Why Some Musicians Don't Gig

[bluewine]

Some folks might just enjoy playing their bass. There are lots of worse ways to spend your time.

This is an example of something that makes absolutely no sense to me.

But that's just me

 

[bluewine]

I don't gig because I just don't have the money to upgrade to a powerful enough set of amps. Also, I don't think I could find a band to join.

This is sort of sad.

I hope luck comes your way and you can afford yourself some top notch gear.

I am not sure why you don't think you could find a band to play with, unless you live in a small town or rural area where there are next to no opportunities.

 

[slaps76]

Personally, I love playing out. When I started playing bass 6 years ago, I didn't really have any aspirations other than jamming with friends. Now I'm addicted to playing out, even though packing up at 2am and getting home so late sucks. But I've never had as much fun as we do during our gigs.

But I can see why some people wouldn't want to, it does take a lot of time. I have a couple of friends who stopped gigging for the time being because they either just had kids, or didn't want to spend the time away from their kids. I also have another friend I was in a band with, who's a very good lead guitarist, however he didn't really enjoy playing out. Didn't like being in the spotlight, got nervous before shows, and would get pissed at himself for making mistakes. To each their own!

 

[fdeck]

I know lots of people who play music for pleasure, but don't gig. A friend of mine plays his oboe at home, just for himself. Most of what I play at home is unconnected to my gigging work -- as if they are separate activities. I'd keep playing even if the gigs evaporated. There are all sorts of people who play everything from chamber music to jazz at home. And some of these folks are easily playing at a semi-professional level.

 

[P. Aaron]

I gig because that is where everything about music you know gets put to the test. It also is a rush for your senses. It's a less controlled environment than the room that you rehearse in along with the other club-type activity going on unrelated to you and your bands' being there.

Most of all, you get a bunch of guys onstage doing this at once...trying and/or succeeding at making music, sometimes really having a good go of it. Once you're up there, doesn't matter what's waiting for you after, you are laid bare and your playing reveals a bit about yourself.

Damn! What an opportunity for experimenting, experience, fumbling and recovery, being silly, or being the consummate pro.

 

[bluewine]

For over ten years, I didn't gig, because people who drink in clubs tend to be idiots; club owners tend to be evil as hell; you can't just play whatever you want; the music industry attracts flakes and mean people; I could go on and on, and yet I gig.

Maybe we should post a thread about what is wrong with those of us who DO gig!

There is nothing wrong with the people on either side of the fence.

However, if you can't deal with the scene it's definitely not for you and better to stay away.

 

[bluewine]

For most, gigging is a labor of love. It certainly isn't a cash cow. When you add up all of the associated costs in time and money, it should be no surprise that there are so many talented people who don't want to do it on a regular basis. It's one of those things that is usually more fun in retrospect than it is in the present tense, making it very easy to romanticize away much of its unpleasantness, but it's still there. That's showbiz.

This makes sense, it's not where I'm coming from but I understand it. I have been walking into clubs with my bass since I was 14.

I hate it when I'm between bands and not giving and giging

 

[Bochafish]

Understandable, however in this case I believe we have an older pro level Guy that has paid his dues and has many years of doing shows under his belt.

I have always had health and dental insurance but it's nothing I take for granted. I have it today but who knows what could happen tomorrow.

You are correct! Although I wouldn't call myself a pro, I do have hundreds of shows under my belt. Gigged from age 16-30 non-stop with different bands. By never turning down a gig when I was young, I still have these contacts that call me when they need something. If I would have gotten that tour offer in my early to mid 20's, I would of jumped on it right away.

 

[superbassman2000]

I used to gig a lot, but I scaled back a bit. I am not a big fan of the politics involved, especially the poor bookings. I also am at the point where I make enough money that making money at gigs has become secondary to just playing the music I want to play, and I've been having a heck of a time trying to find musicians who A.) want to play similar music and B.) aren't concerned about making money

I'm still interested in playing gigs, just not in cover bands

 

[bluewine]

Some folks enjoy the company of practicing with a nice group of folks and don't have a very strong drive to be on stage. They may not play out, or only do so occasionally. Fine with me - takes all types.

Yeah, some of the finest bass players I know won't gig because it's to much of a hassle but mainly because their uncomfortable on stage.

I have always been a "show off " so being on stage came natural to me. Sitting behind a desk isn't.

 

[bluewine]

I used to gig a lot, but I scaled back a bit. I am not a big fan of the politics involved, especially the poor bookings. I also am at the point where I make enough money that making money at gigs has become secondary to just playing the music I want to play, and I've been having a heck of a time trying to find musicians who A.) want to play similar music and B.) aren't concerned about making money

I'm still interested in playing gigs, just not in cover bands

Yeah the money thing can be a hassle.

