| Full time pro bassists: Where y'at?
Sign in to disble this ad
As a full time bassist who's considering a move, I'm just curious where the rest of you are, and how it is that you make your living playing. For some of us, the music scene is our lifeblood (like here in New Orleans), and for some of us a strong economy allows us to be paid for our work (like playing for well heeled businessmen/corporate gigs).
I make my living mostly playing in small clubs in New Orleans and around the gulf south region, mostly as a soundtrack for people to get drunk and smoke. It's not glamourous, nor does it pay a great deal, but it does at least cover rent. I imagine that if New Orleans didn't have a scene that is known for having this kind of music down here (funk, blues, swampy kind of stuff), and didn't have a culture of supporting live music the way it does (there are very, very few places here that don't host live bands), I'd have to get a day job like everybody else.
I'm considering a move back to San Francisco. Ideally, I'd like to play for a living out there, but I know the scene is totally different and the chances of playing any kind of music 4 times a week is probably pretty slim. But I'm sure there there are full time musicians there - I am curious as to how they pull it off. For that matter, I'm curious what other pro bassists around the country have to do in their home town to make it work. So, tell me your experiences. What kind of stuff do you play, how difficult is it to get gigs, do the venues/crowds support what you do, etc., etc., etc.? | 
