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Looking For a Full Time/DayJob playing Bass?

PocketGroove82

PocketGroove82

Oct 18, 2006
1,709
53
Italy
#1
If you are a well rounded bass player who enjoys playing in a variety of styles and is able to read notation and improvise bass lines over chord changes AND you want a full time job with excellent benefits and a retirement package, then you can feel free to send me a private message and I will tell you a little about my job as a bass guitar/upright bass player in the US Army.

I am not a recruiter, just a regular army bass player but since this is talkbass, I thought I would tell anyone interested here that the Army is adding many bass player slots in the band field, and the enlistment bonuses range up to 12,000 dollars if you have college.

Anyways, if you are interested in supporting your country by playing bass then send me a PM and we can talk.

Thanks,

Matthew Smith, Specialist
Bassist, 8th US Army Band
Seoul, South Korea
 
#3
James, I first bumped into Jon on the EBMM forum and then had to laugh when I found out he moderated here.
We've never personally met, but we have had the opportunity to chat it up a bit online.
I don't know where he finds the time to moderate when he should be out doing USAF gigs!
 
#5
Now James,
My band has been called down to the Osan Air Base's officers club many, many times to cover their fancy, smansy general's parties (with subpar fillet mignon...i'd might add!). :crying:
And I've always wondered why the USAF needed to outsource their gigs to the Army when they could easily fly a band over on some F-22s! :eek: :rollno: :o

But now I know the real reason... :hyper:
Their bass players are too busy blogging on TB to cover their own gigs!

:D ;) :D

hehe, jon is gonna slap me with his combat patch when he reads this! lol
 
#8
Twistad, yes they do!
I did a military tattoo in Norfolk Virgina two years ago and the Canadians had a HUGE marching band, complete with 50 bagpipers. Granted, they were a marching band, but usually the bass players wind up on cymbals or bass drum when it comes to marching band.

They were really awesome and dressed like mounties!
 
#10
Wow! I bet those were some awesome years.
I would kill to get into the Ambassadors or Army Blues, but sadly, they don't let hacks into the premiere bands!
It seems like many of the guys I've met who have made it into the Ft. Meade bands tend to stay in for well over 20 years, since that gig is just too sweet.

jzucker said:
i was in the US Army Jazz Ambassadors in Ft. Meade MD from '80-'83. I wish I had stayed in. Several buddies of mine have been in the band for close to 30 years. What a great gig!
Click to expand...
 
#11
PocketGroove82 said:
Wow! I bet those were some awesome years.
I would kill to get into the Ambassadors or Army Blues, but sadly, they don't let hacks into the premiere bands!
It seems like many of the guys I've met who have made it into the Ft. Meade bands tend to stay in for well over 20 years, since that gig is just too sweet.
Click to expand...

Yep...A couple friends of mine transferred over to the Army Blues because they didn't travel. Those gigs are such gravy. Most of those guys play in several other bands and teach at local universities. I've always kicked myself for not staying in. The guys I was in with at the time are all E8 or E9 now (some retired)

The Airmen and Commodores weren't bad either. Lots of those guys have gone on to great things. I forget the name of the marine band in DC but they were good too...

Military's always been good to bands. My dad played woodwinds in the Ft Meade band back in the '50s before they became the jazz ambassadors...
 
#12
PocketGroove82 said:
Wow! I bet those were some awesome years.
I would kill to get into the Ambassadors or Army Blues, but sadly, they don't let hacks into the premiere bands!
It seems like many of the guys I've met who have made it into the Ft. Meade bands tend to stay in for well over 20 years, since that gig is just too sweet.
Click to expand...

Yeah those guys are tight to death. Got a chance to hear the Blues at a tuba conference few yrs back at Meade and they had this female lead trumpet sending them out the roof!! I keep debating if I want to reclass from tuba, but it doesnt seem to matter once the commander finds out I can play both.:hmm: lol
 
#13
Hey Dr. Funk,
It's great to see another Army bassist on TB! Thanks for chimming in.
I had a chance to hear the "Pershing's Own" Brass Quintet and they put on a hell of a show...(and I don't even like brass quintets!)
4 of the 5 guys has been in that group since the 80s, so they were really tight, and their bone player was from the Ambassadors. Each player was a monster, and it was a monster group!
 
#14
Playing in a military band is a great gig, especially in DC. I just retired from the USAF Band in DC with 21 years of service. There are other groups besides big bands. We have rock, country, orchestra, and concert bands too. I was in the rock band at first and retired from the country band.
 
#15
PocketGroove82 said:
Twistad, yes they do!
I did a military tattoo in Norfolk Virgina two years ago and the Canadians had a HUGE marching band, complete with 50 bagpipers. Granted, they were a marching band, but usually the bass players wind up on cymbals or bass drum when it comes to marching band.

They were really awesome and dressed like mounties!
Click to expand...

50 bagpipers!! No wonder military actions never seem to touch Canada - they'll send that group out to piece the enemy eardrums before they open up with live ammo.:smug:
 
#16
LOl.. TB player.
In truth though, hearing that many pipers blowing at once was quite an experience. It was something very extraordinary, considering your average band uses synths to achieve such an amazing wash/wall of sound!
 
#19
My wife is in the Army Field Band at Ft. Meade and seeing as how we are both working musicians I never thought we would have health insurance until she scored that gig! They go in at 9am and there usually done by 11:30am, it doesn't get much sweeter than that: ) Anyway, there current bassist is going to be retiring soon so if any of you DC guys want to look into a top tier army gig this is one of them! I would audition for it myself but considering the army would lower my wife's pay if I was in the army it would work out to be about the same we make now except I'd have to go to Boot Camp:eek:
 
#20
That IS a sweet job! Your wife must be great at what she does to land that particular gig. If only I could sightread anything and everything under the sun, I might stand a chance getting into a permier band! :cry:
 
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