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What does the future look like for weekend warriors?
- Thread starter Jarrett
- Start date
I think the number of gigs you have is directly related to how well your band is at bringing the party. In 2012 I played too many gigs, right at 100. My band imploded in last year and I joined a sub par band and will play 50 gigs this year. My friends in other bands are still playing 48 weekends a year...they are in better bands. I do agree I have seen a huge decline in the 2 nighter in the bar band circuit.
You sir deserve a gold star. That should be carved in stone and hung up on the wall in every weekend warrior's bedroom.
I wish more cover band musicians thought this way.
When a club, or bar, or any entity hires you to bring a party atmosphere, that is your #1 Priority. Audience-centered bands have more work than they can handle. They are hired to entertain, and they have developed a strategy to deliver the goods. They are a valuable commodity to the booking entity who wants guests and patrons having fun, dancing, singing out loud, sticking around a little longer, and ordering another round of drinks or food. Because THAT is how these establishments stay in business, by selling their products.
Most cover bands that complain about not working enough, or having to work the dives, are probably too focused on themselves, and not focused enough on their respective audiences at the clubs they wish they could play.
I've noticed that there's a healthy market for indie originals acts, but the style of delivery is different.
Set lists are a carefully-designed mixture of originals and reboots of familiar cover tunes.
The venues are smaller theaters and music clubs, bookstores, church halls, or even house concerts. People often go to those shows to listen, rather than dance or hunt for hookups. Because the audience, the ticket prices and therefore the take at the door are less, duo and solo acts are best suited to this market.
Loopers like Michael Manring, Phil Keaggy, or Jacob Moon ( ) do really well. As their fan base builds, they can scale their shows on an event-by-event basis. I've seen Jacob do everything from solo dates, to a Christmas series with a 3-piece rhythm section, a string quartet, and guest singers.
They also have the advantage that travel is less expensive, making mini-tours relatively easy to organize. This allows them to cluster additional shows around an existing event, in the same way that the big guys book smaller fly dates off the summer festival circuit...
Set lists are a carefully-designed mixture of originals and reboots of familiar cover tunes.
The venues are smaller theaters and music clubs, bookstores, church halls, or even house concerts. People often go to those shows to listen, rather than dance or hunt for hookups. Because the audience, the ticket prices and therefore the take at the door are less, duo and solo acts are best suited to this market.
Loopers like Michael Manring, Phil Keaggy, or Jacob Moon ( ) do really well. As their fan base builds, they can scale their shows on an event-by-event basis. I've seen Jacob do everything from solo dates, to a Christmas series with a 3-piece rhythm section, a string quartet, and guest singers.
They also have the advantage that travel is less expensive, making mini-tours relatively easy to organize. This allows them to cluster additional shows around an existing event, in the same way that the big guys book smaller fly dates off the summer festival circuit...
This is pretty much exactly my experience around here, and as a millennial it feels like that's what my generation wants from live bands outside of the stadium filling acts.
And some of the more experienced guys around have caught on to that, all 3 original type bands I'm in now include at least one member in their 50's. but some of the others are still doing the same old covers for free beer downtown every night, which had mostly killed off the good venues around here, although a couple have since popped up and are having a pretty good go of making a new scene with some help from the bands on being flexible.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
There's a market for unique reinterpretations of older songs. That includes songs from as far back as the 1920s. I don't know how big a market it is, but I know first hand that it exists. I'm not talking about jazz, either. That's a whole 'nother avenue.
I'm not nearly as pessimistic as many here. But, I don't think classic rock cover bands have much shelf life left in them. Nor do I think there's much life left in standard issue indie rock. There will always be venues to play in, but it won't be a living unless the music makes people show up and spend money.
We're letting our singer picks songs for now, since she's the one doing the singing. Stop me if you've heard the one about nobody leaving the club humming the guitar solos...
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
We have a monthly gig in a cafe and another in a coffee shop. It's strictly weekend warrior stuff, since it doesn't pay much, but it's playing in front of an audience. And, it's a way to generate an audience if nobody in the band has any interest in marketing or putting up posters. No DUI issues, either.
Agree with OP. But, this is not a recent development. things have been heading this direction for about the last decade.
