What I learned last night....
My brother-in-law, who plays drums, and our sound guy, who also plays trombone, have been practicing with some young 20-year-old guys trying to get a rock band together. My brother-in-law was borrowing my drum kit and they also borrowed an older PA system I have for their gig. I went out to see them at their first gig last night to support them and in the process I really (re)learned alot about this business from them. I'm not pretending to be a guru of knowledge here, but I would like to offer some observations and bounce them off you guys for any comments.
First of all, let me start off with the positive. The 2 guitarists and bass player are all in their earily 20's. They did a fantastic job getting their friends and family members to the gig. They had a really good showing of college aged friends who were drinking alot. In the second set they got them out on the dance floor hooting and hollering. They sure were having fun and the drinks were pouring. What more could a bar want?
The songs were simple 3 chord cover tunes, played a million times by all of us, but the crowd was into the set. Once again, the power of a simple song with a good beat appears to be the ticket. For the first night out, the guys were playing good and I was both happy for them, and jealous at the same time.
All three guitarists where taking turns singing. The lead vocalist was good, the others not so great, but who am I to knock other singers? I know how hard it is to sing and I give credit to the guys for stepping up to the mics. First night out, they are doing fine. If they keep at it, I'm sure they all will improve. I admire the courage of guys who are not songbirds and actually get up and try singing lead. Good for them.
OK, now for the negative comments. I guess it's easy to see the problems with music when it's someone else up on stage. I don't suppose I am so critical of my own band because if you focus on only the negative, you will drive yourself into depression. Take my following comments with a grain of salt if you want.
First negative, the band was playing for free. As a working musician, that bothers me. They had a great crowd of drinking young kids and the band was playing for free. The band even had to buy their own drinks. The club was making a killing and the boys were getting \"exposure\" but nothing more. I could not help but to think that this arrangement is just killing other local bands, like mine, who have more time and expenses in our music and demand to get paid. If the bar can get young bands like this to call in all their friends, and they don't have to pay the band, it sure makes more sense for them to go that route then to hire us other bands who may play better music, but don't have all our friends show up like our first night out. It's just hard to compete with young guys who are willing to play for free.
As for their music, they did not play anything technically challenging. Lots of jam tunes that they extended ad nauseum. But the crowd was into it and having fun. Having said that, the crowd that was into their music was their good friends who were there to party with the boys and show their support. Seriously, I doubt you could take those extended jams to a regular crowd and have the same reaction. 20 minutes of Blues in A just gets old unless you got SRV on lead.
A couple of the guys in the band were drinking like fish. OK, lots of fun, get the party going, but I'm wondering how it will affect their playing. More on that later.
The guys had originally planned on playing for only 2 hours. This first night out for free was supposed to be an \"audition\" for a paying gig later. After the first hour, the guys took a break and I talked to my brother-in-law. The band was doing really good and their friends were having a great time. I knew the boys were going to run out of songs in the next set, so I reminded my brother-in-law to tell them to quit while on top.
Second set, the guys have been drinking all the time, the music starts to get pretty loose. But, everyone still is having a great time and the crowd is out dancing. One song left in the set and I am thinking these guys hit a homerun their first night out. All of a sudden, the bass player, who passed his drinking limit on the first break, says he needs a smoke break and can't play anymore till after he gets a break. The lead singer looks at him and reminds him that they only have one more song for the night. Doesn't matter, the bass player needs a break now. I see this ending badly for the boys.....
So they take a 20+ minute break while they have a smoke and more drinking. When they come back, half the band can barely stand, or play. They decide to do another blues jam followed up by All Along the Watchtower. I've heard lots of versions of All Along the Watchtower, but this was not so good. The bass player is all over the fretboard, just not playing in key, or time, with the rest of the band. The music is suffering from over drinking. So they finish the song and I'm hoping that they quit while they are still ahead. The band is going downhill fast....
