Ever had someone knock on Your door and offer You a gig?

JMac4strngr · #1 10-22-2010, 07:11 AM

This Morning I was doing my usual routine practice session, that I try to do before I leave home to go to work. My reason for doing this is that typically I have the house all to my self and can crank the amp and let'er rip, so to speak.
At any rate I was noodling around working on some technique stuff and I hear a knock on my practice room window. My first thoughts are, "Oh crap, its the cops". Which is not a big fear as I dont have my rig cranked that loud. So I quit playing like a deer in the headlights, and in a very loud astonished voice ask "Who is it, and what do You want". The guy replys back "I am a friendly don't shoot".
So I go to the door of my house to see what this is all about. There is this guy standing there. Immediatly he says, hey my name is "Blah Blah" and I have been walking past Your house on my way to work for the last six months listening to You jam most every morning. I was just wondering if You had a gig or were interested in doing some work on a project that a friend of mine and I are putting together. I told him that I have a regular gig with my band, but could be interested in jamming around or what ever. We exchange phone numbers and go on about business.
So has anyone else ever had a similar experience? I was and am still a bit concerned as to the guys intentions, knowing I have gear at my house and all, in which all is protected by a security system and insured.
I also find it a bit cool that a passer by is a musician and noticed me playing, and had the nerve to walk up to a strangers door and inquire.

Very strange to say the least, we'll see how it all works out......HMMM.

scotch · #2 10-22-2010, 07:16 AM

Actually, yes! It's how I got my foot in the door in the music industry.

I moved to Nashville to pursue a music career back in '97. I found an apartment in a duplex and got a day job. Of course, I kept working on my playing/learning music/etc at home and went out in the evenings to network and meet people.

As luck would have it, it turned out that the tenant in the other side of the duplex was a full-time working bassist. He had heard me playing/practicing and came over one day to offer me a sub gig. The rest is history...

jgroh · #3 10-22-2010, 07:25 AM

Similar story. I was coming back from lessons with my bass in its case. I was I think 17 at the time. I got out of the car carrying my bass and a guy pulls over in his car really fast. I was taken back and a little nervous. He jumped out the car and said, "hey, is that a bass in there?" I said yes, but I was getting ready to bolt if he did anything weird. He said his band was looking for a bass player and wanted to swap numbers.

It didnt lead to anything and I never saw him again. However, years later I joined a band, but our drummer quit a week before a huge gig in NYC. So they called a drummer they used to play with to cover and it turns out it was this guy from years earlier! This must have been the band he was playing with when I first met him!

And, I had other guys come up to me while I was playing at a local music shop and offer me a gig. I did play with those guys for several years.

s_mcsleazy · #4 10-22-2010, 07:35 AM

kinda

me and my band were playing a gig one night in glasgow and i got off the bus to take the long walk down suchiehall street (its like 2 miles of pubs/clubs) and some guy comes up to me and says "so where you playing tonight" i said the box "oh have you ever played rockers befor" nope "well if you call this number we will get u a gig"

Rip Topaz · #5 10-22-2010, 07:39 AM

I was working at GC and a classic rock band stalked me for almost 3 months before I gave in and actually went to an audition with them. Go the gig and played with them for over a year.

James Hart · #6 10-22-2010, 07:52 AM

I had a Drummer and Singer show up at my door asking me to fill in for a gig. They knew my playing from seeing shows and open mic jams and had their bassist disappear a couple days earlier. The drummer knew that one of my singers was dating an other bassist that he knew. From him they were only able to get the block I lived on with a guess at which house.

They knocked on a couple doors before getting to mine

I ended up having 3 days to learn 3 hours worth of tunes mostly rock with some country mixed in... luckily I was familiar with a good chunk of it already. Turns out they were an original act that was doing a cover gig as a favor... the regular bassist never resurfaced so I joined them full time.

JMac4strngr · #7 10-22-2010, 09:00 AM

Yea, The prospect of jamming with these guys sounds interesting to say the least. From what I gathered from the conversation I had with the Guy (drummer BTW) this morning it sounded pretty cool. Rite now it seems that the are a three piece (Guitar, Keys, and drums). The Genre sounds a bit outside of what I am playing currently, or have played in the past but, I think the experience of working on something new so to speak would broaden my pallet a bit. Besides, here recently I have been wanting to branch out a bit and do some different things style wise that wouldn't fit with my regular band. Could be very fun and developmental at the same time.

Jim Nazium · #8 10-22-2010, 09:03 AM

Never happened to me - maybe I need to practice louder

Congrats to the OP, I hope it works out well for you.

MatticusMania · #9 10-22-2010, 09:11 AM

Yes. Though I'd only been playing for a year, so I wasnt all that great, but my friends band needed someone to fill in last minute at a party near my house.

