What does the future look like for weekend warriors?

[Eric_71]

There a lot of salient points in here, to the point where I am discouraged. I am relatively new to the game, though I have played in church for about 8-10 years.

So what does the future look like? Are we going to holding our own events? Playing at church exclusively?

To answer your question, I'm not sure. I feel like there will be a course correction eventually. Sure, there are hurdles with generational tendencies, smoking/drinking crackdown, prices, and technology, but weren't there times in the past when disco or synth-pop dominated the scene and guitar-based music made a comeback?

And don't mistake this for me doing a rah-rah call to arms. I just think that good songs played well by a good band are pretty entertaining, even to the non-muso. Once that is rediscovered, it seems likely that things will swing in the other direction. Due to the way that commercialization can kill some of the attraction (e.g. $6 beers), it may end up being more seat-of-your-pants type of events (BYOPA, etc.). But I would imagine that within 5-10 years things will probably look a little different.

Are the 80s coming back? No. Are we going to be making lots of money in the future? Doubtful. But I would guess that your average bar right now will end up being more band-friendly sooner or later.

 

[jacksonev94]

Not really. I live in a college town in Central Virginia, and there are tons of opportunities to play in the area. The "hipster" scene is big here, so weekend coffee shop gigs are plentiful, most of the colleges support local music acts (mine has a monthly "Campus Artist Series"), there's a commune/collective that has shows almost every weekend, and there are lots of breweries and wineries that are constantly looking for live bands to play their outdoor festivals or live music on Friday nights. Aaaaand I'm just sitting here, not gigging (with the exception of church.)

 

[BayStateBass]

Not really. I live in a college town in Central Virginia, and there are tons of opportunities to play in the area. The "hipster" scene is big here, so weekend coffee shop gigs are plentiful, most of the colleges support local music acts (mine has a monthly "Campus Artist Series"), there's a commune/collective that has shows almost every weekend, and there are lots of breweries and wineries that are constantly looking for live bands to play their outdoor festivals or live music on Friday nights. Aaaaand I'm just sitting here, not gigging (with the exception of church.)

That's pretty cool, honestly. But it inevitably leads to the next question for a lot of people........how many of these things are paid performances? At some point or another, it almost always comes back to this for a lot of people.

Can you shed any light on this? My first impression, and it is probably incorrect, is that a lot of what you mentioned are non-paying types of gigs.

And in the end, maybe that's what the weekend warrior will eventually be faced with. Maybe they're being edged out of the market in favor of large, high end pro musical acts and small, free shows. Maybe the mid-grade bar cover band has become a dinosaur.

 

[Bingo]

Where is it all going?

My opinion is that live music will go the way of hotrod cars. We will do it in garages in our homes, and every now and then get together for a "show" or "convention" where we all show off what we have been working on for the past decade or so. Eventually nobody will care what a '69 Corvette was. And I think eventually nobody will care who The Beatles or the Funk Brothers were either. It's just the course of history playing itself out. I will sit in a rocking chair with my grandkid on my knee one day and show him/her pictures of the days when we actually played instruments in front of people. And he/she will think that is silly and old-fashioned.

 

[sowilson]

The decline of live music has been going on since the mid 70's. A number of years ago I gave up the chase and decided to play music I like with people I like - damn the money, ego, and bad bars. So, if I can I love jazz sessions, or open night for blues/rock. If those are not available I'll bring the mandolin out to bluegrass jams. Or I'll take my octive mandolin and banjo to irish, scotish, or similar sessions and play there. Of course there are celi's to play, or morris dance tunes, and American Old Timey. Lot's of music to play not all of it easy to find, but there's always someplace to play, just have to expand your horizons.

 

[Spectrum]

It doesn't help that people often can't smoke anymore, so body odor is prevalent and noticeable

Uh, wait a minute, what?!

 

[smeet]

The decline and cheapening of live music started with the very first record release. At one point a live performance was precious, it was experienced once and NEVER AGAIN.

Then at some point you could hear the album on your stereo, and the performance was a re-creation of the album.

Then, you could hear it on your walkman and iPod and iPhone.

Then it was largely sequenced and edited so that what you heard live was actually the same thing you heard on your iPhone.

Also, albums went away, so people want to hear a random variety of stuff that a live performance can't deliver. They don't want to hear the same band for two hours, unless they already love that band, and maybe not even then.

 

[pklima]

Where is it all going?

My opinion is that live music will go the way of hotrod cars. We will do it in garages in our homes, and every now and then get together for a "show" or "convention" where we all show off what we have been working on for the past decade or so. Eventually nobody will care what a '69 Corvette was. And I think eventually nobody will care who The Beatles or the Funk Brothers were either. It's just the course of history playing itself out. I will sit in a rocking chair with my grandkid on my knee one day and show him/her pictures of the days when we actually played instruments in front of people. And he/she will think that is silly and old-fashioned.

Yup. I know people who reenact early medieval combat. It's not that different from a blues festival.