But their friends, still showing their support, encourage them to play some encores. The bass player, who passed his drinking limit on the first break, can barely hold on to his bass, takes over the lead vocals and butchers \"Simple Man.\" He is just screaming into the mic and sounds God awful. It's painful (physically, on the ears) to listen to them at this point, 10:15 pm. People starting clearing the bar. It's getting really bad now. The guys look like a bunch of drunken frat boys playing to their drunken frat friends. To make it worse, this guy sings another two songs, shouting and slobbering all over the mic, and by the time the band quits, they had managed to clear out a really good house by 10:30-10:45. What a dissappointment, if these guys had stuck to their game plan they would have gone out on top. As it was, they left you with the impression that they had 2 sets of music, and nothing more. Some of them had been drinking so much that I doubt they could even stand for another set.
Well, the band finishes the night. My brother-in-law comes over to my table and I congratulate him. He had a good night on the drums. I trying to keep everything positive, but I tell him that their bass player is going to bring down that band. He agrees, that's a big problem. My brother-in-law has been in other bands before and can see the future with that guy. He also makes the comment that they should have quit after their second set. Which I agree with. I can't BS him, he has been around too long and knows too much. When I ask him about my band, I don't want him to sugar-coat our weak points. He expects the same from me.
The lead singer, the talent in the band, comes over to my table and thanks me for letting them use my PA and drums. I congratulate him on a great first night out. He is a nice young guy with lots of potential. He's also not dumb. He states that they played 30 minutes too long and cleared the bar. I don't say anything. I don't know him that well and that is business for him to discuss with his bandmates. But I'm encouraged that he knows they blew it at the end. I guess he is good friends with the bass player, but I don't know how he will be able to be in a band with him very long unless something changes fast. I think he knows that. First night out you learn alot.
First of all, let me start off with the positive. The 2 guitarists and bass player are all in their earily 20's. They did a fantastic job getting their friends and family members to the gig. They had a really good showing of college aged friends who were drinking alot. In the second set they got them out on the dance floor hooting and hollering. They sure were having fun and the drinks were pouring. What more could a bar want?
The songs were simple 3 chord cover tunes, played a million times by all of us, but the crowd was into the set. Once again, the power of a simple song with a good beat appears to be the ticket. For the first night out, the guys were playing good and I was both happy for them, and jealous at the same time.
All three guitarists where taking turns singing. The lead vocalist was good, the others not so great, but who am I to knock other singers? I know how hard it is to sing and I give credit to the guys for stepping up to the mics. First night out, they are doing fine. If they keep at it, I'm sure they all will improve. I admire the courage of guys who are not songbirds and actually get up and try singing lead. Good for them.
OK, now for the negative comments. I guess it's easy to see the problems with music when it's someone else up on stage. I don't suppose I am so critical of my own band because if you focus on only the negative, you will drive yourself into depression. Take my following comments with a grain of salt if you want.
First negative, the band was playing for free. As a working musician, that bothers me. They had a great crowd of drinking young kids and the band was playing for free. The band even had to buy their own drinks. The club was making a killing and the boys were getting \"exposure\" but nothing more. I could not help but to think that this arrangement is just killing other local bands, like mine, who have more time and expenses in our music and demand to get paid. If the bar can get young bands like this to call in all their friends, and they don't have to pay the band, it sure makes more sense for them to go that route then to hire us other bands who may play better music, but don't have all our friends show up like our first night out. It's just hard to compete with young guys who are willing to play for free.
As for their music, they did not play anything technically challenging. Lots of jam tunes that they extended ad nauseum. But the crowd was into it and having fun. Having said that, the crowd that was into their music was their good friends who were there to party with the boys and show their support. Seriously, I doubt you could take those extended jams to a regular crowd and have the same reaction. 20 minutes of Blues in A just gets old unless you got SRV on lead.
A couple of the guys in the band were drinking like fish. OK, lots of fun, get the party going, but I'm wondering how it will affect their playing. More on that later.
The guys had originally planned on playing for only 2 hours. This first night out for free was supposed to be an \"audition\" for a paying gig later. After the first hour, the guys took a break and I talked to my brother-in-law. The band was doing really good and their friends were having a great time. I knew the boys were going to run out of songs in the next set, so I reminded my brother-in-law to tell them to quit while on top.
Second set, the guys have been drinking all the time, the music starts to get pretty loose. But, everyone still is having a great time and the crowd is out dancing. One song left in the set and I am thinking these guys hit a homerun their first night out. All of a sudden, the bass player, who passed his drinking limit on the first break, says he needs a smoke break and can't play anymore till after he gets a break. The lead singer looks at him and reminds him that they only have one more song for the night. Doesn't matter, the bass player needs a break now. I see this ending badly for the boys.....
