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should I take the gig?

Join the band or pass

  • join

    Votes: 50 31.1%

  • pass

    Votes: 111 68.9%
  • Total voters
    161
#41
Take it.
Live playing is where you get bored with standard basslines and start to evolve your playing skills by improvising.

Because you don't have the same audience every night, you worry less about a wrong note as you explore your fretboard looking for new ways to enjoy your playing and developing your contribution to the song .
 
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#42
The music, the money, the hang... Yes, these are considered by many the "essentials". I agree, but don't forget the experience. If you've not done it you will never know. Take it for a test drive. Kick the tires. If it's a no-go then you've learned something about yourself and the band is back to where they started, but now with a gig or two under their collective belts. Should that come to pass you might want to consider covering gigs until they find a replacement and perhaps even help them find one!

The Bar Band Bassman
 
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#43
Depends on where you are as a musician and what you would want to accomplish. Cover bands can eat up a lot of time and energy and it will seem like a chore if you are not into it for the long haul. On the other hand, there is the gigging aspect, and how much that experience might mean to you. If the experience is something you want but don't want to commit to, then play with them and help them find your replacement for them. It's easier to find a bass player with past gig history and up coming dates. Be up front with your intentions to help them play a couple of gigs and help them recruit your replacement, and if they are into that, then cool. If you find you like it, then maybe you could just stick around.

Currently I am in a cover band that has some really good singing talent, or I'd be out just focusing on original music and efforts around that. i have done the cover band enough that I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. Especially since I have a roadmap in my mind for my original material now. But that is just where I am at and one perspective. Lots of other valid opinions here as well.
 
#44
Vincent Van Low said:
Pros= rehearsal is a close drive, less than 15 minutes. Easy set/up tear down, I only bring my bass. Songs are easy to learn. Musicians are good not great.

Cons= Gigs will be bars only, possibly an hour away. Pay will be low. Songs people dont dance to, just drink beer and stare at you.


Help me decide. I play at church 2x a month, and an original band to write with as well currently 1x weekly. This cover band is 1 bass player away from getting a crappy bar gig, what to do??
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I'm 71 and I would be happy playing anywhere...LOL!!

Seriously, for me to play this gig it would have to make financial sense as I would doubt it would keep me musically simulated. Secondly, If I had a call to serve in music ministry, I might have a tough time accepting.
 
#45
An opportunity to play with others is always tempting, but they need to at least be interested in making decent music. If it’s just pretending to be a band for gas money, I’d rather cut grass and run a weed eater.
 
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#46
Vincent Van Low said:
Pros= rehearsal is a close drive, less than 15 minutes. Easy set/up tear down, I only bring my bass. Songs are easy to learn. Musicians are good not great.

Cons= Gigs will be bars only, possibly an hour away. Pay will be low. Songs people dont dance to, just drink beer and stare at you.


Help me decide. I play at church 2x a month, and an original band to write with as well currently 1x weekly. This cover band is 1 bass player away from getting a crappy bar gig, what to do??
Click to expand...


Only you can decide if this will be worth your while or not.

There was a time when I would have taken this opportunity and probably had a blast. But at this point, I wouldn't have anything to do with it.

IMHO, You should only take a gig when you get something of value from it. Since this gig is not going to pay well, you have to consider things like how much joy you get from simply playing music or being in the company of other musicians. You could also factor in the exposure the gig my provide. The idea is playing out tends to open the door to other opportunities, which may eventually lead to a good gig.
 
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#47
Vincent Van Low said:
Pros= rehearsal is a close drive, less than 15 minutes. Easy set/up tear down, I only bring my bass. Songs are easy to learn. Musicians are good not great.

Cons= Gigs will be bars only, possibly an hour away. Pay will be low. Songs people dont dance to, just drink beer and stare at you.


Help me decide. I play at church 2x a month, and an original band to write with as well currently 1x weekly. This cover band is 1 bass player away from getting a crappy bar gig, what to do??
Click to expand...
IMO your time is better spent playing with musicians that challenge you.
 
