Musicians check in here. If you play, tell us about it!

[Ayce]

Not to derail the"worst gigs" line, but just to let you all know, I now have my own "gear" such as it is.



Not much, but it's a start. I got the amp for $20 and had to fix a couple of minor issues. The bass I picked up for $200.

 

[bassnut]

Not to derail the"worst gigs" line, but just to let you all know, I now have my own "gear" such as it is.

View attachment 104784View attachment 104785

Not much, but it's a start. I got the amp for $20 and had to fix a couple of minor issues. The bass I picked up for $200.

Man...if I could show you my first guitar....
I found it! I love Google.

One might think "Why bother?"

I believe my first amp, which was rented, had only a volume and tone control on it.
My parents, after much pleading bought me a Fender Champ-Amp which had separate bass and treble controls in it.
To me, that was delux.
After that I was on my own. I bought my own gear. I also borrowed from other players if I had a gig. Back then, that was the norm.

 

[Mac]

So a couple of years back I get a call from this local band called "Construkt" Heavy hitters on the local scene who are known for their own brand of Industrial metal. Very well known locally. These guys douse themselves in blacklight reactive paint and really put on a show. So to be asked to open for them was something of a big deal. (At least to us.) We all agreed to chip in to get our bassist's rig set up with new strings etc. He says "No I got it." So we practice like crazy and get a killer set together. Show night comes. The venue is a total dive. That's nothing new for us. We get up on stage and like 90 seconds into the first song (during the bass solo) our bassist breaks a string. (He was playing a 4 string) Of course being your typical alcoholic, unprepared, heathen. He had no back up and no extra strings. People were screaming. "Your Bassist sucks!" And "Just say no to playing bass while drunk!" A total fiasco. I killed it. The guitarist and drummer killed it. But we sounded like crap thanks to our slacker bassist. A month later he came to a practice dead drunk and passed out half way through the first set. Leans over to the mic and says. "Be right back." After 20 minutes we go outside and find him passed out in a pool of vomit. The week after that he no shows twice. His phone is off. We find out he is in jail for failure to pay child support. We fired him. Meh. That's rock and roll for you. Oddly enough, reliable heavy metal musicians are pretty hard to come by.

 

[Pipeous]

I can't deal with alcoholics. To refuse help obviously needed, then proves it was needed said it all... after finding him outside in a pool would have ended their time with me for sure. a sequencer would have made a better partner

 

[Mac]

I can't deal with alcoholics. To refuse help obviously needed, then proves it was needed said it all... after finding him outside in a pool would have ended their time with me for sure. a sequencer would have made a better partner

Yeah. Nobody likes to fire people. But he didn't really leave us with much choice.

 

[Pipeous]

And I have to inform the newest lead guitarist that joined us he won't be needed back today... I feel bad but it's just business. great player but he can't control volume levels. when an acoustic gets overdrive and has feedback problems, there's an issue.

truth is it's more gendre. we are leaning to country rock and he wants more hard rock. I don't mind hard rock but a band has to have an image or direction. I played in metal bands before too, and party is just part of the image hehe

 

[Mac]

Always a bummer. But to preserve the integrity of your art MUST be priority one. At least from my perspective.

 

[DaveP]

I've played with drunks and druggies who were zonked at the keyboard or staggering around the stage missing notes and giggling at times. They didn't last long. If you are going to play, be serious about it or join the crowd on the dance floor and let someone else make music. That's my take.

I can take the responsible drinker who once a year has too much and gets high. Most of our band were non drinkers. The most I would drink was a beer per set and none during the last set. I wanted to be clear headed during load out and the drive home. If you are serious about making money playing music, you have to be serious about doing it sober, or at least not impaired.

These days, my alcohol consumption is about 3-5 glasses of wine a year. I have some 15 year old Crown Royal in a kitchen cabinet that I can't remember the year it was purchased! I'll be at the beach in a week. I'll buy a 12 pack and bring home 4 cans at the end of the week. I just threw out a few in my dedicated soft drink mini fridge in the laundry room that had a "Superbowl 2004" label on them!

 

[James Hart]

gigs and working band rehearsals are WORK... I would never consider showing up at the office drunk or stoned. I would never think of partaking in any of that while AT the office either (OK, I have thought about it at times ). I always demanded the out of band mates (casual jams for fun are an other story) Most of the places I gigged at regularly knew to put on a pot of coffee when I got there to set up.

 

[DaveP]

Bands are hired and paid contractors in any event where they receive money to produce a service for the establishment. Having a beer here and there is understood to be what bands do, but a visibly drunk player on stage should result in a contract being null and void, especially if it happens twice. There are LOTS of bands out there that want a gig. Bar owners and party givers pretty much have their choice in who they book.

