Embarrassed, Ashamed?

[Bluewine]

How many of us have played bars or clubs where you'd be embarrassed or ashamed to invite your friends of family to.

Tell us why. You don't have to use the real name of the venue. Use a fictitious name.

Old pick from 2010.

Blue

[StringNavigator]

If you don't feel like reading, just pass this one by. Nothing is simple anymore.

Montreal, 1971, Shed 25. Owned by a football player (Montreal Alouettes) down by the docks (where the large storage sheds were numbered). At night, the area was so dark you had to be careful carrying gear. There was nothing else around but a small restaurant 5 or 6 blocks away where you had to swim through the snow drift as you went down several steps with red and green neon lights flashing in the snow. I remember fueling up on cheap scotch, fried eggs and two cups of coffee. The waitress was Muriel with the nice smile.

An establishment feeding beer daily to longshoremen and motorcycle gangs. Long torn down. We were 15/16 and it was our blues band with blues harp: Messin' With The Kid, Jumpin' Jack Flash/Johnny Winter and Johnny B Goode.

Don't even tell your parents about it. By day it was the hangout of the notorious Dubois Freres Gang. Lucky for us they never were around at night. The women wore nothing and were very young. It was all new to me then. They used to rush us when we came in saying, "Ooh! Les Musiciens! Gadze! Gadze!" There were actually very sweet. The older ones were much more street savy. The customers were all old enough to be daddies, but their tips probably fed them. This was when Montreal had been long established as an open city and just before the modesty laws were instituted.

First time we saw bouncers in action. Some drunk decided to argue football with the owner. They took him outside. They came back in without him. We got nosey between sets and witnessed more blood on cement than we imagined possible from one guy. We were going to ask for more money. 

Another night I sensed something while playing, only to see this hand twice the size of mine playing along the neck with me. Everyone was laughing. I felt like Pee-Wee Herman in the bikers bar. I was glad when he finally sat down. It was the Outlaws having a beer stop.

The old guys driving the little sidewalk sized snow plows would drive like speed demons down their routes and then stop in for a couple of hours to have a few beer and sell pot.  

Then we had to play for women who were auditioning their dance routine. We'd play Help Me Baby and Green Onions. They liked it. It was mind boggling for a teenager. I can still smell the tobacco and beer stained carpet if I think on this too long. I don't think this routine exists anywhere today, except maybe Calcutta or the Barbary Coast. We split $40 for each night, six nights a week and stopped after three weeks as we all had day jobs.

That's my lurid little tale of musical debauchery. Now tell us what the cute lady is doing with the price tag around her neck...?. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by StringNavigator

[roblpm]

37 minutes ago, StringNavigator said:

If you don't feel like reading, just pass this one by. Nothing is simple anymore.

Montreal, 1971, Shed 25. Owned by a football player (Montreal Alouettes) down by the docks (where the large storage sheds were numbered). At night, the area was so dark you had to be careful carrying gear. There was nothing else around but a small restaurant 5 or 6 blocks away where you had to swim through the snow drift as you went down several steps with red and green neon lights flashing in the snow. I remember fueling up on cheap scotch, fried eggs and two cups of coffee. The waitress was Muriel with the nice smile.

An establishment feeding beer daily to longshoremen and motorcycle gangs. Long torn down. We were 15/16 and it was our blues band with blues harp: Messin' With The Kid, Jumpin' Jack Flash/Johnny Winter and Johnny B Goode.

Don't even tell your parents about it. By day it was the hangout of the notorious Dubois Freres Gang. Lucky for us they never were around at night. The women wore nothing and were very young. It was all new to me then. They used to rush us when we came in saying, "Ooh! Les Musiciens! Gadze! Gadze!" There were actually very sweet. The older ones were much more street savy. The customers were all old enough to be daddies, but their tips probably fed them. This was when Montreal had been long established as an open city and just before the modesty laws were instituted.

First time we saw bouncers in action. Some drunk decided to argue football with the owner. They took him outside. They came back in without him. We got nosey between sets and witnessed more blood on cement than we imagined possible from one guy. We were going to ask for more money. 

