Craigslist Ad: "Some Gigs may be unpaid" Would you sign up for this gig?

[chadds]

The specifics and number of their expectations are red flags. They have their rights to them and good luck.

What does this mean? “Looking for a dynamic player, with good tones, in a compact package.”

 

[lordradish]

If the guitarist is looping, is it OK for the bass to set up a loop and leave the stage to get a drink or pick up women?

Back when I was a wee young lad and less discriminatory in my choices, I got fired from a band for this. Was in some wanky blues band, guitarist decides to go off with the wireless and walk around the bar for 10 minute soloing over ZZTop's LaGrange, which, basswise is about as boring of a tune one can get. I threw on the looper, and he saw me at the bar 3 minutes later having a beer.

 

[turf3]

They're asking for highly skilled bassist. Someone with that level of skill deserves to be paid and is not likely looking for "exposure" as compensation. Reminds of those government employment ads who require an experienced rocket scientist but then only offer entry-level pay. Good luck with that.

The difference is that those govt ads, they already have their foreign candidate identified (and accepted), they just have to advertise the position to comply with regulations. They pay the new foreign employee that cut rate salary for a few months, then give him a big bonus check and raise his pay to market value.

 

[Crash 56]

If they are 30 - 40, they arent that far from bieng senior themselves.... And if they arent paying, they dont need me anyway....

 

[JazznFunk]

The specifics and number of their expectations are red flags. They have their rights to them and good luck.

What does this mean? “Looking for a dynamic player, with good tones, in a compact package.”

It almost reads like ChatGPT wrote the entire ad, doesn't it?

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So Anyway, I'm a Senior so they're the ones who disqualified me.
But I wouldn't be interested in a project like this.

I think it's an honest ad and they're upfront on their vision and the pay/non-pay thing.

 

[richntiff]

any band that's good enough to gig without rehearsals will NEVER have to go on craigslist looking for players. So you know it's the 'well, we play Sweet Home Alabama in our own style' kind of band. If you are satisfied with that.....

 

[iriegnome]

hard pass

 

[LHbassist]

Oh, God... make it stop.. the eternal, perpetual vicious cycle of musicians being so 'enthusiastic' about getting the chance to play and be heard, recognized, and ultimately 'rewarded' for their efforts... only to have that zeal seen by the sharks and scumbags that our sheety business is literally infested with- as weakness, and something to take full advantage of. And we allow it. Always. So, who is to blame for our abuse?
To be in that league of musicians ready and capable of real success, you need to be playing all the time- practicing at home, rehearsing a lot, writing, arranging, and spending money on gear. So WHERE does one get money? Back in my time- late 60's - there were quite a few drug dealers who had new SG's, one had a stack knob Jazz bass... new Marshalls.. lucky for them, they never got caught. Having a joint in N.Y. City, in 1968, would get you put in jail for a year... let alone a pound. Those of us who had actual jobs, saved our money, and for me- it yielded a Marshall Major 200 bass head and a 4-15 cab. And later, a 71 Jazz bass.
Regardless, here I am, an old guy- and sadly, STILL seeing gigs (just passed on one) that require the musicians to play some freebies, 'benefits' (for the leader's feel good charity du jour' - and one oddly junior high school level of player- 'chip in for our lockout rehearsal space.' Um, no. I have played benefits for one leader that literally walked off before the end of the set- left and she didn't even say 'thank you.'
If those of us who pursued this as a career really refused to play for 'exposure' maybe we'd be making what other skilled professional local level career people make.. instead of the SAME dollar amount I made in 1977. No exaggeration here. Remember- when someone offers you a gig for 'exposure,' 'exposure' is also a cause of death.

 

[Five or Six]

NO.

 

[Snarf]

37 year old me won't take that gig. 25 year old me would. The difference is that earlier in life, I needed to play and meet people and build connections, etc etc. Jam sessions are not a good way to do that. I feel like sessions are just reminders to the people that go that you still exist and live in town. The real connections happen through playing in bands. I met a drummer who hooked me up with the private lesson business I've been working through for the last 10 years by playing in a singer-songwriter's band for free. Never got a dime from that endeavor, but I made a life-changing connection. Also the music was interesting. The artist was a lunatic.

So I can sit here and dump all over a crap gig, but I can't hate on the kid who just moved to a scene and takes anything and everything he can just to get some experience. "Paying your dues" is a real thing, and you never know who you're going to meet in the process.

 

[Pocket Dave]

No, it sounds like amateur hour.

Not really. I suspected we're all locking in on the negative here, and @jtg confirmed it with his link, below.

Also, they do mention paying gigs in their ad.

By their video clip, they're actually decent. Too bad I wouldn't qualify, being a senior (+ living out of the area & already working steady in a band).

Dear Google, who are the tools in question? Log into Facebook (ignore the inline text here about logging in and just check the link) and scroll down one.
View attachment 5310926

 

[mrcbass]

ISO bass and or keys for working band.

© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap
ISO- Bass or Keys Player!
What we do- We are a duo in our 30s/40s, live looping Guitar/vocals, and live drums. We play a solid mix of covers and originals, currently leaning more towards the cover side as we work out originals. Our style is firmly rooted in a reggae back beat feel, but we are very versatile mixing in rock, Americana, country, funk etc. We have the ability to stream live, record video and audio, and produce content.
Gigs- We are currently lining up paid gigs for 2024, (your pay will be discussed privately, some gigs may be unpaid as we work you into the project). We are working and building towards bigger and better paying venues! We are based in pasco but we also cover pinellas and hillsborough counties.
You- No seniors or heavy partiers. We do not practice so you must be comfortable with a trial by fire type of situation! Must have great musical intuition, with the ability to jam off the cuff, and good knowledge of your instrument. We do live looping so the ability to play to a “click” is a must, need to have great listening skills. Looking for a dynamic player, with good tones, in a compact package. Whave a great PA system, and do not want a big gear setup on stage. Thanks! Dm to discuss further and to setup a live tryout.

There is little about this project that would interest me.

Gigging for no pay has it's place (benefits, etc) but not as an initiation. Sounds like they you want people to audition on stage with not even much of a compass. I'd be DQ'd anyway, being of the senior persuasion and all ...

 

[socialleper]

Money aside, it sounds like a dreadful gig.

 

[Anne Millington]

I wonder how they feel about women? Just idle questioning. I am way too senior for those dudes.

 

[Pocket Dave]

Salud!

The problem for me would be the "we don't practice". I understand that getting a band to level can take some effort and, yes, unpaid gigs (if nobody or just the band gets money).

This said, if they practiced, they would know if you are a good musical/personal fit beforehand and not discover it onstage.

I've discovered the opposite to be true for me, though it took me decades of gigging to find out. These guys seem to be on the same path at a much earlier age - Refer to @jtg's link, below. Scroll down to the group post by Brian Lawrence for a video link of them playing in a club.

For me, the needle moves forward much faster when gigging steady with a group than it does rehearsing weekly. Even on a 1:1 ratio when I've worked weekly residence gigs.

To your point, my experience has been that auditions don't reveal as much about a musician or band as jumping in the deep end on a gig, especially looking for players or bands who're great at listening and quickly adapting. Skills which, BTW, allow a band to move the needle forward quickly in their presentation, arrangements, accents/breaks, pretty much everything they do. Bands get better quickly under the circumstances at least partly because there's no "I know what people want" rehearsal mentality that's often just a bad guess; Audience feedback is immediate and honest onstage.

I'm currently in a band that's never rehearsed once, has a large song list of unique-to-us presentation styles & arrangements, has a good following, and gigs steady. We're pretty decent, better, IMO, than a lot of bands who rehearse but don't gig as much.

Weekly residence gigs I've done have worked out the same.

In fairness, these have all been 4-person or less bands with guys who do their homework. I'm not against rehearsing if the need's there, such as with larger bands where players need to find their sonic space.

@jtg's link, as promised:

Dear Google, who are the tools in question? Log into Facebook (ignore the inline text here about logging in and just check the link) and scroll down one.

 

[primusfan1989]

Our style is firmly rooted in a reggae back beat feel

They lost me here, this statement doesn't make sense. The following statement are also red flags for me personally

"your pay will be discussed privately, some gigs may be unpaid as we work you into the project"

So they're looking for an unpaid intern?

"We do live looping"

 

[HolmeBass]

Well...I am considered a Senior, so I guess so they wouldn't want me either. I was more or less interested in the general consensus of playing for free while other players were paid.

Thanks

That would only work for me in small doses. I would not want even 10% of gigs to be “they get paid but I don’t.” It would have to a rare event to keep me interested.

Also no practices would be an issue for me as I like band rehearsal. But if they’re busy enough that there isn’t time to rehearse, that’s a good thing.

 

[pepj]

What do people really achieve through practice for bar and function gigs.
All you really need to know is which part to hit.
Maybe you know the song better...but you can do it by listening at home.
If you cant lock in with a drummer straight away...thats doesn't augur well in the future because you are at odds with each other.
If you cant get the song straight away with your part, you'll not get hooked in with the otger guys either. These are why guys need to practice, imv

If the guys know what they're doing and can properly play, they'll be a few levels up from 90% of bar bands who need to practice straight off.
Get a few gigs under their belt and they will put more distance from them, ime.
You only need to run through topping and tails of songs anyway, imv.

So, that band in the ad says one of two things.
They can cut it or they definitely can't..but you need to hear which one it is.

 

[chadds]

Oh the senior comment.
When I was a kid the opportunity to play with older musicians was the holy grail. The things you learned, the accurate criticism, the stage craft, the poise and discipline you could emulate can only be had in life. Sadly the lessons don't come from Youtube or only listening to "your" kind of music. Oh well. Makes for more options for gigs.

When I'm hiring I say where when and how much the pay is. They ask, "whats the dress?" They ask when arriving at the gig, "where do you want me to set up?" All that stuff the ad mentioned was unnecessary and tells me they are bush league micro managers. Tells me that they will have more demands. From my experience they aren't playing music but want this backdrop to focus on their craft. That's cool but they aren't easy about it so their angst will come out at you for their failure. (real or imagined) Given time they may grow and relax.

You see my tail lights because music is fun. Convey that to the audience and they don't care about anything else. Then you're asked back.