 

[electracoyote]

I'm making $100.00 a night at the B-rooms in my area, and getting some hot dance floor action.

Life is good in my hood.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

You know, I got to thinking more about this. One thing that popped into my head is the demographic of who we are playing for, and I thought about it after reading some of the previous posts about Youtube, the internet, etc.

You would be hard pressed to find too many people under 35 or 40 years old at one of our shows. Someone mentioned the 80's aren't coming back, and yes....it's true. The people who are coming out too see us are the same people who were doing just that back 20 years ago, because that's how they spent their weekends then.....and they still do. We get older and so do our crowds.

Do younger people go out for live music? I don't know. They aren't coming out to see us, for the most part.

Tough question. Where is it all going? I don't know.

The band I've gigged most with over the last four years was a pretty straightforward blues/r&b outfit, fronted by a singer/sax player. The audience demographic for the band was definitely 40+. Over that time, the gigs began to disappear. Our audience was habituated to going to clubs, but they were getting older, too, and far less likely to come out for a weekend gig that started at 10 pm.

Just over a year ago, our frontman split, and we were down to working once a month, still playing the same kind of material. Not good. In January, we brought on a 23-year-old chick singer (she showed up at the audition with her father), with much grumbling about not wanting anyone who wasn't willing to carry equipment, etc.

She has turned us around. It isn't just that she can sing well and look good in a red dress--it's that she's got us seriously modernizing our book. We've done a college gig with her, and just did our first club gig with her--and while we still have the fans who've been supporting us for years, there's very obviously a younger crowd that we're connecting with.

And you know where this is going, right? Just today we picked up four more gigs for March. It helps that we're based in Asheville NC, a city of 80,000 where on any weekend night there are something like 35 live music shows to choose from. (And where every other person you meet on the street is "in a band")

Will this last? I have no idea. We may be all sitting around looking at each other in April. But for the moment, anyway, it seems to be working.

 

[tbirdsp]

It doesn't help that people often can't smoke anymore, so body odor is prevalent and noticeable

Uh, wait a minute, what?!

I'll second that - WHAT!? That has got to be one of the weirdest things I've ever read.

I certainly don't miss the days of having to go outside on my breaks to escape the choking, gagging cigarette smoke.

 

[tbirdsp]

In January, we brought on a 23-year-old chick singer - She has turned us around. It isn't just that she can sing well and look good in a red dress--it's that she's got us seriously modernizing our book.

Great story Bunk. So you are saying updating/modernizing your song list is what is helping?

I'm in a similar situation - 50-something re-entry player, played for about a year now in a cover band with a great female lead singer in her late 20's. However - the keyboard player/band co-leader (who quit at the end of 2013) was kind of a stick in the mud when it came to song choices. I was ready to quit, but he went first. We have re-formed with no keys and a very versatile guitar player friend of mine. Trying to let the singer pick the songs now, since she is more in the demographic we want to hit. We have our first gigs with the new lineup coming in April, and the whole band is re-energized.

 

[Sundogue]

Everyone is making great points (obviously specific to their area, but in general as well).

I think with the advent of indie bands, studios, home recording, YouTube, etc. the time is ripe for those of us wanting to write, record and perform original music to try and give it a go.

While there will always be a place for cover bands, people are far more enlightened about music these days. They are no longer limited to only radio airplay to discover the new music out there.

I put my gear away in storage because the cover band music scene was getting very stale for me and I don't live in a large metro area where there is a large pool or musicians or listeners. But I joined up with some other musicians and we have two CD's out with a third coming out this summer. I'm 53 and have been playing for over 35 years.

Despite a population of less than 100,000 (in the greater area) this area is VERY supportive of the arts (all kinds) with art museums, the Grand Theater that hires big name national acts (both music and live theater), a large park in the central of the city with a great bandshell (completely surrounded by large buildings on all four blocks making it like a concert like atmosphere) every Wednesday night that is free and very well attended. Plus we have quite a few local clubs that support and encourage new, fresh music.

I think the time is NOW for us to be creative with our music (of all genres). The music scene is far from dead, it's just shifted it's focus.

Now regarding weekend warriors? That's all I am. We get together to rehearse or play only on the weekends as we all have "day jobs".

 

[sj_bass]

I've been a weekend warrior since '85... At our peak from '89-'95 we were playing 5 nights a week - Wed-Sun. Pay was decent too - making about $600-$750 per week. I also noticed that starting around '95 we would share the evening with a DJ - they would pack the dance floor while our sets were just for watching. I would talk to bar managers about this and they loved it - we were helping them sell drinks between the DJ's sets...

Right around 2000 we began to see a significant decline. 4-nighters became 3, 3-nighters became 2, and now we only play 1 or 2 clubs 2 nights in a row. Then again, our crowd has aged with us as well - although we do play two nights a month in a college town and the 20-something crowd likes that we play 'old school' dance tunes. But we've had to downsize - we're now a 3-piece since we had to let our keyboardist go. The good news is we have been able to adapt and still make some decent money as weekend warriors...