I am fortunate to have a career that affords me the ability to do this.

I have played in bands with guys less fortunate than me and I have seen how difficult it is to be in a band with no real consistent source of income.

 

[markkoelsch]

Really pretty simple.

First, is time or a lack there of. A job that keeps me busy 50-60 hours a week, a Wife, an 8 year old son, a 4 month old daughter, and a house.

Secondly, in my area there really are not that many clubs featuring live music anymore, and the ones that do are larger and really want the established local rock bands that will draw versus a start up.

Third, after a number of bad experiences I am pretty picky about who I would be in a band with. I cannot deal with folks who are legends in their own minds. I cannot tolerate drug use or even much if any drinking while playing. If I am going to spend the time to get a band together I need it to be professional and drugs and alcohol pretty much take most folks out of playing or acting professionally in my opinion.

Now, take all of the above and let me put it to you this way. Would I take a gig in a band that was actively playing out- yes I would. First, it would have to pay well enough to make it worth the time sacrifice away from the family. It would have to be pro enough that rehearsal time would be minimal as that is time that we will not be getting paid for. Finally, if it were to meet those requirements it would have to pass muster with my Wife as that is of paramount importance to me.

So, at this point I am ok with playing to my ipod, and working on various things. I would love to get a few people together to play once or twice a month...maybe to play covers or to work on originals and maybe record them for the fun of it. This would be good for the soul as I do miss playing with others, but to change this would have to meet certain criteria to fit the more important aspects of life.

 

[bluewine]

I gig because that is where everything about music you know gets put to the test. It also is a rush for your senses. It's a less controlled environment than the room that you rehearse in along with the other club-type activity going on unrelated to you and your bands' being there.

Most of all, you get a bunch of guys onstage doing this at once...trying and/or succeeding at making music, sometimes really having a good go of it. Once you're up there, doesn't matter what's waiting for you after, you are laid bare and your playing reveals a bit about yourself.

Damn! What an opportunity for experimenting, experience, fumbling and recovery, being silly, or being the consummate pro.

+1

 

[chris stopa]

I played 4-6nights a week every week for years in the late 60s and into the 70s. It was great money( I was union) equivalent to about $50 an hour now. For me and my bandmates it was our job and many of us had apartments and condos paid for by the pay we received. Then I suddenly stopped and went off and spent a few years teaching meditation and the music seemed so gross when I played it. Stayed away for thirty years and suddenly I started to feel within me a real need to play rock and blues. Now I can not go more than a day without playing. The problem is the music scene where I live (Portland Oregon) seems so different than what I remember. When I was younger there were only so many of us around that really played well and the need in clubs for musicians was high . Therefore as long as you were a competent musician and had a desire to work you could find pretty steady employment. Now everybody seems to play guitar or bass. Because of this large number of musicians and the limited number of bars and clubs that will employ them there is not much decent money in it and so many groups trying to work means that each group can not work much. Many individuals are members of 2 or 3 groups just to have the opportunity to play sometime with one of the groups. I feel that that weakens each group but it seems the trend here and many places. So I end up trying to network with others when I go to GC or talk with someone at a picnic or party who knows someone who plays and may want to form a group. I have practiced with individuals who want to have a roster of bass players so that they can call one who is free when a job comes up but that is not for me. I find myself sitting home , playing to CDs and getting better and better but with no group to plug into.It's very frustrating. At my age I do not need to play a lot but a 3 or 4 jobs a month would be great.

 

[Definitely]

I have a few reasons, one obviously being age and lack of talented musicians within close proximity, but the reasons I play bass are more like this:
- the girls are more impressed and always want to hear me play if I'm around
- I play two and a half hours a day on average, my parents like it a helluva lot better than playing ps3 all day like my friends do
- I am completely happy playing with/for friends or along with my iPod, I don't need gigs
- it helps me think and it makes me feel better if I'm down (no, seriously)
- can't have too much sitting in the bank account, if it starts piling up I buy some new gear
-it's so damn fun!

 

[superbassman2000]

Yeah the money thing can be a hassle.

I am fortunate to have a career that affords me the ability to do this.

I have played in bands with guys less fortunate than me and I have seen how difficult it is to be in a band with no real consistent source of income.

yeah it's gotten to the point that I don't care about money. I want to play to contribute to the aesthetic of the city I live in. I want to create art, not a musical jobber. Not to say that being a jobber is in any way degrading/demeaning to a musician, but that's not for me. Every artist is different.

 

[bluewine]

Really pretty simple.

First, is time or a lack there of. A job that keeps me busy 50-60 hours a week, a Wife, an 8 year old son, a 4 month old daughter, and a house.

