teej Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Hmmm. I guess I'm a professional blues musician, someone who listens to a lot of original blues artists, and someone who performs mainly privately (apart from the busking). I'd have to chip in and say that there's blues and there's [i]blues[/i]. Mostly the British blues scene is full of the rock-oriented electric stuff, which is what the majority of festival-going blues fans seem to go for, but which is also exactly what people who say they don't like blues are thinking of. Clearly the OP's band is in this category, so I think he's right to be concerned, but Mr Skank has already posted some excellent advice which I'd say is spot-on, and I particularly like this bit of his summary: [quote name='skankdelvar' post='667469' date='Nov 27 2009, 03:30 PM']...And remember, the early bluesmen all cut their teeth in Juke-Joints and house-parties. You're just following in a long tradition of blues as crowd-pleasing dance music...[/quote] There's nothing whatsoever wrong with blues as a genre or blues bands that makes it unsuitable for private functions: I'm doing it all the time, but not electric blues-rock - we play all sorts of stuff from Delta and Chicago Blues, New Orleans street grooves, Rhythm & Blues, Jump Blues, Country Blues, Boogie, Ragtime, Hokum and mix it up with some Soul, Rockabilly and Jazz. It's a perfect genre for a party. And because our performance is honed out on the street in front of a random assortment of ordinary folk going about their business, we know damn well it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkmaster Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Hi Al Having seen you at Colne you'll do great! Good to hear that bookings are flooding in for you - I'm having trouble getting The Welsh T Band's diary started for next year in any meaningful way - which is a shame as it's our 10th anniversary year! Mind you we're never going to be offered any corporate stuff either! Have fun Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 Thanks Dave but to be honest I'm dreading it. We did a gig last night in a trendy cocktail establishment in Manchester and we played really well but the audience didn't get it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Could be worse – I play in what is basically a very loud heavy rock covers band (with a bit of nonsense thrown in) and we were asked to play at quite a large corporate gig. We tried explaining that we were the wrong type of band but they said that they wanted something different and offered us a fair amount of money, so we did it. After we won them over (by getting a few of the audience up to jam Hendrix tunes, etc) we ended up storming it and getting booked for several more! As a result we got to play a few interesting gigs (including the Café Royale, the Hilton and the Belfry among others), had a few good nights and made a few quid I would just go for it and let then worry about it not working out. If it goes well you’ve had a good night / been paid more than normal and if it doesn’t, you haven’t lost anything and it’s their fault for booking the wrong band! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtimefred Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 sod it man, get it done! get up there, do your thing, enjoy yourself and bring home the money! If you dont go down well, its not your problem, you were booked for it. you should play musthang sally in a minor key or something, really mess with their heads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 [quote name='niceguyhomer' post='674288' date='Dec 4 2009, 04:24 PM']Thanks Dave but to be honest I'm dreading it. We did a gig last night in a trendy cocktail establishment in Manchester and we played really well but the audience didn't get it at all.[/quote] Damn, I was in Manchester on Thursday night Al. Would have come and seen you if i'd known. Where were you at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Try turning up in a hardcore punk band to a café with candles on the tables and following on a poet. We turned everything up as loud as we could and rocked the joint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Well - been and gone and done it. It was a really nice venue right on the canal in city centre Manchester and the function was a law firm's Christmas party. I wasn't looking forward to this one at all and arrived in an appaulingly bad mood - the drive into Manchester was tortuous thanks to Madness being on at the MEN Arena and Christmas shoppers and there was nowhere to park at the venue. Also, the harp player rang to say he was running very late cos he'd lost his keys and couldn't get to his gear so there would be no time for a soundcheck . We were asked to go on a bit earlier than anticipated so there was no set list prepared so the harp player made a few notes on a beer mat (no kidding). We started the first number - while they were still eating, and it took me at least 3 bars to figure out what key we were playing in. Despite all the embarrassing moments and lack of professionalism, we went down well in the first set Second set went well too but by now, approximately half the people had left or gone into another room so we were kind of playing for ourselves. Then, with about 3 songs to go, a load of people suddenly appeared from nowhere and started dancing and surprise surprise, a party had broken out. We finished to rapturous applause and left the stage only to be dragged back in to do a couple more songs as an encore and they were loving it. We finished the encore and were powering down when, out of the corner of my eye I saw the organiser walking towards us with money in his hand and thought "here we go, he's paying us off" but no, it was another £150 to keep going. So, I was wrong - we didn't go down like whaleshit. It ended up being a good night and we were paid a fairly obscene amount of money for a down and dirty blues band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyJay Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 [quote name='niceguyhomer' post='687039' date='Dec 17 2009, 09:25 AM']Well - been and gone and done it. It was a really nice venue right on the canal in city centre Manchester and the function was a law firm's Christmas party. I wasn't looking forward to this one at all and arrived in an appaulingly bad mood - the drive into Manchester was tortuous thanks to Madness being on at the MEN Arena and Christmas shoppers and there was nowhere to park at the venue. Also, the harp player rang to say he was running very late cos he'd lost his keys and couldn't get to his gear so there would be no time for a soundcheck . We were asked to go on a bit earlier than anticipated so there was no set list prepared so the harp player made a few notes on a beer mat (no kidding). We started the first number - while they were still eating, and it took me at least 3 bars to figure out what key we were playing in. Despite all the embarrassing moments and lack of professionalism, we went down well in the first set Second set went well too but by now, approximately half the people had left or gone into another room so we were kind of playing for ourselves. Then, with about 3 songs to go, a load of people suddenly appeared from nowhere and started dancing and surprise surprise, a party had broken out. We finished to rapturous applause and left the stage only to be dragged back in to do a couple more songs as an encore and they were loving it. We finished the encore and were powering down when, out of the corner of my eye I saw the organiser walking towards us with money in his hand and thought "here we go, he's paying us off" but no, it was another £150 to keep going. So, I was wrong - we didn't go down like whaleshit. It ended up being a good night and we were paid a fairly obscene amount of money for a down and dirty blues band.[/quote] Good for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Oh well there you go.. The oldGit talks rubbish again Very glad to have been proved wrong mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Nyah Nyah! Told ya so! Gloaty Gloat! Actually, you were right to be a tad wary, but I'm really glad it worked out well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickH Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Goes to show, you can never judge someone by what they look like or what they do for a living. Nobody seeing me in my suit doing the day-job would suspect I'm a rock n roll bassplaying behemoth OR an international porn star in the evenings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 [quote name='niceguyhomer' post='687039' date='Dec 17 2009, 09:25 AM']....out of the corner of my eye I saw the organiser walking towards us with money in his hand and thought "here we go, he's paying us off" but no, it was another £150 to keep going....[/quote] Nice one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Bonus...!!!! better you dreading it and being pleasantly surprised than the other way round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I've often found that the gigs I dread the most turn out to be some of the best..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Bloody well done mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 [quote name='NickH' post='687326' date='Dec 17 2009, 01:54 PM']Goes to show, you can never judge someone by what they look like or what they do for a living. Nobody seeing me in my suit doing the day-job would suspect I'm a rock n roll bassplaying behemoth OR an international porn star in the evenings [/quote] Ditto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebasshead Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Excellent, really pleased for you!! Some of the function gigs we've done have been slow starters and finished as a party and demands for more, I think it's just the way these things go when it's an audience who don't normally watch live music and need a bit of lubrication before they let themselves go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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