So they take a 20+ minute break while they have a smoke and more drinking. When they come back, half the band can barely stand, or play. They decide to do another blues jam followed up by All Along the Watchtower. I've heard lots of versions of All Along the Watchtower, but this was not so good. The bass player is all over the fretboard, just not playing in key, or time, with the rest of the band. The music is suffering from over drinking. So they finish the song and I'm hoping that they quit while they are still ahead. The band is going downhill fast....
But their friends, still showing their support, encourage them to play some encores. The bass player, who passed his drinking limit on the first break, can barely hold on to his bass, takes over the lead vocals and butchers \"Simple Man.\" He is just screaming into the mic and sounds God awful. It's painful (physically, on the ears) to listen to them at this point, 10:15 pm. People starting clearing the bar. It's getting really bad now. The guys look like a bunch of drunken frat boys playing to their drunken frat friends. To make it worse, this guy sings another two songs, shouting and slobbering all over the mic, and by the time the band quits, they had managed to clear out a really good house by 10:30-10:45. What a dissappointment, if these guys had stuck to their game plan they would have gone out on top. As it was, they left you with the impression that they had 2 sets of music, and nothing more. Some of them had been drinking so much that I doubt they could even stand for another set.
Well, the band finishes the night. My brother-in-law comes over to my table and I congratulate him. He had a good night on the drums. I trying to keep everything positive, but I tell him that their bass player is going to bring down that band. He agrees, that's a big problem. My brother-in-law has been in other bands before and can see the future with that guy. He also makes the comment that they should have quit after their second set. Which I agree with. I can't BS him, he has been around too long and knows too much. When I ask him about my band, I don't want him to sugar-coat our weak points. He expects the same from me.
The lead singer, the talent in the band, comes over to my table and thanks me for letting them use my PA and drums. I congratulate him on a great first night out. He is a nice young guy with lots of potential. He's also not dumb. He states that they played 30 minutes too long and cleared the bar. I don't say anything. I don't know him that well and that is business for him to discuss with his bandmates. But I'm encouraged that he knows they blew it at the end. I guess he is good friends with the bass player, but I don't know how he will be able to be in a band with him very long unless something changes fast. I think he knows that. First night out you learn alot.
Comments
Sounds like they had a great time, and entertained their friends and family, and didn't have to rent a Hall for their Barmisfit party. They now have the virgin experience out of the way, should they decide to continue with this notion of becoming a Bar Band.
I agree, Bar music is best when it has a beat, and you can dance to it, which makes you thirsty, and shakes booty. Also, the kind of music that doesn't attract the brooders who don't like it if you are drinking and laughing while they are trying to listen to the music. lol
I wouldn't worry about Bands like this as competition. Like you said, they would drive off a regular crowd.
I found the best Bass players are pot heads. Get this guy on medical marywanna. lol j/k
Band members who like to drink... Industry is full of them. Some are living-legends who drink just to sober up after a week on weapons-grade drugs.
I was 20 years old with a guitar once, and was allot more criminal than this. I remember Cops breaking up our party's.
I never played for money, so my outlook is much different. I had allot of my Bro's go for getting paid, and they all ended up just as broke, only I \"lost\" nothing. Not every Band should be paid, or even wants to play for money.
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We've all played free shows from time to time for exposure sake. The point of concern would be if that continues. There are a few clubs in this area that plow through bands that want to play. They provide a pa and sound guy but the band plays for exposure as they say. Seldom do the better bands ever repeat at that venue. Bars will also take advantage of the younger players or Noobs as they say. This same thing happens with original bands hosting a CD release party. They try to make it up in merchandise sales, but that usually is not the case to have a very busy merch table.
Friends and friends of friends are the best intro shows and if they can extend that following to other venues they will do well. Most of the time you are lucky to get 30% of the people at your break out gig to a returning gig. We all know how difficult it is to maintain the following. That is all about up front communication in Facebook, Myspace, Local stores, the venue, etc. Even better if the venue has local ad's on display with show times etc. We often offer to pay for the ad's which are on avg 75-80 for a small one in the weekend magz. That shows the venue and it's mgt that we will do what is needed to aid them in filling that club with bodies.