Secondly, in my area there really are not that many clubs featuring live music anymore, and the ones that do are larger and really want the established local rock bands that will draw versus a start up.

Third, after a number of bad experiences I am pretty picky about who I would be in a band with. I cannot deal with folks who are legends in their own minds. I cannot tolerate drug use or even much if any drinking while playing. If I am going to spend the time to get a band together I need it to be professional and drugs and alcohol pretty much take most folks out of playing or acting professionally in my opinion.

Now, take all of the above and let me put it to you this way. Would I take a gig in a band that was actively playing out- yes I would. First, it would have to pay well enough to make it worth the time sacrifice away from the family. It would have to be pro enough that rehearsal time would be minimal as that is time that we will not be getting paid for. Finally, if it were to meet those requirements it would have to pass muster with my Wife as that is of paramount importance to me.

This is a Guy that loves to gig, it's just the wrong time in his life. Young family and a job with long hours.


One of the only things cool about being old, my two kids are in college and when they can, come to my shows and help me.

I don't drink smoke or do drugs (never have). I think that's part of the reason it's still so much fun for me.

I have no one to report to, no girl friend or wife. I have been divorced for years.

It's no secret that I have little value for serious relationships. It just gets in my way.

I am good with the troubled 20 somethings and the occasional cocktail waitress. I love being with women who don't know me and I don't know them.

 

[Sundogue]

For me there isn't a single hobby I enjoy that I haven't turned into some kind of money making venture. Music is no different.

But for me, playing music was something I felt compelled to do. From the earliest age of maybe 6 or 7, sitting at our old "out of tune" piano out on the porch playing anything and everything that came into my head was just something I had to do. I didn't just want to, I had to.

When my brother gave me his guitar and a friend gave me his cheapo Montgomery Ward drum set I just had to learn every Beatles and Stones song wearing out my brother's 45's on his phonograph. I didn't know why then, but I just had to do it...for hours on end.

The first time I seriously played for someone and got a pleasing reaction to it, I knew what I did moved people. I knew that there was something inside me that connected with that same "something" that's inside all of us.

Being onstage and having the power to elicit emotions from people is quite the spiritual elixir. Playing alone, or just with a couple other musicians and never sharing it with others (not even in a small, intimate non-professional setting like a backyard gathering), is such a waste of divine energy (IMO).

There is so much that goes into a person to be able to play an instrument, and so much that person puts in of their own self, why wouldn't one want to share that with others?

I can understand not wanting to gig...there is a lot that goes into it. I can't imagine ever stopping gigging. I'll gig as long as I can play, even if they have to wheel my ass out there in a wheelchair and a tank of oxygen. I don't do it just for myself.

But that's me.

 

[bluewine]

I played 4-6nights a week every week for years in the late 60s and into the 70s. It was great money( I was union) equivalent to about $50 an hour now. For me and my bandmates it was our job and many of us had apartments and condos paid for by the pay we received. Then I suddenly stopped and went off and spent a few years teaching meditation and the music seemed so gross when I played it. Stayed away for thirty years and suddenly I started to feel within me a real need to play rock and blues. Now I can not go more than a day without playing. The problem is the music scene where I live (Portland Oregon) seems so different than what I remember. When I was younger there were only so many of us around that really played well and the need in clubs for musicians was high . Therefore as long as you were a competent musician and had a desire to work you could find pretty steady employment. Now everybody seems to play guitar or bass. Because of this large number of musicians and the limited number of bars and clubs that will employ them there is not much decent money in it and so many groups trying to work means that each group can not work much. Many individuals are members of 2 or 3 groups just to have the opportunity to play sometime with one of the groups. I feel that that weakens each group but it seems the trend here and many places. So I end up trying to network with others when I go to GC or talk with someone at a picnic or party who knows someone who plays and may want to form a group. I have practiced with individuals who want to have a roster of bass players so that they can call one who is free when a job comes up but that is not for me. I find myself sitting home , playing to CDs and getting better and better but with no group to plug into.It's very frustrating. At my age I do not need to play a lot but a 3 or 4 jobs a month would be great.

I know where your coming from.

I was on the other side of the world, Jersey in the 60s and 70s and have seen the same transition.

Back then bands were a novelty and if a club had a band people would pack the place. There was a real scene.

BTW, I am completely aware that most people don't care about bands or live music anymore.

 

[sound of bass]

This past summer I met / auditioned for some really cool dudes, 30 yrs. of playing together, they toured USA/Canada, good musicians, and we hit it off from the start. A great set up you would think, but at this point they just want to be a jam band and play at home for fun. They were done gigging, I am not. In fact my search for a new band is now in its 7th month!!! Ugh. But thats their reason.