Shall I sweep the floor with my a*se whilst I play bass?

[KevB]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1350054263' post='1834114']
course, I have no idea what the rest of the band are getting paid, but I find it hard to believe that anyone would turn out regulaly for that kind of money for so much work . [/quote]

£50 per person is pretty standard for a pub band round my way, 4 or 5 piece bands play for £200-£250 quite commonly. Usually it is only the late opening clubs that pay more, you would get more like £100 per person for playing places where you are doing sets at 1-2am but that's not the regular pub circuit. The band in the ad describe themselves as a 'functions band' but looking at the gig list it seems they are playing as many pubs or 'bars' as they are weddings etc.

Edited October 12, 2012 by KevB

[Dingus]

My point of reference is what function bands typically get. In 1985 I could have got £80 for a Sunday lunchtime/afternoon gig in a hotel ballroom , so £50 in 2012 seems a bit thin to me. Playing covers in pubs is a different thing altogether , so I take your point. I suppose it's worth considering that if it was playing original material then £50 for a pub gig would be good money , in my experience.

[martin8708]

[quote name='Huge Hands' timestamp='1350046612' post='1833964']


If you want me to be really honest, I really get narked with bedroom players on here with loads of shiny kit that have never even played with a band slagging other band clips off. I'm not the greatest player , and I'm happy to admit it, because I make the choice to not spend hours practicing on my own. I get out there and learn to interact with others, and find ways of playing alongside their strengths and weaknesses in playing their instruments. If they're really bad, I make my choice and move on. I don't spend hours trying to film myself playing something perfectly verbatim for ego gratitude from unknowns on the web.


[/quote]

Agreed 100% .

There must be some fabulously talented players who feel they can do a whole two sets with a band they have never played with before after one one rehearsal.
I would do the gig if local , sure as hell beats staying in and watching rubbish on telly or noodling with a guitar to YouTube vids .

[TimR]

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1350059378' post='1834188']


Agreed 100% .

There must be some fabulously talented players who feel they can do a whole two sets with a band they have never played with before after one one rehearsal.
I would do the gig if local , sure as hell beats staying in and watching rubbish on telly or noodling with a guitar to YouTube vids .
[/quote]

It's not talent. It's years of playing in covers bands and playing absolutely anything you hear on the radio. Pretty soon you realise most songs are extremely basic and based on a very few permutations of chord changes.

On many occasions I've played 3 one hour sets with bands where I've turned up on the night having never met the rest if the band.

I've even played gigs where none of the band have met before the gig.

My comment last night wasn't dismissive, I think I just said that they were probably inexperienced. I would do the gig, turn up on the night and take the money, but not 4 rehearsals.

Edited October 12, 2012 by TimR

[pete.young]

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1350053502' post='1834102']
Same here but if I was local, unemployed and between bands I'd probably consider it. Beats watching TV in my pants.
[/quote]
Bit OT Bremen, but why do you have a TV in your pants?

[mushers]

now if they were asking a dep to play for free i would jump at the chance
they didnt sound too bad to me poor quality recording and sex on fire being removed would sort it

[BottomE]

Pay your money and take your choice. £50 seems like scant reward for the effort but it might lead to more gigs or you might meet someone in the band which will lead to something else. Sometimes you need to speculate to accumulate...

[wateroftyne]

Well that's the thing. It might be worth learning the tunes and (God forbid) rehearsing for a dep if there's the possibility of more deps in the future. but as third-in-line, chances are you won't be needed again.

Unless you're better the second-in-line, of course, then you might nick his gig.

There's no right or wrong, I suppose. Do it if you want, don't if you don't.

Edited October 12, 2012 by wateroftyne

[xilddx]

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1350059378' post='1834188']
Agreed 100% .

There must be some fabulously talented players who feel they can do a whole two sets with a band they have never played with before after one one rehearsal.
I would do the gig if local , sure as hell beats staying in and watching rubbish on telly or noodling with a guitar to YouTube vids .
[/quote]
If you think you have to be fabulously talented to do that, then you have low expectations. And it's not like these are original songs you'd have to learn, you'll have heard most of them enough to have the arrangements fairly clear already.

Any reasonably competent intermediate performing musician should be able to learn a set, practice it at home for a week, turn up to a rehearsal and expect themselves and the band to make a passable performance of it first go. That's just what you have to do. Four rehearsals is a waste of time and money.

