Gigging in 2023

[eric]

My main band is an '80s/classic/modern rock cover band that primarily plays in a few bars and breweries, with some sporadic private events. In our busy years, we'd play 4-6x per month and we scaled that back to 2-3x per month a year or two before the pandemic. We're still very active with 2-3x per month, and sometimes add a 4th gig if the schedule supports it. Most of the band members have busy lives and that's what led us to scale back. We actually turn down a fair amount of gig offers based on the 2-3x per month guard rail and that the band has a lot of blocks on the calendar in general. We're taking the entire month of July off from rehearsals and shows, due to band member vacations. 

 

Sadly, this band has recently decided to "retire" as a few members are citing that they are ready to hang it up for various health and family reasons, difficulty with stamina during gigs, retirement looming, grand kids, etc. I'm in my early 50s and still ready for more, so once our band plays our final show in January 2024, I'll be on the lookout for a new gig like this. I don't want to start a band from scratch and have a few ideas on local bands I will try to join.

 

Interestingly, this band's announcement of "retirement" has spiked demand for us and we're seeing record crowds at shows. We had an amazing 800 person turnout for an outdoor gig a few weeks ago and it was one where the venue lets the band pick between a flat rate or ticket sales arrangement. We were really blessed to have selected the ticket sales option and it was a nice payday for all of us doing this really part time band thing. We've been getting a lot of extra requests for shows and turning down almost all of them, as our calendar is already booked at 2-3x per month through the end of 2023 and we are doing one final show in early 2024.

 

Meanwhile, my former touring band from the '90s is still doing a couple of annual reunion shows at bigger venues and that's fun. This year we had a show in Washington, DC and will play a big outdoor event in Richmond, VA in August. That is always fun and has a bit more of a "rock star" feel to it.

 

I am also doing a Clash tribute band that plays very sporadically. Quarterly at best. We have a couple of shows on the books this year.

 

There are a couple of other bands that randomly call on me to sit in for a one-off show. I don't always say yes. I often appreciate a weekend free of gigs. It opens up the opportunity to go see other bands or bigger concerts that are coming through the area. When I'm actively gigging, I rarely go see other people play music.

[obxa]

2 hours ago, drawbars said:

I'm thinking about using Bash, etc. and putting on a local radius -- maybe, 40 miles?  That completely rules out Boston and the South Shore, but there are a lot of people outside the 128 loop.  The question is, do they want live entertainment when they have a party? 

Hey Bruce- 

The way most of these sites work, you'll  list the type of events &  music you do when you join (changeable as needed). You list your categories:  one man band, solo organ, solo piano, singer, band, polka band,  etc.  I'm also  on weddings sites (knot-wedding wire) with  memberships for solo piano & band. They crossover:  I've sold a bunch of band stuff when original inquiry was for soloist;  I've sold cocktail hours on band stuff etc. 

 

The secret to success on all these sites is: respond quickly,  be able to communicate, and sell yourself.   Also have some decent demos and feedback.  That said, my demos and photos are ancient &  in need of updates. I'm much better player than when they were done.    There are more Gen-Z/Millennials buyers these days who of course abhor actual phone calls LOL, but I still try that first.  I constantly hear clients say talking in person makes them feel more confident when hiring something unknown. Duh? .  

 

You respond to what you feel  best suited for, and the leads you get will reflect that.  But I get a ton of people who request "Big Band" or "Classical" when they really mean standards or cocktail.  That's where talking helps.    A potential client will either contact only you, or they'll let the site contact a bunch of vendors at once. That can create a cattle call-free for all, and some buyers may only be looking for the cheapest option.  So be it. 

 

It's a numbers game. I get at least 5-10 leads a day among the sites I'm on.   Some not worth responding to, but I still politely reply "Thank you, not available".   Below is a Bash inquiry from this morning (blurred some info for client privacy).   I also offer piano-violin duo as a category, which is  popular for weddings/funerals. The wedding sites are similar.  Thumbtack has always been a crap-shoot for me.  I get maybe 1 or 2  sales a year from them, and bunch of low ballers.    Have friends (harpists, tradespeople, magicians, ) who do great there, but I do better on the music specific sites. 

My best advice: see what booking site comes up in your area after googling "solo piano" or "one-man band" etc.  Then  look for similar vendors  on there to you who are selling the most, then see what's working for them as far as presentation etc. 

