• 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.

"Check In" here before and after your gigs, Set #2, the sequel!

Status
Not open for further replies.
#801
Played a show at the Cardinal Bar in Madison, WI last night...

Kind of an ordeal.

I got there around eight, hung out with the bartender and a DJ who wasn't playing. A bit later keys rolls up with half the promised PA system (no subwoofer). We get it all set up with my mixer no problem.

9 pm rolls around and still no drummer. I don't have his phone number. keys does, but had just misplaced his cell phone. 9:20: some guys who live next door to the drummer run over to see if he's at home. Yes, but yelling on the phone and not looking like he's gonna show.

By 9:45, panicked and super PO'd -- a lot of my friends showed up + my recent ex and I wanted to play this gig very badly -- I manage to enlist the DJ I was talking to at the bar. He grabs an APC-style USB controller, his laptop and a large djembe out of his car and sets up. The drummer shows -- he had been locked out of his practice space and was being kicked out.

We play the 45 minute improvised electronica set with a completely random DJ and it turns out okay. Drummer leaves and comes back a couple times, and was finally able to get his kit there with 5 min left (didn't set it up). He tells me that he's got a gift for me, we'll just go get it. Also, he asks me to play a gig with him on May 8th and leaves again.

Drummer comes back in a bit and helps me get my gear home, but we stop by his ex-practice space and he gives me a no-brand 4x10 cab. Okay, I was pretty angry, but between the relatively reasonable excuse (the situation could have been avoided, but by last night there was nothing to be done), the fact that he did eventually show, that I got to play, that I get another gig, and I get the cab, I guess I'm okay with him.

Sound wise, the setup was okay. We were in the bar area instead of the dance floor so we used what we brought. From my friend: the percussion/laptop too loud, keys too quiet. Bartender: needed the subwoofer -- he could hear the wobble but couldn't feel it. We may have a monthly gig there now, and next time I wanna be on the dance floor with the house sound system.

All in all the night went about as well as it could have after it became apparent that the drummer wasn't going to show.
 
#804
Just got back home from my bluegrass show at the coffeehouse and raked in a nice lil profit for the night. Overall had alot of fun premiered a few new songs including an original and a cover of the viral video tune "friday" (i hate the song but it worked out surprisingly well for bluegrass and the crowd loved it). 3 hours of playing, free food and drinks, nice tips and handed out a few business cards as well as booked a gig for playing at the local farmers market. So in my book tonight was 10 out of 10 night!
 
#805
Last weekend: 4th gig with my new band, 1.5 hour drive each way. Venue was a smaller bar that looks like it was decorated about 25 years ago. Elevated stage but not very big and only about 2 inches of headroom for our singer who stands about 6'3. Played a decent show, crowd wasn't great numbers wise, but passable. Audience included the head DJ of the station in town that's played some of the BL's originals on the air. End of the night, the owner says we didn't pull as big a crowd as some of their local acts but we were the "most fun" band she'd ever had -- and the easiest to work with. Then just before we're leaving she says "Just wanted you to know we had the biggest till tonight we've ever had on a band night... [and then mentions some big-name regional acts they've had there who we outsold] when can you come back?"

This weekend: Looking at an odd "then and now" split gig. Saturday night, playing with my current band, and Friday night filling-in with the band I left to join them.
 
#806
Sorry didn't check in before. We did our annual fundraiser (we're a non-profit, and this event helps to fund our educational work around the country and the Twin Cities--our format is basically Idol) tonight. I was privileged to have the drummer from ok-go (who was along to help support us with family) join us on one of my charts tonight! Great drummer, and was great to play alongside him. This was the fourth year for this fundraiser, and contributions exponentially grew this year. Great night all around!
 
#807
Last night was the first night of my "then and now" weekend. I filled in for one last gig with the band I left two months ago because my replacement couldn't make it and I had a (rare) Friday night off with my new band (who I'm gigging with tonight).

It went fine. It was good to see the old crew again and even though not the best show that band has ever played (or that I played with them), the vibe was good.

The biggest thing to me was the contrasts between my old band and new one in terms of gear. I've played 4 gigs with my new band since I left these guys, and my new band rolls with all IEMs while these guys use wedges. The IEMs have really spoiled me... I couldn't believe how "beat up" I felt after 4 hours of stage volume from a hard-hitting drummer and 3 electric guitars.

Best part of last night's gig was I didn't have to do any set-up or teardown other than show up 20 minutes before showtime with my combo amp, run a line out of it to the P.A., tune up and off we go. End of night, unplug, throw the combo in the car and go home. And I still got paid as much as I got back when I was helping schlep all the P.A. and lights as a "member" -- total win there.