NOAH_FX · #10 10-22-2010, 09:39 AM

Ive never been offered a gig, but one time my roommate (also my singer/rythymist) was like dude theirs some guy standing outside our house (I had been practicing for awhile) so i looked out the window and heres this 50 year old man kinda bouncing up and down listening.. It was creepy at the time, but anyone enjoying listening to me brings a smile to my face.

jvanick · #11 10-22-2010, 10:56 AM

not quite the same story here, but the neighbor to our practice space doesn't like to hear us practice (we're not loud outside the garage, and even the cops agree, but that's besides the point)

to make a long story short, the neighbor calls the cops like he normally does, and this time, the cop that comes tells us..

"I've been listening to you guys play the last 2 or 3 songs while standing out on the driveway, and you sound really good... my brother is a manager of xyz bar, you are more than welcome to play any friday or saturday night."

The funny thing is, the time that this happened, the neighbor had called 911 to phone in a sound complaint, he got the ticket for a frivolous 911 call and we got a gig.

-J

DreadRaver · #12 10-22-2010, 11:13 AM

About 21 years ago there was a knock on my door, and I opened it and this guy with long long dirty blond hair and black leather biker jacket said "Hi, I heard you play bass."
"Well, Barely," I replied.
"That's okay, as long as you can hold down the root note."

He'd heard about me from a friend of a friend, I had only had one gig, a one-shot deal, so it was quite a surprise that this guy showed up. He and his buddy that came along were guitarists, and we quickly started practicing, went through a bunch of drummers, played and wrote songs for a couple years, and then we all got together last year for a reunion gig that was really cool.

Those years were great, we had a ton of fun, and that was the best knock on my door ever.

HeadyVan Halen · #13 10-22-2010, 11:19 AM

I used to practice on the back porch (mostly to get away from the ol' lady) and 2 houses down is a dude blowing major smoke (

) and he says "Hey, you ain't bad. You play with anybody?" We shoot the crap for a while and come to find out, he is the sound guy for Phish....yeah, that's right Phish..We'll didn't get that gig but he did put my name out and got me a couple gigs with local blues groups.

80'sRocker · #14 10-22-2010, 11:20 AM

I recently had someone phone call me out of the blue asking if I was the bassist from the band Virgin (back in 1989!). 21 years later someone is hunting me down! I actually get asked a few times every year "hey, weren't you in Virgin?" by complete strangers. I guess we left an impact (we were real popular). Turns out this guy was a big fan and could barely play (a dreamer). Weird indeed

billoetjen · #15 10-22-2010, 11:23 AM

Wow, that's awesome. In this town, we got ridiculously talented musicians falling over each other just trying to play for free....

rolandm · #16 10-22-2010, 11:32 AM

I've had a lot of offers while in bands, some to move bands, and some to sub. But the funniest thing was standing with my back to a window at a first floor rehearsal space and when we stopped, some guy says, "hey, nice songs, man.'

Now, not to profile, but this kid did not look like the type of person that likes prog rock. So my first thought was "lock the security bars on the windows before we leave."

Tampabass · #17 10-22-2010, 11:38 AM

No, but I did have some guy knock on the door, point to a truck outside and say, "Hey, we're delivering some steaks and we have a few extra. Want a great deal on some steaks?"

I declined the great offer.

Another time the doorbell rang. I answered, and there was a land shark out front.

HeadyVan Halen · #18 10-22-2010, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tampabass

No, but I did have some guy knock on the door, point to a truck outside and say, "Hey, we're delivering some steaks and we have a few extra. Want a great deal on some steaks?"

I declined the great offer.

Another time the doorbell rang. I answered, and there was a land shark out front.

Hey, those steaks are good! Must be a Tampa thing.

Spinal Tapper · #19 10-22-2010, 11:58 AM

Not offer me a gig, but my security guard of my hi-rise building once knocked on my door when he heard me rehearsing, alone, in front of the TV. Turned out he was a bassist too, so I let him in (after all, he's a security guard, right?) and I handed him my Squier VM fretless that I was jamming on.

He goes, Ever heard of Sly and the Family Stone? I was like, yeah, duh...

Then he played the sickest bassline from some song I didn't know, and SANG the whole time too. It was incredible! I was like, you MUST show me!

This is where it gets weird...

He asked me if I had any spare cash and could help him out to catch the train home...um what?...I gave him $5 to help him out, and he was on his way. He tried knocking on my door to bug me to jam a few more times (maybe needed cash), but I ignored him. I got really bad/weird vibes. Then he wasn't around after a couple more weeks. I think the building fired him for jamming with his bass in the weight-room instead of watching the front door.

mongo2 · #20 10-22-2010, 12:13 PM

No, but I did have a guitrist offer me a gig while I was checking out basses in a local store.

I guess it worked out since we've been playing together for 15 years.