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Would you take this gig?
- Thread starter baddarryl
- Start date
No, it doesn't. But you can't know that because you weren't there. I would rather not have the little chuckle stories and had never played those gigs. They were horrible and embarrassing.
If you offered me a horrible embarrassing gig today by promising me it would make for a great story ten years from now I would still turn it down.
I don't volunteer for embarrassment unless it involves dancing with my daughters at a father daughter dance. The rest of you can suck it.
It is apparent you would rather argue than think.
Read all of my posts on the subject. I never stated, "Take the gig," nor have I stated, "Don't take the gig" (BTW, you have no idea if it was good, or bad, until it is over).
My premise on the subject has always been: Every gig, even the bad gigs, add to your life's experience as a musician.
To quote Neil Peart's words, in the song Roll The Bones, "It's why we're here."
Good luck! This is the exact type of gig I do not ever want to do.
Wow! Everclear! Drink too much of that and it will alleviate any concerns about anything! Permanently! What is that, 190 proof? It's almost pure ethanol, isn't it? I think it is pure ethanol, for all intentional purposes!
When I was in college a friend of mine had a job as a lab tech at Stanford University Hospital where they did medical research on new surgical techniques. Among other things he did, my friend cleaned the surgical instruments with what they called 200 proof. I doubt if it really was 200 proof, but it was definitely as close to pure ethanol as you can get. Probably identical to Everclear. Pharmaceutical Everclear!
Certain physicians and others (such as my friend) who had access to the surgery supplies were known to raid the pantry on weekends when the joint was shut down, and party with that stuff! You absolutely could not take a straight shot of that. To do so would be very painful, and cause physical damage to the esophagus and stomach lining. It could potentially cause hemorrhaging, and death. It had to be mixed highly diluted with some kind of mixer. Ordinarily, we used orange juice. Even then, it was very easy to accidentally ingest too much of the stuff due to its purity resulting in totally disabling intoxication. The hangover when something like that would happen was unbelievable! We used to call it DOA! That was a mistake you only made once. Maybe twice. A little of that #$%$# goes a long way! Holy cow!
You obviously survived it. That makes you a member of a special little club. The Everclear / 200 proof survivors!
Wow! Everclear! Drink too much of that and it will alleviate any concerns about anything! Permanently! What is that, 190 proof? It's almost pure ethanol, isn't it? I think it is pure ethanol, for all intentional purposes!
When I was in college a friend of mine had a job as a lab tech at Stanford University Hospital where they did medical research on new surgical techniques. Among other things he did, my friend cleaned the surgical instruments with what they called 200 proof. I doubt if it really was 200 proof, but it was definitely as close to pure ethanol as you can get. Probably identical to Everclear. Pharmaceutical Everclear!
Certain physicians and others (such as my friend) who had access to the surgery supplies were known to raid the pantry on weekends when the joint was shut down, and party with that stuff! You absolutely could not take a straight shot of that. To do so would be very painful, and cause physical damage to the esophagus and stomach lining. It could potentially cause hemorrhaging, and death. It had to be mixed highly diluted with some kind of mixer. Ordinarily, we used orange juice. Even then, it was very easy to accidentally ingest too much of the stuff due to its purity resulting in totally disabling intoxication. The hangover when something like that would happen was unbelievable! We used to call it DOA! That was a mistake you only made once. Maybe twice. A little of that #$%$# goes a long way! Holy cow!
You obviously survived it. That makes you a member of a special little club. The Everclear / 200 proof survivors!
Yeah, it really is 200 proof. Getting the last 5% of the water out is an expensive process so it costs a lot more than 95% EtOH. But in the lab, when you need it, you need it. Certainly don't even think about taking a shot. Also extremely flammable so keep it far away from the dumbasses.
Yeah, it really is 200 proof. Getting the last 5% of the water out is an expensive process so it costs a lot more than 95% EtOH. But in the lab, when you need it, you need it. Certainly don't even think about taking a shot. Also extremely flammable so keep it far away from the dumbasses.
Interesting. Thanks for the info. Makes a lot of sense.