Another night I sensed something while playing, only to see this hand twice the size of mine playing along the neck with me. Everyone was laughing. I felt like Pee-Wee Herman in the bikers bar. I was glad when he finally sat down. It was the Outlaws having a beer stop.

The old guys driving the little sidewalk sized snow plows would drive like speed demons down their routes and then stop in for a couple of hours to have a few beer and sell pot.  

Then we had to play for women who were auditioning their dance routine. We'd play Help Me Baby and Green Onions. They liked it. It was mind boggling for a teenager. I can still smell the tobacco and beer stained carpet if I think on this too long. I don't think this routine exists anywhere today, except maybe Calcutta or the Barbary Coast. We split $40 for each night, six nights a week and stopped after three weeks as we all had day jobs.

That's my lurid little tale of musical debauchery. Now tell us what the cute lady is doing with the price tag around her neck...?. 

Are you sure this is "embarrassed, ashamed" or "where can we get more gigs with young ladies throwing themselves at us? “. 

[Bluewine]

Never been ashamed or embarrassed, however definitely played some bars I'd never mention or invite anyone to see us there.

Take Hops & Pops, in a really bad section of the inner city. We were taking our lives into our own hands just going down there. Plus it was always a 9:30 - 1:30 gig, really bad hours.

The clientle, everyone there looked like they were released from prison that morning.

Scary place. we stopped playing there a year ago.

Blue

[thebigyin]

On and off since the early 80s played 100s of gigs some good some bad but never been ashamed of any or cannot think of any off hand...I was one of those guys who would play anywhere a gigs a gig to me...back in the 80s and 90s you could easily play 2 to 3 times a week more if you wanted but I was always working full time...so music was my hobby but often gigged either thurs, fri, sat nights or fri, sat night sun afternoon sometimes night aswell….gigs were a plenty. But its hard to find gigs nowadays....played all over certain parts of country aswell loved it at the time but aint gigged for a few years now.

[StringNavigator]

4 hours ago, roblpm said:

Are you sure this is "embarrassed, ashamed" or "where can we get more gigs with young ladies throwing themselves at us? “. 

I don't mention it on my resume. We were young. We never told our parents. We still got spankings in those days. It was an incentive to leave home. The funny thing is, the girls were respected. In spite of cavorting on tables, knocking over your beer while doing the hoochie-koochie, but nothing untoward went on. Just stay out of the way of the big dogs and you'd get home in one piece. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by StringNavigator

[Happy Jack]

1 hour ago, StringNavigator said:

Just stay out of the way of the big dogs and you'd get home in one piece. 

And, of course, when you're 16 you know you're going to live forever.

 

[chris_b]

Hey Blue, I understand your pain. I also didn't want anyone to see me when I played one of those basses!

[StringNavigator]

1 minute ago, Happy Jack said:

And, of course, when you're 16 you know you're going to live forever.

 

Isn't ignorance grand? Then when we're 66, we get to relive everything in 20-20 memory and regret everything we did or didn't do.

[StringNavigator]

7 hours ago, Bluewine said:

How many of us have played bars or clubs where you'd be embarrassed or ashamed to invite your friends of family to.

Forgive me for prying, but is there probably more going on here than meets the eye. Trade Show? Bachelorette Auction for Charity? Cruise Ship?

[StringNavigator]

1 hour ago, thebigyin said:

back in the 80s and 90s you could easily play 2 to 3 times a week more if you wanted...thurs, fri, sat nights or fri, sat night sun afternoon sometimes night as well….gigs were a plenty. But its hard to find gigs nowadays...

Hard to believe that music was once a profession. It really depends on where you live, often. In Ontario, Canada, gigs are rare and you're lucky to get some money for gas. Usually you'll play for free. But when I lived on the West Coast on Vancouver Island, the place was hopping mad with live music on Thurs-Sat. All types, but mostly danceable music from Rock to Country. Lots of jazz, too. But those people back there and then in the 70's were very sociable and went out a lot. So much has changed. Anyway, hope you're still playing with a band. That's always good. Even if you play somewhere for free, it's ok. Like a hobby. That's the way I'm trying to go. Good luck to you!

