Drag yourselves out and just do it!

26.2

Great sentiments - nothing beats getting out there and playing. I’m currently in a frustrating situation in that the originals band I’m in are playing less and less - the singer is essentially filtering our live work - not enough money, too far to travel, fallen out with the promoter etc 

So 3 of the 5 of us have started another band to pick up some of the gigs we turn down. It’s a power trio plus different singer - kind of post-punk/garage. Covers at the moment - but all ones that no-one else plays. 2 rehearsals in and it’s sounding fantastic. The idea is to go under the radar, no egos, no money arguments and I’m optimistic! 

Danny1969

The way I see it is there will plenty of time when we are older to relax and not be out every weekend, but for now I need to be out and gigging. I like the social side, the moneys great and I've never really found it hard work. I'm not really doing pubs anymore except outdoor beer festivals. Most the gigs are proper venues or clubs and that helps. 

I'm 55 now and did first paid gig at 15 so it's been 40 years and around 3000 ish gigs I think ...and I still get a buzz out of it. I've been very lucky. All the people I've worked with have been cool and I've got to play a lot of  different styles from Rockabilly to ol skool metal. 
Currently in an 80's indie tribute, a party covers band, a Britpop tribute and a mainstream rock and soul covers band. 

Lestratcaster

I've played in bands for 15 years, so well used to performing. However the last one I played in was in 2019 and we finished before covid happened. We still kept in touch and reformed, playing a reunion show back in November which was great, but I haven't played since. I mostly play at home now, and have thought about if I should retire. Maybe I just need a different sounding band as most of the bands I've played in have been the same rock/heavier style ones. I'm not getting any younger and feel those days are kinda behind me now, so I should probably move to softer standing tuning sound ones haha.

Now I have a business to run its hard to sometimes juggle band life and that. I'm working unsociable hours which mostly involves evening/weekend work when most band activity takes place.

Petepassion

Lestratcaster said:

I've played in bands for 15 years, so well used to performing. However the last one I played in was in 2019 and we finished before covid happened. We still kept in touch and reformed, playing a reunion show back in November which was great, but I haven't played since. I mostly play at home now, and have thought about if I should retire. Maybe I just need a different sounding band as most of the bands I've played in have been the same rock/heavier style ones. I'm not getting any younger and feel those days are kinda behind me now, so I should probably move to softer standing tuning sound ones haha.

Now I have a business to run its hard to sometimes juggle band life and that. I'm working unsociable hours which mostly involves evening/weekend work when most band activity takes place.

Well I guess there are no rules, you do what suits you and slow down or change style when feels right for you.
   I’ve been playing’60’s/70’s influenced rock/punk/garage for the last 30 odd years and still doing it now…and still loving it. As long as you’re true to yourself and not trying to be something you’re not or hanging on to something you can no longer be, then it’s all good. It’s gotta be real. No agenda, no ultimatum, just follow that natural path.
   

Lestratcaster

Petepassion said:

Lestratcaster said:

I've played in bands for 15 years, so well used to performing. However the last one I played in was in 2019 and we finished before covid happened. We still kept in touch and reformed, playing a reunion show back in November which was great, but I haven't played since. I mostly play at home now, and have thought about if I should retire. Maybe I just need a different sounding band as most of the bands I've played in have been the same rock/heavier style ones. I'm not getting any younger and feel those days are kinda behind me now, so I should probably move to softer standing tuning sound ones haha.

Now I have a business to run its hard to sometimes juggle band life and that. I'm working unsociable hours which mostly involves evening/weekend work when most band activity takes place.

Well I guess there are no rules, you do what suits you and slow down or change style when feels right for you.
   I’ve been playing’60’s/70’s influenced rock/punk/garage for the last 30 odd years and still doing it now…and still loving it. As long as you’re true to yourself and not trying to be something you’re not or hanging on to something you can no longer be, then it’s all good. It’s gotta be real. No agenda, no ultimatum, just follow that natural path.
   

Part of me still wants to play live and I think I still have a lot to offer. Another part says move to different areas of playing I,e studio or recording. I’m still involved with the last band I played with albeit more of a behind the scenes role as an accompanying songwriter and helping with the backline stuff live. Just won’t be in the promo shots or music videos which I think kinda suits both parties in my opinion. If there’s shows I can’t play them the band doesn’t suffer from my unavailability, at the same time I’m still actively involved and can contribute in other ways.

