Where was your first gig?

[Banta]

A birthday party when I was 8. First paying gig was at a bar in Evansville, IN when I was 15.

[FreddieB]

First ever payed gig, A jazz concert at Columbia City, IN. Got payed $30 bucks for about 2 hours and being a ringer. A happy moment and great learning experience.

[Tom Capasso]

I sang Chim Chiminie in 5th grade (along with playing sax in the band). That was 1965...

 

I'm not sure when my first bass gig was. I think it was when we played the local Junior High (interestingly, my wife is now secretary to the principal at that school). The stage was huge, the kids were great. I suspect we were something better than awful, and less than impressive. My white fender bassman couldn't keep up. We were thrilled by the experience. And the other three guys managed to get some female attention and at least a few dates out of it. Not me. This began a pattern that continued for a long time. I dated girls - I just never impressed anybody at a gig.

 

Oh - my grade school music teacher lives in my town, and I see her a few times a year. Great lady - inspired lots of us to be involved in music. She's been retired for a few years....

 

Tom

[The Bear Jew]

First gig overall or first gig on bass?

 

My first gig in front of actual people was sometime in the mid-80s at a basement party. It was fun as hell. All of our friends were there, and I'm pretty sure we were dismal, but we had a blast. I'm pretty sure the police came (they were always f'ing up our parties). I know the house got trashed. Looked like something out of an 80s "coming-of-age" movie.

 

Ah, memories.

 

My first bass gig was in the late '90s. I played bass in a joke band, and (interestingly enough) we opened for New Found Glory. We totally blew them away. I was wearing a cape, a wrestler's mask, a diaper and combat boots. I spent a lot of time screaming, and we had flash pots going off all over the place. We had the joint packed, and everyone left when we were done. NFG played for about 10 people.

 

Of course, now NFG plays for huge crowds all over, and the "joke" band has gone the way of all flesh.

 

I still play bass, though.

[jpmiii]

My first gig was 1981 the "senior day" assembly at my high school for my senior class. The band consisted of a couple buddies of mine, a three piece. We played "Schools Out" by Alice Cooper very cool, the idea was as we played all of the seniors were supposed to leave but everybody ended up staying.

 

Unfortunately I was so terrified I don't remember any of it, though we did end up with a couple of shots in the year book.

[hrn]

At a youth recreation centre called Brynjan in my home town 1980, we were all teens and became the girls favourites. The punk rock, ska and reggae was our style. We played at this place about 7-8 times after this and at the moment I'm living so close to so I can see it from my window right now. The singer Larry Forsberg is one of Swedens most succesful song writers nowadays, he was 14 years old when we started. The future has turned out quite well for all the four of us since we started playing in our block.

 

Hans,

www.hagen.nu

[Prague]

It was at a block party of my aunt's father's house. The four of us were all 16 years old. We were to play for $40 (not bad for 1973). We played simple songs, CCR, Stones, Steppenwolf (ya' know, the ones we still hear).

 

At the end of the "show" he said he'd give us $10 more for another hour. Since my Mom and dad drove the station wagon, we said yes.

 

The year before he rented an outhouse. But in '73, it was me.

[slimstuart]

At a birthday party in Pinole, CA, with a pianist and drummer. This was in '79, my senior year in high school and we were reading tunes from the "Real(close)Book." I was playing the same Mittenwald upright that I play to this day.

 

slim s

[bassplayer7770]

My first "gig" was actually at a church. A friend of mine asked me and a few other friends to join him for a youth event at his church. We covered two songs by Sixpence None the Richer (from This Beautiful Mess) and had a female singer that sounded very similar to Leigh herself.

 

The first "gig" with my band was just for several friends that we invited into our rehearsal room. Nothing special.

[Scoot]

Blue Moon Saloon in Old Town (Wichita's Bar district) on 6-21-97 . . . how the hell did I remember that date? I dunno.

 

I was 21, slightly drunk, and after looking at the video, had zero stage presence. Our singer was worse though, he was drunk, high, and literally reading the lyrics from a notebook that he held in front of him for the whole set. He didn't really sing, it was more of a growl . . . which is why we called him "Chewie".

 

Pretty embarrassing, but learned a good lesson: "don't play out until you're ready."

[TMWdrmr8]

At a birthday party for one of our bass players friends. Not that many people, only about 25 or so, but it felt good to show other people what we could do.

[davich]

Come to this, i am proudly said that my first gig with classical guitar (nylon string) was with sunday school, in my house, when i was around 12 in 1985. i touched bass when i was around 1987, still with my church praise & worship band. i am grateful that i brought my first fruit of talent to the One that gave it to me.

[Ian D.Pocket]

My first gig was at CBGB's in 1978 with my punk band Coney Island Whitefish. We played there again one year later with a much better line-up, finally getting the adulation we deserved, then we quickly faded into obscurity (however, all the songs-written by the guitarist and myself-still hold up).

[Brendan Orr]

My first time was my freshman year in high school. It was a caribbean percussion ensemble where I was the token string player. A couple years later we opened for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Kinda wish I was there a few years earlier when Buddy Rich came to town.