I kinda wonder how my old band will do tonight cause 1) they've never played with any other bassist than me for the last 5 years, and 2) last night the lead guitarist gave notice that he's done with them after tonight (he also happens to own about 1/2 of the P.A.). This makes 3 guys that have left that band since last fall (the original drummer, the original bassist (me) and now their lead guitarist), so I'm curious if they'll be able to keep it going much longer.
 
#808
Sorry I did not post before. I had a gig the night before Mothers day not a good time to be playing for us in the past. So we assumed the worst. Got there around 8:20 for 8:30 load in. Set-up is always quick for me I have a computer table with my 3 units (bass driver, wireless, and compression pedal) everything goes out to the board XLR.
from the board into 3 Bose sub woofers a small 35 watt bass amp that the drummer bought is patched in and placed back by him as a monitor.
I chose to use the SX P with the round wounds and the Fender P that is always strung with flats.
Both of my guitar players went out and purchased brand new Marshall amps (someone was dipping into the band fund) Anyway night started out slow only about 30 people for the first set speaking of the first set during the second to last song my lead guitarist brand new Marshall died mid song dead gone nothing fuse wasn't blown just nothing. So we cut the set short and he ran home to get his other amp while we took a break. He got back in 20 minutes hooked it up and we were ready for set two. The rest of the night was better the crowd started rolling in around 10:30 and the place was packed for the rest of the show. We had to give them two extra songs so they would let us go home. I got in around 2:43AM We shot some videos which I hope to have posted by Tues or Wed. Got another upcoming show this Sat night. RTS added video
 
#809
Just a quick bit of humor from my Saturday night gig.

We're playing a song the guitarist starts... the BL called it out of the blue so the guitarist had to quick switch from electric to acoustic and slap on a capo. Bass lays out till the first chorus so I come in on my note with confidence and it sounds BAD. Go through the progression of the chorus and something is definitely not right. Comes the next verse, I lay out again, look at the guitarist and say "it's in C# right?" and he says "yeah" and then looks at his capo and says, "oh sh*t, it's in C". He hadn't checked the capo before he started the song and had gotten it one position off so I was playing the first chorus a half-step too high. Nice. He apologized profusely and we had a good laugh afterward and decided it sounded better in C anyway. But wasn't quite so funny in the moment.

Moral of story, when a capo is involved always confirm key with guitarist before starting.
 
#810
Had a gig last night opening for Captured by Robots at the Frequency. Awesome times. Played with a local drum hero and a painter. Did about a 45 minute improv set of electronica/drum 'n' bass. Audience liked it, first time I was ever asked to sign anything after a show.
 
#814
We had tech problems on our Saturday night gig as well, big time. House provided P.A. (and a nice one) but when we got to the venue there was nobody there to help us hook in our board and IEM system. Repeated calls to the guy who owned the P.A., no reply. We finally got it to where the P.A. was working, but only one side. Then the genius technical expert (in his own mind) of our band started farking around with things and made the problem worse. By the time the P.A. owner got there, we were an hour past when we were supposed to start. He went backstage, messed around with some things and finally got the whole P.A. working but we had hellacious 60-cycle hum from the P.A. all night. We had our band's whole P.A. in the trailer... in retrospect we would have been much better off just bringing that in and skipping the house system altogether.
 
#815
Thursday night gig tonight at a place about 90 miles from here. Tim McGraw is playing in that town tonight and this is being billed as the after party.

The last Thursday night gig I played with this band was my first gig ever with them, about a month ago. It was here in our hometown and was a collossal bust. Hoping for much better turnout tonight, especially with the travel involved.
 
#817
It was a good one. A little slow to get started but by 2nd set the room was filling up nicely. They left a side door open and it was pretty cool to see people walking down the street, look in the door and see the band and then come in and stay awhile! The owners were very pleased, especially for a Thursday night. Also our BL said there was table there all night of people who had hired us to headline a night for a major festival in the same town next month, and they were very impressed and told him they had definitely made the right choice. I think we may have also scored a wedding gig out of the deal but not sure on that.
 
#818
This is my first time posting on a "check in" thread, for a very special occasion. Tonight's show for me is in Philly at Sigma Sound Studio, with Earl Slick, who is David Bowies guitar player on and off, and played with John Lennon. He also just finished up a tour with the New York Dolls. I play small gigs all the time, and I'm only on a few songs with him tonight (we're doing all Bowie stuff, and I have a few bass songs (Watch That Man, Rock & Roll Suicide), one guitar song (Suffragette City), and a vocal song (Jean Genie) :hiding:) but I'm quite nervous for this one, actually. Tomorrow morning I'll be doing two shows at elementary school spring fairs in the area, (at 10am and 12:30, ughh :help:) I'll check in and give the lowdown tomorrow afternoon on all 3 shows. I hope everyone else's friday night gigs go great!!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back