• 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.

Gig Report. My ears are destroyed.

#81
TreySonagras said:
I play in a cover band that has always had issues with volume. Last night was the worst ever. The restaurant/bar we were in has a loud ambient environment anyway (just regular crowd noise is over 90db) and the band decided to have volume “arms race”. Several times I suggested we pull back our volume but it didn’t work. Even with hearing protection I was hurting.
At the end of the night the drummer/band leader commented, “I don’t understand why we cannot keep a crowd”. ‍
Click to expand...
How long have you played with these people? How “adult” are they? What kind of guitar amps are you up against? What was the size of the venue or the crowd? What was the nature/size of the PA, that is, was it a vocals only/box on a stick rig, or a real system with amps/instruments mic’d/direct, and an actual sound person running it? If the crowd was already boisterous, and that’s an on-going problem with the place, what do other bands do?
 
Last edited:
#84
TreySonagras said:
I play in a cover band that has always had issues with volume. Last night was the worst ever. The restaurant/bar we were in has a loud ambient environment anyway (just regular crowd noise is over 90db) and the band decided to have volume “arms race”. Several times I suggested we pull back our volume but it didn’t work. Even with hearing protection I was hurting.
At the end of the night the drummer/band leader commented, “I don’t understand why we cannot keep a crowd”. ‍
Click to expand...
Nice story. Would read again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EatS1stBassist and Lobster11
#90
jamro217 said:
Turn down your bass. When the band realizes there is something missing, they might take the hint. That tactic has worked in the past. Like every other situation it depends on the individuals involved. Some hacks think every gig is a solo gig and the rest of the band is just there to marvel at them. If you can't fire them, quit. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Ha, most loud bands probably won’t even notice! :laugh:
 
#91
FSGrind said:
If it’s too loud you’re too old
Click to expand...

Tell the venue owner that, when you ask to play there again.

When I'm setting up, I always find out who is managing the place. I always tell them that if there are any issues, such as volume, to let me know immediately (usually, I say something like "throw a towel at me"). Almost always, they thank me, and wish other bands did the same thing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JazznFunk and 31HZ
#92
buldog5151bass said:
Tell the venue owner that, when you ask to play there again.

When I'm setting up, I always find out who is managing the place. I always tell them that if there are any issues, such as volume, to let me know immediately (usually, I say something like "throw a towel at me"). Almost always, they thank me, and wish other bands did the same thing.
Click to expand...
Different worlds. If you are playing cover gig or something I get it.
 
#93
FSGrind said:
Different worlds. If you are playing cover gig or something I get it.
Click to expand...

Cover gigs are different. But no matter what, you will lose gigs (I'm assuming paying gigs) for being too loud. In almost 40 years of playing, in every weekend warrior situation possible, I've never seen a band kicked out for not being loud enough.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FSGrind
#95
WI Short Scaler said:
It's a mystery why people don't understand that. If you like the band otherwise than it may be time for some serious conversations.
Click to expand...
It's like there's some sort of disconnect in their brains. A conversation is worth a shot I suppose but I wouldn't get my hopes up. It's hard to change people's behaviour if they aren't motivated. My guess is the volume will creep up over time anyway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BlueTalon and WI Short Scaler
#96
Bass Viking said:
This is the problem right here. Some people think it HAS to be loud. The thing is, excessive volume hides poor playing. I'll bet if a lot of bands turned down they'd be shocked at how lousy they sound! :laugh:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I find the 'if it's too loud, you're too old' line of thinking to be just as destructive and self-defeating as 'I'll sleep when I'm dead.' Abuse your hearing as a performer or listener when you're younger, and you won't be able to tell you're too loud when you're old because you can't hear. Crazy how that works, you know? For a musician to accept punishing the most valuable tool they have just for 'street cred' is just asinine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matthew J Davis, SLO Surfer, Bass Viking and 1 other person
#97
jamro217 said:
There is a thread on here of TOP in 1987 ("Behold the power of the P bass!!!"). If they can have a balanced sound, there is no excuse for any other band not to. Imagine trying to get a good balance with all of those instruments vying for position. A lesson in virtuosity as well as engineering. It goes without saying that Rocco shines. R.I.P Mr. Prestia.
Click to expand...

Rocco was amazing. Greg Adams tells a story about how TOP was playing down in Miami in the seventies and Jaco Pastorious would sit in with them. After a song or two the crowd would start shouting "Rocco, we want Rocco, we want Rocco". Lol . I was listening to their third album (Tower of Power - the one with "What is Hip" on it) the other day and the complex atistry of Rocco's bass playing mingling with David Garibaldi's drumming and the horn section is truly remarkable throughout the whole record. That band at its peak with Lenny Williams, Lenny Pickett, Chester Thompson, Mic Gillette, Greg Adams etc.....my goodness they would melt your face off. I guess they rehearsed constantly day after day for many hours a day and it showed. Maybe the best band ever. A guitar player friend of mine had never heard of them. I described them as "Imagine if James Brown and the Famous Flames all went and spent four years at Julliard, Eastman, North Texas State or Berklee School of Music before writing songs and making records" You would thus have the Tower.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jamro217 and BlueTalon
#98
JazznFunk said:
Yeah, I find the 'if it's too loud, you're too old' line of thinking to be just as destructive and self-defeating as 'I'll sleep when I'm dead.' Abuse your hearing as a performer or listener when you're younger, and you won't be able to tell you're too loud when you're old because you can't hear. Crazy how that works, you know? For a musician to accept punishing the most valuable tool they have just for 'street cred' is just asinine.
Click to expand...

I do many gigs these days on upright without a drummer. When do play with a drummer he often uses brushes and the volume is always manageable. I still do some gigs on Fender bass with a drummer playing with sticks with a strong back beat. Big sound system and a decent sized crowd. Its quite a shock to my system and not all that enjoyable. Those gigs pay really well so I do them. A guitar player buddy suggested I invest in some qaulity earplugs.....
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back