 

I'm sorry to hear about you closing down Ashby Solutions

 

I don't want to hijack the thread.  Feel free to PM me if you need more info.  Or if others are interested I'll be happy to post more here. 

 

Best,

 

C

 

[Legatoboy]

Long Island, NY... I'm doing solo piano at cocktail hours before weddings at at upscale wedding hall but I make it a blowing gig as much as I can get away with for a few improvised chorus, I like playing my own gigs I must say the phrase 'where's there 2, there's trouble"  can be very true, but mostly  it's just basically simpler as 1 ..so gig that and also heading to a very good Jazz jam once a month in Queens in my old neighborhood ...held in a national historic jazz venue - Flushing Town Louis Armstrong Jazz Jam. Pop's daughter was there 2 jams ago, now moving to Vegas to retire!   I miss playing blues and even rock sometimes but I've made a vow to stay away from louder and stupider music and what comes along with it, some of it is OK... Sounds snobby I know but hey, I want to go out my way, I'll be 70 soon!...Want to play jazz before the Beatles were on the  E.S. show...   trying to be more discerning of scenes in general i get involved with and  I play and work more at home.. I'll be 69 in Aug. (yes that number again).  In regard to loud guitar volume I don't mind jazz guitar at all in jazz settings... even with a little drive...But jazz piano or solo piano being my main goal now, I play organ and synth too piano now is my main thing at this point.... hard to find solo piano gigs, I'm lucky to be someone's  backup who has a steady 4 weddings a weekend spot... he gets a lot of other work out of town and is a pro so I play fairly often, house doesn't mind the swaps, Jack Hotop being one of the other subs .and Christopher Clark who on tour with Jon Anderson Band now... 2 times a month minimum  in the summer, I turn down a lot but he knows a lot of pianists so I'm not on any hook, it's perfect...I have built up to 55 solo jazz and American standard tunes or so, some Beatles tunes! The Jazz jam really is helping ...that's a pro level jam..... paying dues and chasing the Bird at 69 can be still fun... also no late gigs if I get any others ... I hope I can remain an idealist! 

 

[Moonglow]

I intentionally play out only 2-4 times per month, among three different bands; my long-time (going on 43 years) classic rock/80’s/dance band, a “quasi-prog” diva project, and another classic rock/80s/alternative/party band. The leaders of each band generally book the gigs, my job is largely just to show up and play.

 

I turn down all offers involving extensive travel, low pay, and less desirable/PITA venues. While I don’t play out all that often, it’s self-regulated, so I’m good with that. With a demanding day job, I’m otherwise content to stay home and sit on the couch.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

On 6/16/2023 at 10:17 AM, ProfD said:

Most musicians do not organize and/or promote their own gigs.  That's why they have a hard time finding gigs. . . . 

 

Having the ability to make things happen is the reason managers, promoters and booking agents make their money.😎

I have done this or been part of gigs like this, and there are a lot of benefits. But I'd also argue that "having the ability to make things happen" is only half the battle here -- it's also having the *time and energy* to spare to make things happen! Generally, I've tried to reserve this type of thing big events like an album release. Even then, organizing PA/sound, ticket sales, facility rentals, etc *and* not having an established venue with its staff and reputation to back you leads to a lot of extra plates to spin.

 

I've had good luck taking the reins, and as my collaborators and our friends and followers age out of the "late night bar show" crowd, putting together our own events has become more and more appealing and beneficial. But ultimately, there are only so many jobs one person can do well. 

 

I can play in half a dozen bands if most of the gigs are booked by others and I just have to show up. But being Engaged in the Logistics means you have to focus your efforts a lot more. It's always a tradeoff.

[CEB]

I’m not doing anything.  My lawn has never looked better. 

[bill5]

I'll be gigging in my spare bedroom tonight.   Doesn't pay well but you can't beat the travel expenses and setup time.

[jazzpiano88]

Same here!  

 

[Reezekeys]

My days of the heavy schlep and 4 - 6 hour weddings are over. AWB is calling it quits next year so flying, driving, and early morning lobby calls will be over as well (ya never know, a similar opportunity may arise in that area, but I'm not counting on it). I've been doing some fun local hits and with my new & improved iPad/iPhone rig, super-light Alto speakers and 10-lb (4.5Kg) keyboard I'm gonna have my fun while I still can. Things like wedding ceremonies & cocktail hours playing jazz are not out of the question, assuming the compensation is correct; the light rig certainly helps there. I'm lucky to play with some really great players, that's what keeps me going.