OilCityPickups

Petepassion said:

Lestratcaster said:

I've played in bands for 15 years, so well used to performing. However the last one I played in was in 2019 and we finished before covid happened. We still kept in touch and reformed, playing a reunion show back in November which was great, but I haven't played since. I mostly play at home now, and have thought about if I should retire. Maybe I just need a different sounding band as most of the bands I've played in have been the same rock/heavier style ones. I'm not getting any younger and feel those days are kinda behind me now, so I should probably move to softer standing tuning sound ones haha.

Now I have a business to run its hard to sometimes juggle band life and that. I'm working unsociable hours which mostly involves evening/weekend work when most band activity takes place.

Well I guess there are no rules, you do what suits you and slow down or change style when feels right for you.
   I’ve been playing’60’s/70’s influenced rock/punk/garage for the last 30 odd years and still doing it now…and still loving it. As long as you’re true to yourself and not trying to be something you’re not or hanging on to something you can no longer be, then it’s all good. It’s gotta be real. No agenda, no ultimatum, just follow that natural path.
   

That is so true ... 

I'm taking heart that in the style we are doing, Brian Setzer is four months older than me and still rocking out. 

slacker

Some disparate thoughts...

Go for it, as someone who joined a band before they could play, music is IMHO rewarding as a joint venture (with caveats).

I have done some really big gigs and a mini tour but a lot of it has been low level scout hut, community centre and rehearsal only stuff, I won't mention church because it triggers some people. Some gigs have been quite fraught and the low level stuff like a birthday party has been enjoyable. So don't worry about setting expectations low you can only be pleasantly suprised when a bigger gig presents itself.

I've been fortunate to have a lot of friends and contacts that are musicians, so I never had to advertise on Join my ego when I wanted to lead my band. On that note IMHO you need a clear vision, communicate that vision upfront but still have room for others to contribute. I tend to pick most of the covers but seek reactions, sometimes non verbal.

Lastly dialogue, I spent Saturday at radio 1 weekend under duress and the bands were pitch and beat perfect but soul less. Get a band of musicians who can synergy. There was one band who were awesome but there were a few dropped beats and bum notes. It doesn't matter.
.

guitarjack66

slacker said:

Some disparate thoughts...

Go for it, as someone who joined a band before they could play, music is IMHO rewarding as a joint venture (with caveats).

I have done some really big gigs and a mini tour but a lot of it has been low level scout hut, community centre and rehearsal only stuff, I won't mention church because it triggers some people. Some gigs have been quite fraught and the low level stuff like a birthday party has been enjoyable. So don't worry about setting expectations low you can only be pleasantly suprised when a bigger gig presents itself.

I've been fortunate to have a lot of friends and contacts that are musicians, so I never had to advertise on Join my ego when I wanted to lead my band. On that note IMHO you need a clear vision, communicate that vision upfront but still have room for others to contribute. I tend to pick most of the covers but seek reactions, sometimes non verbal.

Lastly dialogue, I spent Saturday at radio 1 weekend under duress and the bands were pitch and beat perfect but soul less. Get a band of musicians who can synergy. There was one band who were awesome but there were a few dropped beats and bum notes. It doesn't matter.
.

I'm not sure why you wont mention a Church setting as it's still performing in front of a group of people regardless. I'd like to be able to do something like that...even though I dont go to Church myself.

Petepassion

slacker said:

Some disparate thoughts...

Go for it, as someone who joined a band before they could play, music is IMHO rewarding as a joint venture (with caveats).

I have done some really big gigs and a mini tour but a lot of it has been low level scout hut, community centre and rehearsal only stuff, I won't mention church because it triggers some people. Some gigs have been quite fraught and the low level stuff like a birthday party has been enjoyable. So don't worry about setting expectations low you can only be pleasantly suprised when a bigger gig presents itself.

I've been fortunate to have a lot of friends and contacts that are musicians, so I never had to advertise on Join my ego when I wanted to lead my band. On that note IMHO you need a clear vision, communicate that vision upfront but still have room for others to contribute. I tend to pick most of the covers but seek reactions, sometimes non verbal.

Lastly dialogue, I spent Saturday at radio 1 weekend under duress and the bands were pitch and beat perfect but soul less. Get a band of musicians who can synergy. There was one band who were awesome but there were a few dropped beats and bum notes. It doesn't matter.
.

