Sober musicians playing bar gigs...

[rappa29]

We have a 'band shot' right before we start.

Other than that, we're all pretty chill about the drinking. People are gonna buy the band beers, shots, etc, but we exercise moderation and we all know better than to over do it during a show.

 

[Baird6869]

Three beers max.

+1. I have a beer when I get there, maybe one between sets and usually one after the gig.

Also, I drive. I am too responsible to lose my licence for a DWI.

Also, as stated above... playing a gig is a job. I wouldn't go into a boardroom to present to executives while loaded, so why should it be acceptable to do a gig p!$$ed?

 

[Mike N]

I don't drink anything the day of a gig.

 

[Bassman8416]

Man,I've been struggling with Drug Adduction for years. As much as I wanted to believe that it wasn't a problem for me it was.
Now 3 detoxes and 3 rehabs later I have come to accept I can not have one of anything otherwise it starts the whole near death spiral all over again.
I now have 202 days clean and I am preparing to go back out and play.
1.Always have a Plan
2.Take someone in recovery(with a lot of clean time)with you
3.Play with people who don't have the need to drink or drug before they go on stage.Believe it when I tell you it has a bad effect on the Music.
4.NO MATTER WHAT don't pick up and use.
This is just for me. I don't judge or preach to anyone who drinks or uses drugs ....for many people it is not a problem....For me though it is a matter of life and death.One day at a Time.
Peace
PS-Alcohol is a Drug.......Period!

 

[morf]

Man,I've been struggling with Drug Adduction for years. As much as I wanted to believe that it wasn't a problem for me it was.
Now 3 detoxes and 3 rehabs later I have come to accept I can not have one of anything otherwise it starts the whole near death spiral all over again.
I now have 202 days clean and I am preparing to go back out and play.
1.Always have a Plan
2.Take someone in recovery(with a lot of clean time)with you
3.Play with people who don't have the need to drink or drug before they go on stage.Believe it when I tell you it has a bad effect on the Music.
4.NO MATTER WHAT don't pick up and use.
This is just for me. I don't judge or preach to anyone who drinks or uses drugs ....for many people it is not a problem....For me though it is a matter of life and death.One day at a Time.
Peace
PS-Alcohol is a Drug.......Period!

Stay strong You shouldn't give up music because of this crap, and its good to see you make every effort not to!

 

[DanielM]

I don't have a problem with the alcohol in the bars; I can avoid or limit my intake of the stuff. However, many bars are smoky, and I can't hold my breath for a three-hour gig. I go home stinky and my eyes burn.

Of course, I if played really hard, I'd be stinky anyway. Just a different stink.

+1 on that. I have no problem not drinking alcohol, especially not at gigs. but it's the smoke that gets to me too. not being a smoker it really irritates me, it burns my eyes and I hate the fact that you draw out a clean shirt for a gig and then you come home and throw it straight into the laundry... can't wait for the smoking ban in bars!

 

[Barfly]

I have a few drinks a night. Max two or three beers before I play depending on how much I've had to eat all day.

I'm more a stickler of not eating within 2 hours of performance. Stuffing my face always makes me play horrible.

+1

 

[BuffaloBass]

Having recovering alcoholics as in laws, ( 16 and 11 years sober!!) I can see why some would have an issue. Bassman, keep the faith in YOU man!

To me, its like shooting pool, sober - I'm deadly ( as deadly as I can be lets say)., with a pint, still ok, sometimes better as I'm more relaxed, two pints, fogetaboutit. I 'll have a Guiness second or third set and nurse it like Makers Mark.

Weed is my vice. Thankfully you cant buy it everywhere, and I couldn't play bars in Amerserdam cause I'd try and play stoned. That dont work well either.

Being in a "musical stream of consciousness" is its own high to me. Its certainly my " Mary Jane" these days.

 

[Stuggi]

I'm gonna bump this topic as it's an extremely important subject to our trade.

Personally, I stick with one beer if I'm driving, before or after the gig (preferably after), but only one.

If I'm not driving, then I might take a couple more, but I don't enjoy being "shitfaced" kinda drunk, so I tend to limit myself to 3-5 beers, no more than one before, the rest after the gig.

Still, I tend to do the same thing while drinking socially, due to reasons stated above, the whole experience is so much more rewarding that way. This usually leads to me being the driver for nearly every night out, which in turn have lead to my friends thinking that I have a problem with alcohol.

Another good tip is to don't act like everybody is lesser than you because they drink and you don't, I personally can't stand these types, whether drinking or sober. I have this theory that these kinds of persons really would like to drink, but for some reason or not don't, and the only way for them to not drink is to consider everybody else less of a person. I'd say let everybody do what they want, as long as they let me do what I want to. Then again I don't like people that act like arseholes drunk either, if you can't act like a human drunk, don't drink.

I might add that I have too many alcoholics in my family to count, luckily I didn't inherit the addictive gene, but I like to stay on the light side just to be safe.
Everyone would probably benefit from seeing a real alcoholic (the 24/7 kind) or someone who has had an acid trip go really bad (that guy is luckily not in my family nor one of my fiends, still a real eye opener).

 

[klokker]

For me, the much more salient issue is that I simply don't care for the typical bar environment.

This is true for me as well. I've seen a lot of good bands whose sole function seemed to be to get people wasted in order to "have a good time". So far in my limited bar performances this hasn't been the case. But if it gets that way I'll have to be out.

I'd prefer not to be an enabler.

 

[iriegnome]

Alcoholism runs in both of my parents families. I don't drink at all. I have drank, but nothing about loosing that control appeals to me at all. I hate playing with drunks since they are completely useless onstage and off, which means more work for me. It sucks the royal big one. From what I can tell there is no trick. I just don't drink. It is plain and simple for me. I know it can be pretty tough for some though.

