What Keeps You In The Game ?

[peteb]

58 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

It amazes me how popular Blues bands still are in England.

 

Daryl

 

There is still an audience, but it is something of a niche these days. Blues bands are far more popular in various parts of mainland Europe...! 

 

[mikebass456]

1 hour ago, Bluewine said:

 

It amazes me how popular Blues bands still are in England.

 

Daryl

Just got back from our gig with the blues band - just a one hour slot as part of the local cider festival. Great crowd despite the rain and evening chill (we were on between 9 & 10pm).  

Dancers at the end for Baby Please Dont Go, and Shake Your Moneymaker - blues is still alive and well in Cleethorpes! 😎

[Bluewine]

3 hours ago, ezbass said:

Well, this one tried its best to be as bad as I anticipated: Guitarist forgot his pedalboard and had to make an hour round trip back home to get it; keyboardist’s setup refused to send a signal to the desk, fortunately, a spare was at hand and worked, not as good a sound though; halfway through the second set I felt my bass move, my strap had split at the strap pin and was holding on by one thread, went to use a spare from the backup bass, no strap packed 🤦🏻.

 

Sounds like our gig at last week. Except add having the van stuck in the mud. We tried everything to move it until we figured out driving it forward instead of reverse was the answer. 

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

On 25/05/2025 at 17:12, peteb said:

 

There is still an audience, but it is something of a niche these days. Blues bands are far more popular in various parts of mainland Europe...! 

 

 

 

Seems like 99% of the British Invasion bands 1960- 1965 have origins in the blues even The Moody Blues.

 

I'd say the blues scene in my neck of the woods is a viable, respectable size niche. I think it's because I'm a little over an hour north of Chicago. 

 

However, the blues bands don't get the cool high profile big money gigs like the top tier represented cover bands. We're able to slip under the radar because of our Americana stuff. And I think having a female lead guitarist and lead vocalist fronting the band helps too.

 

Daryl

Edited Tuesday at 00:36 by Bluewine

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I'll be 60 next year, so I guess I almost qualify for this.

What keeps me in the game is the guys I play with. Consummate professionals each and every one.

I cannot think of one bad word word to say about any of them. They give everything at each and every gig.

They are the first to criticise themselves and applaud the effort of others.

I really can't ask for more than that.

I know the bubble will burst one day when someone hangs up their spurs, but for now, I'm the happiest guy.

[police squad]

I do this to entertain people.

I only play at home when I need to learn stuff

Yesterday's gig was awesome. People dancing and having a great time

Landlord offered more money to play another set, which I would have done, however there's been a death in the family and my wife was picking me up and she's had a diffficult week following the loss of her brother

She is one of the reasons that I still play, she encourages me and says that would i do is great

 

Like many of you, I've been doing this a long time, just shy of 40 years

I've played every sh!t hole known to the area

But now I play for nice landlords and places that I like

The tribute bands I'm in only do good gigs

 

I'm lucky that I don't need the money but many years ago, I did need it

I'm nearly 57 but can't see me stopping just yet

[warwickhunt]

This is why I still do it.  I was going to say 'despite being 62 years going round our sun' but my age has nothing to do with it.    

 

 

[peteb]

7 hours ago, Bluewine said:

 

 

Seems like 99% of the British Invasion bands 1960- 1965 have origins in the blues even The Moody Blues.

 

I'd say the blues scene in my neck of the woods is a viable, respectable size niche. I think it's because I'm a little over an hour north of Chicago. 

 

However, the blues bands don't get the cool high profile big money gigs like the top tier represented cover bands. We're able to slip under the radar because our Americana stuff. And I think having a female lead guitarist and lead vocalist fronting the band helps too.

 

Daryl

 

It's pretty much the same over here.