 

[Pipeous]

Totally agree. and playing bars enough years and watching the patrons will surely change your outlook on drinking. instant a hole just add alcohol brings new meaning. watching guys in suits come in be mellow, then be tossed out near the end of set 3 made me ask "am I like that when I drink?" and I slowed my drinking a ton. now I only have a few beers now and then

 

[James Hart]

Yeah, I've quit most all my vices... I buy about a case worth of 'top shelf' beers every 2 or 3 months (Spaten and Newcastle are a regular sight in my fridge). I rarely have more than one at a time. That and an occasional Black Russian or red wine is the extent of my partying these days. Heck, a good night for me is a comfy pair of sweats and tee shirt, a big cup of black tea w/ milk & sugar and hanging out with my wife, dogs and cats doing absolutely nothing at all

 

[DaveP]

I have a Sunday Morning contemporary gig at 9:00 AM every week, with practice on Monday night. We hit the Huddle House for breakfast after the service and the wife and I head home for a lazy Sunday afternoon. All I have to carry back and forth is my Les Paul in a case and a gig bag full of accessories. There's no dual axle equipment trailer in my life anymore and no more 3 and 4 am bedtimes!

 

[bassnut]

I play. I drink.
I struggle to keep a balance.
In honesty I've never been able to divorce myself between the two.
It's been part of my musical environment/behavior/culture since almost day #1.
"If you didn't come from there, don't go there" is my advise.
Those who have survived and/or have moved on from that know what I'm talking about.
I strictly measure it out. +/- Like an 18th century sailor's daily ration 'o grog.
I claim no honor in the sobriety dept.

 

[DaveP]

I play. I drink.
I struggle to keep a balance.
In honesty I've never been able to divorce myself between the two.
It's been part of my musical environment/behavior/culture since almost day #1.
"If you didn't come from there, don't go there" is my advise.
Those who have survived and/or have moved on from that know what I'm talking about.
I strictly measure it out. +/- Like an 18th century sailor's daily ration 'o grog.
I claim no honor in the sobriety dept.

My dad had a problem with alcohol and I wanted to make sure I didn't. A beer here and there was only social for me. I never drank alone and always paced myself with a target for how many I could have. That worked out fine and I never found it to be difficult to control. The older I got, the less I found the need.

It helped to watch several guys in bands I was in who had a problem with alcohol that affected the quality of their playing and singing. I just never wanted to be out of control on stage. That's not to say I didn't get a little buzz going sometimes.

 

[bassnut]

My dad had a problem with alcohol and I wanted to make sure I didn't. A beer here and there was only social for me. I never drank alone and always paced myself with a target for how many I could have. That worked out fine and I never found it to be difficult to control. The older I got, the less I found the need.

It helped to watch several guys in bands I was in who had a problem with alcohol that affected the quality of their playing and singing. I just never wanted to be out of control on stage. That's not to say I didn't get a little buzz going sometimes.

You had children, right?
Grand-children now.
I didn't. There lies a difference maybe.
I never allowed/trusted myself with that responsibility.
I envy you experience.

 

[Pipeous]

I had a father that drank everyday after work. he ran body shops and always had the vancouver city police contract come with him. I remember as a 10 yr old coming home from christmas parties, dad was drunk and driving, and he'd just put his business card on the dash. whenever we'd hit a check stop, they'd just wave us through... 2 of 3 brothers were alcoholics and I was following that path. I could drink a lot, but decided cold turkey for 3 yrs. after that, I couldn't hold much alcohol and preferred just to drink tasty beer in moderation (ok my downfall is still the Heineken mini kegs, love my Heiny)..

I have been single now for almost 20 yrs, but my ex was a big part of why I stopped drinking.

 

[DaveP]

You had children, right?
Grand-children now.
I didn't. There lies a difference maybe.
I never allowed/trusted myself with that responsibility.
I envy you experience.

No kids and thus no grand kids. We do have two great nephews on my wife's side who spend 2 or three days a week at our house while their parents are at work. They are like grand kids to us. Their maternal and paternal GP's are gone and we supply the need for that. They look to us as the real thing. We go to T-ball games and birthday parties and the Christmas eve and 4th of July parties are at our house.

 

[DaveP]

I had a father that drank everyday after work. he ran body shops and always had the vancouver city police contract come with him. I remember as a 10 yr old coming home from christmas parties, dad was drunk and driving, and he'd just put his business card on the dash. whenever we'd hit a check stop, they'd just wave us through... 2 of 3 brothers were alcoholics and I was following that path. I could drink a lot, but decided cold turkey for 3 yrs. after that, I couldn't hold much alcohol and preferred just to drink tasty beer in moderation (ok my downfall is still the Heineken mini kegs, love my Heiny)..

I have been single now for almost 20 yrs, but my ex was a big part of why I stopped drinking.

We all have our tendencies toward abuse. Most of the people on ECF are here because they couldn't stop smoking tobacco without help. Vaping provided the transitional method.

 

[bassnut]

They are like grand kids to us. Their maternal and paternal GP's are gone and we supply the need for that. They look to us as the real thing. We go to T-ball games and birthday parties and the Christmas eve and 4th of July parties are at our house.

OK. I envy that then.

Putting it that way, there's really no excuse for us not finding that for ourselves, is there?
Anybody need some grandparents? I'm sure there are.
You're a good man, Dave.