Absolutely this ^^^^^
my current bands first drummer and bassist were incredibly skilled musicians and the band was tight, but now the latest drummer and bassist nowhere near as good technically but the vibe is so much better. We’ve all grown up in the same music scene and there’s just a great chemistry between us.
   Our last gig received many positive comments about being so much better now. And yeah, we make mistakes.

OilCityPickups

guitarjack66 said:

slacker said:

Some disparate thoughts...

Go for it, as someone who joined a band before they could play, music is IMHO rewarding as a joint venture (with caveats).

I have done some really big gigs and a mini tour but a lot of it has been low level scout hut, community centre and rehearsal only stuff, I won't mention church because it triggers some people. Some gigs have been quite fraught and the low level stuff like a birthday party has been enjoyable. So don't worry about setting expectations low you can only be pleasantly suprised when a bigger gig presents itself.

I've been fortunate to have a lot of friends and contacts that are musicians, so I never had to advertise on Join my ego when I wanted to lead my band. On that note IMHO you need a clear vision, communicate that vision upfront but still have room for others to contribute. I tend to pick most of the covers but seek reactions, sometimes non verbal.

Lastly dialogue, I spent Saturday at radio 1 weekend under duress and the bands were pitch and beat perfect but soul less. Get a band of musicians who can synergy. There was one band who were awesome but there were a few dropped beats and bum notes. It doesn't matter.
.

I'm not sure why you wont mention a Church setting as it's still performing in front of a group of people regardless. I'd like to be able to do something like that...even though I dont go to Church myself.

If you look at the evolution of rock and roll and country it owed a huge debt to Church music. If your thing is church music ... then there's no harm in mentioning it in my book. 
Personally I'm rabidly atheist and would probably get struck by a bolt of lightning if I set foot in a place of worship due to my past life! 

guitarjack66

OilCityPickups said:

guitarjack66 said:

slacker said:

Some disparate thoughts...

Go for it, as someone who joined a band before they could play, music is IMHO rewarding as a joint venture (with caveats).

I have done some really big gigs and a mini tour but a lot of it has been low level scout hut, community centre and rehearsal only stuff, I won't mention church because it triggers some people. Some gigs have been quite fraught and the low level stuff like a birthday party has been enjoyable. So don't worry about setting expectations low you can only be pleasantly suprised when a bigger gig presents itself.

I've been fortunate to have a lot of friends and contacts that are musicians, so I never had to advertise on Join my ego when I wanted to lead my band. On that note IMHO you need a clear vision, communicate that vision upfront but still have room for others to contribute. I tend to pick most of the covers but seek reactions, sometimes non verbal.

Lastly dialogue, I spent Saturday at radio 1 weekend under duress and the bands were pitch and beat perfect but soul less. Get a band of musicians who can synergy. There was one band who were awesome but there were a few dropped beats and bum notes. It doesn't matter.
.

I'm not sure why you wont mention a Church setting as it's still performing in front of a group of people regardless. I'd like to be able to do something like that...even though I dont go to Church myself.

If you look at the evolution of rock and roll and country it owed a huge debt to Church music. If your thing is church music ... then there's no harm in mentioning it in my book. 
Personally I'm rabidly atheist and would probably get struck by a bolt of lightning if I set foot in a place of worship due to my past life! 

As long as you don't play Iron Butterfly.

imalrightjack

I’ve always been a metal and rock guy at heart. My ambition to do the rock band thing died in my 20s. Then I went into singer/songwriter stuff, hardly playing electric. I recorded an alt.country album at 30, lost my confidence in singing and ended up pissing about noodling lead stuff with a nice but polite band. Lockdown reawakened my passion for metal and songwriting. Sadly, due to lineup issues and voice confidence, I’m yet to gig - and I’ve had a band of sorts for nearly three years (currently no bassist)! Loving writing music with two people in their 20s (I’m 48). The mix of experience and talented youth is great. And, you’re right, it’s never too late.

Well done. Keep on rocking!

OilCityPickups

guitarjack66 said:

OilCityPickups said:

guitarjack66 said:

slacker said:

Some disparate thoughts...

Go for it, as someone who joined a band before they could play, music is IMHO rewarding as a joint venture (with caveats).

I have done some really big gigs and a mini tour but a lot of it has been low level scout hut, community centre and rehearsal only stuff, I won't mention church because it triggers some people. Some gigs have been quite fraught and the low level stuff like a birthday party has been enjoyable. So don't worry about setting expectations low you can only be pleasantly suprised when a bigger gig presents itself.

