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Gigging without a car


Twanger

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I don't drive. I can drive, but I don't. I do cycle, but don't really fancy cycling home with a combo in a bike trailer. I may be doing the odd (low volume/ coffee shoppy type) gig in the future, and don't plan on getting a car. I live in London, so public transport is pretty good, to be honest. I have a Tribal Planet gig bag which works as a backpack, and  I had thought of a suitcase trolley for the amp, but I wondered if there's anyone else in this situation, and how they meet the issues that arise...any tips and wisdom?

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We have a new drummer who doesn't drive. We are just about to start gigging, recording etc.  I think the novelty will wear quite thin on the other members who will have to ferry him around.  

I know this personal experience.  I used to have to pick up the guitarist (20 years ago when we trying to get signed) and all his gear.  He always managed to scrape enough money together for booze and drugs but never for petrol. 

Edited by pbasspecial
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1 hour ago, Twanger said:

Yes. Sponging off other guys is not on. I used to get cabs in my past gigging life, but that was in a different smaller city in another country. 

Not always sponging i have unfortunately never driven but always took the least cut in the band fee so the rest of the members got between  £10 and  £15 extra for petrol costs....non of them minded picking me up for rehearsals and gigs....plus it was me who got all the band gigs arranged all the rehearsals ect. If i drove myself i personally wouldn't mind picking up a band member 

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1 hour ago, thebigyin said:

Not always sponging i have unfortunately never driven but always took the least cut in the band fee so the rest of the members got between  £10 and  £15 extra for petrol costs....non of them minded picking me up for rehearsals and gigs....plus it was me who got all the band gigs arranged all the rehearsals ect. If i drove myself i personally wouldn't mind picking up a band member 

 

Most people would not have a problem picking up a band member, equipment etc. I have done it many times, and others did it for me when I needed it. However, it gets tiring pretty fast if it's frequent. Picture yourself driving back home from a gig. It's late. You're tired. Band mate(s) have had a few beers and maybe are snoozing in the car. You then arrive in town, and proceed to drop your band mates at their places, and finally drive home. Your trip can easily be an extra hour longer, late at night. If it's a frequent occurrence, it can get old pretty soon, despite your best intentions.

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Just now, mcnach said:

 

Most people would not have a problem picking up a band member, equipment etc. I have done it many times, and others did it for me when I needed it. However, it gets tiring pretty fast if it's frequent. Picture yourself driving back home from a gig. It's late. You're tired. Band mate(s) have had a few beers and maybe are snoozing in the car. You then arrive in town, and proceed to drop your band mates at their places, and finally drive home. Your trip can easily be an extra hour longer, late at night. If it's a frequent occurrence, it can get old pretty soon, despite your best intentions.

This is the material point.

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10 minutes ago, Sibob said:

Mono M80 gig bag, Markbass Nano Mark (will fit in the front pocket with your cables), Barefaced OneTen or Super Midget. Single trip rig with a spare hand, underground friendly.

Done :)

Si

The gig bag is pricey (but I have a tough gig bag anyway), but the rest of the kit is very affordable. Thank you!

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10 minutes ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

I'd be unlikely to even invite a non driving band member for an audition, but I'm not in a city and not are our gigs generally (ok Lichfield is technically a city, just).

this, it's not just your own gear, we split the PA lights etc up between us, we all carry our share, I wouldn't entertain having a band member that hasn't got transport

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4 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

this, it's not just your own gear, we split the PA lights etc up between us, we all carry our share, I wouldn't entertain having a band member that hasn't got transport

OK, I wouldn't audition for a band which required me to have transport. I'm talking coffee shops. Vocals run through the guitarist's acoustic amp, and lights would be overkill.

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1 hour ago, mcnach said:

 

Most people would not have a problem picking up a band member, equipment etc. I have done it many times, and others did it for me when I needed it. However, it gets tiring pretty fast if it's frequent. Picture yourself driving back home from a gig. It's late. You're tired. Band mate(s) have had a few beers and maybe are snoozing in the car. You then arrive in town, and proceed to drop your band mates at their places, and finally drive home. Your trip can easily be an extra hour longer, late at night. If it's a frequent occurrence, it can get old pretty soon, despite your best intentions.