 

I've just been asked to do a dep in July, for a band playing at one of the bigger blues clubs around. It's a decent payer (about the lower end of what you would expect playing the tribute circuit), an established venue with a good crowd and apparently they look after you. But it's a two hour drive away and there are less and less of these venues still going (certainly compared to ten / fifteen years ago). My own 'occasional' blues band is playing a biker rally in June, again a reasonable payer to a decent crowd, but we only play a few gigs a year. There are pubs around here that book blues bands, but they don't pay much and it tends to be Sunday afternoon slots rather than a Saturday night. 

 

There certainly tends to be more of a market for blues music in Germany / Northern Europe and even a fair bit in Central / Southern Europe. The British Invasion heyday was a very long time ago (although there have been a few resurgences since). 

 

[silverfoxnik]

Love this thread @Bluewine, so thanks for posting it. 

 

Reading all the amazing responses it's generated have been literally life-affirming! 

 

Being able to play music, create music and make music with (and for) people is a privilege and a gift. It's communal, creative and joyful for me. 

 

And the older I get (now 64 years young), the more true this becomes.

 

I think it was @Buddster who talked in their post about there being an extra special joy and purpose that comes from the 'visceral power of the bass', and that's definitely true for me. 

 

[As an aside - whilst I can play guitar - probably well enough to get in a gigging covers band - I'd never enjoy it like playing bass.] 

 

So, after thinking it through this morning, I'd say that music's in my DNA, but being a bass-playing musician is in my bones. 

 

And that's what keeps me in the game.... 

 

 

[Lozz196]

I get that Nik, similarly I can play guitar ok enough but have never really felt like “me” when being a guitarist in a band, my home is bass.

[Bluewine]

21 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I'll be 60 next year, so I guess I almost qualify for this.

What keeps me in the game is the guys I play with. Consummate professionals each and every one.

I cannot think of one bad word word to say about any of them. They give everything at each and every gig.

They are the first to criticise themselves and applaud the effort of others.

I really can't ask for more than that.

I know the bubble will burst one day when someone hangs up their spurs, but for now, I'm the happiest guy.

 

Same for me. My bandmates are fantastic.  I'm spoiled . I feel sorry for guys that are stuck playing with

" goof balls "

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

14 hours ago, silverfoxnik said:

Love this thread @Bluewine, so thanks for posting it. 

 

Reading all the amazing responses it's generated have been literally life-affirming! 

 

Being able to play music, create music and make music with (and for) people is a privilege and a gift. It's communal, creative and joyful for me. 

 

And the older I get (now 64 years young), the more true this becomes.

 

I think it was @Buddster who talked in their post about there being an extra special joy and purpose that comes from the 'visceral power of the bass', and that's definitely true for me. 

 

[As an aside - whilst I can play guitar - probably well enough to get in a gigging covers band - I'd never enjoy it like playing bass.] 

 

So, after thinking it through this morning, I'd say that music's in my DNA, but being a bass-playing musician is in my bones. 

 

And that's what keeps me in the game.... 

 

 

 

 

Being on stage playing in a band is the only time when I feel completely in charge and know exactly what I'm doing. That's excluding " the invisible bear " incident. 

 

Daryl

Edited Tuesday at 00:29 by Bluewine

[Bluewine]

14 hours ago, peteb said:

 

It's pretty much the same over here.

 

I've just been asked to do a dep in July, for a band playing at one of the bigger blues clubs around. It's a decent payer (about the lower end of what you would expect playing the tribute circuit), an established venue with a good crowd and apparently they look after you. But it's a two hour drive away and there are less and less of these venues still going (certainly compared to ten / fifteen years ago). My own 'occasional' blues band is playing a biker rally in June, again a reasonable payer to a decent crowd, but we only play a few gigs a year. There are pubs around here that book blues bands, but they don't pay much and it tends to be Sunday afternoon slots rather than a Saturday night. 

 

There certainly tends to be more of a market for blues music in Germany / Northern Europe and even a fair bit in Central / Southern Europe. The British Invasion heyday was a very long time ago (although there have been a few resurgences since). 

 

 

Time moves fast Pete. To me it seems like that British Invasion period happened yesterday.  