Mainly, the peeps aren't going out to the clubs as much anymore. That's it. I don't think that has anything at all to do with the entertainment being offered. There are serious DWI laws being strictly enforced now; we have a transportation system set up around de-centralized burbs with negligible public trans; and social interaction has (cough cough) gone on line for the moment.
Many of the the clubs here in PHX do not have have regular clientele at all anymore. Club owners expect the band to bring "a following" to make up for the lack of regular customers.
Its ugly; don't see the dynamics for a cycle back in time; and think everyone will just have to adapt. Pop music has got a whole new dynamic.
Wish I had a better picture to paint.
Mainly, the peeps aren't going out to the clubs as much anymore. That's it. I don't think that has anything at all to do with the entertainment being offered. There are serious DWI laws being strictly enforced now; we have a transportation system set up around de-centralized burbs with negligible public trans; and social interaction has (cough cough) gone on line for the moment.
Many of the the clubs here in PHX do not have have regular clientele at all anymore. Club owners expect the band to bring "a following" to make up for the lack of regular customers.
Its ugly; don't see the dynamics for a cycle back in time; and think everyone will just have to adapt. Pop music has got a whole new dynamic.
Wish I had a better picture to paint.
I think the future is what we make of it. Opportunities are slim, but if you are smart about planning your band and your product, you should be able to draw crowds and find decent places to play.
For us, what is working is to play out about once a month, close to home. We can pretty much guarantee a good crowd, and the bar owners are happy. When we venture too far from home (or play too frequently), our numbers fall off dramatically. Around where I live, there are not many places for a weekend warrior cover band like mine to play (or that are worth playing). I am fortunate to have a dive bar in my town that we play which is a short drive for most of my friends -- we pull in a good crowd there, but it is entirely OUR crowd. None of the bars around here have a built-in customer base for live bands, which brings the inevitable question "how many people will you bring us?" There are two other small dive bars within 15 minutes of my house that do live music. Unfortunately, that's about 15 minutes farther than our friends are likely to drive to see us. It's a fickle situation.
If we ever change band members in the future, a MAJOR consideration will be "does the new guy live somewhere new we can play, and is he going to work hard bring people out?"
Besides the standard bar gigs, I am constantly looking for other opportunities like summer festivals and fairs. So far, it's a tough nut to crack.
For us, what is working is to play out about once a month, close to home. We can pretty much guarantee a good crowd, and the bar owners are happy. When we venture too far from home (or play too frequently), our numbers fall off dramatically. Around where I live, there are not many places for a weekend warrior cover band like mine to play (or that are worth playing). I am fortunate to have a dive bar in my town that we play which is a short drive for most of my friends -- we pull in a good crowd there, but it is entirely OUR crowd. None of the bars around here have a built-in customer base for live bands, which brings the inevitable question "how many people will you bring us?" There are two other small dive bars within 15 minutes of my house that do live music. Unfortunately, that's about 15 minutes farther than our friends are likely to drive to see us. It's a fickle situation.
If we ever change band members in the future, a MAJOR consideration will be "does the new guy live somewhere new we can play, and is he going to work hard bring people out?"
Besides the standard bar gigs, I am constantly looking for other opportunities like summer festivals and fairs. So far, it's a tough nut to crack.
- Oct 18, 2012
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I agree. A good band will always be in demand.
Another thing I should that that I should have mentioned in my earlier post is that traditionally, most people who go to clubs to see bands have been in their early 20s to early 30s. People who are now at that age are also the first generation to grow up with the computers and video games. Many of them would rather stay home and engage in online games than go out.
While I absolutely agree with some of you guys about the quality of band, I think that gets a little bit off target. Weekend warriors is what the OP asked about. These are usually guys who are not interested in playing every single weekend and have jobs, families, and other responsibilities. Generally those kinds of guys have no desire to spend the time and make the effort it takes to get to the next level gigs. However, there used to be a market for "good" weekend warrior bands. In other words, there were two kinds of weekend warrior bands..... hacks and pros who just happened to go another route in life. Now, even the better weekend warrior bands (who have not taken the time to really polish their act to get to good corporate gigs and some private parties) have a hard time finding gigs.
