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

[DaveP]

Saw this on my Facebook page. It's worth posting everywhere musicians gather. This is a great comeback to people who think musicians are overpaid!

 

[Pipeous]

I went to rehearsals last weekend and walk in to see the original guitar player. I like the guy personally, but he didn't want to learn our music, so we had all agreed he wasn't coming back..

so we jammed through the songs and had fun. until the end. steve didn't know what to do for a solo on a santana tune, bass player grabs the guitar tells steve to play bass. so I said well if we are swapping instruments, I am going to play mandolin (those new heavy strings on the acoustic kill me after 3 hrs). rob gets in a snit like we can't play the song if I play mandolin (I can honestly play over half our songs on mando) and I said, wtf man, we are just jamming, it isn't a rehearsal when we invite people to come jam... he took off the guitar in a huff. it was one of those moments..

I said let's take a break. I walked outside as I didn't want to fight. drummer said hey I'm done for today and went inside. dam musicians take things too serious sometimes lol. rick was choked that steve even showed up. and yes he was way too loud and we had volumes rising all day.

anyway. our new lead player starts next weekend. I can't wait. Jimm is a classy player and NO EGO. he's in florida for a few more days but learning our songs and I took a list of his choices and made 3 full sets. I've just about completed the web page thing for projecting the lyrics and music on the wall. that projector sure makes life easy learning songs, other than the crutch of having the words up there and I am trying to not look for songs I know.

 

[DaveP]

Musicians are artists just like the rest of the creative world. It seems that any creative talent comes with a short fuse when things don't go our way. Something can hit me wrong and my attitude changes. I have to watch that, especially at rehearsal. Ours starts at 7:30 and there may be just me and the bass player present before then. By 8:00 we generally have everyone there, except the drummer. He has Boy Scouts on Monday night. He has 3 sons in Boy Scouts and feels the need to be an assistant and be involved, too. I understand that, but we need a drummer at rehearsal.

People seem to think they can just walk in when they can make it and we will wait on them. I get aggravated because they want to practice later and I have a 25 mile drive back home! I've told them before that running over three songs we know and learning one or two shouldn't take over two hours because we get an email complete with YouTube links early in the week. If we are all practiced up, it shouldn't be more than a couple of run throughs. For that reason, I start packing up my guitar at 9:30 so I can be home by 10:00pm. They've learned by now that we need to get things done by then!

Personalities have to be guided and controlled ... .

 

[Mac]

We'll do it for $350 if you provide the PA. $500 if we provide it. For $2000 you could have 6 bands and a keg.

 

[DaveP]

We'll do it for $350 if you provide the PA. $500 if we provide it. For $2000 you could have 6 bands and a keg.

You may be selling yourselves too cheap. My 5 piece band was getting those rates in the late 70s and all through the 80s. The difference was that we seldom played bars because it was mostly 6 nights a week then. We stuck to parties for organizations and clubs. We did fill in the open dates by playing at the local AFB officers club and NCO club. One New Years Eve at the OC, we played 10 til 2 for $3000 and they threw in a steak dinner and breakfast. We still got $300 a night for the bar gig, though. In the mid 80s, our standard price for an in town gig was $500 for 4 hours.

These days, the drummer says the reformed band is getting around $2000 and sometimes $3000 a night. I believe that because the keyboard guy in out band says his band is getting around $3000 with about 9 members. They do a lot of stuff for city celebrations, country clubs, golf courses, and private parties. They just got back from doing an after party for the RNC in Tampa. I didn't ask what that one paid!

Seriously, you might want to check into some of the Naval base gigs for fillers. We used those quite a bit to fill in open dates. Uncle Sam pays pretty well for entertainment and you can pick up holiday gigs for ever more. We did 4th of July outdoor gigs on flatbed trailers, covered stages, and even played one time for the base's Annual Picnic with several thousand people in the audience outside milling around. I felt like an accomplished outdoor concert musician that day ... almost famous!

 

[Mac]

Unfortunately, to get that kind of cheddar it would have to be all or mostly radio friendly covers. Original metal act's don't get much pay on the local scene.

 

[DaveP]

Unfortunately, to get that kind of cheddar it would have to be all or mostly radio friendly covers. Original metal act's don't get much pay on the local scene.

I was thinking about that. We played top 40 rock and just enough country to satisfy the older folks. We also did a set (on request) of 50s and 60s tunes for certain parties where people wanted that. Mostly, we just played what was on the radio in the 70s and 80s. I learned early on that the more you satisfy the crowd with the right tunes, the more you are booked and the more in demand you become.

