Sounds like your playing some good gigs. I hope your healthy and having fun. What initially looked like a disastrous summer turned into my best gigging summer ever. The festival and fairs gave us better and shorter hours and more money. I was able to pay all my bills this summer including my mortgage with band money. I didn't have to touch my pension. Blue

I'll start. All 4 ads get their message across. I get what the opportunity is about. Opportunity 1 would not be for for me. The 90s thing would not be for me. I don't recognize the names of any of those bands. Opportunity 2 seems like it will never get off the ground. Opportunity 3. Might not be bad. Not many gigs but it would be an opportunity to sharpen my back ground vocal skills. Opportunity 4 , it's metal not my genra. Blue

A lot of you guys like this little exercise. What do you think of the ad, is it written well, see any red flags, would you be interested? Here's four opportunities to critique. 1. Looking for some like-minded musicians to play in an original band, styled similar to 90s bands. I am hoping to form a band geared towards bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Jane's Addiction, but opened to expanding to more pop-rock such as REM, Everclear or Gin Blossoms. 2. We are currently a three piece (drums, guitar, keyboards/guitar/vocals) “rock” band and we need a talented and committed person to help get us ready to play out. We’re in our fifties and experienced, and we practice at my house on the South side, have good equipment (PA, etc.) and gigs waiting for us. We play stuff from the 50s all the way through today including songs by the Beatles, Led Zep, Rival Sons, the Struts, Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons, Elvis, ACDC, Van Halen, etc. We’re looking for someone that considers music to be more than a hobby, has good equipment, and is committed to rehearsing, and practicing as much as it takes – to be able to have our band ready to play out ASAP. My apologies if you answered my June ad – Summer and life got in the way of holding proper auditions. Thanks. 3. Looking for a Bassist/back-up Vocalist to play in an EAGLES tribute band in the Milwaukee area, roughly 6 shows per year (Summer festivals). 4. We are a band from Wisconsin and we are looking for a new bassist. We are an original metal band and need someone who is dedicated. We are currently recording our second single (our first one is on out on most streaming platforms) after the single we will work on the rest of the album... We need someone who is 100% dedicated, were not looking for a fill-in but a full time member. We practice on Sundays and record on Wednesday. ages 18-30 Blue

Very cool, I've always been facinated by that chord. Blue

Great night for us at The Blondiepop. It was one of those gigs where I knew from the first few bars into our first song it was going to be a good night. Only a 5 minute commute for me. Wonderful crowd and most stayed for all three sets. I walked away with $200.00 1. Put on a good show 2. Get the money 3. Get home safely Blue

We played an acoustic gig last night It was a church event, some kind of chicken roast. We played 7-10. $450.00 Mostly elderly people. In a word the gig was pathetic. This was a gig we did as a favor, we knew it wasn't a good match. At 9:30 we were playing to 3 members of the staff who were cleaning up. I wish I had a pic to share. Full Maple Road gig at the Blondipop tonight, 8:00-12:00. Blue

When your young and starting out it's probably not that bad. It's a young mans game anyway you look at it. Blue

We never use a tip bucket at festivals , fairs or private events. We only use it at bars. Is it a cultural thing. I pay $20.00 for a haircut and I tip an extra $5.00. I doubt she sees much of that $20.00. She keeps the $5.00. Blue

I think the tip thing is only big here in the States. We have to tip everyone over here. Blue

That's pretty good cash. Pub gigs are 2 hours , right? Right now $500.00 for a 4 hour bar gig in my neck of the woods is the top of the scale. Weve pulled as much as an extra $200.00 in tips. Blue

We got $500.00 this past Sunday. You really can't get anymore $ for a 4 hour bar gig in my area. Blue

Yeah, Jimi's time slot was weird. Blue

Cool article, In the States if your were making $18,000.00 annually in 1969 you were doing pretty good. Blue

Even in my area, we still have bars that book bands. However, the majority have clientle that have no interest in live bands. You get paid but there's no good side to this story. Four hours of drudgery. You can't win. And to make matters worse, your usually in a room separate from the bar. Even my " cheer leader " gig mind set fails in these bars. A real drag.