This says it all to me. I had it in a previous band but for different reasons. The drummer could drive but was hopeless at navigation. He often got lost or misjudged when to leave so regularly turned up late for gigs and caused havoc with setups and sound checks.  I took it on myself to always pick him up and make sure he got there on time, but after about 10 years of this it did start to get annoying that it was quite a way out of my route to pick him up and drop him off, and he was getting to kip on the way home while I was searching for matchsticks to keep my eyes open. 

However, I loved him like a brother so kept it to myself. It came to a head when the rest of the band got sick of his lax attitude and voted him out. I tried to help him understand why they were upset, but he lashed out at me and hasn't spoken to me since. 

Drummers, eh? O.o

(Sorry Dad!)

 

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7 hours ago, Twanger said:

I don't drive. I can drive, but I don't. I do cycle, but don't really fancy cycling home with a combo in a bike trailer. I may be doing the odd (low volume/ coffee shoppy type) gig in the future, and don't plan on getting a car. I live in London, so public transport is pretty good, to be honest. I have a Tribal Planet gig bag which works as a backpack, and  I had thought of a suitcase trolley for the amp, but I wondered if there's anyone else in this situation, and how they meet the issues that arise...any tips and wisdom?

If you've got a portable set-up then getting around on public transport is doable, and possibly more practical in London as where are you going to park when you get to the gig ?

Let's face it - you see folks with double basses on the Tube...a bass and an amp is small fry in comparison !

 

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I'm sure we've already had a thread like this previously...

My old band gigged regularly with a London band, no transport amongst them.  They relied on public transport for everything, relying on the goodwill of other artists for drumshells and cabinets.  Their drummer is a tiny slip of a girl...she carries all her drum stuff on a 4-wheeled trolley; I've seen her go on the Tube with it.

They seem to survive without cars...

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Lots of you who are in the big cities sound like you can manage to gig without a car. Good luck to you, how many of us would put up with the drag of car ownership unless we had to?

It seems that if you're living and/or gigging out in the 'provinces' it's almost a non-starter. I've seriously attempted to do gigs using buses or trains but I'm usually stuffed because the last one home is 11.00pm at the latest. Of course, that's only gigs where I'm not responsible for some PA or lights anyway.

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I live in a small village with little in the way of public transport, so at least one car per household is pretty much one of life's necessities. Being in a band with a member who will not get themselves a car is a non-starter from my point of view. I have walked away from two bands in the last 12 months because both had drummers who didn't drive and expected the rest of the band to store and transport their gear. 

I bought an estate car specifically because that was the easiest way to move two basses and amplification around, plus help out with a PA speaker or 2.

On the other hand, I suppose it could be argued that I am being selfish by choosing life in a village when I could be in London with a decent transport system in place!

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so if you live in London you can just about get away with it (but you must be severely restricting your options) provided the venue has PA and drum shells but I suspect it's a no no anywhere else, I've had a go at busking a couple of times in Nottingham, caught the bus with my acoustic guitar small Roland amp and mic and stand, not a very pleasant experience tbh (the busking or the bus ride)

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I don't think it's an issue of selfishness. It's not selfish to choose to live in a village and it's not selfish to choose not to have a car. The reasons I don't have a car are that they're too expensive, too much hassle, nowhere to park, traffic jams, unnecessary for daily life, and I have never really liked driving - I am not confident behind a wheel and feel much safer and more aware of what's going on on two wheels. I also don't have a UK driving licence. I learned to drive while living abroad, and got my licence in a non EU country. My licence is not recognised here.

The selfishness does not come in those decisions. The selfishness lies in what you expect other people to do about those decisions. I will not be playing in a band where I will be exploiting motorised musicians, so the issue doesn't arise. 

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47 minutes ago, Twanger said:

The selfishness does not come in those decisions. The selfishness lies in what you expect other people to do about those decisions. I will not be playing in a band where I will be exploiting motorised musicians, so the issue doesn't arise. 

That's fair, but in my experience of non-driving drummers (who, of course, have the most kit to move around) they just stand there looking like lost puppies until someone loads their gear and takes them home. That is definitely selfish behaviour, and I will not put up with it any longer.

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