Question for those gigging 10yr+

[willgroove2]

This one is for the old heads on TB I guess;What has changed in your gigging life over the last 10 yrs? I'm talking about in terms of Gear,music, quality of gig's and quality of other musicians and/or music scenes. What makes me ask is I just had a great conversation with a old friend who has been based in L.A. for a number of years and he was telling me about the changes he has noticed in the last several years. So what have you noticed?

[von buck]

Originally Posted by willgroove2

This one is for the old heads on TB I guess;What has changed in your gigging life over the last 10 yrs? I'm talking about in terms of Gear,music, quality of gig's and quality of other musicians and/or music scenes. .....

Same crappy gigs, same or less money.

Andyu, 30 + years of gigging

[Phalex]

The amp I've had for the past 15 years keeps getting heavier, 2:00am keeps coming later and later, and I never had need of a detuner until fairly recently. When I was a boy, you had a low E and you were happy to have it. I guess that's just not good enough for kids these days.

[Blueszilla]

My rig has shrunk, increased in power, but still weighs more than I would like, but that might just be age. There seems to be a lot more players & bands, but less top quality. There have always been solo players, but seems to be a dearth of them now, less people interested in the support, groove role, although I hope I'm wrong. I play more than I used to and seem to upgrade with each new band, in terms of better players, better gigs.

It's still fun!

[DWBass]

I've gotten better gear but the gigs are still crappy and the musicians still half@$$ it every night.

[NJL]

i went from a 3 lbs Trumpet to a heavy rig and bass. why? don't know. LOL

my gigs seem to last forever. i'm getting old i guess. i'm tired or smokey clubs.

[iriegnome]

Same gear, better bass, NO BARS!!! Touring 7 states in 3 months totally paid for by the band, traveling to Jamaica with the band for a week, Playing Apline Valley Music Theatre

[pointbass]

Good stuff:

• No more smoking in the bars ... places used to be nothing but a haze of smoke
• Gear is much smaller/lighter in size
• A lot of places have their own PA .... we used to carry PA systems everywhere we went

Bad stuff:

• I haven't done a steady two-week, five nights a week in one place for years
• Pay still is the same as it was in 1970
• Too many bad bands/garage-type bands out there
• Music is MUCH louder than it used to be
• A lot of competition from DJ's

Been playing for pay for 45 years ... guess that makes me one of the old ones ....

[NJL]

Originally Posted by pointbass

• Pay still is the same as it was in 1970

how sad, no? drink prices have gone up. cover charges have gone up. but our pay?

[VroomVroom]

Ed, great points. It's a pleasure doing a club gig without having to clean my bass, gig bag, cabinet, and clothes afterward.

For me, a lot has changed in 10 years. I've gone from doing mostly club gigs to hardly ever having one. Instead, I slowly networked and made connections with band leaders and fellow musicians who share common goals. Now I'm doing mostly casuals, usually making good coin, and am playing with musicians who challenge and inspire. The public gigs I do take are enjoyable and involve two of the following: great music, great people, great money.

In terms of gear my stuff is now a lot lighter, a lot more powerful, a lot more expensive, and a lot more transparent to the ear...making that expensive part worth it. The basses cost more too, but give me the sound and playability I'm after. In other words, if the music ain't happenin', blame the bassist, not the bassee.

The end result? Somewhat ironically perhaps, but I'm gigging more than ever. I turn down more calls now than I actually got 10 years ago. I'm very lucky in that regard, and the picking and choosing allows me to be more passionate about my playing and music in general.

[willgroove2]

Well in my world gear wise I have much lighter weight, more powerful personal gear, mostly for the weight because 20yrs of riding around in everything from a plane or tour bus to a Van has killed my back. For most of the out of town gigs I do I never carry anything except a Bass and maybe a quality DI,over the years I have learned to get a decent sound out of almost any amp.

