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Gig this past weekend-unique for nowadays


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I actually played the same place on Friday AND Saturday!!

Gigging thru the 70s, 80s and early 90s this was the norm. Getting a booking at a club meant 2 nights. Started to notice a change getting into the 90s. Clubs started have karaoke or game nights on Fridays and bands Saturday only. I took a break from the bar band business '96 to 2010. Been playing regularly again since 2013 and never got a weekend booking that whole time - until this past weekend.

My earlier years were in northern NJ, then central NJ and PA. Moved to Nashville in '96. When I started up with bands again, I thought that bars/clubs hiring bands one night at a time was the way it was done in middle Tennessee.

How about other sections of the US? Was there a time period that weekend bookings dried up all over? Like maybe '94 to '97, when I wasn't gigging to notice? What's happening now in the NYC/NJ/PA bar scene? Other countries?

 

Tanks,

Dan

Professional musician = great source of poverty.

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Residencies are one of those things I read about musicians in prior generations doing that I wish I had in my gigging life. I'm lucky when I can promote enough pull a crowd one night, never mind two in a row. It would also be nice to not have to tear down my rig for a change.

 

I have noticed a few times when I've played the same weekend, or two weekends in a row, my bands will sometimes get people to the show who say "we stumbled on you at X venue and saw you were playing again, and we said we just HAVE to go see that band again!" I always really enjoy that.

 

Was it a good gig for you, both nights?

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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Was there a time period that weekend bookings dried up all over? Like maybe '94 to '97, when I wasn't gigging to notice? What's happening now in the NYC/NJ/PA bar scene? Other countries?

Tanks,

Dan

We routinely played 6 nights and a matinee until about '87, in Canada. It went from that to 4, and gradually to what it is now. The oh oh feelings about full time club work started around 87-88.

"I  cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long"

Walter Becker Donald Fagan 1977 Deacon Blues

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When I was on the road from 78-86 we would go to a town, play for 1-2 weeks, 6-7 nights each week. Then drive 400-500 miles and do it again. The longest we were ever in one place was 6 weeks. Though it was not uncommon for us to go to a certain club 2-3 times a year.

 

Now, I'm good playing one night a week, 3 weeks a month

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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Live music is alive and well here in Honolulu, but I purposefully avoid playing the same venue two nights in a row. Different venues, ABSOLUTELY! The problem with playing multiple nights is it actually becomes harder to develop a fan following, and you end up splitting a lot of the people between two nights, turn out isn't usually very good. If you want to develop a loyal following at a particular venue, give it to them once a week, then play elsewhere for other nights. The audience my band gets is about 50% loyal fans who came to see us at that bar. So if we split between two nights, usually they'll just pick one, and then our total audience for both nights isn't 2x, but more like 1.5. If we pick separate venues, then we at least can develop a different local following, and it also makes it a little different for those super fans who wouldn't be opposed to coming to two different venues to see us.

 

All the bands I know that play the same venue night-after-night are really suffering. Over-exposure. No one cares to see them because they're always there. Spread yourself out, play in neighboring towns or across town. That's a far better strategy, IMO.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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Among the pro musicians in the SF Bay Area, this is the complaint I hear the most. It's ALL 1-nighters. Back in the prehistoric era of the 60's and 70's, it was routine to do a 6-night stand at a club. In the late 60's, I did 4 nights a week for many months at a club. Boy howdy, did you get good at your material doing that. I disagree with the comment above about not playing a venue 2 nights in a row because it makes it harder to develop a fan following. Maybe only 2 nights is a problem. When I was a young rock 'n' roller, the best bands played residencies in the same venue. People flocked to those shows because they knew they could count on good music, good entertainment, and a good time. I remember one band that was regionally popular, never hit the big time, but they were the house band that played every Saturday at one venue that also featured a second band. The same fans were there every Saturday night. When my band played a club 4 nights a week, we packed the place all weekend; Wednesday nights were lighter because of the week night but the club developed a solid reputation for being The Place to go and the band became the hottest band in town. Now everything's a 1-nighter at a different venue every night. Too bad. But there's no going back. Oh, and get off my lawn.
These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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Believe it or not, a big chunk of the gigs I've been doing over the last few years have been multi-day. My case is probably an exception though. The band I've filled in with does multi day gigs over holiday weekends at Lake of the Ozarks. Memorial Day, Labor Day, and July 4 weekends are all 3 day gigs. Some of the local casinos will do full weekends as well. Other than that, though, most regular bar gigs only book a more than one night over a weekend.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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around '81-'83, I played in clubs around Ventura County. We would play at one club 2-3 months straight, 5 nights a week, 5 hours/night. Then we'd move to another club, same thing. We played 50 weeks a year, 5-6 nights a week, 5-6 hours a night. Sometimes we'd head out on the road, Oregon, Wash, Montana, Ariz, same thing, except usually 2 week stints, but still doing the 5-6 nights. I stopped after that to focus on original music, but those club days were a lot of fun... too much fun!

