Playing Bass with my parents band. They booked some serious UK Jazz players.
Happy to elaborate, if you're interested
Happy to elaborate, if you're interested
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Do you remember your first gig?
- Thread starter Drop1
- Start date
I have my first rock gig on vhs 1986....playing metal and rockin a pretty awesome mullet I think.
Try being in a so called "Punk Band" Ha
Luckily my parents were musicians and saw through the BS.
It's become increasingly hard for people to pursue a career in arts, music, etc these days,
this is totally unacceptable. There is so little support for artists these days, something has to change.
For reference, I have played professionally for nearly fifty years.
BTW, stop worrying about equipment, a Jazz Bass was good enough for Jaco, but if you're a little older, Sadowsky and GR Bass are pretty sweet
I've had my 15 minutes
Ahhhh.....first gig.
1973.... Sierra junior high.... 3 months after getting my first bass.
A 1961 Epiphone Newport. My rythem guitarist had a Ventura 335 copy. My "lead" guitarist had a bright red Fender Mustang. My drummer had an Oyster Pearl drum kit.
We were "Flash Edsel and the Desoto kids". 50s revival was big.
I sang "Sealed with a kiss" and "Kansas City", and we closed with "Pipeline".
Girls squeeled, and the next day I was way way way cooler than I was before.
All this acclaim at 13.
Good times.
1973.... Sierra junior high.... 3 months after getting my first bass.
A 1961 Epiphone Newport. My rythem guitarist had a Ventura 335 copy. My "lead" guitarist had a bright red Fender Mustang. My drummer had an Oyster Pearl drum kit.
We were "Flash Edsel and the Desoto kids". 50s revival was big.
I sang "Sealed with a kiss" and "Kansas City", and we closed with "Pipeline".
Girls squeeled, and the next day I was way way way cooler than I was before.
All this acclaim at 13.
Good times.
I played cello in the pit for a community musical theater production in my hometown. It was volunteer, but the orchestra got paid. I shared a stand with my cello teacher. She had to give me a ride, as I didn't have my driver's license yet.
Most of the local school districts didn't have string programs, so the high school musicals had to hire the string players. There was a little cadre of players in the area who covered that kind of work, and so I actually got quite a few gigs out of it. It required good sight reading. It wasn't bass, but a good experience.
Most of the local school districts didn't have string programs, so the high school musicals had to hire the string players. There was a little cadre of players in the area who covered that kind of work, and so I actually got quite a few gigs out of it. It required good sight reading. It wasn't bass, but a good experience.
Yes, I played lead guitar back then (1973), I had an Electra LPC copy and a borrowed very tired 5E3. We played at a friend's birthday party. We were all 15-16 yo. The band dissolved when we graduated high school. The drummer died 25 years ago and the bass player and the rhythm guitar player don't play anymore.
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What a great thre
My first paid gig was in May of 2002, I was 14 and in a power trio with my dad and brother. We played a set of originals at The Call in Providence, RI. RIP to that venue. They'd let me come hang out and see bands if I was with my dad. My middle school band teacher even came out to see us haha! Anyway, we were in our 6th tune AND MY E STRING SNAPPED. Never have I broken a non-G string since! We had to cut our set short for that, but it was an amazing experience. I'll be gigging til I'm on my deathbed, it's been my happy place ever since.
Great thread, so many great stories...
My first paid gig was in May of 2002, I was 14 and in a power trio with my dad and brother. We played a set of originals at The Call in Providence, RI. RIP to that venue. They'd let me come hang out and see bands if I was with my dad. My middle school band teacher even came out to see us haha! Anyway, we were in our 6th tune AND MY E STRING SNAPPED. Never have I broken a non-G string since! We had to cut our set short for that, but it was an amazing experience. I'll be gigging til I'm on my deathbed, it's been my happy place ever since.
If piano recital counts as a gig. I was 9. Paid gig was at 15 but regular had to do it to eat and pay rent was 19-23.
52 yo and joined my first band less than a month ago. I’ll let you all know if we get a gig.
It was almost 40 years ago.
It was exciting and fun and a moderate succes, despite the guitar-player who run off stage and straight out of the door during the first song.
Legend says he's still running somewhere out there on this planet.
It was exciting and fun and a moderate succes, despite the guitar-player who run off stage and straight out of the door during the first song.