After a while they can develop sponsorships. Invite a mgt person from a local brewery or local radio station dj. We found a local weatherman who is a great tv personality to help host some events. We met him at a benefit and he liked what we did. Simply called him for sponsorship. Same thing with the local Budweiser dist Co. Those sponsored events can serve your band well. $1 bud night and the place will be packed!
We've also carried Molsen and had the Molsen girls hot tub party. These bikini girls in a portable hot tub not too far from the stage. Of course the party becomes more about the Molsen chicks, but hey.. you provide great entertainment and the house will do well. We found that gig when our drummer just called the Molsen co and asked if they were interested in a band hosting a Molsen night. Two weeks later, their mgr called him back and suggested a venue. It was that simple.
Once again, it comes down to professionalism. If the bar pays you and yo maintain their crowd and keep things pleasant and they make $, they will have you back. If you create a bad instance within their patronage, good luck on the return gig. In the instance above, it sounds like things ended on more of a sour note. That is not something you ever want to happen. Most venues know what to expect. When you have a big party going on and it ends with an empty club halfway through the night, they will forget about the early part of the show and remind you of how you cleared the bar out. Some will just not say anything, but getting a second show would be a hard sell.
Once we played a venue and almost cleared the place in the middle of the night. It felt terrible. And to make it worse, I knew it would happen because at the time we had music that I knew would not work at that bar. You can't play country or folk music at a bar called \"Hard Times\" and expect to keep the crowd. I knew that, but my bandmates thought we could pull it off if we played those country and folk songs really good. We played those country songs really good, but the crowd left just like I knew they would. Actually, our drummer and I had both played there before with different bands and knew the venue. We both knew that our country and folk songs would bomb at \"Hard Times,\" and the songs drove people out right on cue. But it was a real eye opener for my other bandmates and as a result we completely changed our focus and became a much better and more successful band later. It took that kick in the gut to make us change.
Plus one on how hard it is to keep your friends and family coming out to your gigs. We do OK with friends and family, but not great. We decided long ago that friends and family cannot make or break us as a band. We have been working hard to build our rep and build a following. It's not easy.
I keep on trying to find events or something like that with promotions to get the band more exposure. We had a chance to play the main tent on the 4th of July week here at the waterfront. That would have been great exposure, and great pay for us. Unfortunately, our guy who was talking to the booking people quit the band and left us. So that opportunity came and went before we got reorganized.
Anyway, unless something changes with my brother-in-law's new band, I don't expect he will be staying with them very long. He knows that the drunken bass player (also a pothead) is real trouble for the band. Last week they had practice scheduled for 3 pm. The bass player shows up both drunk and stoned at 7 pm. Can't play or sing for crap, but thinks he is Kid Rock. Nobody in my band pulls that crap. We expect more from each other.
I don't drink any alcohol, personally. But I really don't care if my bandmates are drinking but still playing well. As long as it doesn't affect our performance, we are OK with it. I still consider myself an employee of the venue as long as I'm on stage and try to be respectful to the music, the patrons, and the management. It might have been alright for the boys last night to party out with their friends, but if they ever want to play out of town without their friends for support, I don't think anyone else would be too impressed with half the band drunk and playing like crap and acting like wasted youth. And yet, I just may be wrong....
People choose many different directions. I'm always impressed with anyone who makes music. It's natural to cringe at bad music or bad behavior, but you still feel good that they are giving of themselves. I think the Bass player basically knows he is not going down the path to a pro future. He's shows that by self-destructing onstage, and by his cavalier practice discipline. He is all about being young and having a good time right now.
I know I am the odd guy out, as most everyone here seems to enjoy the pro aspect of music. In my twenties, I had other musicians telling me...\"man you should be in a band\", but that just wasn't for me. The thought was too scary, and if I just saw myself doing it for fun, I did better. I was never very confident. I was always confused why anyone would think I sounded good. :? I remember there were times I acted like this Bass player, just to self-destruct the whole notion. I would get onstage with local Bands I was use to jamming with, and play a couple songs, acting off the hook. The people on the dance floor enjoyed the spectacle, but I got warned by the Bar owner I was crossing the line. Those \"incidents\" however got me more \"lucky\" afterward...so it was easy on me to self-destruct in the name of being young, dumb and full of cof-cof.