You are SO right about that stuff being extremely flammable! I found that out the hard way, making me one of the dumbasses at the time! At least, I'm still alive to talk about it:
We were doing a gig at this beautiful rectangular room we used to play at once ever month or so. The room would hold about 500 people, more or less, and had a balcony on one of the short walls upon which we would set up and play. The wall opposite the balcony had a fireplace, and in wintertime about half an hour before we started letting people in we would build a fire in the fireplace. One night before we opened the doors I went to start the fire and found several fresh fireplace logs, but no kindling. Yeah, you guessed it! I had half a pint of 200 proof from the hospital, so I set up the fireplace logs as usual and pored some 200 proof on to get the fire going! Well, that was a near catastrophe! I was very lucky not to become seriously burned!
I took a few pages from a newspaper, and rolled the newspaper into a long tube which I lit on one end. For some reason (lucky for me) I just threw the newspaper tube into the fireplace that time instead of holding it with one hand and sticking it in there from place to place like I was used to doing, since there was no kindling. In merely the few seconds between when I pored some 200 proof on the fireplace logs and when I threw the burning newspaper in there, a considerable amount of the 200 proof had evaporated and filled the interior of the fireplace with vapor. It exploded (fuel / air explosion) with a loud pop and literally blew me off my feet! A ball of blue flame erupted from the fireplace and would have engulfed me if I had been standing any closer. It felt like someone had slammed a door on my chest! It knocked me down with extreme force and scared the living #$%$# out of me!
Fortunately, no burning embers were ejected or the whole place would have burned down before we could have put out the fire. The only good thing was when I looked back immediately after the explosion, the fireplace logs were all burning fully, beautifully and evenly! The explosion had instantly started a perfect fire in the fireplace! So yeah, that was a knuckle headed thing to do. I am very lucky I didn't end up in the ER with third degree burns.
Other than the explosion, the gig went off perfectly and a good time was had by all.
Just to clarify, DJ and I are buddies; he's no troll in my book. In case anyone thought I was slagging on him here, I wasn't.Trolls don't bother me too much. But I do have a few things to do today and reading seven pages of responses to a question that was just asked yesterday wasn't on that list
For the record, I agree with Two Fingers here. Not everything is a needed learning experience. Sometimes you can use good old common sense for the win. We don't have to learn everything the hard way.
As for the OP, well, I hope he's figured it out by now. It seems like an iffy thing, to me. I wouldn't do it, but maybe if he does, it will work out OK.
Just do it!!!!!!
You’ll learn new things!
You’ll have fun!
Life is for living!
You’ll learn new things!
You’ll have fun!
Life is for living!
There's a difference between arguing and disagreeing. I'm just disagreeing with you. I don't think embarrassingly horrible gigs add to your life. They simply bring about stress and wasted time/energy/resources.
Take all of the ridiculous and horrible gigs you want. I'm not saying you're wrong for doing so. I'm just saying I wouldn't do it.
Myself, I don't have to wait until the gig is over to have an idea if it's a good or bad one
Seriously. Some people really seem to talk about the value of life experience a lot, but when you talk about what you might have learned through life experience they act like you need to bang your head up against that wall again and again because experience. Nope. Some of us actually use experience to learn what to avoid, and then we avoid it. What a concept!Myself, I don't have to wait until the gig is over to have an idea if it's a good or bad one
This seems to have morphed somehow.
Any experience is not good experience. For what I used to think should be obvious reasons. If you haven't had a bad enough experience to understand that, cool.
I did a gig last year with the flat out worst drummer/BL I've ever worked with in my entire career. I'm positive that I never want to work with him again... and that is neither a positive nor a good experience. It was ugly from load-in to finish. As I had already worked with buttheads before there was nothing new to learn.
Plus I can learn from someone else's bad experience recounting without having to experience it myself.This seems to have morphed somehow.
Any experience is not good experience. For what I used to think should be obvious reasons. If you haven't had a bad enough experience to understand that, cool.