That $3000 a night group I referred to earlier plays nothing by oldies. They do a Blues Brother style set with Jake and Elmo complete with suits, hats, and sunglasses. They do the steps, too. Anything for another buck or two. The crowd hoots and howls and hands over the money to get them booked. They play so often and do the same sets so much that they hardly ever have rehearsal except for a short sound check. It's like a learned memory motion to them.

It may sound boring, but they set up several times a month, play the tunes, and walk away with $250 to $300 apiece every night they play. They take off lots of time since all are retired or otherwise employed. The web site booking list doesn't get updated for every job. Can't beat making money even if you get tired of playing the same tunes.

Soul Man by the Grapevine Band. These guys have a good time. The guitar player was one of the original Stillwater Band members. The ones who did MindBender ... they were one hit wonders. The sound mix gets better through the song.
http://thegrapevineband.com/index.php?hold_on_soul_man

 

[Kent C]

bass man trib

 

[bassnut]

 

[Pipeous]

Today is the big day. rehearsal is 1.5 hrs but I am heading out now to get setup and organize a bit. new lead player coming. I really miss this guy (we played together in another band and we worked together a lot outside band practices to get tight). I think the other guys will really like this guy too. very classy player... I am excited... I spent hours learning my parts last night to his song choices, though some we played together before... I get a few songs I get to just sing and not play anything. what a change that will be... tuff enuff I play 1 note on synth and just in the chorus and during the lead lol

maybe we can start dumping some tunes. some songs we (I mean all us musicians) play are just painful to have to play again for the millionth time... jumping jack flash is one of those tunes to me

 

[DaveP]

I spent many years playing the same old songs because people would request them. After a while, I resigned myself to the fact that doing so made people happy. Someone would always come up and request a Willy Nelson song and we'd do it. I got so tired of playing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and "On the Road Again"! Jumping Jack Flash seemed to be a great tune after those.

Then, you get your money and drive home in the quiet around 2AM and the world seems nice and calm again ... It's a great job and we love it. Where else can you have a beer while you work and get paid for it?

 

[Pipeous]

Today was spectacular. we all had a blast, played for about 5 hrs. Jimm fit right in. I saw Rob smiling a lot when he did his leads. we actually had to ask him to turn up.. that's a switch.

all the tunes were fun, we worked through the first set, endings and such, about half the second. mixed some of his song choices in so we had stuff to learn. I had to learn some different instruments for songs. I just finished doing all the charting and such for all the setlist and uploading to our site for the guys now.. it's a web based setup with links to mp3's and I colored stuff to mark breaks, etc... just keep adding and swapping tunes in and out to have on the list. like you say, requests usually gets tips or at least steady/happy fans.

 

[bassnut]

Pat has entered himself (which means us) in this years Battle of the Blues Harps in Long Beach CA.
I've been after him for years to do this but he didn't like the SoCal "blues nazi" purist scene and besides unless you win there's practically no money in it.
I hope he won't be disqualified because he accompanies himself on guitar often playing harmonies to his harp lines.
We'll see...

Pat O'Brien is truly a great harp player and it's an honor to work with him. Check him out here playing on Scott Henderson's "Milk Bone" You can just play the clip from the page. No need to download it. Pat appears about 1/3 of the way through:

Scott Henderson - Milk Bone | Free Mp3 Download

“Pat is one of my favorite Blues musicians. He plays the best harp in the world, and it’s just not fair that he’s also a killer guitarist. Truly scary!” - Scott Henderson

 

[DaveP]

Great tune, Bassnut! I think the guitar player conjured up a little Stevie Ray and did an admirable job. I couldn't believe the accuracy and clarity of the harp playing. He's definitely contest winner material. Push him into it. He's definitely worthy.

 

[bassnut]

I may have misunderstood. I'll get some clarity on it Thur night but it looks like we'll have to go through this process first before getting a crack at the BIG show.

3rd Annual Road to the Battle of the Blues Harps (Blues Harmonica) at Orange County Market Place, Costa Mesa - PE.com

...features 12 bands performing Chicago, West Coast Jump, Delta or Texas style blues...

What? Nothing else? Maybe something a little more funk or jazz or even country influenced? More modern and contemporary?
See what I mean about "blues nazis"?

"The rhythm guitar must go 'Ga-chunka-CHUNKA-chunka-CHUNKA-chunka'. Chord extensions may not go beyond 9ths - no "adds" or you will be disqualified. Bass players shall not play above the 12 fret G string or equivalent. Suitable blues attire must be worn when performing. No polo shirts, Neru collars, turtleneck or tie-dyed T-shirts. Hawaiian shirts are OK. Neck ties may win you extra points depending on the style and print. All performers must wear blues hats and sunglasses or you will be disqualified."