Gig-wise locally in Chicago I have been concentrating on corporate work for a while,it pays better and in general is a easier night although you will run into players who have terrible attitudes because they hate what their doing( I say stop doing it then) one thing I have noticed is that corporate band are getting smaller,not so many 10-12 piece bands more 5-6 combo's. I have a church gig for the last 2 years after not playing in church for 18 yrs and many of my non-gospel musicians do too. Club gig's in Chicago are still the same;low paying,long gigs with bad venues and owners but I still think they have value as a proving ground. The biggest change I have seen is with musicians,When I started out gigging I was coming out of music school with not a lot of real gig experience but I was playing with a lot of older musicians who schooled me hard. Now I see younger musicians who IMO have much much more info available to them (DVD's the Internet ECT) but seem to lack fundamentals in both playing and history and whose attitudes can be hard to deal with.

[WalterBush]

Lessee...bars aren't smokey anymore. My gear is just as heavy, but I managed to miss using a lot of tubes as a bassist, so it's still nothing like the older cats. My basses are better. The musicians I work with are better, since I can be pickier, but that's reflective of me personally, not trends in general I think. I get paid more than I did ten years ago, but again, not a general trend.

One major trend I've noticed? Kids just coming up don't want to work. No rehearsals, no setups, no nothing. Just want the money and the adoring fans. The people I worked with ten years ago knew you had to pick up cabinets and help with load-in, at least.

The other? Five string basses aren't so eye-popping or odd, anymore. It's like choosing between coke or pepsi these days. Bass players who care about tone are more likely to sound good than they were; not too long ago I think most of us just resigned ourselves to sound muddy out front. Now, it seems to be more of a choice.

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by willgroove2

This one is for the old heads on TB I guess;What has changed in your gigging life over the last 10 yrs?

I'm playing actual jazz now instead of a jam band sort of version of it. This is mainly driven by the changing market out here (wineries!), but also by my advancing age. Many of my gigs start and end much earlier, there's no drama about pay issues, and I sub in a number of cool bands besides the primary one I gig in. In a few weeks there will be virtually no smoking gigs anywhere near here, but I've been lucky enough to have plenty of no-smoking venues to play in for a decade or so anyway.

Gear? I used to play through lots of DIY stuff, but when I started getting a lot of "legit" jazz gigs I bought into the safe store-bought look for a couple of years. Then I built new stuff that I prefer to any commercial pieces I've tried, and there's been no backlash at all, happily.

Players? I'm lucky as all get out. I get to work with a lot of really good ones and I don't have to compromise on that very often these days.

[willgroove2]

Originally Posted by Passinwind

I'm playing actual jazz now instead of a jam band sort of version of it. This is mainly driven by the changing market out here (wineries!), but also by my advancing age. Many of my gigs start and end much earlier, there's no drama about pay issues, and I sub in a number of cool bands besides the primary one I gig in. In a few weeks there will be virtually no smoking gigs anywhere near here, but I've been lucky enough to have plenty of no-smoking venues to play in for a decade or so anyway.

Gear? I used to play through lots of DIY stuff, but when I started getting a lot of "legit" jazz gigs I bought into the safe store-bought look for a couple of years. Then I built new stuff that I prefer to any commercial pieces I've tried, and there's been no backlash at all, happily.

Players? I'm lucky as all get out. I get to work with a lot of really good ones and I don't have to compromise on that very often these days.

Yeah I started gigging out on upright a couple of years ago and now I get call's to just bring the upright although i consider myself a electric player who plays upright rather than a true doubler

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by willgroove2

Yeah I started gigging out on upright a couple of years ago and now I get call's to just bring the upright although i consider myself a electric player who plays upright rather than a true doubler

I got the jazz gig right as I was buying my EUB from a TB'er on a lark, actually. I had no intention of breaking it out publicly for a year or two, but one whiff from my bandmates a month in was all it took to essentially retire my BGs. I had only played URB 30 years ago, briefly and badly. It still surprises me that virtually all my gigs are on EUB nowadays, but I don't consider it a bad thing really.

