Geography is a huge component. Some scenes can be very conducive to a variety of genres, and thus, be friendlier to original music, as well. Here in Sand Land, it's covers, country or death metal; there does not seem to be much happening beyond those. Every middle-aged wannabe rocker with the budget to buy gear thinks that they can put together 40-50 songs and go make some money, but the reality is that they usually languish on what I call the far east side biker circuit. The indie/death metal kids all piss and whine about the lack of great players their own age, and even less gig opportunities, but always seem to forget that it is about pleasing your audience, and not yourself, first, and that practice makes perfect (including the ability to cross genres, and actually make music that people want to hear). Country is its' own thing, entirely. It's mostly covers, but there are a few original bands of note that might actually keep the PHX on the map as a western outpost of country music.
Even on the coverband scene, there's a small handful of groups and people who always seem to be working, and a host of startups and wannabe's that feel they deserve more, but don't put in the work. Everyone always seems to want to play the same tired songs, too. What distinguishes the coverbands and players who are "next level" in this market is the work ethic, flexibility, and repetoire. When the economy really made life difficult, and gigs scarce, I went on many auditions, and most of the bands were quite out of touch with what it really takes to stay viable. Now that things are starting to look up with the economy, and the gigs are back, I have a minimum of 2 every weekend, and sometimes 3, or even 4. The aforementioned lesser bands probably feel that they deserve some of the pie, but it is those who don't stop at 50, or even 100 or 150 songs that get the work.
Common to all genres mentioned is the lament of other musicians about where all of the good bassists are. The obviously simple answer is that we are working, and if you are having problems finding one, then you should consider becoming one, or be conducting exhaustive intel about when one might be available for you...and don't forget to pay 'em what they're worth, too!