 

[omnimutant]

I'm the Only "sober" person in our band...ever! I don't drink/do drugs anymore. Naturally I over did both for a long time up till my mid 20's. One day I had enough. Now I find myself in a new band with some people I played with back then when I was drunk/high alot. Problem is, they never stopped using anything. Back in the day it was fun to get on stage 1/2 crocked and "lay it down" with out a care in the world. Anymore I'm the only one who doesn't. I have my own fun though, being the only Sober guy at the show

The irony is the rest of the band can still throw down a mean set completely wasted, and actually at shows they are border line belligerent. It works for them I guess. As the only Sober member of a band it's pretty strange and if I didn't know these guys for so long, I'd probably not be playing with them now. The Key is, don't let people Influence you into drinking. Lay the Law down from the start. Let them Know right off that it's not your thing and if they push they will be finding another bass player.

The Positive side (aside from not being an annoying drunk/stonner anymore), is that you end up saving a lot of money. Playing local bars/venues around town, your lucky to ever get paid, so when you do and you don't drink, you actually make a little money once in a while. Also most of the bar around here are pretty cool about hooking you up with free soda/coffee/food (if applicable) all night, since your not draining the bar bill at all.

I try not to Judge though. You'd be surprised at how well, a band plays drunk/high, when they practice drunk/high! It's just not my thing anymore.

Good Topic BTW!

 

[addylewis]

UK drunk driving laws are WAY hotter than in the states - three beers, and you loose your license...

U sure about that? I always thought you got points on the licence first? U may be thinking of Australia...the breathalyser (spelling?) thing doesn't get me - I don't drink save literally 1 pint a month...but say I had 1 pint then tried to drive, LEGALLY my blood alcohol level would be fine but I'd FEEL drunk - I'm not a dwarf either so how many people who ARE really "too drunk" after 2 pints but are within the limit so get away with it when they shouldn't really be driving must be something stupid...

I actually drink more than our rhythm guitarist (which is something I've NEVER seen before in a band...)

 

[CapnSev]

It's a business, treat it like one. I wouldn't show up to my day job and want to drink, so I take the same mentality at the bar gig.

In fact, the second another band member starts to get "buzzed" or drunk or something, either he's out, or I am. 99% of the time it only leads to embarrassment.

 

[stiles72]

I'm not much of a drinker to start with - in fact I would say I rarely drink. If I do, it's one beer, or one shot and thats it. Being in cover bands and playing in bars where the job is to push alcohol sales makes it hard for some people. I usually drink Coke at shows, and when people ask "What are you drinking?" or "What can I get you?" I just say "Jack and Coke" then thank them for the drink - and it usually winds up sitting back behind my amp. True it's misleading- but again, our job is to push sales for the club owner. Also, patrons feel good when they can buy the band a round of shots or a drink. If you say to them "Sorry I don't drink" I've found they sometimes think your a real square or your "stand offish" and not very engaing. I've never used the "Sorry I'm a recovering alcoholic line", but I know guys who have.

In one of my past bands that played 7 nights in a row at a particular club that was notorious for folks buying the band lots of shots - I clued the bartenders in ahead of time to just give me water or coke, and to put a slice of lime by mine on the tray so I knew which was which. Sometimes I would keep some shot glasses on stage behind my amp- 2 with water, 2 with coke so if I was playing and someone brought a shot to the stage I could set the shot on my amp and then when the song was done, grab the other one, get the bar to do an "all shot" with me and then procede with the next song. Granted this system wasn't perfect - and it didnt work if it was a different color of shot. Some may say that's lame - but it didnt offend the patrons and it kept up the "party" image for the club owner.

 

[electracoyote]

for you (that are comfortable addressing this topic) that are sober, do you find it a risk? Any "tricks" that you use to avoid temptation?

The "trick" for me is the knowledge that I don't play as well with a buzz, I feel just as confident without it, so it makes no sense to imbibe. Water is my beverage before and during the performance. I may treat myself to a brew afterward.

I'm sure there are exceptions, and those who can justify it, by my observation is that many musicians who think they are just fine (or even better) with a buzz, are just flat wrong.

 

[bluewine]

I realize this is a personal topic, but I've known a few friends over the years that were good players but aren't comfortable playing bars/clubs. Personally, I have some alcoholism in my own family, and admit from time to time I've thought about the wisdom of spending a considerable amount of time in bars - for you (that are comfortable addressing this topic) that are sober, do you find it a risk? Any "tricks" that you use to avoid temptation?

Depends on your situation, I don't drink, a club might be packed with a lot of cool people partying and lots of "hot chicks" and you might be tempted.

Just project into the future and imagine yourself drunk and going home alone and all the chics are with other guys.You would be better off sober.

 

[Rama]

My dad is constantly shitfaced, from the morning he wakes up till he falls asleep at a random time.
My mom divorced from him very quickly, without doubting herself.

I have his Gibson SG now (Lying under my bed), full with beer and wine stains, I refuse to clean it nor use it, I just keep it to remind myself not to drink. (I drank one beer in the year 2007 and three in 2008).

 

[bassbrad]

Not much of a drinker any more and almost never at gigs. It's soft drinks or water at gigs unless it's a shot of something special of a nice glass of wine. I don't like playing with folks that get drunk or high, no fun.

 

[mcapote]

Im strongheaded. I have the mentality, just like smoking, "Hey you have an addictive personality, the same personality that made you obsess over learnign the bass to the point that you were playing out 2 months after picking one up, is the same personality that makes you go from 1-100 in everything, so just dont do the 1." So when I play out buttload of water and diet cokes, and deal with the cigarettes, never had a problem with watching other people drink though, just blowing smoke in my face. I try to keep away from it as much as possible, but a show is a show and just tell myself keep away.