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What is working on the Club Scene?

#22
Oddly said:
Adult Alternative?
I think @hrodbert696 is running a band playing stuff that'd fit that.
Perhaps he'll drop by and discuss this.
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Six Cowards' set list is relatively current (since 2000) alternative/indie rock. See my sig.

Unfortunately, though, it's on hiatus now, possibly indefinitely. We just had a hard time getting consistent gigs around here. People who saw us really liked us, and it wasn't the same-old, same-old. But at least in our market, the bar crowd basically wants classic rock, and we had a hard time generating much turnout.

I have another group, Mugshot Monday, doing AC/DC, Zeppelin and Aerosmith, and much more response. It helps that the singer is a bar-scene regular and has lots of hard-drinking friends who show up wherever she goes. In Six Cowards, none of us had that (we're all a bunch of nerdy introverts).

But I think the part of @baddarryl 's plan that is most important is the part about actually visiting the local places they want to play in and get the feel for the kind of crowds there and what they respond to. If you find that the kind of stuff on the Six Cowards list is getting people excited, then play it, and my blessings on you. But the mountain won't come to Muhammad.
 
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#23
I've been gigging for about a year and a half now - to the game as a GOF just like you. Everyone seems to be overly concerned about having newer stuff in their rotations, and I supposed there are venues where that may be critical, but from what I've seen, the old 60s-70s-80s classic rock stuff still goes over well - even with the younger crowd. They may not know the tunes like we do, but they are still recognizable and will get the crowd moving.

I know it isn't Classic rock, but I was in New Orleans a couple weeks ago and the young crowd went absolutely ape-poopie when the band played "I Will Survive". I know this song has become the 70's iteration of "Respect", but it wasn't just the girls. I was just cracking up.

I think it's smart to have a handful of newer stuff in the mix (generally the more flexible you can be the better), but to me it's more critical to play stuff your band can legitimately relate to - I always feel like a fraud when we play stuff that is "just for the younger crowd". I'm not inspired to "perform" these songs, because they just don't touch my soul.
 
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#24
Our band plays somewhat of a variety. I'm new to the band but the singer swears the songs we will be doing will (for the most part) go over well. I love Classic Rock stuff but the singer made it clear that is dying a quick death... generally speaking.

So. I had to learn a couple country tunes, and "newer" contemporary radio/pop/rock tunes. I wasn't too thrilled about this initially but I have discovered that I actually enjoy playing most of these tunes.

Hope you find a singer who is more cooperative and things work out for you.
 
#26
mrcbass said:
I've been gigging for about a year and a half now - to the game as a GOF just like you. Everyone seems to be overly concerned about having newer stuff in their rotations, and I supposed there are venues where that may be critical, but from what I've seen, the old 60s-70s-80s classic rock stuff still goes over well - even with the younger crowd. They may not know the tunes like we do, but they are still recognizable and will get the crowd moving.

I know it isn't Classic rock, but I was in New Orleans a couple weeks ago and the young crowd went absolutely ape-poopie when the band played "I Will Survive". I know this song has become the 70's iteration of "Respect", but it wasn't just the girls. I was just cracking up.

I think it's smart to have a handful of newer stuff in the mix (generally the more flexible you can be the better), but to me it's more critical to play stuff your band can legitimately relate to - I always feel like a fraud when we play stuff that is "just for the younger crowd". I'm not inspired to "perform" these songs, because they just don't touch my soul.
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I think that's totally a fair point. It's because of the changed structure of the music industry. With digital delivery, even the younger people don't listen to the radio anymore - they get whatever they want on a streaming service. That means that even contemporary hits are not as universally known as the hits of the past - the audience is more fragmented. Since taste is no longer being shaped by what the radio station has on heavy rotation this summer, a 22-year-old is just as likely to be into Queen as Billie Eilish - or may not listen to either. Meanwhile the older crowd isn't likely to know the newer music at all. There are still a few modern hits that will go over pretty regularly - All About the Bass, Exes and Ohs, often a Black Keys tune - but we never found the young fans we thought we would who would get excited to hear Arctic Monkeys or Silversun Pickups.

I recently made a friend, 30 years old, runs with an "alternative" crowd, and I thought she totally would have been into what Six Cowards was doing. I mean, she was precisely the "target audience" I had in mind when I formed the band. Nope. She likes Kiss, Meat Loaf and Hall and Oates.
 
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#27
Just to reinforce that last point - a year or two ago I took my wife to the Middle East club in Cambridge, MA, to see a band I had really gotten into, Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas. I figured it's Cambridge (college town), it's the Middle East (venerable rock club), it's a young new artist, we'll probably be the oldest people there.

Nope.

We were practically the YOUNGEST (I'm late 40s). MOST of the crowd was gray-haired. The people we talked to were excited to see Jessica live because they had heard her on NPR.



(It was an AWESOME show, by the way. And turns out she was pregnant at the time - not really showing yet - and has barely played out since having her baby, so we were lucky to catch her when we did).
 
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#29
YMMV, but one thing that I enjoy doing (and seems that audiences enjoy too), is messing with the genre of some tunes on the set.

If your singer isn't interested in country, consider taking a popular country song and doing it in your own style. You need to keep it recognizable enough for people to understand what's happening, but have as much fun as you can. I've made my living for 20 years singing, and I can tell you that only about a third of the music I've gigged has been all that personally satisfying.
 
