Possible casino gig

[Wyatt]

My current band is talking about trying to hit the casino circuit. They are wanting to start in Tunica and move around from there. Anyone here played any of those gigs? If so, can you share some thoughts about it?

[pobass]

We have a little three piece band, guitar, drums, bass. We do a lot of casino work, mostly in the lounge area of the casino. We'll be playing Wheeling Downs this Saturday and the Meadows in Washington, Pa next fri and sat. I guess the biggest advice would be to keep your volume down. in fact one casino we do a test song and they check volume with a db meter before we get started. All in alll it's been a good realationship, pay is decent, atmosphere is nice other than the sounds of those clinky slot machines all night. Wish you luck!

[coop]

I haven't played any in the Tunica area, but I've played several here in Oklahoma. Some thoughts:

• The money is good - sometimes as much as double our normal club rate
• Volume control - already mentioned
• Don't get your feelings hurt if nobody is paying much attention to you
• Learn as many "standard" crowd pleasers as you can - We have been tipped $100 to play Mustang Sally
• I think someone else here on TB mentioned the fastest way to get fired from a Casino gig is to be TOO GOOD. You start luring people away from their slot machines and you are gone

Just my thoughts YMMV

[behndy]

i've never done casino shows, but a good friend got so burnt out over 9 months that he quit playing drums entirely. granted, he'd been in bands since he was 15, so this might have just been the last straw.

and he talked about the decible meter thing being a huge pain. they would want him to play so quiet (apparently the Db ratings are VERY enforced) that he wondered why they wanted somebody on acoustic drums. and he's my boy, very talented, and NOT a banger that ignores the situation and plays as hard as he can.

good luck! sounds fun under the right conditions! let us know how it goes!

[DERECOLA]

I would love to do these types of shows.

[Stingray5]

Originally Posted by coop

[*]I think someone else here on TB mentioned the fastest way to get fired from a Casino gig is to be TOO GOOD. You start luring people away from their slot machines and you are gone

Very interesting point. Would not have thought about it that way..

[Wyatt]

Thanks for the input. We are still a ways from being able to start this endeavor. We are going to spend a few days down there and try to get some contacts and see what we can get for next winter.

[lsabina]

Originally Posted by coop

I haven't played any in the Tunica area, but I've played several here in Oklahoma. Some thoughts:

• The money is good - sometimes as much as double our normal club rate
• Volume control - already mentioned
• Don't get your feelings hurt if nobody is paying much attention to you
• Learn as many "standard" crowd pleasers as you can - We have been tipped $100 to play Mustang Sally
• I think someone else here on TB mentioned the fastest way to get fired from a Casino gig is to be TOO GOOD. You start luring people away from their slot machines and you are gone

Just my thoughts YMMV

Decent dough. Who cares if nobody is listening. Use these gigs to work out new material. Sometimes when the crowd is nowhere in sight, it's like having a paid rehearsal. And I love playing quiet. I don't see how that can be a negative.