I've been fortunate to have a lot of friends and contacts that are musicians, so I never had to advertise on Join my ego when I wanted to lead my band. On that note IMHO you need a clear vision, communicate that vision upfront but still have room for others to contribute. I tend to pick most of the covers but seek reactions, sometimes non verbal.

Lastly dialogue, I spent Saturday at radio 1 weekend under duress and the bands were pitch and beat perfect but soul less. Get a band of musicians who can synergy. There was one band who were awesome but there were a few dropped beats and bum notes. It doesn't matter.
.

I'm not sure why you wont mention a Church setting as it's still performing in front of a group of people regardless. I'd like to be able to do something like that...even though I dont go to Church myself.

If you look at the evolution of rock and roll and country it owed a huge debt to Church music. If your thing is church music ... then there's no harm in mentioning it in my book. 
Personally I'm rabidly atheist and would probably get struck by a bolt of lightning if I set foot in a place of worship due to my past life! 

As long as you don't play Iron Butterfly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ikUIhgnW78 

I'd only play worship music if it was as bas ass as this 

MagicPigDetective

Good thread, yes I've recently found myself in a band after years in the wilderness! Thread here   . Yep it's great and I'm learning a lot about my  gear and playing with other humans, including a brass section. Have finally found the worth of a compressor. 

guitars4you

OilCityPickups said:

TeleMaster said:

TTBZ said:

I must be in the minority that doesn't really enjoy gigging at all. I love playing with other musicians but couldn't give a shit about gigs. I guess my experience has been soured by the amount of crap pub gigs I've done over the years though. Even the "good" ones haven't been that fun to me.

Would happily just play and write/record music with no intention of "getting out there" and I'd love to find people with the same mindset but everyone I've played with has gigging as the be all end all. I especially love playing with a great drummer, they really make it break the experience for me. Great to crank the amp up and let rip for a bit, beats my usual headphones and backing tracks setup! 

Yea I have to say I'm not a fan of playing boring covers to pissed and coked up louts anymore either. Nothing makes me cringe more than hearing Mr Brightside, Sex on Fire, 500 miles and so on, where's the variety?

Rarely does a gig happen without some moron doing something stupid like walking into the band area and pulling my BE50 over, beer on the pedal board, trying to play the drums when the drummer has gone for a piss and so on.

I am more about the writing and recording/producing side of it now. I'll happily gig originals but it isn't my goal to gig as such, just create music with people who are easy to work with. Most people in music are time wasters and/or mental. 

For those that do enjoy it, great! And yea, if you want to do it you should. 

This is exactly why  chose rockabilly/psychobilly/Americana to go out with. I absolutely would refuse to play Mr Brightside, Sex on Fire, 500 miles etc ... I've always been a fan of the way the Cramps took obscure covers and made them totally their own ... when your source material comes mostly from 1954-1961 you can ignore requests pretty easily ... done that one before. I also played in punk bands for years ... so - 'this is how we play it mate ... now f--k off' trips easily off the tongue ;-) 

If I got back on 'my bike' that is what I'd want to do - I hate Tainted Love by Soft Cell - But the way Imelda May covers it is excellent - Everyone knows the song but give it you slant - I only wanna be with you (Tourists Style)

Stevepage

I had 10 years between the last gig with my first band and the first gig with my last band. I loved the experience of playing in a band again, but was left feeling flat after only 4 shows with them.

Hassle with members of other bands, playing to people who were more interested in taking selfies and no pay. Just overall, underwhelming. It could be that we were an originals band, because I’ve seen cover/tribute acts do quite well.

The sad thing is, I haven’t missed the gigs at all but have missed playing with other musicians and creating something. 

OilCityPickups

guitars4you said:

OilCityPickups said:

TeleMaster said:

TTBZ said:

I must be in the minority that doesn't really enjoy gigging at all. I love playing with other musicians but couldn't give a shit about gigs. I guess my experience has been soured by the amount of crap pub gigs I've done over the years though. Even the "good" ones haven't been that fun to me.

Would happily just play and write/record music with no intention of "getting out there" and I'd love to find people with the same mindset but everyone I've played with has gigging as the be all end all. I especially love playing with a great drummer, they really make it break the experience for me. Great to crank the amp up and let rip for a bit, beats my usual headphones and backing tracks setup! 