The venues for live weekend warrior bands are:
A) Larger clubs that have both live music and Dj alternating sets
B) Smaller clubs that want us to play DJ-style break music on our iPad during our breaks
C) Even smaller - bars that have a very steady crowd of regulars
D) Large specialty clubs (e.g. House of Blues) that will have a support band for their feature act.
E) Smaller specialty clubs that hire tribute and original acts for little/no pay

Bottom line for us as weekend warriors is this:
Times are a-changin'... Adapt or die.

 

[Sundogue]

Bottom line for us as weekend warriors is this:
Times are a-changin'... Adapt or die.

^ THIS ^

But that really applies to all musicians across the board, doesn't it?

 

[MrLenny1]

Bleak,very bleak.
The Great recession really killed what was left of the scene.
Even corporate America won't throw a party & hire a band, CEO's too busy spending $3.8 million on a Corvette.
I use to gig for money with good bands.
Now I play at jam sessions.

 

[bassmanrocke]

While I think there is decline in live music, a great deal of it is economic. Our economy has seen almost no growth in 7 years. Bar owners aren't doing as well because less people are coming out. Bands can't draw as well because disposable income is down, and going out is a luxury. I can't tell you how many times I've heard friends and coworkers say "sorry I couldn't make the show. I really wanted to, but the mortgage was due." If we can't draw how can we expect owners to pay us. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel, but it is a long dark path.

 

[Kmonk]

In the early 80s, I kept my band booked Tuesday through Saturday for 4 years. We rehearsed on Sunday and Monday night. We played covers and never played for less than $500 on a weeknight or less than $1,000 on a Friday or Saturday. Most weeks we made around $4,000. We were the house band at one venue and played every Tuesday and Wednesday, usually to about 150 people. We would play at other clubs for the rest of the week. One week out of the month we played the entire week at that same venue which saved us from having to break down and load out. The weekends we usually played to about 300 people, sometimes as many as 1,000.

Times have changed for a lot of reasons:
1. Many more bands now than there were 30 years ago. Many will take gigs for low pay just to get a chance to gig. This reduces opportunities for better quality bands.
3. Many bar owners no longer care about booking a good band. They just care about bar sales. The novelty of having a live band has worn off.
2. Most bands are playing many of the same songs and are not very good. How any time can you hear a cover band butcher "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Walk This Way"?
3. Karaoke
4. People have less time on their hands
5. More awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving as well as tougher drunk driving laws
6. People have many more entertainment choices. HD TV with surround sound, movies on demand, more movie theaters, the internet, etc.
7. Many venues have decided to convert to sports bars to save the cost of hiring a band or investing in a house sound system.
8. The Ipod. People can now take music with them wherever they go and have thousands of songs at their fingertips
9. The economy. Many people are out of work or just don't want to spend money going to a bar.

I have been fortunate enough to do a lot of touring and have played to as many as 25,000 people. In my current band, we do not gig every week but many of our gigs are at nicer clubs and casinos. We never play for less than $1,500 and recently got $2,500 plus access to the casino's all you can eat seafood and prime rib buffet for 2 one hour sets. I would rather do one or two of those each month than play every week for $100.

 

[Stewie26]

Times have changed for a lot of reasons:
1. Many more bands now than there were 30 years ago. Many will take gigs for low pay just to get a chance to gig. This reduces opportunities for better quality bands.
3. Many bar owners no longer care about booking a good band. They just care about bar sales. The novelty of having a love band has worn off.
2. Most bands are playing many of the same songs and are not very good. How any time can you hear a cover band butcher "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Walk This Way"?
3. Karaoke
4. People have less time on their hands
5. More awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving as well as tougher drunk driving laws
6. People have many more entertainment choices. HD TV with surround sound, movies on demand, more movie theaters, the internet, etc.
7. Many venues have decided to convert to sports bars to save the cost of hiring a band or investing in a house sound system.
8. The Ipod. People can now take music with them wherever they go and have thousands of songs at their fingertips
9. The economy. Many people are out of work or just don't want to spend money going to a bar.

.

This. Best list of reasons for live music decline I have seen

 

[duff beer]

I just like playing, and it doesn't have to be a gig. Between the 2 bands I'm in, they gig less than 10 times per year...and I'm fine with that. Neither band plays bars, and no one really wants to. We simply play the occasional benefit or private party and because we are decent, we almost always land another gig from that.

The private gigs are nice...most of them are in someone's big back yard for a 40th or 50th birthday party, a retirement, or Joe Blow's annual BBQ. We get decent pay (usually $500 or a little more), free food, and access to the beer tub. Last summer we had a sweet gig on a beach on a covered outdoor stage at a private campground. The bikini clad girls playing beach volleyball made it especially fun. The owner of the campground liked us and invited us back for this summer...I can't wait