[casapete]

25 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Hey Blue, I understand your pain. I also didn't want anyone to see me when I played one of those basses!

Grrrrr……………….😣

[Monkey Steve]

never ashamed of anywhere I've played, but plenty of pubs that I wouldn't ever drink in.  Not the rough ones - that's most of my drinking life - but the awful, Stella Artois & John Smiths serving town centre pubs who have an entertainment budget to spend on bands, or awful dance around your handbag type bars,  Weirdly all of those were played in a punk covers band, and we got repeat bookings at some of them

[thebigyin]

7 hours ago, StringNavigator said:

Hard to believe that music was once a profession. It really depends on where you live, often. In Ontario, Canada, gigs are rare and you're lucky to get some money for gas. Usually you'll play for free. But when I lived on the West Coast on Vancouver Island, the place was hopping mad with live music on Thurs-Sat. All types, but mostly danceable music from Rock to Country. Lots of jazz, too. But those people back there and then in the 70's were very sociable and went out a lot. So much has changed. Anyway, hope you're still playing with a band. That's always good. Even if you play somewhere for free, it's ok. Like a hobby. That's the way I'm trying to go. Good luck to you!

Unfortunately my job doesn't allow me these days to rehearse during the week as I go to bed early evening then up at silly 0 clock so haven't gigged for about 4 years now.

[thodrik]

When I was 22 my band at the time were asked play a charity evening gig in aid of breast cancer and testicular cancer awareness at a school that was close to where our singer grew up. Sounded innocent enough. 

Unfortunately when we got there we discovered that the ‘breast cancer awareness’ aspect consisted of 15-17 girls wearing only their bra and pants and 15-17 year old boys in their underwear.

The adult supervisors were off duty police officers and parents of the children. None of them seemed to think that any of this was remotely weird or inappropriate. 

I was fairly disgusted and couldn’t wait to leave.

[Bluewine]

10 hours ago, StringNavigator said:

Forgive me for prying, but is there probably more going on here than meets the eye. Trade Show? Bachelorette Auction for Charity? Cruise Ship?

Charity, funds for the Les Paul Museum.

Blue

[Bluewine]

10 hours ago, StringNavigator said:

Hard to believe that music was once a profession. It really depends on where you live, often. In Ontario, Canada, gigs are rare and you're lucky to get some money for gas. Usually you'll play for free. But when I lived on the West Coast on Vancouver Island, the place was hopping mad with live music on Thurs-Sat. All types, but mostly danceable music from Rock to Country. Lots of jazz, too. But those people back there and then in the 70's were very sociable and went out a lot. So much has changed. Anyway, hope you're still playing with a band. That's always good. Even if you play somewhere for free, it's ok. Like a hobby. That's the way I'm trying to go. Good luck to you!

I never play for free. Who would even ask someone to play a 4 hour gig and provide lights and sound for free?

Blue

[Bluewine]

10 hours ago, StringNavigator said:

Forgive me for prying, but is there probably more going on here than meets the eye. Trade Show? Bachelorette Auction for Charity? Cruise Ship?

That pic is close to being 10 years old. And those Dan Electro basses are not bad. A lot of fun to play.

Blue

[Bluewine]

Ashamed and embarrassed might have been a poor choice of words.

We have gigs where I invite people to. The nice higher end clubs and festivals and fairs. Then we have some gigs that are in bad clubs in bad areas that I don't promote.

Blue

 

 

[T-Bay]

We play one pub I wouldn’t want my family coming along to as it’s rough as old boots, but it’s also the best crowd, landlord is a top bloke and we never fail to great time. It’s in a nice area as well, but clientele don’t seem to be the sort that live locally. Beer is fantastic there and never any trouble beyond ‘rowdy’ fun.

 

[Bluewine]

50 minutes ago, T-Bay said:

We play one pub I wouldn’t want my family coming along to as it’s rough as old boots, but it’s also the best crowd, landlord is a top bloke and we never fail to great time. It’s in a nice area as well, but clientele don’t seem to be the sort that live locally. Beer is fantastic there and never any trouble beyond ‘rowdy’ fun.

