"Playing Music For A Living Isn't Work?" or...

[JimmyM]

"Would You Like Fries With Your Beatdown?"

It all started Monday of last week. We flew to New Jersey for an afternoon show at the Trump Taj Mahal on Tuesday for a show with Bowzer. Show goes fine, then Wednesday we pile into a rented SUV for a 6 1/2 hour drive to Johnstown, PA that should have only taken 5.

We suffer through an incredibly boring Thursday off in Johnstown, where the most exciting thing that happened is I got lost walking around downtown Johnstown at 9 pm because I just had to have a hamburger. Oh, and our drummer, who also sings a lot of leads, caught a cold.

Then we leave for the Bowzer gig's soundcheck on Friday. It's there we discover that we're going to have to find a new guitarist. Our guitarist/lead singer, who's been in the band almost 25 years, had health problems that manifested themselves in his abruptly leaving the band. We do that gig as a 3 piece with keys, bass and drums, including a 40 minute set by ourselves before Bowzer and his singers come out, and we flat out kill. I end up doing a lot more lead singing than usual that night, but we still went over very well

By Saturday morning we fly to Ft. Lauderdale for a doo wop gig in Coral Springs featuring 4 pretty big acts of the doo wop era and we have a guitarist meeting us there. The PA was horrible so by the end of soundcheck we have no voices. Only one of the acts stays in their alloted time frame, and two go grossly over time, so a 3 hour show becomes a 4 1/2 hour show. Then we have a 5 hour drive to Spring Hill, FL to do the same show minus two acts on Sunday, and the show only goes a half hour over. Then it's a 3 hour drive back to my house for a shower, a run to the bank, fresh clothes, and a 90 minute nap, and we head to Las Vegas for a show that night with Bowzer and Shirley Alston Reeves of the Shirelles, plus what was supposed to be a 30 minute opening set by us that turned into an hour on the fly because Bowzer refuses to play while food is being served.

We get to the soundcheck at 1:30 and nothing is ready. Finally at about 3:30 (90 minutes late), everything is set up, except the stage crew they gave us really wasn't used to dealing with shows like ours so the sound was once again very bad, and we were all completely burned out before the show even started. Then we played 3 hours with no breaks. We gave it our all, but by the end of it, it was all I could do to make it back to my room and get the first decent night's sleep since Thursday before our plane ride back home.

So yeah, anyone who wants to tell me I've got an easy job can kiss my ass.

[rodl2005]

I aint kissing NOTHIN of yours!!

Tell me about it!!!!!!!! Guy asked me today HOW MUCH IS IT TO HIRE YOUR BAND? When I tell him depending on FOH sound requirements/size of venue etc $2-3K . he thinks its amazing..... 'just for playing in a band??'

Yeah right- there are 7 of us(at the moment - long story) We drive there, set up BEORE the punters arrive, go home(if thats near- otherwise a conveniant 'other' place) get back there 30-40 mins prior to start time, check everything, configure a set thats compatible for this particular crowd, do a PROFESSIONAL 3 hr (sometimes more) show, finish, cool down for a half hr, pack up our stuff & go home.... usually about 2-3 am & sometimes 5-8 hrs after we start setting up.

{{( Then our Mom & Dad would Kill us & dance about on our grave singin' 'allelujah!
...... & you try & tell the kids of today that! )}}

Yeah it's a breeze!!

AS I ALWAYS say- ya GOTTA love it!!!

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

And now you have experienced the boredom that is PA... Sorry you got stuck in Johnstown. Burgers are hard to find late night in PA, but if you like subs you should try Sheetz convenience stores. They're open 24/7/365 and always serve their made to order food.

And that type of schedule is not something I'd ever personally want to do. You definitely work for your living, Jimmy.

[steveksux]

Originally Posted by Auzzie-Phoenix

Burgers are hard to find late night in PA, but if you like subs you should try Sheetz convenience stores. They're open 24/7/365 and always serve their made to order food..