[paul_5]

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1350060864' post='1834217']
Bit OT Bremen, but why do you have a TV in your pants?
[/quote]

[IMG]http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd471/paul_510/felix.jpg[/IMG]

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1350065794' post='1834301']
If you think you have to be fabulously talented to do that, then you have low expectations. And it's not like these are original songs you'd have to learn, you'll have heard most of them enough to have the arrangements fairly clear already.

Any reasonably competent intermediate performing musician should be able to learn a set, practice it at home for a week, turn up to a rehearsal and expect themselves and the band to make a passable performance of it first go. That's just what you have to do. Four rehearsals is a waste of time and money.
[/quote]

Nige has the right of it sadly. I have done dep gigs for mates for as little as a few free pints out of them, but they drive me to the gig, and they don't make me rehearse unless I think I might need it (which generally I don't, as long as they stick to the records and let me know of any key changes).
Not to disparage anybody here, but if you're good enough to be gigging in public. learning a couple of sets of standard covers in a week and then popping along to the gig with no prior meeting should be fine.
Last year I was in an originals band that didn't meet til the first gig, we just learned the demos we were sent and played them. It was fine.
If you can't do this, then his here gig advertised is good experience for you, go along and get the hang of depping, it is quite lucrative once you've got the hang of it.

[thisnameistaken]

Tbh when I was a teenager I was routinely called to dep for originals bands and I got into a routine of asking them for a tape of their set, which I would learn at home, do one rehearsal to make sure I had it all right, then do the gig. I did this with about a dozen different bands having been playing bass for just a couple of years. Why would you not be able to do this with a set full of top 40 material?

[martin8708]

I stand corrected .
I will also endeavour to raise my expectations .
Many thanks .

Edited October 13, 2012 by martin8708

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1350034375' post='1833715']
No prob; they're maybe chuffed that they're being discussed so much on a music site!
[/quote]

...or even on 'BassChat'..!

[tonyclaret]

[quote name='Huge Hands' timestamp='1350046612' post='1833964']


I agree WoT, my point was why was the OP getting so worked up about it that he had to start a thread on here and write negative comments on their blog - and then have a load of others jump on and start saying they're s**t?

If I'm honest, I didn't think they were that great either on the clip I listened to, but I don't feel the need to decimate them for it. They put an offer - a link to what they sound like, so make your choice whether you're interested or not (I'm talking to everyone here WoT - not you direct).

I think it comes from my old arguments on here years ago with the likes of bass ferret - Youtube appears to be the place for downright nasty comments. I always get told on here that the forum is full of love and group hugs. I wonder if posters would be so blatant with their comments if this band's bass player was a BC member, posted a clip and said "what do you think guys?". I bet the responses would be "drummer isn't so tight" or "wasn't keen on the brass section arrangement", rather than "you're s**t".

If you want me to be really honest, I really get narked with bedroom players on here with loads of shiny kit that have never even played with a band slagging other band clips off. I'm not the greatest player , and I'm happy to admit it, because I make the choice to not spend hours practicing on my own. I get out there and learn to interact with others, and find ways of playing alongside their strengths and weaknesses in playing their instruments. If they're really bad, I make my choice and move on. I don't spend hours trying to film myself playing something perfectly verbatim for ego gratitude from unknowns on the web.

Wow, that was quite honest for me, I'm normally an apologetic fence-sitter. Normal service will resume shortly.....
[/quote]

I wasn't questioning the bands performance or skills level, I don't give a monkeys if they are sh*te or good.

What I did question was the fee, come on eight piece band £400? 14-16 hours work plus petrol for £50.

This is blog site to discuss whatever we want to talk about bass related, and that's what I've done.

Is that ok Sir?

[TimR]

TBH that sounds about right. It's a birthday party. Look at their gig list for 2012, less than one gig a month. One wedding and a festival. They look like a start up band to me. Give them 2 or 3 years to work out how it works and they'll be a good band.

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='tonyclaret' timestamp='1350092720' post='1834585']
Is that ok Sir?
[/quote]

Do what you like - no need to get upset....oh wait, you already did.

My point was - they put up the offer - if you didn't like it, ignore it.