 

I keep thinking if I ever get to visit London it will still be like the "swinging 60s" you see on those old black & white news reels.

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

16 hours ago, police squad said:

I do this to entertain people.

I only play at home when I need to learn stuff

Yesterday's gig was awesome. People dancing and having a great time

Landlord offered more money to play another set, which I would have done, however there's been a death in the family and my wife was picking me up and she's had a diffficult week following the loss of her brother

She is one of the reasons that I still play, she encourages me and says that would i do is great

 

Like many of you, I've been doing this a long time, just shy of 40 years

I've played every sh!t hole known to the area

But now I play for nice landlords and places that I like

The tribute bands I'm in only do good gigs

 

I'm lucky that I don't need the money but many years ago, I did need it

I'm nearly 57 but can't see me stopping just yet

 

I've played those S holes too. And at 71 I love the fact that we mostly play the nicer venues. I'm talking about the upscale Winery's Brewery's and clubs. The larger festivals and fairs.

 

It's cool when you arrive at a gig and someone from management introduces themselves, answers any questions.  They understand bands and what we need for a successful evening. As opposed to arriving at a venue and the staff ignores you.

 

And on the other side of the coin I don't like it when a band shows up acting like Prima Donna's thinking the world revolves around them.

 

Daryl

Edited Tuesday at 00:58 by Bluewine

[Geek99]

4 hours ago, Bluewine said:

 

Time moves fast Pete. To me it seems like that British Invasion period happened yesterday.  

 

I keep thinking if I ever get to visit London it will still be like the "swinging 60s" you see on those old black & white news reels.

 

Daryl

Kind of not…I grew up in London and now I can’t stand the place 

[ezbass]

7 hours ago, Bluewine said:

 

Time moves fast Pete. To me it seems like that British Invasion period happened yesterday.  

 

I keep thinking if I ever get to visit London it will still be like the "swinging 60s" you see on those old black & white news reels.

 

Daryl

It really won’t be, central London has changed immeasurably due to development. The parts that haven’t changed are mainly in The City, which wouldn’t really have featured in photos from the ‘60s. As to it ever swinging, well, I grew up in London in the ‘60s, it was fairly meh. That said, living and working there until recently, every decade was meh from a fashion and cultural perspective, just same old, same old with less flared trousers.

 

3 hours ago, Geek99 said:

Kind of not…I grew up in London and now I can’t stand the place 

After 30 years of working and commuting to central London from South London, I can understand that. We moved 500+ miles north in 2020, to a rural location and when we went back down to visit friends, I couldn’t wait to get back to my new home. I never had me down as a country mouse, but that’s what I am.

 

Another thing about London and the Home Counties is that, at least from my experience, it’s rubbish for live music at the pub/club level. Getting gigs is ridiculously hard and the monetary rewards piffling. Things are much better away from that conurbation (I wonder if it’s the same for Manchester, Birmingham and the like?).

Edited Tuesday at 08:15 by ezbass

[Lozz196]

Agree @ezbass, my family come from SE London so I`ve been going to London all my life, it has really changed over the last 10 years. On Saturday we had a gig at Kings Cross and the route, one which I`ve been doing since the 70s, well there were places I didn`t recognise, and new one-ways/roundabouts etc. 

[mikebass456]

Daft as it sounds, spontaneous dynamics when playing.

Been a couple of instances in the two gigs that I've played this weekend (one with each band), where we've either dropped volume or tempo during a song, all together, before building back up again, without prior rehearsal or arrangement.

Guess it's just feeding off each other, being aware of what's happening and reacting to it.

 

[Bluewine]

6 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Agree @ezbass, my family come from SE London so I`ve been going to London all my life, it has really changed over the last 10 years. On Saturday we had a gig at Kings Cross and the route, one which I`ve been doing since the 70s, well there were places I didn`t recognise, and new one-ways/roundabouts etc. 

 

So what I'm hearing is, it's not going to be like the re-runs of Top Of The Pops and The Beat Club. I'm not going to see guys in dark tailored double breasted edwardian suits and attractive ladies in colorful mini skits going to The Marquee Club ?