#48
This reminds me of a situation I was once in. When I was a Marine, a guy from my unit had a next door neighbor who was a musician, and he invited me over to jam, with the idea of maybe putting a band together. So I went over there, and we had what I thought was a decent jam. The other guys were getting so excited, they started talking about "what are we going to name this band?" I don't remember exactly all of what I said, but what follows is almost verbatim.

"Guys, stop! This is way too early to be talking about band names. You all have other priorities. I might be interested in this as a band, but first... Make a tape (this was the 90s) of 20 songs. I don't care what the 20 songs are. You guys get together and choose the songs, any 20 songs, and make a tape of them. Then, give me the tape, and I will learn the songs. Then, we can get together, play the 20 songs, and see how that goes. If it goes well, then we can start thinking about what to name this band. But that's what has to happen first. I'll know you guys are serious when I get that tape in my hand."

I never got the tape. According to my friend's neighbor, after I left, my requirement precipitated an argument during which their dream of a band exploded. Waste of time, and crisis, averted.
 
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#52
What else are you doing, musically?

I think a low calorie gig like this is better than no gig for a person who wants to maintain/build a network in their scene. And some of these bar gigs can act a little like a fitness program - keep the dust off, keep your callouses, whatever.

But all that assumes your time isn’t at premium. If this would be your third concurrent gig, if you have a family and you cash in hall pass points each time you want to play, or anything like that - maybe hold off for something you feel more strongly about.
 
#53
2-hour round trips for low paying gigs with not-great musicians would be a hard stop for me.

If I lived in your neighborhood with easy access to the Orlando general musicians' pool of talent, I'd look for other opportunities.

Curious, if rehearsals are only 15 minutes away, why the long haul for gigs?
 
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#54
Koog said:
I would not be satisfied with, nor accept, a musical association that promises to be mediocre. I don't want that stain on my reputation.

I voted pass.

Koog
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My reputation was stained, bleached and destroyed in the wash long ago. I'm just not that special.

Still, a musical situation that promises mediocrity and low pay promises little joy.

Pass.
 
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#55
Vincent Van Low said:
Pros= rehearsal is a close drive, less than 15 minutes. Easy set/up tear down, I only bring my bass. Songs are easy to learn. Musicians are good not great.

Cons= Gigs will be bars only, possibly an hour away. Pay will be low. Songs people dont dance to, just drink beer and stare at you.


Help me decide. I play at church 2x a month, and an original band to write with as well currently 1x weekly. This cover band is 1 bass player away from getting a crappy bar gig, what to do??
Click to expand...

Do you want to? The situation described doesn’t appeal to me but you’re another person.
 
#56
High capability + low commitment is a prescription for an unhappy relationship in my book. I’d focus on the originals band and pass on this one out of fairness to both yourself and this cover band. But that’s me.
 
#57
Pocket Dave said:
2-hour round trips for low paying gigs with not-great musicians would be a hard stop for me.

If I lived in your neighborhood with easy access to the Orlando general musicians' pool of talent, I'd look for other opportunities.

Curious, if rehearsals are only 15 minutes away, why the long haul for gigs?
Click to expand...
I wondered that too. Suburban guys but they want to play downtown bars was my guess. I’m a little bit that way myself.
 
#59
In my area, the only bands that stay busy are the ones that get people on the dance floor having a good time, so if this one is only going to play for the "drink and stare" crowd, they likely won't exist for very long anyway, so I wouldn't bother wasting my time in getting it going.
 
#60
Killing Floor said:
One of the all time greatest punk-adjacent bands.
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I only know one other person who's even heard of Redd Kross; they're the poster child for "almost famous". Somehow they were just really good starting out hardcore and getting all grunge/poppy over the years.

I had one of my band members listen to Phaseshifter recently and they were blown away.

Actually to OP's question: unless you like playing just to play or you are well paid, the whole "live background music" thing gets old really fast.
 
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