As can be seen from the play for free thread, there are plenty of guys on here who would have probably jumped at it if they lived close enough that the rehearsals didn't feel like x amount of hours work, they might meet a new band, and £50 might be the most they've ever earned from a gig.

I wouldn't have done it for that money and I don't particularly think I would have wanted to do 4 rehearsals either, but that is something I could have bartered with them in a message, I wouldn't have felt the need to leave a sneery post on their blog, or start a thread about it on here, but that's me.

I think it was your tone on both their site and here, and then the resultant flaming of their prowess by others that made me decide to say something. If it had just been one or the other, I probably wouldn't have bothered.

It's all my opinion of course - I am not judge and jury, and I've certainly never been knighted.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Huge Hands

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='tonyclaret' timestamp='1350092720' post='1834585']
What I did question was the fee, come on eight piece band £400? 14-16 hours work plus petrol for £50.[/quote]

Of course that's making the assumption the dep gets an equal share - but it could easily not be the case, & if it's a one-off they'll probably never know.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Huge Hands' timestamp='1350138714' post='1835047']
I wouldn't have done it for that money and I don't particularly think I would have wanted to do 4 rehearsals either, but that is something I could have bartered with them in a message, I wouldn't have felt the need to leave a sneery post on their blog, or start a thread about it on here, but that's me. [/quote]

I didn't realise anybody had posted rude stuff on their blog, that's a bit unnecessary.

But bringing it up as a topic for discussion here seems like a reasonably thing to do, and others expressing their opinions is what happens on a forum.

[tonyclaret]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1350142818' post='1835122']


I didn't realise anybody had posted rude stuff on their blog, that's a bit unnecessary.

But bringing it up as a topic for discussion here seems like a reasonably thing to do, and others expressing their opinions is what happens on a forum.
[/quote]

Nothing rude, just stated the facts: "4 rehearsals and a gig £50? mmm"

Not exactly rude.

My sentiments exactly a forum is for discussing and expressing opinions be it right or wrong. I may have to run my next post past the unofficial site regulator for approval one feels.

Oops does my tone sound shity? I do apologise.

:-)

Edited October 13, 2012 by tonyclaret

[Lord Sausage]

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1350065794' post='1834301']
If you think you have to be fabulously talented to do that, then you have low expectations. And it's not like these are original songs you'd have to learn, you'll have heard most of them enough to have the arrangements fairly clear already.

Any reasonably competent intermediate performing musician should be able to learn a set, practice it at home for a week, turn up to a rehearsal and expect themselves and the band to make a passable performance of it first go. That's just what you have to do. Four rehearsals is a waste of time and money.
[/quote]
Respect!

That's how it goes most of the time!

[Huge Hands]

[quote name='tonyclaret' timestamp='1350161038' post='1835406']
I may have to run my next post past the unofficial site regulator for approval one feels.
[/quote]

I didn't say it was rude, I said sneery - as in the tone of the way it was said.

I'll say it one last time, I was having a go at the whole situation, not you on your own (until you questioned it). My main issue was with the flaming torch and pitchfork brigade that were saying they were rubbish - I haven't looked back but I don't think you were part of that. When I included you, I meant both that thread and the comments on the blog seemed to incite those that were doing it.

Maybe I was being too sensitive, I just don't agree with people trying to be elitist and slagging others off or deliberately embarrassing them due to their talents. If they are managing to make money from what they enjoy doing, then great for them. If not, then it's the greatest criticism they'll ever get.

If you want me to proof read your posts, that's fine. As a fan of Viz and the former BigBeefChief, you'll find me more liberal than you think....

Edited October 13, 2012 by Huge Hands

[Stag]

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1350064430' post='1834282']
or you might meet someone in the band which will lead to something else. Sometimes you need to speculate to accumulate...
[/quote]

Like one of the brass section / backing vox being a hot young lady perchance?

[BassPimp66]

You guys totally miss the point. The ladies in the band are real hotties. I would sell my soul to the devil to play with these hot mamas.
I think that's why they can afford to pay s*** money.

[Rich]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1350142818' post='1835122']


I didn't realise anybody had posted rude stuff on their blog, that's a bit unnecessary.

But bringing it up as a topic for discussion here seems like a reasonably thing to do, and others expressing their opinions is what happens on a forum.
[/quote]

This, absolutely.