"Connections"

[bassbrad]

Back before the internet connections were the difference between working and starving for me, I always made it a point that my booking agent and my friends at SHOWCO knew where I was, especially SHOWCO. Whenever I hit a new town more often than not it was a SHOWCO connection that got me working or out of a jam. My booking agent usually called SHOWCO to find me, so did my folks.
Musical connections were also a big plus when I was in NYC and in Europe but no help at all in LA.

 

[Tim Schnautz]

A guy was wanting to start a CW band and said his old band Florida used to open for and occasionally back up George and Tammy. After doing some googling of names and pics I never came up with anything. He did get a band together but it didn't last long..

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I'm skeptical of a lot of musician's resumés also. "Played same stage as Dokken" (eight years apart). I can say that I played to 5 million people, but not a single person knows my name or came to see me.

 

[Lowendchamp]

My bass instructor ( Buddy Pearson) is friends with Victor Wooten.

 

[ELG60]

I shopped at a beer store on 4th St. in Saint Pete a couple of times that was frequented by Lee Sklar when he lived in the area:

I expect stardom to visit me anyday now.

 

[EXCAV8]

I went to the same high school at the same time as Deen Castronovo.

No, I didn't know him, but am I in?

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I was going to post this in Band Management but after saying it out loud I realized this is a more appropriate forum.

About 20 years ago I auditioned for a band in some guy's basement (remember that band from the movie 'Sling Blade'?) The BL/LG told me he had a connection because his wife, a hairdresser, worked at the same salon as Steve Tyler's (I am in Boston) cousin. Or something along those lines... it was a while ago.
Has Anyone else had some skepticism about someone's claim to having "connections?"

Everybody has connections. You then get the story about how they aren't necessary, or you guys aren't quite ready, or something bigger and better instead, or just never anything at all is mentioned again.

I used to work for a guy who knows a guy that walks a dog for this one dude who is the cousin of the sister of the girl who is married to the brother of the girl who cuts the hair of the manager of the band who's bass player is the brother of the some dude who knows the head of this record label. When we're ready, I just gotta send one text, and we're famous.

 

[theduke1]

That's a very tenuous connection, for sure!
I've got a built-in cynic gene, and even in my younger and dumber days, never believed any such claims until definitive proof was produced...which never happened.

I have the same thing except I call it my BS meter
Duke

 

[Ostie]

Back when I was in college and playing in bars in East Lansing, I knew Chad Smith’s brother. Still waiting for RHCP to call….

Oh, and I once owned an amp that had belonged to Rob Grange. That’s all I got….

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Around 2001 or so I was shopping for an amp at a music store in San Rafael, California. The sales guy told me they had a top-of-the-line David Eden amp but it was on reserve for the bass player in Journey. The guy checked in the back room, and discovered they could let the amp go if I wanted it badly, and get another on order for the bass player in Journey. And would you believe it, I became the proud rockin' owner of the amp that was going to be bought by the bass player in Journey. Was that a good connection, or what?

 

[micguy]

When I was in my rock band back in the 70s, there was some awesome guitarist guy practicing about a block away from our practice spot. I think his name was Eddie Van Halen. Does that count?

Sure - call Eddie, and see if he can get you a gig.

 

[juancaminos]

First off I recently retired, moved to the mountains and joined a band that is very connected. Not the greatest band but we gig a lot.

Anyway...after going on hiatus after ten plus years with my band an invitation came along that I couldn't refuse. A booking agent that I knew called to say that he knew a band that has gigs, full pa, great singer, etc. All I had to do was show up and play! It would be a big change for me because I was the pa, lighting and gig guy in my band. So I made the call, got the gig, learned the songs only to find out that they had one connection (the guy who called me) and a cheap a$$ pa. So now I am back to getting gigs and running sound. The band really wasn't worth it so I went back on hiatus. Yep that's my story...

 

[Shepsdad]

Thinking about it more, I did have a brief and very pleasant conversation with Sammy Hagar about 40 years ago in a really cool but now defunct music store. I bet he remembers that, maybe I should get in contact with him and see if he can get my crappy songs to the right people!

 

[Bajo Clarkko]

I’m a member of a Bass Forum that is sometimes visited by a certain Bass Player from KANSAS.

(So are the rest of you. )

 

[groooooove]

oh man...

i've heard similar stories to the OP's many, many times.

never once saw them become anything.

i've certainly played with/know/been around actual "well connected" people, but they don't talk about it or anything like that.

 

[Tim Schnautz]

My bass instructor ( Buddy Pearson) is friends with Victor Wooten.

I have a 4th or 5th cousin who played keys for Lee Greenwood, once...

 

[40Hz]

I played the Boston music scene back in the halcyon days of The Rat and similar venues. And there was always somebody hanging around the fringes and tugging on the coattails of the band collective claiming to have “connections.”

They never amounted to anything.

Years later, when I was older and more experienced and actually got to know people who truly were, I learned something about people with connections: They never tell people they’re “connected.” They never dangle carrots or drop hints. And unless there’s something going down that makes sense for them to bring to the attention of their “friend of a friend” they aren’t going to offer to do anything for you clear out of the blue.

 

[dalkowski]

"Played same stage as Dokken" (eight years apart).

I played the Boston music scene back in the halcyon days of The Rat and similar venues.

By this logic I can say I've played the same stage as the Police (as can @40Hz?).

Plus, I rode an elevator with Roy Scheider in August '81. It did squat for my film career.

AND my drummer is a second cousin (or some such semi-distant relation) to the late Rocco Prestia. We both consider ourselves unworthy to hold his strap.

 

[soundsupport1]

When I was 13, I was the bass player in a band. The drummer was a mate from school, the guitarist was a friend of his and the son of the owner of a local music shop. He also blew the rest of us clean out of the water.

Fast forward 10 years, that guitarist is a founding member of Rend Collective, one of the biggest bands in contemporary Christian music.

To me, they're the music team from my local Elim church...

To think what might have been if I'd stayed in touch with Patrick!

Peace, SoundSupport

 

[-Asdfgh-]

A friend of mine has worked with several former members of Hawkwind, but I don't see that this actually gives me any personal connection to Hawkwind. I own three Hawkwind albums, but that's about as far as my interest goes.

I have other friends who are on first name terms with people like Martin Carthy, but I'm not going to claim that gets me anything special as a connection, because I don't know him, and I don't think he's aware of my existence.

I was slightly surprised that someone famous (actor) did used to nod their head to me when I saw them in the pub, given I'd never spoken to them and I'm definitely not famous. I was never really sure what that was about. A former band member did seem to be on first name terms with him, though.