How do you 'scratch the itch' to perform?

[D. Gauss]

On 10/31/2023 at 4:06 AM, Paul Woodward said:

 

I started playing in bands at 14, but stopped in my late 20's because, well  family and work. 

 

Sorry to be rude, but I guess that itch/desire wasn't strong enough. If it was, you'd have kept playing, family and "work" be damned.  Now, what you have is a "hobby." That's cool, but usually hobbies, golf for example, cost money.  Sometimes, A LOT of money.  Don't be ashamed. You say that the people you play with are "amateur."  Well... spend some money and hire whomever you want. It's a hobby, make it as good as you can. Get pros. Put out the bucks, assemble a dream band of your choosing, hire a hall, play a gig and get on with it. Life is short, then you die and it usually hurts in the process.  If you want a real world example, use owner of Madison Square Garden and Cablevision CEO, James Dolan.  He hired my friend, Brian (Levon Helm, Willy Deville), along with Joe Walsh and some other badass A-listers to be his band and booked themselves opening for the Eagles. Scratch that itch indeed.

[Adan]

As I'm reading it, the root of Paul's problem is his geographic location and the relative lack of local players in his orbit of talent and commitment.  Putting aside solutions that start with "first, get very very rich . . .," I don't see how one solves a problem like that without moving. You just have to play the hand you're dealt.

 

Paul says he tried solo gigs and found it boring.  I'd say try again.  For me, solo piano is the opposite of boring, because I can do whatever I want; move from stride to latin to swing, change songs in the middle,, take requests, create on the spot mashups . . . And the challenge of pulling this off without anyone else to lean on is exhilarating. But it helps to pick a good spot to play, one where you can cultivate a semi-regular audience.

 

 

[Old No7]

On 10/31/2023 at 9:35 AM, SteveCoscia said:

Volunteer piano playing in senior living and hospice facilities delivers a double win...

 

Interestingly, the audience is only 10 or 15 years older than me.  I'll be 70 in February...

 

Gee, per your avatar & footer...   You look damn good for 70! 😉

 

I'm 63, if I play in one of those places -- they'll be hearing "Top Hits of the 70s & 80s" and not Gershwin for sure.

 

Old No7

 

 

[Stokely]

Kinda the thing about getting old..."oldies" start to mean different things.

Ok everyone, gather around, you might remember this one if you think back hard enough....*starts playing Smells like Teen Spirit*

Flip side, I know a lot of younger people that know a ton about older music.  From 80s nights at clubs, to movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, it's all sorta mixed up compared to when I was a kid.

Really bizarre to think that early Rock n Roll like Chuck Berry was closer in years to the mid-80s than we are today to the early 90s...or if not closer, pretty close!
 

[ksoper]

A bass player I toured with has a standing gig at a downtown Nashville bar. It conveniently has a B3 and Leslie.  They don't have a keyboard player so I can just show up and sit in.  It's good practice for me and less effort for them because they don't have to play as hard.  I've only done it twice this year so it can't be that big of an itch. Bigger itches get Benedryl. 

[Threadslayer]

18 minutes ago, Stokely said:

Kinda the thing about getting old..."oldies" start to mean different things

Ain't that the truth. A couple of times a year my 96 year old neighbor calls me up to back him up on what he calls "standards" going back to the 1920s. Next week he's going to sing a bunch of "patriotic songs" at a Veterans Day gathering at an old folks home. I have no idea which tunes he'll pick, so I get to practice my rusty sight reading some more.

[ProfD]

7 hours ago, Adan said:

As I'm reading it, the root of Paul's problem is his geographic location and the relative lack of local players in his orbit of talent and commitment. 

 

As @D. Gauss brilliantly put it above...hire people to play in the band. 

 

Musicians will come from miles away for the right amount of pay. 

 

Double-bonus if the music is worth playing.  The musicians will be looking forward to the next gig.😎

[stoken6]

17 hours ago, Stokely said:

Kinda the thing about getting old..."oldies" start to mean different things.

Ok everyone, gather around, you might remember this one if you think back hard enough....*starts playing Smells like Teen Spirit*

Flip side, I know a lot of younger people that know a ton about older music.  From 80s nights at clubs, to movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, it's all sorta mixed up compared to when I was a kid.

Really bizarre to think that early Rock n Roll like Chuck Berry was closer in years to the mid-80s than we are today to the early 90s...or if not closer, pretty close!
 

WAP will be an oldie in the not too distant future.

 

By contrast, "Leave The Door Open" was an oldie from the moment it was exported from Pro Tools...

 

Cheers, Mike.

[cphollis]

Have you ever considered starting your own band, recruiting people you like to play with -- or is there just nothing to work with where you are?

[Paul Woodward]

2 hours ago, cphollis said:

Have you ever considered starting your own band, recruiting people you like to play with -- or is there just nothing to work with where you are?

That's pretty much it, although @D. Gauss has a point (you weren't rude) about the itch not being strong enough. I guess I want opportunities to be there for me to choose. My job means travelling and rarely the same days each week. My 'itch' is worse when I work from home all week, but gigging couldn't be further from my mind when I'm already on the road most of the week. 

I still love buying, setting up, and playing new gear, but have this internal conflict where I can't justify it if it's not getting gigged. I buy and sell stuff all the time as a result, but I have developed this 'play and profit' routine where I grab stuff cheap, mess around with it, then pass it on at a small profit. Kinda like a free rental. It's Gas really, and it's a real compulsion for me. 

Getting to use it all is partly justification for this 'habit', bordering on addiction. 

 

[yannis D]

I think the only solution is to set your proper band with people you like their playing and attitude. And go from there. Local bands and unknown (to you) musicians will always have these drawbacks you mentioned whereas friends will be friends and you will have the creative process to your project.

And also kill your GAS: focus on what you have and make the best out of it. GAS is opposite to music creation IMO (unless you are a very seasoned professional player and your music bosses expect the latest and best from your gear). 

Just my two euros 😁