I'm joking of course. I understand the reasoning. It's a way of leveling the field and paying homage to those who paved the way before. If you can't play those styles with proficiency then your not a "Bluesman".
Luckily I was raised with it as most of us here probably were. I know Pat was.

 

[DaveP]

I may have misunderstood. I'll get some clarity on it Thur night but it looks like we'll have to go through this process first before getting a crack at the BIG show.

3rd Annual Road to the Battle of the Blues Harps (Blues Harmonica) at Orange County Market Place, Costa Mesa - PE.com

What? Nothing else? Maybe something a little more funk or jazz or even country influenced? More modern and contemporary?
See what I mean about "blues nazis"?

"The rhythm guitar must go 'Ga-chunka-CHUNKA-chunka-CHUNKA-chunka'. Chord extensions may not go beyond 9ths - no "adds" or you will be disqualified. Bass players shall not play above the 12 fret G string or equivalent. Suitable blues attire must be worn when performing. No polo shirts, Neru collars, turtleneck or tie-dyed T-shirts. Hawaiian shirts are OK. Neck ties may win you extra points depending on the style and print. All performers must wear blues hats and sunglasses or you will be disqualified."

I'm joking of course. I understand the reasoning. It's a way of leveling the field and paying homage to those who paved the way before. If you can't play those styles with proficiency then your not a "Bluesman".
Luckily I was raised with it as most of us here probably were. I know Pat was.

Pat's version of the song you linked fits perfectly into the Texas Blues genre. I could close my eyes and reincarnate Stevie Ray.

We have a new keyboard player in our band who also plays in a 50s/60s cover band. He's also a trombone player/ drummer, and excellent musician who seems to feel the need to have sheet music in front of him when he plays anything besides drums. He's a stickler for doing things exactly like the record and he shows up at practice with all his new music printed out from a web page in standard notation. I prefer to listen and play along with the recorded tune, learn it, and commit it to memory.

The other night we were doing a song where one version of the original comes to a silent pause with a couple of dead counts before the next verse. For 5 years I've been filling that pause with a 1-5 dyad walk down that I think sounds good in that spot. He stops playing and turns around with a disgusted look on his face and says, "How could you dare do a fill-in on top of a perfectly beautiful pause in the song?"

I laughed and said, "Because I've done it that way for the last 5 years and I think it adds feeling?" (before he joined). I went back to YouTube this morning and listened to all the versions that people have done. Tim Hughes, who wrote the original version doesn't pause once in the song. He's doing someone else's version. I think the next time we do it, I'm doing it my way and he can imagine me not doing it if it makes him feel better .

 

[bassnut]

I think the next time we do it, I'm doing it my way and he can imagine me not doing it if it makes him feel better .

Dave, I always do the bass parts I learn "my way".
I'll do the important lines or licks and "feel" that help define the song but the rest of it, I'll trust my own interpretationial abilities.
I'm not a great bass player in the licks and flash dept as I've mentioned to you before.
I have a pretty "meat and potatoes" approach to my function but I think I'm a pretty decent musician.
I must be or the other two guys, excellent musicians both, wouldn't allow me to work with them....going on seven eight years now.

Trying to sound "just like the record" is a trap and ultimately inartistic. You'll be judged by that standard. If you make it your own then it's fresh.
I believe this philosophy is shared by the other two guys I work with. We're only a trio so we have to make the material work in that context.
Consequently we have been accused of sounding better that the original (classic rock and blues) recordings because at some point we own it. It's ours.

 

[Pipeous]

Music is expression. I told our new lead player he could play the leads different each time if he wants as long as it fits the song. have fun. note for note is certainly not for me. I think a song sounds much better if you make it your own

 

[bassnut]

Music is expression. I told our new lead player he could play the leads different each time if he wants as long as it fits the song. have fun. note for note is certainly not for me. I think a song sounds much better if you make it your own

In classic rock the original artists almost never performed their material just like their recordings which sometimes ...... off their audiences in the early days. Zeppelin and Hendrix are a prime examples. People just got used to it after awhile.

 

[DocRokRx]

so at church I have to go direct (i dont have a decent "mini-rig" at the moment) and I use my Catalinbread SFT to warm up my bass sound a little bit....
and i tell you what, this past sunday, I found the SWEET spot for my Cheapo Squier P-
for those that are interested...
Treb-10, Bass-11:30, Vol-10:30, Gain- 8:30