You guys get gigs?
Seriously, typically "touch base" with drummer as we walk off the stage, but then talking to any band member. Not hanging with the audience during breaks, maybe after, in parallel to packing the gear.
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You guys get gigs?
Seriously, typically "touch base" with drummer as we walk off the stage, but then talking to any band member. Not hanging with the audience during breaks, maybe after, in parallel to packing the gear.
I usually end up hanging out the drummer in most of the bands I play with. Just such a close musical relationship between the 2 instruments I guess.
I brought this up to my guitarist brother and he suggested that drummers and bassists hang out together because no one else will
Back in the early 70's when I was touring with a nightclub group, we'd typically play 2-weeks (5-nights a week) at each venue before moving to the next one. Part of our job was to go out and mingle in the audience at breaks. It was really an effective way to get people to come back one or two more times that week to see you and they'd usually bring friends because they "know one of the members in the band." If they showed up with some folks I hadn't seen before I'd make a point of spending one break with that guy again - gave him some cred with his friends. That's actually how I met my wife. She booked us into the club and was sitting at a table I joined at our first break on the first night. End of the week she came with me on the road, and we just celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary last month.
Unfortunately I don't really find that mingling is as effective anymore, although I still like to go out and talk to folks. The gigs are usually just one-nighters, not 2-week gigs. We may play a place once a month or every two months. But even doing a little mingling with that, if you come back say, 6-times a year at a spot, Some of those folks will come back to see you.
One of the groups I was in, pre-Covid, played Friday Night open-mic nights a good 40+ times a year. It was always a Friday night and we got to know a bunch of the regulars. Some of them would follow us to pretty much any other place we'd play on a Saturday night, which was encouraging, even driving over an hour away to catch out gig. So I think mingling is still good marketing, but it takes a lot longer to bear fruition because almost nobody is playing 5-night a week gigs anymore.
One problem I ran into back in those early 70's was too many free drinks. Invariably if I came over to a table without a drink in my hand, they'd always buy me a drink or pay for my drink when the waitress brought it back. At military clubs, where drinks were cheap, they'd typically order me two drinks at a time. I was drinking Jack on the rocks back then (hadn't yet discovered single malt scotch) and if I drank two of those at each of our three 15-minute breaks, my playing would get a bit sloppy. And that was not a good thing!
So I'd let the bartenders know ahead of time that if someone came up and ordered "Dan, the bass player's regular", to please serve me a tomato juice made up to look like a bloody Mary. That way I could drink socially with the folks without my playing suffering and they wouldn't feel slighted. And I could still enjoy one or two drinks that night before switching to my "regular" if I wanted to. Was a good time!
It depends on the gig. When playing a smaller venue, I usually mingle. Same as @LBS-bass , I try and show my appreciation to those who came, also make myself approachable for people with questions, requests, booking wishes and such.
In my old band I would disappear because it was full of bad vibes and negativity. In my current band I hang with anyone who wants to hang because I like them all.
I have to answer this two ways:
When I'm "just" playing bass (or guitar), my wont is to find a little corner where I can keep an eye on the gear and do a little people watching(one of my favorite pass times in almost any setting, but I do have PTSD and therefore suffer from being hyper-vigilant).
In quite a few of the bands with which I've been associated, I've been the lead singer as well. Patrons seem to gravitate toward the lead singer. That just seems to be what happens.
For the sake of goodwill for the band, I think it is part of the "duties" of a lead singer. Since people tend to "seek them out", just "slinking off" to a quiet corner could generate some "hate".
This is why I've always preferred club gigs/concerts, because there's an artificial separation which envelops me and allows me to find that little corner (although, sometimes that does mean I don't get to people watch).
When I'm "just" playing bass (or guitar), my wont is to find a little corner where I can keep an eye on the gear and do a little people watching(one of my favorite pass times in almost any setting, but I do have PTSD and therefore suffer from being hyper-vigilant).
In quite a few of the bands with which I've been associated, I've been the lead singer as well. Patrons seem to gravitate toward the lead singer. That just seems to be what happens.
For the sake of goodwill for the band, I think it is part of the "duties" of a lead singer. Since people tend to "seek them out", just "slinking off" to a quiet corner could generate some "hate".
This is why I've always preferred club gigs/concerts, because there's an artificial separation which envelops me and allows me to find that little corner (although, sometimes that does mean I don't get to people watch).
I usually end up hanging out the drummer in most of the bands I play with. Just such a close musical relationship between the 2 instruments I guess.
I brought this up to my guitarist brother and he suggested that drummers and bassists hang out together because no one else will
In my band, for me is a time to resolve any production issues if any (rare), or to compliment players on things I noticed that were done really well. We record all shows and I’ll say something like “you really nailed such and such. wait til you get your CD”. Not that I’m a major cheerleader, but is much better than “you stomp on my ….ing bass part again I’m going to kick your….ing *ss from here to New Jersey”…
Honestly, I avoid people and sneak out to the parking/my car to partake in the devil's lett...pray I mean.
BobDeRosa
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- May 16, 2012
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When I first started with my current band, I'd go sit in my car and read. It took me years to get comfortable with schmoozing, but now it's second nature. There are places we play where I at least know to say hi to almost everyone in the room. I enjoy it.
Depends on the gig and crowd. I normally thank friends for coming, hang with venue staff, get a quick bite/drink. Lately I've spent my time avoiding a local "legend" that goes out of his way telling me he's a legend, as does his hag of the week, that begs me to let him play a song or two with the band. Actually has the nerve to introduce himself as "Mr. Rock".
Same. People at gigs and goddamn online recipes, always want to tell me their life stories.I like to mingle, glad hand, thank people for coming. And then, inevitably, someone drunk, high, crazy, or all three will find me and tell me their life story.