[lawsonman]

I've played paying gigs now for 43 years. Crowds are much smaller because of the DUI laws and now the no smoking laws have helped to make them smaller yet. I love playing in the bars now that they are smoke free though. Gear ( especially amps ) have gotten much nicer and the variety is endless.

[The Golden Boy]

For 15+ years I was doing the "original rock" thing. The whole thing of 3 band bills, play for an hour... It was a great thing. We got to write and indulge ourselves. We got to develop songs and record them. We got to see TONS of bands, some went on to be somewhat famous, some had members that went on to be somewhat famous, opened for some relatively famous bands. Drove around playing anywhere.

It used to be that getting the "headline" spot was the prestigious thing- to play last. People would still be showing up at midnight. Somewhere in the mid 90s it changed. I chalked it up to my friends getting to be 25 and all old and stuff (have to get up for work, I'm tired...), but it really seems like this was an all around national trend. So then the middle slot was the prestigious one to have. An opener, and then someone to clean up after you were done and play for the bartenders.

Pay was pretty much non-existent.

These days I don't have the time or the energy to get involved in that or involved in the scene. My main gig is a "Tribute" band and have a couple of fill in cover gigs. Pay is better, but on the same end, it's not the same. I'm not saying it leaves you empty, but coming up with a great song and running that through your head for 3 nights after rehearsal... that's great.

I enjoy what I do. It's not about pullin' down the Benjamins. Or the Hamiltons, as the case may be. I see far too many people focusing on that. My idea of fun is what you call a "job." Go figure.

[kevsatthebeach]

A great deal has changed in my almost 30 years of performing here in the West. It's as if there have been two very distinctive chapters.

Pre- 1985ish, there were scads of good venues throughout the West where bands were appreciated, followed, supported by local media and it was possible to make a meager living as a musician. Most of the better clubs had nice sized stages, paid reasonable wages, provided living quarters for out-of-town acts, as well as, providing a modicum of support with meals and liazons for a typical five night engagement. (Yes, many clubs had live music every night of the week.) Audiences were generally appreciative of, or at least interested in, the bands and showed up enthusiastic and energetic for a fun evening of dancing or whatever brought them to a venue. Often times, that motivation was the band itself. Backstage antics and after parties were the things of legend. Men wanted to be your friend, and women often wanted more. On the road, band aids were plentiful and extremely helpful. Any affiliation with a label would just about guarantee opening spots for national acts at prime venues from time to time. In short, it was great fun and there was hope for a better future as you honed your act. All the while chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow -- a record deal.

But then things changed. People changed. Recreational drugs were out. Drinking and driving was bad. AIDs made everyone cautious. And celebrity was in. Venues began drying up over night. Many opting for a DJ only on Friday and Saturday nights. Crowds were reduced to calous, early arrivers who snuck in under the cover charge and fled upon completion of a second drink. Labels stopped making money and returning phone calls. In short, the musical thread in the tapestry of life seemed to fray and fall to the floor.

There are still great musicians out there working the few and small venues that are left. Swing by The Baked Potato some Monday night. Or Brick By Brick. Or Humphrey's Backstage Lounge. Good musicians are still out the working hard to make great music. As one of them, I'm proud to still be at it and enjoy every single minute of it. There's still only one reason to do it -- to do it.

[unclekebm]

Originally Posted by pointbass

Good stuff:

• No more smoking in the bars ... places used to be nothing but a haze of smoke
• Gear is much smaller/lighter in size
• A lot of places have their own PA .... we used to carry PA systems everywhere we went

Bad stuff:

• I haven't done a steady two-week, five nights a week in one place for years
• Pay still is the same as it was in 1970
• Too many bad bands/garage-type bands out there
• Music is MUCH louder than it used to be
• A lot of competition from DJ's

Been playing for pay for 45 years ... guess that makes me one of the old ones ....

+1
and if i may add to the "bad stuff"list...also a lot of competition from Karaoke...

i remember getting paid more in the 80's than today...
probably from all the mediocrity now days.

[bassrique]

Good reflections and observations on this thread, but this makes me sad:

A lot of competition from DJ's