Yea I have to say I'm not a fan of playing boring covers to pissed and coked up louts anymore either. Nothing makes me cringe more than hearing Mr Brightside, Sex on Fire, 500 miles and so on, where's the variety?

Rarely does a gig happen without some moron doing something stupid like walking into the band area and pulling my BE50 over, beer on the pedal board, trying to play the drums when the drummer has gone for a piss and so on.

I am more about the writing and recording/producing side of it now. I'll happily gig originals but it isn't my goal to gig as such, just create music with people who are easy to work with. Most people in music are time wasters and/or mental. 

For those that do enjoy it, great! And yea, if you want to do it you should. 

This is exactly why  chose rockabilly/psychobilly/Americana to go out with. I absolutely would refuse to play Mr Brightside, Sex on Fire, 500 miles etc ... I've always been a fan of the way the Cramps took obscure covers and made them totally their own ... when your source material comes mostly from 1954-1961 you can ignore requests pretty easily ... done that one before. I also played in punk bands for years ... so - 'this is how we play it mate ... now f--k off' trips easily off the tongue ;-) 

If I got back on 'my bike' that is what I'd want to do - I hate Tainted Love by Soft Cell - But the way Imelda May covers it is excellent - Everyone knows the song but give it you slant - I only wanna be with you (Tourists Style)

I was working out a psychobilly version of St James Infirmary Blues last night!  

Petepassion

Stevepage said:

I had 10 years between the last gig with my first band and the first gig with my last band. I loved the experience of playing in a band again, but was left feeling flat after only 4 shows with them.

Hassle with members of other bands, playing to people who were more interested in taking selfies and no pay. Just overall, underwhelming. It could be that we were an originals band, because I’ve seen cover/tribute acts do quite well.

The sad thing is, I haven’t missed the gigs at all but have missed playing with other musicians and creating something. 

Depends what type of gigs you're doing. Many pub gigs the punters just want to hear familiar tunes, so covers bands will be far more popular. We tend to steer clear of those type of gigs and stick to small venues/support slots where people are actually into music and want to hear original music.
We have a gig on Friday, it's a small venue of 60 capacity, but sold out so will be a blast as everyone is coming just to see the two bands performing their own music.

TheBigDipper

Stevepage said:

I had 10 years between the last gig with my first band and the first gig with my last band. I loved the experience of playing in a band again, but was left feeling flat after only 4 shows with them.

Hassle with members of other bands, playing to people who were more interested in taking selfies and no pay. Just overall, underwhelming. It could be that we were an originals band, because I’ve seen cover/tribute acts do quite well.

The sad thing is, I haven’t missed the gigs at all but have missed playing with other musicians and creating something. 

I'm in an original music band that writes songs individually and collaboratively. It's the joy of creating something, playing with people you get on with (even if you're on slightly different pages and levels of ability). But that, for us, does need a few gigs every year as validation for us. But we don't have a following and don't, therefore, attract an audience that means a venue will sell enough booze to pay us properly. 

We took a decision to work that way purely for our own satisfaction and accept that's what it meant when it comes to playing in public. If 5% of our audience likes what we do or listens properly (apart from friends and family) then that's a bonus. As long as we play well and enjoy it ourselves, we genuinely don't care. We're offering up what we do and not changing it to be more acceptable to the people in front of us. 

We've all been in successful covers bands before, but realise that the people who attend busy covers gigs are not there because of you specifically. They'll go to a venue that they know, to hear songs they know and have a drink and a chat with their mates with a dance down the front. Nothing wrong with that. If they like what you do, they'll stay and buy another round. If they don't they'll go somewhere else. That's what the venue needs, and that's why you get hired to do the job of making their clientele turn up and stick around. Good covers bands and function bands are fantastic things. 

It's not us. We aren't in showbusiness, We're clumsy creators of musical art that most people will just ignore and we don't make it for them. 

The reason I'm writing this rubbish is to suggest you do what I did. Start a band that exists to make itself happy first and not worry about lots of gigs with pressure to satisfy an audience. Set out your stall and you'll find people who will want to be part of it. We've found that a trio works best. Adding a fourth member doubled the hassle factor. You can write and record as if you had lots of people in the band and pare down your arrangements (and rearrange them) for the gigs. 

OilCityPickups

TheBigDipper said:

It's not us. We aren't in showbusiness, We're clumsy creators of musical art that most people will just ignore and we don't make it for them. 

Ah you do prog rock then ;-)