[jazzpiano88]

29 minutes ago, Reezekeys said:

My days of the heavy schlep and 4 - 6 hour weddings are over. AWB is calling it quits next year so flying, driving, and early morning lobby calls will be over as well (ya never know, a similar opportunity may arise in that area, but I'm not counting on it). I've been doing some fun local hits and with my new & improved iPad/iPhone rig, super-light Alto speakers and 10-lb (4.5Kg) keyboard I'm gonna have my fun while I still can. Things like wedding ceremonies & cocktail hours playing jazz are not out of the question, assuming the compensation is correct; the light rig certainly helps there. I'm lucky to play with some really great players, that's what keeps me going.

 

Well, here's hoping that you can find some similar high profile opportunity down the road as you certainly deserve it!  But glad to hear you are continuing playing with your peers and other great players and you're enjoying that!    

 

I feel that most people here don't realize who you are, or the significance of contributions you've made to music, but I salute you, am in awe of your accomplishments,  and wish you the absolute best moving forward!  

[yannis D]

I gig with many bands both locally and outside of my country. But each of these bands has few gigs, so it fits into my calendar.

I now have two smaller local bands: one is a jazz quartet with some balkan music infused and the other band is mostly synth pop of the 80-90s both covers and some original tunes of our guitarist. We play locally and the money is 500-100 euros per person, nothing spectacular but it gets the wheel turning and we have fun amongst us.

I also play with two international world music combos - all gigs are outside of my country, mostly in Europe and sometime elsewhere. Music is interesting in both groups (mainstage and ipad rigs which is also challenging), band mates are nice and money can be from ok to very good, but gigs are few and far in between. 

I do the "session" type of gigs in my country - at the moment with a singer/comedian and with a really talented female singer songwriter. Money plays a ln important role here but I am lucky because I mostly like their music, especially the music of my female artist. 

I got a radio day job and a family, so time is limited. At almost 55 I wonder how much time i still have for music and tours but I try not to thing too much about it cause I will get depressed 😔

 

[Al Quinn]

I have a few gigs here and there but have become increasingly selective — to the point that I’m gigging very little. I play more alone at home or with friends, which has a full circle feeling because that’s how this journey started years ago as a youngster. It was fun then and it’s fun now!

 

This is my happy place. I practice mostly on the Yamaha C3 acoustic grand. The Hammond A100 and Leslie 145 didn’t make this pic (i.e., they’re out of view just to the right). My electric gear lives in a closet and, for the most part, only comes out for gigs. I played some organ trio jazz on Tuesday night with a drummer and sax player. Next week I’ll be playing some jazz piano trio music. I’m shooting for one session per week, alternating piano and organ. 

 

[Reezekeys]

On 6/20/2023 at 10:16 PM, JazzPiano88 said:

 

Well, here's hoping that you can find some similar high profile opportunity down the road as you certainly deserve it!  But glad to hear you are continuing playing with your peers and other great players and you're enjoying that!    

 

I feel that most people here don't realize who you are, or the significance of contributions you've made to music, but I salute you, am in awe of your accomplishments,  and wish you the absolute best moving forward!  

 

You are way beyond kind with those comments, thank you! Me, contribute to music? I'm not too sure about that but I appreciate the mention. I'm just doing the only thing I can - and I think I've been pretty lucky in a lot of ways. What started out as a youthful passion eventually collided with the realities of adult life like mortgages and college loans, and truth be told it hasn't always been the smoothest of rides - but I've always kept going somehow. What else can I do? 🙂 

 

One theme I'm seeing a lot here is how the more, er, "elder" musicians are enjoying the ability to say "no" to some gigs a lot more. I know that along with the musically rewarding gigs I've done, I also did my share of gigs for the simple reason that "it beats a blank." I'll take the blanks now!

 

PS - Al, you're making me very jealous with that picture! Good for you, enjoy!

[TommyRude]

8 hours ago, Al Quinn said:

 

I don't know Al... looks a little rough.  I really don't do that many favors for folks, but because of all your contributions, I'd be willing to swap with you for a week or a year. 😂

[bill5]

On 6/20/2023 at 9:33 PM, Reezekeys said:

My days of the heavy schlep and 4 - 6 hour weddings are over. AWB is calling it quits next year 

Wait a minute.......you mean "the" AWB?

