If I was getting paid $25 a night to have people ignore me, I wouldn't want to that gig again either. I wouldn't be blaming it on the gig, though.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Bar band Gigs are too long
- Thread starter glenb73
- Start date
Then don't gig lol.
It's really that simple. Either find gigs that work that way (brunches are a good one that typically only last 1-2 hours) or don't play out.
Listened to one of your songs online, you are most definetely a "Jam-Band"- very repetitive guitar noodling/ riffing over the same two chords for 15 minutes on the song I listened to. (4) hours of that, not for me, but if you get crowds and they like it, more power to you! But I am curious what do you do for bathroom breaks?
Not a pretty picture- "Hey Man you are disturbing my GROOVE!! Arghhh what is that smell!"
It's a Lynard Skynard tune.
Yep, and no one is forcing you to keep doing it either. I've been playing for almost 40 years and every gig I can ever recall playing was a voluntary commitment on my part.....all of them.
When it gets to be too much like work then you should quit and from the sound of it that's exactly what you need to do OP. With your attitude I wouldn't even want to be in a band with you.
I am proud to announce that my band is playing a FREE benefit gig for a medical charity. So I will be paid $0, but am only playing 1-set or maybe 2-sets. SO perfect day!! Can't wait.
Playing the rough gigs still gives you a chance to play, a chance to tighten up the band, a chance to see what works and what doesn't. I can't count the nights of bar band drudgery that led to good paying festivals and corporate gigs. Pretend you are enthused, even if no one seems to be paying attention.
If you're going to take bar gigs, you might invert your set list - 80% songs people have heard, 20% original stuff. As you advance, then you can change that back (and trust me, your originals are not all hits!).
If you're going to take bar gigs, you might invert your set list - 80% songs people have heard, 20% original stuff. As you advance, then you can change that back (and trust me, your originals are not all hits!).
To put a finer point on it, purge your cover set of the "100 songs that every cover band does". There are 10's of 1000's of titles that people have heard and respond well to. Put your own mojo on it and you'll set yourself apart. About the time I hear a BL say "We *have* to play it, it's what the people want to hear" is when I start looking for another gig. "The people" aren't as stupid as that consciousness suggests.
music scenes are better for original bands and cover bands in different areas. Around my area cover bands play little biker bars and restaurants. This Crowd shot is what we call a good turnout. We are an original band and yes I make a bit more than $25 a show and the only band thats sold out this club to my knowledge is the Deftones btw
Attachments
What?!? You play songs that you wrote and people actually like them? This goes against almost everything I've read on Talkbass. According to the wise elders on this forum, only my family and closest friends will pretend to like the songs I wrote. Didn't you get the memo? The unwashed masses don't like songs that they haven't already heard hundreds of times on the radio and car/beer commercials.
Me too, I'm not buying it. When those pics were taken you were playing 'All Summer Long' or something.
Ok ok i admit we do play one cover song. kind of a Nu metal take on zombie by the cranberries. But seriously my band has been together since the 90s the turnout did suck for a long time. The pictures are from a headlining show at the main venue we play. We have recorded 3 full length albums along with several demos so we have enough material to play several hours if we wanted to. At one point we did play up to 2 hours several times a month. But really we watched some videos of the shows an it really was obvious that especially after a hour and a half our performance really suffered. We are hard rock borderline metal band and for some of the songs we do a lot of jumping to get the crowd going. When it comes to going to concerts me and my bandmates almost always prefer bands with lots of energy in stage. The few exceptions would be bands with unreal light shows for example Tools live show.