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#31
I have to echo what others have said. I have played many genres professionally and enjoy hard/prog rock the most. This type of music would never get us gigs here in Vancouver though, well maybe gigs with no pay.

Unfortunately, classic rock and rock cover bands and the pubs that hire them are becoming extinct.

I could never understand a singer or musician not wanting to mix things up and add different genres to their set lists. If you want to play for free, play whatever you want. If you want to get paid and get steady work you are going to have to play songs that some of the musicians don't care for.

If you really want to build a successful set list just search "top dance wedding songs". These are the songs everybody likes across generations. And yes "Play that Funky Music" is one of them.
 
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#32
Your singer is an idi....er...misguided. I play a mix of old country, Americana, and classic rock from the '70's. '80's, and '90's. It all goes over well. The crowds will always go for Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson. We throw in some Lyle Lovett to boot for the "Americana" stuff. The '70's/'80's stuff is all Cult pop oriented - Blister in the Sun, I Melt With You, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Werewolves of London, After Midnight, 500 Miles, etc. Throw in some ZZ Top and Georgia Satellites, and a Neil Youngish version of Wagon Wheel, and we have a good set of dance-able tunes.

And it seems that age doesn't matter - we had a younger woman requesting Billy Joel the other night, so go figure.
 
#33
If you want to play in bars, the sooner you accept the fact you are an alcohol sales team rather than a band, the easier it’s going to be for you. People don’t come to watch the band, they come to look for opportunities and the most opportunities occur when those seeking can approach those being sought and ask them to dance with the hope that leads to an opportunity to buy drinks for their newfound dance partner which (hopefully) leads to the core reason people go to bars.
If you want to work in bars, danceable music is the key.
 
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#34
jastacey said:
I always try to keep an open mind, in playing music, me, I grew up playing all the stuff ( they call it Classic Rock now ) of the 60'-70's- 80's-90', as I have gotten older, I've noticed the patrons of the bars, wanted variety, it's always, if your playing Classic Rock, they want a few country songs, and vise versa, so me, I learned a whole bunch of old & new country songs, the issue is the bands, most of the bands "Don't Want To Learn", some think, there not comfortable, in playing/learning, different/new material, why they don't want to expand there income is beyond me, but how I've dealt with it, was going the route of being a sub bass player, it gives me the ability to play a lot-ta different songs, that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to play ( and watch/view, the crowd reaction, as to see what works ), and yes, some of the newer stuff, is .... well not my cup of tea, but being a good well rounded bassist, I learn it, play it, see what it does to the crowd, and collect my $$, since I'm more or less a sub player, I don't really get involved in band politics, sure I miss the band hang time, but since most band have directions, that I don't believe in ( not wanting to rehearse as a band, people confusing at home practice/learning, with band rehearsal, and the lack of a business plan ), so get good at learning stuff, you don't want to play, sell your services, and enjoy playing, your making some happy .... IMHO
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I have noticed a direct relationship between how much 80s you play and how often you get booked (by 80s I mean Hall and Oates rather than Dio).

Classic rock is an express train to backyard parties and weird low turnout gigs.
 
#35
Kevorargh said:
Your singer is an idi....er...misguided. I play a mix of old country, Americana, and classic rock from the '70's. '80's, and '90's. It all goes over well. The crowds will always go for Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson. We throw in some Lyle Lovett to boot for the "Americana" stuff. The '70's/'80's stuff is all Cult pop oriented - Blister in the Sun, I Melt With You, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Werewolves of London, After Midnight, 500 Miles, etc. Throw in some ZZ Top and Georgia Satellites, and a Neil Youngish version of Wagon Wheel, and we have a good set of dance-able tunes.

And it seems that age doesn't matter - we had a younger woman requesting Billy Joel the other night, so go figure.
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Billy Joel has the advantage of being universally awesome.
 
#36
InhumanResource said:
I have noticed a direct relationship between how much 80s you play and how often you get booked (by 80s I mean Hall and Oates rather than Dio).

Classic rock is an express train to backyard parties and weird low turnout gigs.
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Do you mean direct or inverse relationship?
Direct: more 80s, more gigs
Inverse: more 80s, fewer/worse gigs
 
#38
Its a shame (at least to me) that the popularity of Classic Rock has dwindled so much. The band I'm in now plays a some CR tunes, but the majority of what we pkay is 80s pop and some contemporary "radio" tunes Believe it or not, 80s Hair Metal goes over quite well... ugh!
 
#39
InhumanResource said:
Classic rock is an express train to backyard parties and weird low turnout gigs.
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Um, two weeks ago our "classic rock" trio played another gig at this restaurant, something we've been doing regularly for four years. Not bad for a "weird low turnout gig", especially given the current situation. (Took home my regular pay and doubled it from my cut of the tips. Shoulda had the owner buy me dinner too, but I was too busy looking for a place to sit down for a few minutes during breaks.)
Weird. Low turnout classic rock gigs still rock around here. YMMV of course.
ElMilagroJunePanoCrowd.jpg
 
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#40
filmtex said:
Um, two weeks ago our "classic rock" trio played another gig at this restaurant, something we've been doing regularly for four years. Not bad for a "weird low turnout gig", especially given the current situation. (Took home my regular pay and doubled it from my cut of the tips. Shoulda had the owner buy me dinner too, but I was too busy looking for a place to sit down for a few minutes during breaks.)
Weird. Low turnout classic rock gigs still rock around here. YMMV of course.
View attachment 3897299
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If you’re happy with it, then perfect
 

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