 

Doesn't sound like a bad place to me.

We have ongoing gigs at places we historically don't do well in for whatever reason. These are the places I don't promote.

Blue

[casapete]

2 hours ago, Bluewine said:

Doesn't sound like a bad place to me.

We have ongoing gigs at places we historically don't do well in for whatever reason. These are the places I don't promote.

Blue

Sounds like they’re the gigs you need to be promoting more then Blue, assuming you want to keep them of course?

[StringNavigator]

10 hours ago, thebigyin said:

Unfortunately my job doesn't allow me these days to rehearse during the week as I go to bed early evening then up at silly 0 clock so haven't gigged for about 4 years now.

Ain't retirement grand? I have no controls at all on my hours. Sometimes I sleep for two days, LOL! Then I can't get to sleep at all.

[StringNavigator]

8 hours ago, Bluewine said:

I never play for free. Who would even ask someone to play a 4 hour gig and provide lights and sound for free?

Blue

In Toronto, they want you to bring enough people in BEFORE you even get the gig (your parents, their friends, your family and you have to make the bar happy. So mommy and daddy "help" make little Bobby's dream come true...). Some guarantee "exposure"... Some you have to man the door and collect a cover, which you then have to split with the club... There's so many musicians playing for free, hoping to be "discovered", that even festivals and the like will give you only $50 and that's that. And there's all these "charity" gigs for this and that, where you "volunteer". God knows where that money goes. I suspect it's merely a gimmick to attract patrons, avoid taxes and lower expenses.

It's pitiful. I've lived in Canada coast to coast and there's no worse place for musical income than Toronto. There's a few Community Orchestras, but you have to pay in and become a dues paying member (the conductor gets paid). You're really lucky to make $35 each on a paying gig. And there's no emphasis on lighting. It doesn't matter how good you are.

There are some Greek restaurants who pay accordionists with some accompaniment, but only big names from the US make any money at the larger venues. If a large venue hires Toronto bands, the American agents will "black-ball" your establishment, and you'll lose patrons. There's not very many musicians in southern Ontario. It's not in their culture. We're getting American musicians now, running from Trump. Aussies have a club, but it's really for Aussies. Multicultural here means stay with your own culture. LOL! Chinese, Italian, European and Caribbean cultures all have their own music scene here, weddings and bistros, but you have to be ethnically related to be a part of it. Or else you'll be accused of "cultural appropriation". I, myself, was accused of this for playing upright in a New Orleans style Dixieland band. Go figure. I'd live somewhere else, but at my age I'm tied into the health care system, and they'd halve my pensions. I get really jealous when I see other musicians around the world mixing it up. But I think in the UK and Ireland you have a large tourism industry that keeps establishments in business.

As real estate values rose in a crowded Toronto, rent became a nightmare and many venues closed. Same for gas stations.

The Silver Dollar Room was popular, but they closed down last month. (Not big on décor.)

 

The Cadillac Lounge closed. Small stage, but they've had Wanda Jackson sing there.

 

The El Mocambo is closed. (Mick and the boys at the El Mocambo getting in shape for their tour. No need for local bands...)

 

The Roxy's gone. It was a dump anyway.

The Reverb... gone. And to think that KD Lang & The Reclines started out here...

 

Most Torontonians go to New York or Chicago so they don't consider music as a local thing, unless it's Paul McCartney at the Air Canada Centre.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2018 by StringNavigator

[Leonard Smalls]

I remember playing the Marquee many years ago. 3-400 had come to see us - it was Christmas and the crowd were quite lively.

We did a few songs, then our singer announced that we'd hired a stripper, who was going to perform while we played pne of our crazier numbers, "Curtains".

The crowd whooped and hollered in excitement, the band launched into the song, and out came the stripper. Funnily enough, the rest of the band hadn't known about the extra performer, and were just as surprised as the audience when a very overweight Santa staggered out. None of us knew where to look as he disrobed rapidly and cavorted very nakedly...

The singer realised quite how far his joke had backfired when his girlfriend started flirting outrageously with Fat Santa.