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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samuel-yes, both nights were fun. It was a small place and we knew the $$$ weren't good, but we took the gig looking at it as paid practice. Turned out to be 2 fun parties.

Back in the day (my day, anyway) those residency type of gigs were mostly during the summer at the Jersey shore. One band I was in was in a rotation with the Holiday Inn in Easton,PA. Every 3 months we would play Wed - Sun, for a month.

I remember changing up our setlist for different nights - Friday was party night / Saturday was date night.

Nowadays I only wanna play 3-5 nights a month, but it would be nice if I could do that and only setup/breakdown twice.

Professional musician = great source of poverty.

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I was based in Oregon when I started playing clubs in 1970. Besides Oregon we played clubs in eastern Washington and Reno NV. The standard then was 6 nights a week with a 2 or 4 week stay. Reno was particularly grueling because we had to play until 6AM on weekends. Although we got extended breaks it was still long hours. I relocated to southern California when work started declining in the Northwest. After playing mostly 5 night/2 week stays in SoCal for several years in 1985 I got into a very busy band playing major hotel and restaurant chains throughout California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona. These were all 5 nights a week with 2 or 4 week stays. We were booked 52 weeks a year and then in 1991 some of our regular rooms started cutting back to 4 nights, then some went to just weekends, and then a few went out of business. This wasn't just California but the whole multi-state territory we had been doing. By mid-1992 it was pretty much over and I accepted an opportunity to relocate to New Jersey doing single night weekend gigs in NJ and NY as well as European tours a couple times a year. The Jersey Shore was really happening in the summer and is still going pretty well. Then around 2008 it became impossible to get enough work playing with only one band. So now I play in about six bands some that only work a few nights a year. I'm still in New Jersey and one thing I've seen within the last few years there has been a decline in Friday night bookings with many places only having bands on Saturday. Fortunately, I now get casino, theater, festival, private parties, and summer concert series gigs that pay pretty well which helps make up for the shortfall.
C3/122, M102A, Vox V301H, Farfisa Compact, Gibson G101, GEM P, RMI 300A, Piano Bass, Pianet , Prophet 5 rev. 2, Pro-One, Matrix 12, OB8, Korg MS20, Jupiter 6, Juno 60, PX-5S, Nord Stage 3 Compact
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I was based in Oregon when I started playing clubs in 1970. Besides Oregon we played clubs in eastern Washington and Reno NV. The standard then was 6 nights a week with a 2 or 4 week stay.

It was the same in L.A. in the late '70s early '80s. One band I was in signed on with the Black Angus chain for over a year playing 6 nights a week for a month at one location, then moving on to the next.

 

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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Ah, the golden days of loading out a different day than you loaded in....

 

That's roughly the last time we were paid a living wage as well. I wonder if the cattle-call school of band presentation is directly linked to the devaluation of what we do.

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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When I came to the UAE around nine years ago from the UK, 6 night residencies in hotels (only place there are bars) were normal, and have been since the 80s. This place has grown so quickly but still seems maybe ten years behind regarding band admin stuff (also musically, to a point).

