Any suggestions for bands that are gigging too much?

[Marksb_2000]

My current band is staying really busy. We are playing 3 to 5 nights a week. We are feeling like we are getting stale and would like to take about a month off. We would like to go into rehearsal and learn about 40 new tunes, but we are afraid we will get out of the rotation in the places we play. There are a lot of bands around here and we are afraid that if we turn down gigs, we wont get called back.

Any suggestions form any other weekend warriors out there would be appreciated.

[JKT]

Might consider just dialing back the work load rather than disappearing from the scene altogether for a month.

Cut back to 2 nights, and plan to rehearse the third night once everyone has had some time to breathe and practice the new tunes on their own.

The band is still working, you're getting new material, and your name is still out there.


JKT

[IanStephenson]

+1 on cutting back.

Don't "turn down" the gigs - just tell them you're booked/unavailable on those dates, and offer them an alternative later in the year. Once you've got two or three gigs booked for a week, then you're "booked" for that week even if they want you on a different night.

Being "booked" occasionally is a good thing. Especially when you implement phase 2 of the plan - bump your prices by 25%. You might loose a few places, but if you're as busy as you say then most places will want to keep you on (especially as you're now only available on a few nights!). Play it right and you should end up making more money from less work.

Ian

[Thunderthumbs73]

Originally Posted by Marksb_2000

My current band is staying really busy. We are playing 3 to 5 nights a week. We are feeling like we are getting stale and would like to take about a month off. We would like to go into rehearsal and learn about 40 new tunes, but we are afraid we will get out of the rotation in the places we play. There are a lot of bands around here and we are afraid that if we turn down gigs, we wont get called back.

Any suggestions form any other weekend warriors out there would be appreciated.

Do it. Learn the 40 tunes. You don't need to "practice" all the stuff you already play so much, as the gig IS the rehearsal too, at this point in your development.

Play the places you always play. Try a new place with this whole new set of 40 tunes. Worst case scenario, you'll have 40 alternate tunes which you can immediately pull out of the bag for encores or audience request options during your "regular" gigs.

One of the things that frustrates (at times infuriates) me about some of the bands that I'm in is that in each one, we learn and prepare a far less number of songs than we're capable of. Unfortunately due to a number of circumstances unique to each band, it is very hard to push new tunes and to get people to take the initiative to learn new stuff. That is one commonality between them.

People get so caught up in whether the song is cool or not, or is danceable, in the style they like best, etc... and they forget about the value of learning and doing different things, even if only in practice, for its own merit and learning.

Maybe its why I'm in 4 bands? Each one uses about 1/4 their actual potential to the table (though a few of them pay well...) on a consistent basis...

It is awesome that you have a band full of people who want to learn 40 new tunes. Something to cherish...

Always grow.

[ac1710]

Cutting back is the way to go.

If you use that 3rd night of the week to work up some new stuff then you can use your upcoming gigs as a target to get things done for. You may even find that you after cutting back you never go back to another gig a week, that rehearsal slot could be crucial to keeping things fresh.

[Marksb_2000]

Thanks for the input.

I guess we just need to do it. I have always been in real busy bands, but the other guys are working more than they are used to.

We already have about 100 tunes on our setlists, but even that many get old if you play 12 to 16 sets a week.

We havent rehearsed in a year, so it would probably help our self disipline if we worked on some new stuff

[invader3k]

I agree with the others that simply cutting back the number of gigs per week is probably the way to go. Use one of those new found off nights to rehearse the new stuff.

[Moe Monsarrat]

Charge more.

[Marksb_2000]

Originally Posted by Moe Monsarrat

Charge more.

We are getting the top end of the scale around here and we really dont want to charge ourselves out of the market. By the way, thanks for the responses. I reread my ad and with so many bandds loking for gigs, it might sound whiny. Is staying too busy problems with any other of you guys out there?

[nsmar4211]

"Is staying too busy problems with any other of you guys out there?"

Errrrrr no. I *wish*

[tycobb73]

If you're doing that well, add 1 new song to the setlist a week. You guys could pull it off if everyone practiced on thier own. That way you breathe new life into it and you don't have to turn down gigs.

[Thunderthumbs73]

Originally Posted by Moe Monsarrat

Charge more.

With the rising cost of gas, everyone should charge more to recoup gas costs- unless of course, you live above the place you're gigging in and don't have to drive anywhere. And lucky you, if that's the case.

[Gordon of Eden]

I say "Ride the wave brother!" everything is cyclicle and club owners are no different. eventually more bands come on the scene, audiences turn over (depending on age and area) kids go back to or come back from college at different times of year etc. They want new blood, new tunes etc. I would say pick 2 or 3 max tunes a week. Everybody does their homework, get to the club early one night if possible to run them down and before you know it your list has grown and your audience is not bored. Of course I realize that getting everyone to shed on their own can be the sticky part. I would not reccomend turning down gigs!

[IanStephenson]

Originally Posted by Marksb_2000

Is staying too busy problems with any other of you guys out there?

We're not gigging anywhere near as much as you, but yes keeping things in balance IS a problem. We've all got other personal comittments, and one gig a week (plus one rehersal) is about the limit of what I can handle without causing problems. We're fully booked to the end of the year, with a gig every weekend, and 2 gigs quite a few weeks. I KNOW that more gigs will get squeezed in.

It's really hard to turn down gigs - especially after struggling to get to the level where you are getting offered good gigs. For years some of the guys have been chasing gigs trying to get to the level we are now, and saying NO to a gig is something that takes adjustment.

Ian

[Thunderthumbs73]

Originally Posted by Marksb_2000

Is staying too busy problems with any other of you guys out there?

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. There are only so many Fridays and Saturdays in the year. The trick is to be able to play as many of them as you want, but not double-book yourself.

Its one of the reasons why I don't see many other people's shows. I need money, and I can't turn down a Friday/Saturday gig to watch someone else's shows, as much as I want to support the local "scene."

An interesting thing about staying busy- it has a lot to do with the ratio of bands versus venues, and is even related to genres of music, a bit, IMO. I'm a decent jazz player, but in my area, there are very few jazz clubs where I live, and those that exist are booked with the few working jazz bands who do that already. I basically have to wait until the bassists of one of those groups runs afoul of that group, or moves onward (musically), or just quits.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by nsmar4211

"Is staying too busy problems with any other of you guys out there?"

Errrrrr no. I *wish*

In the scene I'm now it is up and down. I don't worry about being too busy, because sooner or later I'll be wondering where all the work is.

JKT