You and your sets - Page 2

lpdeluxe · #21 07-24-2007, 01:59 PM

All the clubs and dance halls around here hire a single band for a Friday or Saturday night. Other nights are typically kaoroke or DJ entertainment.

A good band, by local standards, is one that the crowd will dance to, and by necessity, local bands have repertories of around 100 songs so we can play from 8 pm to midnight or 9 pm to 1 am. As noted, 45 minutes with 15 minute breaks.

I have occasionally been in bands that do benefits (our current band has a policy against this) and at those, usually several bands play for an hour and a half or so each. The last act will play about a two-hour set, without a break.

I wouldn't mind doing the two-hour 11 pm to 1 am gig, but that's just not the way things are around here. We're not in a densely populated area, and over the years the number of local bands (as well the number of venues) seems to not fluctuate very much.

#22 07-24-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

If you play in clubs around here, it's four sets per night ... 9:00 pm to 1:30 am. And the pay royally sucks.

+1....That's been my experience as well.

George

MarchingPig · #23 07-24-2007, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayou_Brawler

that sounds crappy

No it doesn´t..

1 set whenever, and pay... A set is normally longer than 1 hour though.

Bayou_Brawler · #24 07-25-2007, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarchingPig

No it doesn´t..

1 set whenever, and pay... A set is normally longer than 1 hour though.

one set whenever? so if the club is open from 7pm - 2am....you guys just show up whenever you want and play for a little over an hour????

edit: nevermind. you don't even look old enough to get into bars or clubs yet.....lol

Depth_Charge · #25 07-25-2007, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Martin

The bands who play 3-4 hours a night also get paid to do so - sometimes quite well. Will your band be guaranteed money whenever you're ready to play your one set?

It used to be common for almost all bars and nightclubs to use real musicians for their nightly entertainment, and there were very few venues for unknown acts to play one set (especially, songs that no one knows). These days, there are ever fewer venues that will pay musicians to work, and not that many who will let you play for free...

Really? Seems a prerequisite for any bar in Perth...the old "will you do a few nights free so we can try you out?" line.

In the past I've retorted with "Sure, we love playing for free. How about we swing by and check the bar out a couple nights early too. The drinks will be free, right? Since we're just trying out your bar for the night"

Nowadays to keep up a good rapport, I politely decline saying the band are better than free and there are plenty of guys willing to do free if you are willing to take the risk. That works better. We've even been invited to play some places at a more agreeable "test price".

As for sets most bands here do 3 or 4 45 minute sets.

theshadow2001 · #26 07-25-2007, 05:59 PM

In my old covers band it was always a single two hour set with no break.

I reckon I could do maybe 3 hours without a break granted I would be tired afterwards. Taking a 15 minute break every 45 minutes seems to me to be a long time off stage. If it were me I'd rather do two hour sets with maybe a 20 min break in between. Haven't got the opportunity to try that though so I could be wrong on my estimated gig endurance.

Anyway its usually the vocalists that need the breaks to rest their voices if they have been singing continuously for decent lengths of time.

Dave Martin · #27 07-25-2007, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

In my old covers band it was always a single two hour set with no break.

I reckon I could do maybe 3 hours without a break granted I would be tired afterwards. Taking a 15 minute break every 45 minutes seems to me to be a long time off stage. If it were me I'd rather do two hour sets with maybe a 20 min break in between. Haven't got the opportunity to try that though so I could be wrong on my estimated gig endurance.

Anyway its usually the vocalists that need the breaks to rest their voices if they have been singing continuously for decent lengths of time.

One of the nice things about 15 minute breaks is that it also gives the audience a break from the band...

Bayou_Brawler · #28 07-26-2007, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Martin

One of the nice things about 15 minute breaks is that it also gives the audience a break from the band...

exactly......

we rarely don't take breaks......if we have 100 people shaking the house down and losing their minds we may play on.....but other than that it's good to give people's ears a break...

Baird6869 · #29 07-26-2007, 11:37 AM

I play 3x45-50 minute sets. Most Toronto bars don't care how you break it up but you had better play from 10:00 to 1:00-1:30.

theshadow2001 · #30 07-26-2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Martin

One of the nice things about 15 minute breaks is that it also gives the audience a break from the band...

Hmm interesting....

Also you get paid for doing 45 minutes of relaxing (what little there is of course)

alexofc69 · #31 07-26-2007, 12:17 PM

I dont care about getting paid. As long as I get free beer all night! At one of regular gigs they give our drummer and I a bucket of bottles of Bass beer!

Dave Martin · #32 07-26-2007, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

Hmm interesting....

Also you get paid for doing 45 minutes of relaxing (what little there is of course)

Relaxing? Sadly, no. On bar gigs, that's pretty much a pee break and then talking to the customers til it's time to go back on stage.

bradjonesbass · #33 07-26-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

If you play in clubs around here, it's four sets per night ... 9:00 pm to 1:30 am. And the pay royally sucks.

Here too, and it's gotten even worse since the city council enacted a smoking ban for bars

. Attendance is way down, so entertainment pay is cut in 1/2 - from $400-$600 per night to $200-$300, and some clubs are paying even less or have stopped booking live music alltogether.

Johnny Crab · #34 07-26-2007, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpdeluxe

A good band, by local standards, is one that

the crowd will dance to, and by necessity,

local bands have repertories of around 100 songs so we can play from 8 pm to midnight or 9 pm to 1 am.

As noted, 45 minutes with 15 minute breaks.

+1 except the 45/15...and songcount is higher

Sets are usually 1.5 hours up to one a few months back that was 3 hours and 40 something minutes.

Fishbrain · #35 07-28-2007, 06:02 AM

i'm from liverpool, uk and i play in an original band and have done for a good few years, everywhere i've been to watch or play gigs its a half hour set with 15(ish) mins change over, next band half hour set and so on. sometimes headliners may get 45mins but thats pretty much it. i've played quite a few venues across england and this seems the norm. cover bands however do play all night (no idea on how many sets or set length) but they're the only band on the stage that night