 

There"s quite strict government licenses ('Permissions') that, as a performer, you have to have. You"re tied to that venue, on that gig. The venue foots the bill but it"s extra paperwork and $$$. If the hotel has you on their books for, say, a three month period, then it"s easier visa and permissions-wise doing that than one-offs. Also cheaper.

 

Many more freelance gigs these days. Could be in a place maybe twice a week. They"re better paid but no accommodation; gotta get your own visa; always get fed and watered, though. Guess it"s a balance between hiring a band as 'employees" and hiring and firing as the trends/seasons change.

 

Never really did it back home with bands â just with theatre productions where I"d be there maybe eight days at a time.

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That's roughly the last time we were paid a living wage as well. I wonder if the cattle-call school of band presentation is directly linked to the devaluation of what we do.

 

 

Well, we're still getting the same wage, but now it ain't a "living" one.

Professional musician = great source of poverty.

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That's roughly the last time we were paid a living wage as well. I wonder if the cattle-call school of band presentation is directly linked to the devaluation of what we do.

 

 

Well, we're still getting the same wage, but now it ain't a "living" one.

 

For real.

 

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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Ahh yes, I remember it well ! Gonna give my age away but back in the early seventies, with a band in Bangkok and Singapore, six month residencies were the order of the day. We played (worked) 3-4 hrs per night for six nights a week.

If you're not overly blessed with natural talent this is the way to get a band tight and "in the pocket" - so much so that in the early nineties a reunion was arranged, venue was an open barn in the back garden of a country pub. No rehearsal just four guys getting together after twenty years. We nailed that sweet spot, no trouble at all, years rolled away and enormous grins all round.

If you get the opportunity, go for it.

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My band, Chicago The Tribute, did 6 nights between Christmas and NYE at Harrah"s Laughlin last year. That was excellent fun, with a superb sound crew. So great to interact with audience, band mates, wives, and other musicians long after every show, rather than 'the comedown of tear down.' Then back to the room, rather than driving.

 

But that is a destination gig, not going home every night.

Barry

 

Home: Steinway L, Montage 8

 

Gigs: Yamaha CP88, Crumar Mojo 61, A&H SQ5 mixer, ME1 IEM, MiPro 909 IEMs

 

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I know of one club here in Orlando that has/had a house band...they played for 3-5 nights a week for a few weeks, then other bands came in for a couple weeks iirc. That's the only one I have heard of like that and it might not be the case now.

 

We had a few clubs that booked us Fri and Sat, I love those gigs since I leave everything set up--though I always take my microphone, in-ear stuff and lately my Nord Electro home since it is light and compact. Unfortunately we don't have any on the slate for 2019 at these joints.

 

Our PA is so compact and quick to set up these days that it's not a huge deal. Given a choice between using ours or having sound company I'd always pick ours...it's literally faster to get going than trying to get monitor mixes from a sound person....

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Interesting in NJ my buddy Tom said he would play in Philly and Chambersberg in Trenton. In those days you could have a country band in one bar, a B3 trio on the next corner and a Rock band all in the same area.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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A brief history of my musical life working steadies:

 

Up until the mid-80s I was working full time in bands five to six nights a week in the Seattle area. These clubs usually hired for two weeks at a time - sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. We had an agency keep track of it all. You could actually make a living at it - and I did for over 10 years.

 

In the mid-80s I moved out of Seattle, but the writing was already on the wall. Within five years this type of work for bands was pretty much history.

 

I started working piano bars, and these rooms would book you for even longer periods of time. Some were in rotations of a month or two, a couple went six months at a time, and one was four years straight.

 

I sobered up and took several years off from club work. When I reemerged, practically everything I could find was one-nighters - singles, duos, trios, bands. My steady was every Sunday in a praise band.

 

When I started DJ work, one of it's draws was how steady this stuff is. I was resident DJ in one room for 8 years until it suddenly closed a few months ago (long story and way too OT for this thread. Suffice it to say that I've never heard of a club closing that was making as much money as this one was.)

 

Ever since I've been grabbing whatever I can that sounds interesting. I'm really getting too old to be chasing gigs anymore. I am working three nights a week in one club next month - not usual, but I like it.

 

 

 

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