Have you ever had a gig shut down by the police because the music was too loud? My band had a show on Saturday, and before we even went on, the cops came and shut us down at 7 PM. I can understand 10 or 11, but 7 is way to early. I felt really bad for the band who hosted it because they paid $800 for the stage rental and they didn't even get to play. Just a little rant.
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Noise complaints
- Thread starter fatbassjazzer
- Start date
Where I live, you can be as loud as you want until 11. After that, it will most likely get asked to turn down or broken up if there is too much noise. I think it is a good system. We can have our music, and people can get their sleep.
Thats how I thought it was here too, but apparantly they have no problem with shutting you down at 7. 
:scowl:
:scowl:
I played my last gig about a month ago in the town of Lafayette at the Round Up Saloon. We got a noise complaint. From the police! They heard us up at the station and called to complain. No, they did not bother to come on down and make a presence, they phoned it in. And, we kept playing at the same volume and never heard from them again. Small towns, gotta love them!
- Apr 21, 2000
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- Gallien Krueger for the last 12 years!
Bars in Switzerland are licensed to certain DB ratings. Bars must pay $2,000 to have an inspector take noise readings in the bar, outside of the bar. Across the street from the bar. In the apartment across the street and to the left of the bar. To the right and across the the alley from the bar.....
Then...once licensed for a certain DB, the bar management with DB meter in hand, regularly walk in front of the stage, to the side, to the back, etc to make sure we are not breaking the law.
Look up the word anal in the dictionary. Let me know if you see a picture of Switzerland.
Then...once licensed for a certain DB, the bar management with DB meter in hand, regularly walk in front of the stage, to the side, to the back, etc to make sure we are not breaking the law.
Look up the word anal in the dictionary. Let me know if you see a picture of Switzerland.
I recently played a wedding gig with a 95dB limit. I was actually quite enjoying it (grooving along quietly, making music and not even having to worry about earplugs) until the power went the first time. The rest of the evening was much harder work - if we'd gone over again, that would have been the end of all entertainments for the evening!
Wulf
Wulf
It was in a kids backyard that had woods around it. We did the exact same thing the year before and there was not one complaint.Woodchuck said:
jive1
Commercial User
fatbassjazzer said:
For situations like this, I always talk to my neighbors first. I always let them know, that if theings get too loud, just walk over and let us know or give us a call. If possible, I invite them to the event. If they are there at the event having a good time, it's less likely they will call the cops.
So since there will be plenty of people using the "neighbors are anal, so screw em" mentality, I'll take the other side on this issue.
So, even if it went ok without a glitch last year, new people move into the neighborhood all the time. Also people's lives change. For example, if your neighbors have a newborn baby who has been crying all night and they finally get him/her down for a nap and all of a sudden some guitar starts blaring and wakes up the kid, and sending the parent into a frenzy, yeah something is gonna have to give. You may have someone who is in hospice, or recovering from an illness. Some of the lyrics sung may be offensive to people. Maybe your neighbors had a party of their own, that had nothing to do with your music and you are disturbing them.
Regardless of who is right/wrong or anal/accomodating, it is a plain old courtesy to talk to your neighbors about it. It's always easier for people to call the cops on an anonymous person, than someone with a name and face. If you can spend $800 for a stage, and all the other effort, then you can take 5 minutes to talk to your neighbors.
On the flip side:
Does it piss anyone off that people can crank up lawn mowers and leaf blowers, call in cement trucks and jack hammers at early in the morning, yet those same people complain about music that is too loud? I'll take music over the sound of a lawn mower anyday.
jive1 said:
I used to live in an house with one apartment above mine. They would complain about my practicing in the early evening but then start vacuuming their apartment at midnight!!!!
We did talk to the neighbors on both sides and to the neighbors two houses down and they didn't mind. Apparantly somebody from far away didn't like it or they changed their mind.jive1 said:
jive1
Commercial User
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
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Folmeister said:
Yep! We once had a noise complaint called in from six miles away, but no one in between called. The cops showed up, saw the mobile hot tub, multiple kegs, etc., and asked us to make sure there would be a few beers left for when they got off their shift.
I've paid for hotel rooms for my neighbors before, so they could be somewhere else during a party. They thanked us for the courtesy, and took us up on the offer. Being proactive is definitely the way to go, IMHO.
I played an outdoor birthday party for our guitarist. His wife went for 6 blocks(!) in every direction and she even got a noise permit from the city until 9PM. We got shut down by a couple of cops who didn't want to see the permit or the list of signatures.
I used to live above a bar downtown. The bar wasn't bad, what was bad was during festival season setting up stages for bands at 7-8 AM. Or perhaps jackhammering sewers out at 0650. Hangover+Jackhammer=One Angry Golden Boy. (yes, underpants and bathrobe and bare feet crossing the street on a crisp summer morning)
I used to live above a bar downtown. The bar wasn't bad, what was bad was during festival season setting up stages for bands at 7-8 AM. Or perhaps jackhammering sewers out at 0650. Hangover+Jackhammer=One Angry Golden Boy. (yes, underpants and bathrobe and bare feet crossing the street on a crisp summer morning)