( I had allot of Tommy Chong attitude)
At 27 I got married to a gal who could burn a Bar down with her guitar and voice. She never could be convinced to go pro, (play for money) even though her talent was outrageous. The people I've called friends through the years have been both on album covers, and those who never accepted a dime for a song, with equal talent. I'm still close friends with an old teen Bro who is a blues guitarist. We both bought Gibson SG's back in 1968. I dropped out of music, he didn't. He was great back then, and what he can do with a guitar today is jaw dropping. He never played for money, but if he were onstage with any top blues player, he'd steal the spotlight.
Basically, I was that Bass player. If I took my music serious, it would unnerve me. I'm glad I chose it as a hobby. Today, I hope I can play Satriani songs well enough to satisfy my own desire and love for guitar. Like in the past, I have my moments, but it's not likely worth more than 5 cents. (still cheap)
I still get onstage, but before/after the show as a stage hand, no more self-destruct. :?
(I still act, sound and look like Tommy Chong...<sigh>..far out man) 8)
I know my brother-in-law who plays the drums for them was hoping maybe the band could do more than self-destruct in 2 hours on stage. He knows a working band needs to cover 4 hours. Half the band, that night anyway, could barely stand in the third set. Some of the members were out back throwing up in the alley during the second break, but then came back in again to drink even more.
As I said, I don't drink alcohol, so it's always been about the music and not so much the party drinking for me. But it did remind me of some of the bad parties I have attended over the years where it's just not fun to watch the train wreck except if you're one of the drunks on the train, I guess. But, about 10 pm when the band came back for their unplanned third and final set, it was like watching a train wreck. They drove the regular patrons out and only their hard core friends remained.
The boys had a great first set and if they would have left at the end of their second set, they would have gone out on top. I personally have never seen a band self-destruct in such a short time. Most of the established bands around here know that it's a long night on stage and then you still have to pack up and drive home. I guess that's why the working musicians tend to be both older and more sober. Also, it may be easy to get all your friends out that first night's gig, but it is alot harder to get them out to see your 10th, 25th, 50th gig, etc.... So you have to play well when you are playing to strangers.
It will be interesting to see how the band develops. I know growing pains are difficult, having been through them with my band. I was hoping my brother-in-law would get back into the music scene locally, but I don't think he sees much future with their current line up. He is a pro, and he knows self-destructive behavior that won't last long. I know he was disappointed the way the band ended the night. He has already told me that is the last free gig he will do with that band. I guess that says something.
Yes it is all about being young ........ That's cuz he doesn't know better.
But even in a just for fun thing, 3hrs late is wrong no matter how you slice it!
hey gtaus, why didn't you tap your bro. inlaw when you was looking for a drummer? Timing wasn't right?
Actually, my brother-in-law was our first full time drummer. He would still be our drummer today except that he took a job out of town and left for 8 months. We had no choice but to look for other drummers. I'm still trying to keep him in the loop, though. This weekend our main drummer is out of town and my brother-in-law is sitting in on practice with us tonight. I hope that he will get his chops up and be available as a fill-in drummer for us if we need one. Our main drummer is better than my brohter-in-law, but it's not really a matter of potential talent, it's a matter of seat time and experience that our current drummer has. Our current drummer also plays with a couple other bands and that keeps him well practiced.
My brother-in-law is a lead guitarist, originally, but he had an accident with a finger on his fretting hand a couple of years ago and that has really affected his ability to play. Bascially, he can only play one or two songs and his hand/finger is done. He is in too much pain. It's sad. Anyway, he can also play drums (back from High School band) and continues to improve the more seat time he gets. Also, he doesn't have a great big ego like some \"lead\" guitarists I know. So he is still plenty happy to play drums and be part of the band. He is a great bandmate and I often tell him that I wish he would never have left my band. Of course, he had a little problem called a mortgage to worry about.....