Legend says he's still running somewhere out there on this planet.
- Nov 27, 2003
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My first gig was in February 1991, in the auditorium of my junior high. The band was called "No Problem Kids" I was 14 years old and the oldest of our band.
My gear was a crappy Vester Telecaster copy through a Squier solid state amp, 15 watts, no pedals, no miking, as a result, I could barely hear myself play.
Our keyboard player had hurt his hand and couldn't play the bass parts, so our music teacher was helping him out.
During the second song of our set, the crowd started dancing.
And I know all of this so clearly, because...
Yup, it was filmed, and I'm so grateful that it has, a fun little memento of my start in live playing.
My gear was a crappy Vester Telecaster copy through a Squier solid state amp, 15 watts, no pedals, no miking, as a result, I could barely hear myself play.
Our keyboard player had hurt his hand and couldn't play the bass parts, so our music teacher was helping him out.
During the second song of our set, the crowd started dancing.
And I know all of this so clearly, because...
Yup, it was filmed, and I'm so grateful that it has, a fun little memento of my start in live playing.
Early nineties. I had no amp and wanted to borrow one from a fellow bass player. On the day of the gig, he told me that he might not be able to lend me the amp because his band was maybe rehearsing that night.
I remember standing in the parking lot, knots in my gut, waiting for his car to either bring the amp or tell me I got a huge problem. The car came ... and brought an amp
I remember standing in the parking lot, knots in my gut, waiting for his car to either bring the amp or tell me I got a huge problem. The car came ... and brought an amp
The first time I ever played on a stage? It was 1980, I was 8 years old playing tonettes and autoharps in our 4th-grade music class. Yeah, I remember it lol.
The first time I was ever paid to play on a stage? It was 1990, I was 18 years old subbing on sax with a band at the diviest possible bar in Carey, Ohio about 60 miles away from home on a winter storm night that made the drive 3 hours each way. Oh yeah, I remember that one quite well... both the gig and the drives out and back LOL.
40-some years on and countless gigs and I still remember those evenings quite vividly.
The first time I was ever paid to play on a stage? It was 1990, I was 18 years old subbing on sax with a band at the diviest possible bar in Carey, Ohio about 60 miles away from home on a winter storm night that made the drive 3 hours each way. Oh yeah, I remember that one quite well... both the gig and the drives out and back LOL.
40-some years on and countless gigs and I still remember those evenings quite vividly.
My first gig was almost 50 years ago. I was 16 and playing bass in my first band "The Rod Slayton Band" (terrible band name, I know). It was an afternoon outside gig at a local campground. We were ok at best but loved every minute of it. Funny thing is....the lead guitarist of that band is now the lead guitarist of my current band!!!
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It was a duet, I think we were 12 or 13, kind if a Simon and Garfunkel thing. A fundraiser at an old victorian turned Coffee house in Everett Washington. I don't remember the set list but one song was Roger Miller's hit King of the Road, we killed it. I was playing pops archy (Gibson L-47), at the time. I was taking electric bass lessons (Roger Filberto book) but Ron needed a strummer, so were worked up a 5 song set.
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very cool, what were some of the tunes? how much did you get paid for the 40 minutes?
Spring of 1980: I had just joined my first band, the Fenton River String Band which played bluegrass. Guitar, mandolin, banjo and bass. We were all students at the University of Connecticut at the time. A few miles from the campus at the crossroads of route 195 and US 44 was a joint called the Golden Eagle Cafe (today the site of a Dunkin Donuts). We played there for $30 and free beer (in pitchers!). The place had an actual raised stage.
During the show I felt a tug on my pants leg and looked down to see a drunken woman screaming”Play faster!”. She went back to her barstool and her male companion fell off his stool a few minutes later. I had hit the big time!
My rig in 1980: Peavey T-40, a “brown face” Bassman head (blonde/oxblood) and a Guild Thunderbass 2-12 cabinet.
During the show I felt a tug on my pants leg and looked down to see a drunken woman screaming”Play faster!”. She went back to her barstool and her male companion fell off his stool a few minutes later. I had hit the big time!
My rig in 1980: Peavey T-40, a “brown face” Bassman head (blonde/oxblood) and a Guild Thunderbass 2-12 cabinet.