If I'm ever in PA late at night, I'm looking forward to having the Sheetz...

Randy

[Clark Dark]

Now that's ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ FUNNY !!!

[JMac4strngr]

You have my sympathy. Sounds like my day job, except You do get to play bass and I dont(at the day job). My wife wonders how I do what I do. Traveling from time to time and long hours with the day job, Playing in the band and practicing, doing side work for GAS money, and doing the home choirs. My response is, all in a days work. In the end its doing what it takes to make the doughnuts, and as long as it is what You like doing it makes life more rewarding.

Kudos Jimmym, quite frankly that schedule would kick my arse.

[SteveC]

Yeah, people just don't get it, do they? Unless you are doing it, you have no idea what it takes. Kind of like being a parent.

How do you find time to post here?

[okcrum]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

"Would You Like Fries With Your Beatdown?"

...

So yeah, anyone who wants to tell me I've got an easy job can kiss my ass.

Word. Same goes for the people I know who think this is a hobby, or who think we should do this for free because we are "artistes"! Some of them even live here on TB, sad to say. There are also many of the brainwashed where I live because it is an "artist community".

To all these I send a hearty "bite me!".

[Stinsok]

C'mon....it wasn't that bad. You left out the part about booking the gig, hauling ass after work to get to the gig, setting up , tearing down equipment, hunting down payment , etc.(LOL!)

[Tampabass]

You'll always have Spring Hill AKA the cultural mecca of the South. Heh.

Jimmy - I really appreciate your tales from the road - great insights on the real-life world of working musicians.

BTW, do you ever play any of those oldies-show weekends at the Red Rose in Plant City? I occasionally sub (on upright) with the jazz trio that plays there every Tues/Weds - pianist/leader is an old high-school pal.

[JohnMCA72]

Once I did a little analysis to figure out my actual wage per hour. Add up money taken in during some period, divide by total time put in during same period (never mind investment of time & cash it took to get there in the 1st place). Don't count time spent doing things you'd have to do anywhere, like eat, sleep, shower, etc.

All I can say is, don't try this at home!!! Great irony was, the very next day I happened to go past a Taco Bell that had a big sign painted on their window, advertising for entry-level help at a much higher rate than what I was making!

[rmkesler]

Yuck! Traveling for any kind of work stinks. No exceptions.

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

So yeah, anyone who wants to tell me I've got an easy job can kiss my ass.

What about the chicks, Jimmy?! The chicks!!!!

[MNAirHead]

Jimmy ---

What you're saying is totally true.

Now Fess Up.. who many of us would have a Homefront Cajonomectomey if we tried calling gigging "going to work"

Funny -- I get notes of people totally enoamored asking about road life... I tell them it's like being lost and friendless for 5 years.. roaming the world trying to find good food and a cheap hotel in a good part of town... interspaced by countless hours of calamity and repairing cords... THEN every once in a while they'll let you busk for 90 minutes.

[joshmat]

Anyone who has tried it knows ... a busy gig schedule is NOT easy work. There IS a seedy underbelly of rock and roll... Which for many of us requires moving lots of heavy $#!% a couple of times in the same day, driving long distances in the middle of the night, sleeping on strange couches or in strange places, staying awake for 24+ hour stints, often interesting and engaging conversations at various truck stops, the list goes on and on!

[I<34080]

I'd trade the world to gig for a living.

[Richland123]

I live in Johnstown, PA (my band is in a featured story in the October issue of Johnstown Magazine). Granted there is nothing to do on a Thursday. As far as good food, I know the best places around and late at night for burgers and other food, either Big Dogz or The Haven. The best subs in town are at Em's Subs or Tony's Subs. And, you have to get a chocolate Gob for dessert.

[HeadyVan Halen]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

"Would You Like Fries With Your Beatdown?"