But now that you bring it up, my brother-in-law is 40 and the oldest member of his new group. The youngest members are in their early 20's. My brother-in-law puts the music first and party second. He doesn't want to waste his time on some guys that can't or won't handle their drinking or other substance abuse, or don't want to play well. He has outgrown those attitudes long ago. I agree, it might be that some of those guys are just all about being young and having a good time right now.
Our lead guitarist left our band a few months back. He wanted more of that being young and having a good time. He wanted to get drunk every gig and just have what he considered a good time. Trouble was that the rest of my band are not heavy drinkers and we could see his performance was affected by his drinking. We, as a band, told him that he had to cut back, which he did, but I don't think he was ever very happy about it. He played better, but didn't have as much fun. The sad thing is that he is in his mid-late 30's with a wife, two small children, and a mortgage to worry about. I guess he felt that his nights out with the band were all about escaping his problems.
I hear he has been going out to a joint where everyone gets all lit up before they play and drink heavy while they play. He formed another band and they just had to cancel their first gig. I don't know what happened, but when you try to form a band around of bunch of guys who mainly want to party, sometimes it is just tough to make sure that they can make it to the gig. When he left my band, it broke because the lead vocalist and I would not have anything to do with a drummer he wanted to bring in to the band. The drummer has a rep of drug abuse, heavy drinking, jail/prison time, and just not showing up for gigs or practice because of his substance abuse problems. But all our lead guitarist could think of was he would have someone else to get wasted with in the band. The drummer we hired is a solid, dependable, guy who just does not drink much either. Our lead guitarist left the band but we have never missed him musically. We replaced him the same day with a better lead guitarist and the band sounds even better. But I guess that is the business part of this game. We were not going to fold because our weakest member left the band. He thought he was the band....
I ran sound last week for a couple bands. The opener was a screamo type band at a classic rock club. The opening band was one of the head liner band vocalists nephew and his friends. They played for free but were not at all what the club was looking for. Mgt killed their set in 15 min and had a nice chat with the headlining cover band that promoted these guys. I never saw a place clear out so fast before.
IMO the opener was an excellent band. Very tight and spot on with a great stage vibe. Just not at all what the vast 35 and up crowd were ready for.
I gave them a recording of their show and a few phone #s of places that would really fit them. Mgt was pretty livid they lost their patrons. I'm not sure if the cover band headliner addressed that with them or not. It was a tough night for them either way.
My whole take was it wasn't as much the patronage minding the band since it was all presented well. The headliner vocalist announced the opener and said they are going to play for about 1/2 hour. It was the bands few friends that tried to mosh the dance floor, pushing and knocking into things. I think that really freaked out the 35 and up crowd!
You're brother in law sounds like he's been around the scene for a while, and this group he's in right now won't last too long with it's present membership. He either needs to replace the weak links or leave and find a group of like minded musicians who know that professionalism is the thing that will get you repeat business for your band. Maybe it is just youth and naivety that is standing in their way, we were all guilty of that at one time. But at his age, it just becomes annoying after a short time. Most times the lessons of life are best learned first hand. If they continue on their present path it won't be long before they run out of venues to play, and the offending parties will either come around or will need to be replaced by members who understand what it takes to be a successful bar band. Just play good music that the patrons enjoy and do it in a professional manner that doesn't make people want to get up and leave. That is what will get you a repeat booking. It's not rocket science, thankfully. As an entertainer, your job is to entertain, not to annoy or offend the patronage. And no matter how you slice it, drunk is annoying and offensive. Just my $0.02 worth.
There happened to be a small hall across the street from the bar and it wasn't booked... They rented it and bought several kegs and on the supposed gig night put out signs free beer or all you can drink for x $ whatever it was ( can't remember it was 30 yrs ago!) But I do know the bar only had those that were loyal to the band that was playing! And I think even some of those deserted!..I was there! at the hall! .. It was funny a lil costly to flip someone off but still funny!
We have not been cancelled, but it is really hard to get paying gigs right now because there are too many bands playing for free. The bars that are still open are hurting. Half of the local venues have gone out of business in the past couple of years. The remaining bars are on the edge.