I guess what I am trying to say is that there used to be an "in between" market and now there doesn't seem to be one in many markets. Good players and singers,but just not fully polished as to get into the $1,500+ gig category.
I guess what I am trying to say is that there used to be an "in between" market and now there doesn't seem to be one in many markets. Good players and singers,but just not fully polished as to get into the $1,500+ gig category.
In my world, it's about relationships, as in 'know somebody who can get you in and you get to play'. This arrangement does not result in the highest product quality, but it can keep you busy. For years and years now, again in my world, the best, most lucrative gigs belong to the social events bands, but it's a very tight box in terms of the music you will play there—well-worn MOR rock/funk/dance and/or Rat Pack-style stuff. Most clubs and bars, A-list or not, don't care to be known for the high quality of their acts. They just want fannies in the seats buying drinks, and it's no bigger or more cerebral than that.
We're letting our singer picks songs for now, since she's the one doing the singing. Stop me if you've heard the one about nobody leaving the club humming the guitar solos...
And definitely not the bass parts!
Gotcha - same philosophy I have. I want her singing stuff she is passionate about, because that's what the people will hear (and see). That's why I'm not too worried about adding keys even - as long as the drums, bass and some semblance of the chords are there - backing up an awesome vocal delivered by a pretty girl who knows how to work the room - I think we are golden
I'm in another new band that is 4 guys doing mostly 90's alt-rock dance/party stuff - but we all sing and have some pretty killer harmonies. Hopefully it will go over well too.
Not true for my area! There are quite a few bands here with members working day jobs and the band routinely make $1500+ on a regular basis. One of them is truly mediocre at best and make double that regularly! Weekend warriors can (and do) absolutely work every weekend.
I completely agree that bands need to adapt; you have to be playing for your audience. That might mean that you're 25 and playing for guys that are all 50 at some corporate gig. That might mean you're 50 and playing at a venue that's full of 20 somethings. If there isn't an audience there, what can you do to build one?
Who is your audience in 2014? That generation that grew up getting a trophy when they occasionally showed up and did something? They are 20-30 somethings and now self-proclaimed experts, critics, enthusiasts, trend setters, foodies, and consultants, because they are all special, unique and above average somehow. They have a blog where the world is their audience once a week, but instagram and twitter and various other outlets means they are constantly on stage. Their "followers" and "subscribers" need to see just how amazing their Tuesday night was, and if they went to the bar around the corner to hear a cover band, that doesn't get "retweets" and "likes" and "favourites" and validation. There is too much white noise out there, so everything has to be one step above everything else to get noticed. They have to "discover" something "new" that they can tell the world about. If it wasn't for them, the world would still be putting ketchup and mustard on their burgers, and you haven't LIVED until you've eaten roasted red peppers, caramelized leeks and a quail egg on a bison burger.
What does this mean for bands? They have to have a wow factor. Maybe it's original music in weird time signatures. Maybe it's an unexpected fusion of styles. Maybe it's over the top theatrics. Maybe it's 12 lava lamps on stage with you. There is a completely free improv horn band that plays around Toronto and you have no idea what is going to happen at any given performance. There is often an abundance of capes and a shortage of shirts. Sure it's a gimmick, but they put on a crazy show, draw a crowd, and everyone goes home with a story to tell. That is more exciting than "I heard Rocking in the Free World for the 1000th time."
The most successful "bands" I know that are playing around Toronto are versatile. Some are bands that can vary greatly in not only style, but personnel as well. There are a fair number of music collectives popping up, where the members play in a variety of different projects, and the project most suited to a particular gig is the one that plays. They support each other as a network of musicians, which helps them to network with a much larger audience. In those settings, I've seen the same core 2-4 musicians supplemented with a few others billed as a top40 wedding band Friday night, an originals project Saturday, a jazz combo Sunday at brunch, and they laugh all the way to the bank when they go back to their Monday-Friday.