[Reezekeys]

1 hour ago, bill5 said:

Wait a minute.......you mean "the" AWB?

 

Correct. 2024 will be the last year. We've announced a final UK tour, happening next April and May, and according to Alan Gorrie it's already 3/4 sold. As I understand –  treat this as hearsay! – the band will continue with US dates until the end of the year.

 

51 years is a pretty good run, and I've been blessed to participate in the last ten.

 

[bill5]

Well holy #### I didn't know I was rubbing shoulders with royalty.   But what's with all the England gigs? Get your ass to Murrica! 

[Reezekeys]

"All the England gigs"? We haven't been to the UK since November of 2021 - and that was for a twice-delayed tour, before that we hadn't been there since July of 2018! We gotta show some love to where the band was born! 🙂 

 

We've done quite a few gigs this year in the USA and as I said will probably finish out 2024 in 'murrica! Our sched is here.

[MathOfInsects]

I'm not where I was before the pandy in terms of numbers of gigs. Sideman stuff just hasn't come back in force yet. The folks doing solos and duos are doing better than they've ever done, a lesson I am noting for myself. But not the hired-gun gigs.

Pre-pandy I was at about 200/year, now I'm somewhere in the 100/year range. Maybe less, I'm a little scared to do the math. 

 

But the flip side is that the level of opportunities has been much better. Some of my best musical experiences/opportunities have been post-pandy. I just wish, given my landlord's free-wheeling rent increases, that I could get those two things to line up. 

 

[Ibarch]

17 hours ago, Reezekeys said:

"All the England gigs"? We haven't been to the UK since November of 2021 - and that was for a twice-delayed tour, before that we hadn't been there since July of 2018! We gotta show some love to where the band was born! 🙂 

 

We've done quite a few gigs this year in the USA and as I said will probably finish out 2024 in 'murrica! Our sched is here.

You can't be playing this all from your iPhone? 

[Reezekeys]

5 hours ago, Ibarch said:

You can't be playing this all from your iPhone?

 

Ha - yea I was thinking about this. I recently did a show with AWB where I used the phone. It went fine, with the exception of one stuck note on VB3m which I cleared quickly by just tapping the offending note on the keyboard. There's some weirdness going on when switching Midiflow presets, possibly related to code I have in Streambyter, that's causing this. As before with all AWB phone gigs, I had the laptop set up and running in case I needed to do a quick switcheroo – which I've never had to do. Other than that one incident the gig went fine.

 

Anyway, a few weeks ago, at home, I set up both the phone and laptop in parallel and extensively A/B'd the sounds - this was primarily to match levels. I wanted our FOH guy to see as little difference as possible between the phone and laptop. The headphone amp of the phone doesn't appear to have the headroom of the laptop's headphone amp, so I had to mess with a few AUM channels and adjust gain staging in a few places.

 

All this preamble to say: this exercise proved to me that the laptop's sounds are definitely superior to the phone. This wasn't a shocker by any means; I always figured that. I also don't want to imply that it's a night & day difference; it's not. However, this UK tour will likely be recorded, and may even be released in some form - as a download or a CD. So, right now I'm leaning heavily towards the laptop because if any of this is gonna be enshrined in 0's and 1's I'd like to have my contribution have my absolute best efforts, both in the playing and the sounds.

 

One big reason for me wanting to go with a phone vs laptop was the stress of rushed set changes when we're not headlining and there's another band coming on after us. I would never trust anyone tearing down my laptop rig, so I'm always back on stage right after we take our final bow, disconnecting midi & USB cables and gathering everything into the SKB case. The phone rig is much simpler in this regard! However, we're the headliner on this upcoming UK tour and many of the gigs have no support act; that makes things much easier and more relaxed in terms of setup & teardown. The laptop setup isn't much of a hindrance then. So yea, probably the laptop for the UK tour - but I've invested a lot of time to get a reliable and good-sounding iOS rig going and imo I'm pretty much there. There's a very good chance I'll be using my phone on some upcoming gigs - maybe even this weekend! 🙂 

[Ibarch]

Will be making sure I get to one of your live shows when you are in the UK, most likely York. I'll bring my A-800 along so you will have a backup board if needed. 