It is not just the economy, either. We had a smoking ban come into effect and the local law enforcement waits for patrons leaving the bar. My mother, who sips Pepsi all night, got pulled over. Same story with parents of my other band members. When stone cold sober people get pulled over by the police leaving a bar, it really sends a chilling message to everyone. I don't know where law enforcement ends and harrassment begins, but there are clubs that are no longer in business because of \"diligent\" law enforcement. And yet, I want the streets safe, too.
We have talked about hosting our own show with adult beverages, but from what I hear the local laws make it next to impossible to put up your own event. It was not that way 20 years ago, but times have changed.
Pretty much what we found out, too.
I Didn't write that! :shock:
Either that, or it's trying to balance my laptop on my legs while trying to ignore my stupid housemate watching some stupid crape on TV (she's a junkie - she watches all that reality TV junque: the bride shows, the messy house shows, the island/tribe shows, you name it. It's appalling.)
So you can see why I'd rather imagine Shania rubbing my feet... :roll:
Go Find Jim Now! He'll have your house mate looking like Shania in no time! Or at the very least have you not giving a flying rats tail about anything! :shock: 8) :P
It might be your roommate rubbing your feet.
:shock: :shock: Oh dear gawd in heaven...I think I'd rather stick them in the blender...
I was a chef at a restaurant at that time and the owner of the restaurant wanted us to play at the company party they were having. Cool, I guess this is working. The part ywas in 5 weeks so we learned 4 more songs and perfected the ones we already knew.
The owner of the bar that we all went to frequently was at this party and wanted to hire us. I told we only had two sets. He said he would pay for the bands bar tab and food for first gig and if everything goes well, he would hire us for real pay-$500-in couple of months. OK
First gig went well, first time people were acually dancing on tables and the bar stayed packed until we finished-good sign(played 10:30 til 1am one break)We got the second gig, now things are rolling.
To me playing for free shouldn't hurt a band that has been around for a while. They are good and people will come to see them play and good clubs and bars will pay to have them. To me, a free gig is a good way to cut your teeth. With that being said, you have to be careful as well not fall into what your brother-in-laws band fell into--thats quitting while your ahead. I think you were absolutly correct in telling to stop while they were ahead, not only in music, but in drinking. As far as drinking goes while playing--some can do it, most can't from my experience. Michael Anthony from Van Halen would finish a bottle of JD in one show and still sound like one the best bass players around.
Although, I think this bass player in your brother-in-laws band is toxic to the rest of the band. He will make a sinking ship sink alot faster. Showing for practice 4 hours late and drunk--bye bye. We had one that was a druggie sounds alot like this guy.
As for a 20 minute song, wow--I can only think of two bands that can acually get away with that--Rush and Dream Theater. But seriously, we would extend songs, but only 8 bars or so, an extra minute.
Comenting on the 3 chord songs, funny but, those seemed to be the most requested in our band. Our most requested was Fight for Your Right\" by the Beastie Boys. New bands usually cant play anything complecated until they have played together for a while. I like the Baby Step routine.
All in all, it sounds as though your BIL band could be successful, but w/o the current bass player. Be careful on vocals as well. Sounds like they may have couple guys that shouldn't be singin' Joe Satriani sang couple tunes on an album--now we all know why he's an instrumentalists.
Good luck to the band.
We are to the point with so much gear that we would rather not play as a band than play for free. Bar owners will just take advantage of bands forever if the bands are willing to play for free. It costs me too much money to show up for a gig with all our gear and not get paid. I'm not opposed to open night jams and open mic nights. At least there you just show up with your guitar and play a song or two. No stress. Great way to meet other musicians.
Almost a week later and my brother-in-law's band has not heard back from the bar where they played for free. They made a ton of money for the bar during their first two sets. I just hope that last set where they cleared the joint was not their downfall. To be honest, if I was the owner, I would not book the boys until I thought they could carry the night. Or, I'd just tell them they could play for 2 hours at a reduced rate, which would probably work out for both the band and the bar. In fact, maybe I'll suggest that to my brother-in-law as an option they might explore until they have 4 sets ready to go. But the point may be moot as the last time I talked to him, it sounds like the band might dissolve, or at least reorganize and try again. I think they all know that the bass player is a non starter if they want paying gigs. They have big decisions to make in regards to their future, and times are not so good for local bands.