 

I guess I missed all that by about 50 years. 

 

Daryl

Edited Tuesday at 16:31 by Bluewine

[Bluewine]

5 hours ago, mikebass456 said:

 

Guess it's just feeding off each other, being aware of what's happening and reacting to it.

 

 

That's about 90% of what our show is about. We had a dep drummer Saturday night, a real nice guy and I told him;

" keep your eyes open and watch for the ques and what we're doing." He had a great night. 

 

Daryl 

 

 

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, Bluewine said:

 

So what I'm hearing is, it's not going to be like the re-runs of Top Of The Pops and The Beat Club. I'm not going to see guys in dark tailored double breasted edwardian suits and attractive ladies in colorful mini skits going to The Marquee Club ?

 

Daryl

Sadly it is not. 

Edited Tuesday at 20:00 by Geek99

[Linus27]

42 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

That's about 90% of what our show is about. We had a dep drummer Saturday night, a real nice guy and I told him;

" keep your eyes open and watch for the ques and what we're doing." He had a great night. 

 

Daryl 

 

 

 

We are exactly the same with my main band. We even have a saying, "we are consistently inconsistent". We literally have no idea how we are going to play a song on the night because we have no idea what mood the three of us are in, the vibe of the room or the sound. We even discover how to play a new song on the night and play it differently unconsciously, despite having rehearsed it for 6 months and we then go, "ah, that's the way we should be playing it" and then play it that way onwards. It's like the song has to find itself no matter how many times we rehearse it or have played it live previously.

[Bluewine]

4 hours ago, Linus27 said:

 

We are exactly the same with my main band. We even have a saying, "we are consistently inconsistent". 

 

We have a saying too,

" We're going to bring it way down so we can bring it way up."

 

Daryl

Edited Tuesday at 21:28 by Bluewine

[Stub Mandrel]

I'm 62. It's tempting to give a very long answer. I'll try and be concise.

 

From my teens I found live music awesome. Until my early 20s I was just a ragged guitar basher, then I discovered bass and found I could play it reasonably. I got into a covers band, followed by two originals bands.

 

Then I got married and for about 22 years did no more than the odd noodle every year or two.

 

As divorce became inevitable I started playing for my own pleasure, put in liafs of effort, then signed up for a "weekend warrior" scheme. I discovered thst I was actually a reasonably good player with a good ear. 

 

I also rediscovered how making music was fundamental to who I am. 

 

From that scheme arose a band. We only gigged twice, then covid and the divorce finished, and I came back to Wales to look after my dad just over four years ago.

 

Since then... I joined two bands, one, three piece blues, I  am still in. My first gig with them I met a lady who is now my partner and as obsessed with live mumusic  me!

 

The other band, I left as try just weren't serious about gigging - three in two years. I founded another band, five of us playing classic/ heavy rock we all love.

 

My dad passed last year. With the BL of the blues band finding success with a young indie band, and all if us in the other band having multiple bands I haven't had as many gigs as I want. Iwas maling up dome of the slack with dep gigs and open mic/jam nights.

 

Then a friend has decided to resurrect his old band with new members to record a new album,  and I've joined up to what is a one album and a few gigs project.

 

Then a band I know have asked me to take on bass as their bassist has moved to keyboards. They are a really good old-style rock band playing about 30% CCR and a great bunch.

 

So my answer:

 

It keeps me sane and happy.

My partner is super supportive.

All the bands have great musicians.

who are also friends.

But most of all I love jamming, improvising and learning new material.

[gjones]

On 25/05/2025 at 22:13, Bluewine said:

 

It amazes me how popular Blues bands still are in England.

 

Do you think the blues band are more popular in the UK than here in the states?

 

Daryl

 

I live in Edinburgh, which is a tourist city, and the American tourists that see us play are always very enthusiastic. Maybe it's because they don't get to see many blues bands back in the town where they live.