[Stokely]

I did a weekend gig with just my (new to me) Nord Stage 3 compact, and it went great.   The synths on this thing sound great to my ear, the organ is good enough for me and piano likewise sounds great.     Somewhat limiting if you get a song with organ and piano, or feel you need more than two synths/samples, but frankly I'm more inclined to simplify parts rather than try a ton of splits--and do some programming that makes each sound more versatile.  So much easier to set up and level patches with one keyboard, and I'm way more visible for better or worse    I do sing some lead so that is a good thing.   I had my Modx7 in the car as a backup and that might be what I do moving forward.  

I don't really like my Spider Pro as a one-keyboard stand, I like the Omega pro better as it's way more open with no column.  I think I'll take the 2nd tier off that one, and put the 2nd tier back *on* my spider pro in case I want to do a 2-board gig again.   I wish the Omego pro 2nd tier was quicker to take on/off without the washers and bolts potentially falling off and getting lost.  I have mic boom attachments and K&M quick connectors on both, so the same boom just sits quickly on either attachment no matter which stand I decide on (no screw screw screw the thing on)...this was a genius move on my part as I'm prone to forgetting stuff any time I change things up

Right now it's one trip into the gig, with NS3 in it's backpack, stand in one hand and gear in my rolling toobox, though I may switch and start putting that stuff in a backpack (since I have less stuff with one keyboard) and carry the NS3.

[allan_evett]

On 6/13/2023 at 8:24 AM, Dave Bryce said:

 

 

 I’ve kinda had it with bars.  Too much work for not enough money.  I’d like to do more private parties (those are the only gigs I’ve done this year), but they seem to be few and far between, and I don’t know much about the best way to find them.

 

 

Same here. The bar gigs in this area pay the same as what I was getting in 1991. Similar schlep, same long hours - even with most places having only a handful of people at 12:30 am.  The other thing I've noticed is a songlist direction most of this region's bands are laser focused on, in recent years: 12-15 songs per gig that are tribute-type choices, usually with extensive keyboard part prep - extended intros, etc.  Did a lot of that in the 80s and 90s, burnt out on it now.  I'd much rather do fun, hook-focused stuff that people can actually dance to - with maybe one or two tribute numbers, if that.  Don't get me wrong: I grew up on Genesis, Boston, Kansas etc. and like those bands a lot.  

 

I currently gig once or twice monthly with an acoustic americana trio out of SW Michigan; some $$ and sometimes fun, though kinda loose musically. The Buffett/Yacht-rock tribute I've gigged with the past 7 years has fewer gigs this summer, and most are 2 - 3 states away.  Not worth giving up three well-paying church accompanying gigs per weekend to run off to Iowa or south-central Wisconsin for a job. Just picked up a couple yacht rock/classic rock gigs with a local act. Should be fun as it's with a friend with whom I've recorded and played for many years. Between the pandemic 'break' and a long-term illness he'd been out of commission for a while, but is now putting the act back together.  Might be some hope there for a new, fun band to emerge.

 

Piecing it together, gig-wise.  I teach a lot, and the church gig can be intense for reading. So it's a relief not to be beating my brains out in late-night bars now. 

[vonnor]

On 6/16/2023 at 3:33 PM, eric said:

...Sadly, this band has recently decided to "retire" as a few members are citing that they are ready to hang it up for various health and family reasons, difficulty with stamina during gigs, retirement looming, grand kids, etc. I'm in my early 50s and still ready for more, so once our band plays our final show in January 2024, I'll be on the lookout for a new gig like this. I don't want to start a band from scratch and have a few ideas on local bands I will try to join....

No more FE?!? Oh man, that's sad. Now me and Lilly gotta find another excuse to visit RVA.

 

~ Bill

[jeffincltnc]

I think I'm right in the same spot as Eric.   2-3 gigs per month with an 80's New Wave Tribute band in Charlotte, NC and into South Carolina, and one weekly rehearsal which is usually attended by all unless business travel gets in the way.  Everyone has a day job, kids of some age and a significant other.   I have teenagers and one in college so they are fairly independent but we spend weekend time together as a family too.    But the show is pretty polished now and we could gig a whole lot more if we wanted to be more aggressive on the festival and tribute band circuit especially in the summers.

 

I also will still hit the high quality open stage jam sessions and do pickup gigs with a guitar player/singer as an accompanist to play song book type tunes.  But that's up to me whether I want to get out vs. stay in.

 

 

[16251]

There's a trend I have noticed for a long time. It is that places that hire musicians all seem to stick with the same acts every month and then eventually, people stop going as much. Dah! maybe cause it gets boring.