It all started Monday of last week. We flew to New Jersey for an afternoon show at the Trump Taj Mahal on Tuesday for a show with Bowzer. Show goes fine, then Wednesday we pile into a rented SUV for a 6 1/2 hour drive to Johnstown, PA that should have only taken 5.

We suffer through an incredibly boring Thursday off in Johnstown, where the most exciting thing that happened is I got lost walking around downtown Johnstown at 9 pm because I just had to have a hamburger. Oh, and our drummer, who also sings a lot of leads, caught a cold.

Then we leave for the Bowzer gig's soundcheck on Friday. It's there we discover that we're going to have to find a new guitarist. Our guitarist/lead singer, who's been in the band almost 25 years, has been having home and health problems, which manifested themselves in his abruptly leaving the band. We do that gig as a 3 piece with keys, bass and drums, including a 40 minute set by ourselves before Bowzer and his singers come out, and we flat out kill. I end up doing a lot more lead singing than usual that night, but we still went over very well

By Saturday morning we fly to Ft. Lauderdale for a doo wop gig in Coral Springs featuring 4 pretty big acts of the doo wop era and we have a guitarist meeting us there. The PA was horrible so by the end of soundcheck we have no voices. Only one of the acts stays in their alloted time frame, and two go grossly over time, so a 3 hour show becomes a 4 1/2 hour show. Then we have a 5 hour drive to Spring Hill, FL to do the same show minus two acts on Sunday, and the show only goes a half hour over. Then it's a 3 hour drive back to my house for a shower, a run to the bank, fresh clothes, and a 90 minute nap, and we head to Las Vegas for a show that night with Bowzer and Shirley Alston Reeves of the Shirelles, plus what was supposed to be a 30 minute opening set by us that turned into an hour on the fly because Bowzer refuses to play while food is being served.

We get to the soundcheck at 1:30 and nothing is ready. Finally at about 3:30 (90 minutes late), everything is set up, except the stage crew they gave us really wasn't used to dealing with shows like ours so the sound was once again very bad, and we were all completely burned out before the show even started. Then we played 3 hours with no breaks. We gave it our all, but by the end of it, it was all I could do to make it back to my room and get the first decent night's sleep since Thursday before our plane ride back home.

So yeah, anyone who wants to tell me I've got an easy job can kiss my ass.

(Monday - Friday)Teach Special Education (Special Diploma...inner city...nuff said) Coach football at said High School 3:00-7:30 nightly.

Friday after games play at Blues Bar in Tampa until 3 am. Home at 4 am, up at 7 back to lockerroom for film breakdown Sat morning until 3 pm. Band practice from 5 until we quit.

(Sunday) Up at 6:30 am Sunday to play 2 Church services until 1:30. Then pick up both kids cause ol' lady works Sunday. I have roughly from 8:00 pm Sunday until I go to sleep that is mine.

And fine time during the week usually from 10:00pm -1:00 am to practice at home.


You ain't the only one dude.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Richland123

I live in Johnstown, PA (my band is in a featured story in the October issue of Johnstown Magazine). Granted there is nothing to do on a Thursday. As far as good food, I know the best places around and late at night for burgers and other food, either Big Dogz or The Haven. The best subs in town are at Em's Subs or Tony's Subs. And, you have to get a chocolate Gob for dessert.

i had an em's sub! it was very good and the owner was a sweetheart.

thanks for the replies, guys. always nice to know that everyone has moments like these as well. misery loves company.

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

So yeah, anyone who wants to tell me I've got an easy job can kiss my ass.

+1

My challenges are a little different and more varied than yours Jimmy, but I retired from public education (high school English) around eight years ago and went all music, all the time.

I worked hard as an English teacher, and put in a lot of hours between the eight hours a day I was in the school, and all the planning and grading. 60-hour weeks are the norm for many teachers, and it's demanding, exhausting work.

Now, as a full-time musician, I work even harder and longer than I did as a teacher.

I tell myself I enjoy it more, and some days, I even believe myself.

Hang in there.