first gig...

nataku · #1 05-01-2005, 09:43 PM

i know theres 5 million thread like this, but hear me out, every one of these is different.

my band is playing at this chinese school carnival in about 2 weeks, but we are 99% sure we arent even close to being ready. were the only band playing, so i think there arent really any time constraints. we dont have a singer(im concerned if this will turn people off to us), but we have me, a drummer, and 3 guitarists (dont ask how that one worked out). we have the guitarist situation worked out, since 3 guitars playing at the same time usually=cluster, so we alternate players, with 2 guitars on each song. i think this would be kinda awkward and i dont know how it would look to the crowd. i also dont know if the crowd would respond well to our music, as it is generally an aZn type techno crowd (im not being racist, my drummers goes there and he asked around) and we play...well i guess alt/prog rock would be the best way to describe it.

we have two original songs completely down, and two more that we can probably whip into shape in time for it. we have two covers that we could do well, and maybe three or four more that would need some relearning.

the main problem is that next week is AP testing is next week and 3 of our 5 members need to seriously study and concentrate on that for a whole week. that means absolutely no practice until next saturday. i think i wouldnt be so worried about the situation if we had two weeks to do it and could practice every day. were already losing a week of practice time, and we already have problems getting everyone to practice every day. two of my guitarists are already kinda flakey, and im worried about them pulling close to the date and leaving us to scramble to get it together.

should we just cancel (we cant wait until we start practicing to find out if we are ready, because by then, it will be too late to cancel), or should we stick it out and play it even if we have a crappy short set? theres no money involved

im worried about an unresponsive crowd, not having a singer, having rotating guitarists, needing serious work on the songs, the set list, and practice time. what would you guys do in my situation?

as an added note, we also dont have a mic or a pa, so im worried about not being able to talk to the crowd and volume levels.

nataku · #2 05-02-2005, 12:26 PM

18 views and no responses...

Nazman · #3 05-02-2005, 12:41 PM

Man, I dont know how good ya'll sound, but it sounds like a train wreck to me.But it is rock and roll. go for it!

invader3k · #4 05-02-2005, 01:51 PM

Go for it...you might be surprised. The crowd might really be into you. Just make sure to have fun...it's your first gig. Mistakes are bound to happen, but the crowd probably won't notice a missed note or mistaken change, anyways. Just roll with the punches.

nataku · #5 05-02-2005, 05:08 PM

alright, thnx guys. we decided to go through with it and are still figuring out what songs and guitarists we are using etc. ill post the results in 2 weeks...

nataku · #6 05-15-2005, 12:13 AM

update (if any1 remembers this thread)

gig was mucho successful today. one of our guitarists ended up quitinga few days ago, so it all worked out alright.

set list:
1. Gallop
2. Hard to Explain
3. Fortress
4. Wipeout
5. One Big Holiday
6. Ghost Ate My Muffin
7. Time is Running Out
8. Bunny Song
9. Reptilia
10. 7 Nation Army
11. El Capitan Nig

#'s 1, 6, 8, and 11 are originals, and the rest are covers.
played for about an hour and got free food afterward, good stuff.

Peter Squire · #7 05-15-2005, 07:01 AM

Good stuff, glad to hear it worked out.

Sometimes those gigs that you worry about the most are the ones that turn out really rewarding.

nataku · #8 05-15-2005, 09:54 PM

pix:

two guitarists on left, me, then our drummer on the right
http://www.geocities.com/mr_freeze39...g/the_band.jpg

stage and crappy setup
http://www.geocities.com/mr_freeze39...front_view.jpg

edit: fixed.