Tedster Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 Stolen from the Keyboard Corner... What was your first ever paying gig? First ever bar/nightclub gig? (If your first gig at all was like a school dance). My first ever paying gig was a dance at an intermediate school in Michigan. I think we made like 25 bucks apiece, most of which went to equipment rental. I can still remember a few of the songs from our set list... Keep Playin' That Rock and Roll..Edgar Winter American Band...Grand Funk Good Feelin' to Know (Poco) among others... What IS scary is that those were all new songs at the time... Now, for part two...my first BAR gig sucked big time...I was hired at the last minute to play rhythm and lead for this country guy. He played AND sang through an old Kustom blue tuck and roll amp. One high Z mic. Three piece...no bass player...drummer had a wooden leg (even before Def Leppard made that sort of thing fashionable). We had one practice, played at a hotel and bar in rural Michigan. Boy, did it ever suck! But I think I made about 40 bucks. Okay...how 'bout y'all??? "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip McDonald Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 Assuming a piano recital at age 5 doesn't count...: How's this for a story: A friend's father was having a birthday party thrown for him when I was 16. I had just started playing guitar maybe 2 months earlier. So, I was told to bring my guitar to this event for some reason... Lo and behold, someone had arranged for a stripper to show up. I suddenly found myself playing a slinky I IV V through a little Peavey amp while a very well proportioned blond woman proceeded to do her thing less than 5 feet in front of me. I remember thinking "This is really, really a great thing... but I am *so* in trouble if I have to standup right now".... A few months after that I played in my HS jazz band at a gig for the stinking school board dinner: a bunch of rich bozos being served expensive food on the taxpayer's tab while we played for them and they acted like we weren't there, no more deserving of their attention than the poor black waiters running around serving them. Despite being the product of their actions... That was a quick reality check for being a musician: you're *nothing* to some people. They did applaude one solo - after I sneaked my volume up a little bit beyond the "conservatively reserved wallpaper volume" point... Then the usual parties and bar gigs. Lalalalalala... ------------------ New and Improved Music Soon: http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/ / "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrmac Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 First gig was the local community center Saturday night dance. Some guys in the neighborhood asked me to fill in for their regular rhythm guitar. They played a lot of Ventures stuff and other things that weren't my bag, I was a Rolling Stones freak at the time. I thought I'd give it a go since my band was still practicing in the basement of my Dad's house at the time. Learned the tunes did the gig and after the first set this girl I knew comes up to me and says her friend Wendy wants to meet me. Wendy was very cute. My career path was decided at this point. Nothing else I had going ever gave me a shot at anything like Wendy up till that point. We went steady for a while, I practiced like a fiend, the rest is history. Oh yeah, Dad bought me a Fender Vibrolux for the gig cause I didn't have an amp. That was almost a cool as Wendy but lasted a lot longer. Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 jeez, 7th or 8th grade and we played this little outdoor school fair in jersey. we only knew maybe 5 songs: grand funk's "i'm your captain", bad co.'s "can't get enough of your love", stones "get off my cloud", and of course bto's "takin' care of business" complete with a drum solo. we sucked big time and we noticed that people didn't tend to walk away when there was a drum solo, so suddenly EVERY song had a drum solo! we played every tune like 3 times and at the end the drums were covered in blood from the drummers blisters breaking.... funny thing is that gig got us an offer to play for a march of dimes walkathon or something that actually paid money. best part was that our audience was literally running past us, so we played songs over and over and nobody ever knew! -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott from MA Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 My first time in front of an audience was in 6th grade, playing bass for the school jazz band. My first real guitar gig was sitting in with my friend's father's blues/rock band. I think I was 12 or 13. Scott (just another cantankerous bastard) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 4H convention in Baton Rouge. We got $25 apiece, I was 14 and thought "THIS IS THE LIFE". We sucked, but it was the most incredible experience of my life. The lead singer was a good bud, now departed into the hereafter, sang "Helpless" and "Spirit in the Sky", and my little Deluxe was there (though back then I thought it wasn't NEAR loud enough). We named our little group Surge, after a dairy industry product sign on the lead singers Dairy Barn. I'll never forget the energized feeling of that very first walk out on stage. Wish Don (Stevens) were here to enjoy the music now. RIP. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fet Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 Summer of 1974, Fri-Sat-Sun every week at a suburban bar/pizza restaurant, in a twin-lead-guitar/bass/drums combo. We played what we liked; Jethro Tull and Allman covers, obscure blues, etc. Pay was $20 per night per man, plus all we could eat, plus all we could drink from the bar. (How many of us would work for this in 2001?) We'd order drinks on-mike, then go out the back door on break for chemical "experiments". An active social scene went along with this, to be sure. I'm glad to have done this in my early 20's; it would kill me today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlChuck Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 fet, Sounds a like like my early experience! I was in a similar band in 1974-75; we played Allmans, Clapton and Jeff Beck stuff, Little Feat tunes and Frank Zappa stuff... we were pretty good for a bunch of no-nothing kids, but none of us could sing for beans and we weren't really commercial enough to keep it up for too long. But my first paying gig happened while that band was still rehearsing, before we played a single gig. Our drummer was playing in another working band at the time, and their guitar player was out of town for a week and they needed a fill-in. Our drummer recommended me. I went to one rehearsal and learned enough to fake it -- I was being the lead player so mostly I just had to play some fills and stuff and take a few solos. It was a blast! The bandleader actually let us (the band we were putting together) play three songs in one of the later sets. We had an attractive female singer and the crowd responded to us far better than they did to the regular band! Boy, did it piss off the bandleader! This message has been edited by AlChuck on 05-25-2001 at 05:02 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art Posted May 25, 2001 Share Posted May 25, 2001 December 1979 - Played at a neighborhood Christmas Party. I was 15 years old and played a Japanese Les Paul Copy with no name and a bolt-on neck. The other guitar player and I both plugged into his Peavey amp. The bass player played thru my home stereo which had a mic input. We used a home stereo hi-fi speaker for the bass. We played "My Sharona", "I Want You To Want Me", and a couple of dorky original tunes. We were horribly out of tune and sucked like a "Hoover" but we had a blast. At the end of our short set, our drummer threw his sticks out into the crowd and hit some dude who of course, got pissed and wanted to kick everyone's ass. A couple of young girls fell in love with me and I started getting phone calls from girls I didn't even know. That was it! My path was set for life......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted May 26, 2001 Share Posted May 26, 2001 Summer 1978. Recent high school grads... we practiced in the basement of a house we dubbed the "animal house" that the bass player rented with a couple friends on the outskirts of Madison, WI. With the house on a couple of acres of land and no other houses nearby, we could be loud and only a few cows were bothered! Drinking age in WI was 18 in those days, and all of us recent grads and our friends were old enough to tip a few legally. We decided to throw a big outdoor party, so we did what was common in our circle... we bought 10 half-barrels of beer, a fridge truck with 5 tappers, got a flatbed trailer for the stage, rented a PA from another band, (and had the guy who owned it be our sound man), had my younger brother's band open in front of us, (their first gig too), and worked up 25 songs, (mostly 70's rock covers Hendrix, Stones, Doors, Bad Company, etc.)... We invited 300 or so of our "closest friends" and sold "cups" for $3.00 each. All you can drink... while it lasts! We also brought all of our bbq's and sold hamburgers and brats to the hungry folks... We had about 400 people show, and as we finally hit the stage the "beer guy" announced: BEER's GONE! So the crowd was "primed" as in "the drunker you get the better we sound"! Anyway, it went over great, we had the beginnings of a "following" that would last through our "college years", and we ended up clearing some decent cash after paying all the bills... Ironically the final "profit" turned out to be $666. A sure sign the whole band thing was blessed by the "big guy downstairs"! We were a little freaked out about that so we took a dollar and ripped it to shreds! AMEN. guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 26, 2001 Author Share Posted May 26, 2001 >>>Ironically the final "profit" turned out to be $666. A sure sign the whole band thing was blessed by the "big guy downstairs"! We were a little freaked out about that so we took a dollar and ripped it to shreds! AMEN. Actually, I think it's a smaller guy downstairs...wears an English schoolboy uniform and plays an SG. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrg music Posted May 26, 2001 Share Posted May 26, 2001 My first ever gig, and I hasten to add I didn't get paid diddly squat for it, was at the grand ol age of 13. I used to hang out with a couple of guys who were deeply into a John Denver kinda vibe, which gave me the opportunity to play my twelve string, so I used to play along with them fairly often. Ahem,... it should also be said that they were two of the leaders in my then boy scout troop http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/redface.gif so we used to play at summer camp an all that. Well the guys that I played with were offered a gig at The Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the international Folk Festival and much to my intense surprise and at the cost of some considerable amounts of new underwear I was invited to play with them at the concert. I gotta tell ya I have never been so frightened and excited all at once in my entire life! The gig passed off pretty well though and it was packed, after that I just couldn't see myself ever wanting to do anything other than play for a living. So... Pete and Gary..... thanks for getting me started and for everything since!! Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ...remember there is absolutely no point in talking about someone behind their back unless they get to hear about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtrmac Posted May 26, 2001 Share Posted May 26, 2001 First gig at the Royal Albert Hall!!?? How do you top that? Mac Bowne G-Clef Acoustics Ltd. Osaka, Japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GL1 Posted May 26, 2001 Share Posted May 26, 2001 First gig? First paying gig was 2 days before my 13th birthday. Had been practicing with this band for 5 weeks and they thought I was ready. The average age, of the other members, was around 22.... Next door neighbor was the Bassist.We had a 3 piece horn section, drums, bass keyboardist and me. We played this club, in my small town and I saw my art teacher and shop teacher get drunk and make out... (both married) 20 years later, I was in another band with the trumpet player... he plays Bass now....... And needless to say...... I got an "A" in both Art and Shop. Go ahead....listen at your own risk http://mahotmagumbo.iuma.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 26, 2001 Author Share Posted May 26, 2001 Ahhh, small town living...seeing the shop teacher and art teacher drunk making out...hahahaha...boy, that can be quite an eye opener for a 13 year old kid...sounds like a "Harper Valley PTA" experience. By the way, Simon...did they ever figure out just how many holes it *does* take to fill the Albert Hall? "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy Posted May 27, 2001 Share Posted May 27, 2001 Well lets see...was about 13 and two other guys and myself played a slumber party with nothing but girls.....think we made about 2 or 3 dollars each..but the fringe benefits were astounding....never looked back after that....and our song list was way stranger than you can imagine..louie louie ...ventures walk don't run...pipeline.. you get the picture...but they were the hits...then hooked up with a bunch of old country guys and started making real money...15-30 bucks a night.....times have changed but if the vibe is right ...that's ample money now.... laters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrg music Posted May 27, 2001 Share Posted May 27, 2001 Originally posted by Tedster: Ahhh, small town living...seeing the shop teacher and art teacher drunk making out...hahahaha...boy, that can be quite an eye opener for a 13 year old kid...sounds like a "Harper Valley PTA" experience. By the way, Simon...did they ever figure out just how many holes it *does* take to fill the Albert Hall? Ted LOL, lets just say that there were loads of them, but I was just too young to know what to do with them http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif.... ahem ahem.... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/redface.gif I remember the play list went sommat like this, ' Wild Rover' 'Whiskey In The Jar' 'Morning Has Broken' (the great Cat Stevens) 'Rocky Mountain High' 'Kumbya' 'Amazing Grace' Not the coolest tunes by todays standards but hell who cares!! One of the most fantastic and memorable nights of my life. Thanks for bringing out the memory mate! Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ...remember there is absolutely no point in talking about someone behind their back unless they get to hear about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosespappy Posted May 28, 2001 Share Posted May 28, 2001 Knickers and an SG! LOL. Too cool Ted. Simon, you schmoe... It was a High School arts assembly, they asked me to do Wildfire. I cracked on the first pass at the chorus, then managed to tarry me druthers and finished clean. First "real" gig was the top floor at Scarlet O'Haras' in Marquette. Taylor set was Mexico,Steam-roller, Sweet Baby James, Machine Gun Kelly, and Gone to Carolina.Fogelburg set was, Song from Half Mountain,Sketches,Dancing Shoes,Loose Ends, and To the Mornin' Third set was a bunch of chemically induced wah-wahs from the realm of my 17 year old freshman bean... Fourth was a CSN,CSNY, Niel Young, Cat Stevens,Harry Chapin,America, and the Eagles blow-out. Went nice.Learned that the trick to this was not in the gig, but rather the survival of the post-gig. In truth I never learned that well. After two years worth of near death experiences, I quit to become an Engineer. Great memories, I remember my Dad begging me to stick with music. He gave up a pro-ball career to appease his father-in-law, and knew what it was like to wonder if he'd have been a star... I'll settle for the reality of survival by surrender. Besides. isn't real stardom that thing you feel when your kids tell you they love you? OOPs! didn't mean to get all sappy! Dang Royal Albert Hall.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duhduh Posted May 28, 2001 Share Posted May 28, 2001 My very first was in a little pizza joint. Right in the middle of the solo of a Jimi Hendrix cover(bad idea @ age 15), the drummer loses a stick and it hits me right in the back of the head! DOH! "Meat is the only thing you need beside beer! Big hunks of meat and BEER!!...Lots of freakin' BEER." "Hey, I'm not Jesus Christ, I can't turn water into wine. The best I can do is turn beer into urine." Zakk Wylde http://www.hepcnet.net/bbssmilies/super.gif http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15_1_109.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted May 28, 2001 Author Share Posted May 28, 2001 Rick wrote... >>>Besides. isn't real stardom that thing you feel when your kids tell you they love you? (Chinese sage voice)...Ahhh...you have great wisdom... Definitely the truth... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrg music Posted May 28, 2001 Share Posted May 28, 2001 Originally posted by Tedster: Rick wrote... >>>Besides. isn't real stardom that thing you feel when your kids tell you they love you? (Chinese sage voice)...Ahhh...you have great wisdom... Definitely the truth... No doubt in my mind either, gotta be the proudest moment and the most fullfilling in anyones perspective....as ever Rick you are truly wise.. Simon http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ...remember there is absolutely no point in talking about someone behind their back unless they get to hear about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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