I did a gig last year with the flat out worst drummer/BL I've ever worked with in my entire career. I'm positive that I never want to work with him again... and that is neither a positive nor a good experience. It was ugly from load-in to finish. As I had already worked with buttheads before there was nothing new to learn.
Something some of our species has a hard time doing and understanding
Plus I can learn from someone else's bad experience recounting without having to experience it myself.
Something some of our species has a hard time doing and understanding
That's my preferred method. Report back to me on what's that flickering blue and yellow light on the stove.
Mediocre does not mean bad:
"I was born to play the bass. I was not necessarily born to play it great. After 4 years of playing daily, I can barely handle myself in a Guitar Center. Nine-year-olds school me.
Don't get me wrong. Bands love me. I have good rhythm and a good ear. I groove like eff. I love to play. There appears to be no limit to the (simple but funky) bass lines I can come up with. What I can't do is (1) play a solo worth a damn or (2) slap worth a damn; and nothing says Monster Bass Player like a 20-minute slap solo. That's not me. May never be."
I believe the vast majority of bassists are mediocre. Dusty Hill is a prime example: no flash, no slap, no noodles, no "20 min solos", just straight up hard-driving on-time root thumping for the most part. Michael Anthony, as well.
If we were crappy bassists, well, there's a club for that, too.
Being mediocre is the least worry on the list on why not to take this gig. In fact, mediocrity might be an asset in this situation: no temptation to zoop off on your own with a fancy minor 9th augmented triplet run bouncing all over the fretboard, or to slap away on an oldies tune.
It could be a great learning experience.
Although you might learn it was a bad idea.
But you might learn it was a good one & a lot of fun.
Simply saying it's an unknown--some pros & some cons--but I have a different personality & playing level & experience than you--so we may learn different things.
But I do get the apprehension of going into it without much (or any) preparation/rehearsal.
But over the years I have adapted to that as I gained experience.
But I still prefer at least a little rehearsal.
When I was younger I did turn down one opportunity due to no rehearsal based on an experience the first time I played in band before an audience.
It could go either way, so take the pros & cons here & see where they lead.
That's my advice.
Although you might learn it was a bad idea.
But you might learn it was a good one & a lot of fun.
Simply saying it's an unknown--some pros & some cons--but I have a different personality & playing level & experience than you--so we may learn different things.
But I do get the apprehension of going into it without much (or any) preparation/rehearsal.
But over the years I have adapted to that as I gained experience.
But I still prefer at least a little rehearsal.
When I was younger I did turn down one opportunity due to no rehearsal based on an experience the first time I played in band before an audience.
It could go either way, so take the pros & cons here & see where they lead.
That's my advice.
OP Here: What I meant by Mediocre is that yes I play with a band, have good time and understand chords with a pretty good ear. I often jump in on songs I don’t know and it’s fun. By mediocre I mean I don’t slap, solo or walk very well.
As it turned out we went to the party last night. As my info was given to the band but I never heard from them, and I worked late yesterday I decided not to take my gear. Turns out they were a duet playing old Simon and Garfunkel and old country songs. I would have been totally lost and made the right decision. Had I been given a set list and just a couple of days I would have done it. One of them played bass and was quite good. I didn’t even bother to talk to them.
I talked to the host and he is going to book my band for next year as we will certainly bring the Rock and Roll. No need for Everclear as the bar was fully stocked and it was game on.
Thanks everyone! I think I am going to look for a good light combo to drag around with me for opportunities like this! Great thread!
As it turned out we went to the party last night. As my info was given to the band but I never heard from them, and I worked late yesterday I decided not to take my gear. Turns out they were a duet playing old Simon and Garfunkel and old country songs. I would have been totally lost and made the right decision. Had I been given a set list and just a couple of days I would have done it. One of them played bass and was quite good. I didn’t even bother to talk to them.
I talked to the host and he is going to book my band for next year as we will certainly bring the Rock and Roll. No need for Everclear as the bar was fully stocked and it was game on.
Thanks everyone! I think I am going to look for a good light combo to drag around with me for opportunities like this! Great thread!
