Getting The Band Back Together

After not gigging since early spring, I've had two gigs recently, although both outdoors.

 

I've done 1-3 per month starting June, outside and smaller groups (acoustic guitars with no drums) until last week...got the drummer back. Everything has been outside, but I'm curious to see what happens when the weather turns colder at night.

Last night was low 60's, still ok. Will people want to hang out until 10-11pm if it's 50's? One venue is thinking about adding fire pits etc. But...winter is coming.

 

I had to turn down a gig this weekend due to family issues. I was surprised when it came up as numbers of Covid 19 are drastically increasing.

There is not a lot of places to play here and live music is pretty much dead.

 

2o2o is done for me...as in "stick a fork in it" done. However, in the past week, I've gotten a couple of calls for 2021 tentative bookings. Thank heaven for optimists.

 

in San Rafael, they close off 4th st downtown, for outdoor dining. ive done several duet gigs
so far. jazz standards. weather should hold out till halloween.

 

I think people and musicians in particular are getting restless out there. I've gotten a bunch of offers to play gigs in the last six weeks or so. However, nothing has really changed on the COVID-19 front so my beloved queen and I are going to continue our life lockdown until it's safe again. I sure do miss playing, though.

 

3 gigs this year out of 2 bands. The first band is only playing limited outdoor gigs, typically lower dollar affairs. The second is an interesting situation.

I've made it clear that I don't want to do toned down versions of the full band because it can hurt the band from a marketing perspective, so 3 of the 6 pieces are doing duo, trio, acoustic type gigs with a Cajon instead of full drums severely downsized PA and a slight band name rebranding. I'm not exactly a fan, but I'm not the B/L. I was asked to play with them once for a private party and we'd be 4 piece. I said yes, but the gig fell through. They know that I'm not interested.

 

The jazz big band I play in (bone, not bass) had a gig in August but the BL backed out, seems too many members were not comfortable. Now we have one end of October and looks like were moving forward on that. Social distancing a 17 piece band will be interesting. Nothing out of any other band I play in.

A close friend who's also a bass player has had a couple gigs in July/Aug and had back to back gigs Friday and Saturday this weekend. One of his tribute bands he's in that's quite popular. So a little is coming back for some.

Another musician friend called the bar/restaurant that his band was playing weekly for two years till the lockdown a while back. They literally treated him like they didn't know who he was or what he was talking about. Live music? What's that?

Clearly it's all over the map out there.

 

I've been very lucky. The busiest band I play in has had at least one outdoor gig a week for the past month, and I've picked up a few outdoor jazz gigs as well. This hardly makes up for the 25 or so lost bookings between March and July, but it's something, anyway. Gotta take advantage of opportunities now because here in the Northeast, outdoor gigs will be ending with the colder weather and we're not ready to perform inside yet.

 

Two days ago, we got a call to go back to the Westview Creamery, which we played a while back for a benefit. And my BL is trying to get an early October outdoors gig at the Hungry Tiger in Manchester CT, a place we love but visit infrequently (owner says he'd book us more often if we didn't charge so much; BL just laughs at him). After that, nuthin'. As I've posted elsewhere, we usually have at least 30 dates booked in the coming year by now. The rules in both Massachussets and Connecticut, which is our market, have made indoor shows impossible. And again, to be clear: I'm not complaining about the rules, just indicating the seriousness of the situation. If we have to wait until April for more outdoors gigs, then that's what it will be. Besides, I'm pretty sure at least a few of the places we've played over the last five years will have permanently closed their doors before Christmas. Winter is gonna be tough.

 

I ran some numbers, calculating all the gigs I've lost since March and it worked out that I'm actually ahead about $200.00.

 

Yeah, we’re starting back up for fall. Still outside stuff but I’ll take it. Next gig is in 2 weeks.

Of course, I volunteer at a big church in town, as well. We’ve been playing weekly since this whole thing began... sometimes on video to an empty room, but still playing. It’s only a few songs each week, but it’s been enjoyable.

 

New Orleans is dead as far as live music goes, so no gigs for me. Rehearsal has changed its format - instead of traditional rehearsal/writing, we're sending recording files back and forth building on each other's ideas. Kinda interesting, but nothing beats being onstage.

 

I've played ten nights so far since early June. 8 indoors, 2 outdoors. I have 5 nights booked (all indoors) still this month and 4 (so far) in Oct.

 

Yeah, Don is notoriously cheap...

 

- no gigs yet, for me.
- but i've provided/done production for three dates in august (out of state), all outdoors.
- i played an informal (house/residence) jam last night with a drummer and a guitar player.

our regular haunts/dives aren't having bands --- solos and duets only --- probably won't fire up again until next year or when it's 'healthy'. as a seven-piece band, indoors, we're into 'pariah' territory...has nothing to do with our music!

it is what it is.

glad you're getting it back together, OP!