Everyone wins. Your "collective" develops a reputation for being good musicians/performers, and so your reach grows even on those nights when you personally are not involved because there's a different project playing. And because venues, corporate gigs, wedding planners, bar owners, and whoever else might be booking gigs are lazy and adverse to taking risks, if they like your collective, they start calling you saying "we're doing a show on Saturday that wants a string quartet, and another one on Sunday that wants a disco band, do you have both of those?" Maybe you're the bass player that only plays top40, classic rock covers, and bluegrass, but because the guys who play jazz, classical, church music and polka are out there "advertising" for you, the phone starts to ring a little more all the same.
In my mind, that's the future for not just weekend warriors, but the business in general. We need to be versatile, provide something that will get people talking when they go home at the end of the night, and extend our reach by either entering or associating with other parts of the market. If one particular project really starts to take off then run with it, but if not, it doesn't hurt to have a couple more irons in the fire.
Who is your audience in 2014? That generation that grew up getting a trophy when they occasionally showed up and did something? They are 20-30 somethings and now self-proclaimed experts, critics, enthusiasts, trend setters, foodies, and consultants, because they are all special, unique and above average somehow. They have a blog where the world is their audience once a week, but instagram and twitter and various other outlets means they are constantly on stage. Their "followers" and "subscribers" need to see just how amazing their Tuesday night was, and if they went to the bar around the corner to hear a cover band, that doesn't get "retweets" and "likes" and "favourites" and validation. There is too much white noise out there, so everything has to be one step above everything else to get noticed. They have to "discover" something "new" that they can tell the world about. If it wasn't for them, the world would still be putting ketchup and mustard on their burgers, and you haven't LIVED until you've eaten roasted red peppers, caramelized leeks and a quail egg on a bison burger.
What does this mean for bands? They have to have a wow factor. Maybe it's original music in weird time signatures. Maybe it's an unexpected fusion of styles. Maybe it's over the top theatrics. Maybe it's 12 lava lamps on stage with you. There is a completely free improv horn band that plays around Toronto and you have no idea what is going to happen at any given performance. There is often an abundance of capes and a shortage of shirts. Sure it's a gimmick, but they put on a crazy show, draw a crowd, and everyone goes home with a story to tell. That is more exciting than "I heard Rocking in the Free World for the 1000th time."
The most successful "bands" I know that are playing around Toronto are versatile. Some are bands that can vary greatly in not only style, but personnel as well. There are a fair number of music collectives popping up, where the members play in a variety of different projects, and the project most suited to a particular gig is the one that plays. They support each other as a network of musicians, which helps them to network with a much larger audience. In those settings, I've seen the same core 2-4 musicians supplemented with a few others billed as a top40 wedding band Friday night, an originals project Saturday, a jazz combo Sunday at brunch, and they laugh all the way to the bank when they go back to their Monday-Friday.
Everyone wins. Your "collective" develops a reputation for being good musicians/performers, and so your reach grows even on those nights when you personally are not involved because there's a different project playing. And because venues, corporate gigs, wedding planners, bar owners, and whoever else might be booking gigs are lazy and adverse to taking risks, if they like your collective, they start calling you saying "we're doing a show on Saturday that wants a string quartet, and another one on Sunday that wants a disco band, do you have both of those?" Maybe you're the bass player that only plays top40, classic rock covers, and bluegrass, but because the guys who play jazz, classical, church music and polka are out there "advertising" for you, the phone starts to ring a little more all the same.
In my mind, that's the future for not just weekend warriors, but the business in general. We need to be versatile, provide something that will get people talking when they go home at the end of the night, and extend our reach by either entering or associating with other parts of the market. If one particular project really starts to take off then run with it, but if not, it doesn't hurt to have a couple more irons in the fire.
OK, I'll ask - what does this truly mediocre band do better than truly great bands that make less money?
I mean, they gotta be doing something right, and I'm genuinely interested what it is.
They have a built in fan base. They have been around for 40 years and most of their fans grew up with them. It's weird watching them play. Really good musicians individually but as a band, they are not tight at all and they stop after every song and waste several minutes with useless banter. I know several members in the band and they have expressed they are there for the money. Unfortunately, I'm friends with the band so I don't want to identify them! But trust me, $1500 is probably the lowest they get and they average $2500-$3000 and occasionally get more than that on different occasions.
