Compact Diss Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 I know people have posted pics the time when the Aguilera/Timberlake set fell apart and so on.... My question is this--if your primary job is stagehand, moving amps, setting up guitars, whatever...bringing water to the performers... How and when did you get to where you are? I'm having a debate with my wife. If I was asked to go on tour with a local act who wanted me to join them for a month on tour in another country would I be able to leave my job... I'm not worried about job security, money...I'm just happy to be a part of something I believe in and have wanted to be a part of all my life... Is this wrong??? As I have made a point of saying before, my wife tells me I live in a fantasyland... I tell her no, anyday this can happen... well, I'm still waiting... but if you had the opportunity would you step up and walk away from your current job and not look back??? I think I would.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveMusic Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Well, heck, yeah. My brother ROUTINELY works 4 weeks on, two weeks off. No big deal. Although, it depends on your age. If you are fairly young or not married that long, a bit of a problem, in that your wife is probably insecure. (You may be too.) I'd sit down and tell her what an opp it is and a lifelong dream or whatever. With young people, it's just harder due to insecurity. If your wife were 50, she'd say hell yeah, GO. > > > [ Live! ] < < < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Actually it can be the opposite too: young people are often more willing to take risks, older ones can get set in their ways and be worried that you'll end up without a job, or have a midlife crisis and run off with a groupie , or whatever. Do you think the issue is really job security, or is it that she wouldn't want you to leave her for a month? A lot of times what passes for "money issues" are really "emotional security" issues although not always. In any case... it really depends on what the opportunity is vs. what your lifestyle is. If you'd be risking everything you had for something that isn't likely to lead to any long term prospects, well... probably not a good idea. And I've seen that happen to a lot of folks, they give up everything for a pipe dream, come back with nothing and can't get back what they had. I also know quite a few guys who work road crews regularly where it's VERY hard on their social/family life (if they even have one). On the other hand, if you have few responsibilities, OR if you're very well established with the family and the finances and treat it more as a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, then it can be fun. There's no right or wrong answer, it really just requires a lot of soul searching on your own part: knowing what kind of person you are (some people love the road and others get burned out on it very quickly), what your family thinks about it and how much you have to gain vs. lose, etc. That answer will be different for everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Well, I fell into stagehand work after I was hired at Opryland to mix the Mike Snider Show. Mike is an Opry star and comedian who played days at Opryland USA theme park, 6 days per week. But he put on 3 half-hour shows with hour breaks beginning shortly after the park opened each day. All the other shows, because of their length, went on through the late afternoon and evening. Essentially, I was the only staff mixer who could be available early enough in the day to prep small PA rigs for convention entertainment at the gargantuan Opryland Hotel. I worked at least as much on individual contracts at the hotel as in the park. Did that for a year and a half. From there, I worked for AV companies and branched out into crew work with companies that had supplied additional crew for the larger hotel gigs I'd been doing. This led to concert production in every non-union venue in town. I worked pretty steady most of the year, but never really had a permanent job. I worked part time for MARS music after the first 8 months (in which I worked "part time" but ended up with full time hours) and had been working steadily when a co-worker who had worked for years with Johnny Cash and who was then monitor engineer brought me onboard at rehearsals for Lila McCann. He expected a few conflicts with June Carter's well received new album in 1999. As it turned out, Gov't Mule came calling for him and I inherited the Lila gig for a short time. I simply told MARS I'd be gone for a month with the intention of working during the week afterwards, as Lila had several weekends booked after the major touring had subsided for the year. In many places they still expect their employees to be in and out depending on their job status with bands, so it was not such a big deal. When I took my current position, a full time administrative job at a meeting planning/scenic design company I pretty much promised I wouldn't tour. They wanted stability in the office. Now that I've been on the job for a year, I've toyed with asking for a sabbatical should the right position avail itself, and there has been the distinct possibility in recent weeks though, sadly, nothing has come of it. Another friend has worked full time for our load/setup world while touring on weekends with a well known country act, but the act took a bunch of time off to handle some personal issues. We were about to approach him to see if he was ready to settle down (we need some highly proficient project managers right now) in a full time position when one of the most popular country acts touring now offered him a job and he took it. There was another offer which was the one I wanted to check out, but he couldn't find the contact information and I believe it's passed. Believe me when I say it would be very difficult to leave a steady paycheck, even the piss-poor one I get, for the ambiguity of the road and freelance work again. But my wife is supportive. So maybe.. if a really good opportunity avails itself to me.. I can really screw up my life again and take it. (Of course, as long as it goes on I'll be really happy to be there, but I'd miss my family something fierce and god forbid Lilly gets sick and how the heck would Denise handle getting her to/from school, 23 miles from home and 15 from work, everyday, and what about her seemingly endless days off or early dismissal and... and... It would be very difficult to leave this job for anything but a better salaried position. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compact Diss Posted October 9, 2004 Author Share Posted October 9, 2004 Nice replies... First my wife is not insecure, in fact I feel personally I have the greatest wife anyone could ask for, not putting anyone else down. I just feel I found the right girl. I love her, I am happy, she makes me happy-we have a great son, we have what we want in life, if not- we are working towards what we want... Going on the road for me is a dream. Due to this being my second marriage I have a responsibility to pay child support, I pay every paycheck-the thing that would cause a burden is going on tour-- I would need the money every week, I don't know if many bands out there can handle that--my ex needs to get paid consistently.. Just saying I can go--there are some pre-reqs that need to be met..my wife is all for it as long as I get all my baggage in order...If all my outgoing payments are met...I'm free to go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Originally posted by Compact Bush: Due to this being my second marriage I have a responsibility to pay child support, I pay every paycheck-the thing that would cause a burden is going on tour-- I would need the money every week, I don't know if many bands out there can handle that--my ex needs to get paid consistently.. If you can go on the road for a month without jeopardizing your job or income, have at it. If not, forget it. These days courts simply don't care if you get to live your dreams or not, dads who miss child support payments go to jail. And if you go to the slam, everybody loses. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steevo Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Originally posted by Compact Bush: My question is this--if your primary job is stagehand, moving amps, setting up guitars, whatever...bringing water to the performers... How and when did you get to where you are? ....One of my good friends has been touring out of Nashville like that for years. He's been stage manager/guitar tech/keyboard tech for Dolly Parton, Saywer Brown, Waylon Jennings, Faith Hill and many others that I can't think of at the moment. Currently he's touring with the Allman Brothers. He's single and totally devoted to supporting each act. He's completely selfless and makes certain that each performer has what they want and need at all times. Knows equipment inside and out. There's no way he could do it at this level and have a family (well, and be fair to them). But, he's doing what he always wanted to do and it one of the best at it. Just my .02. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A String Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 If you are really interested in the music biz, the best way to get into it is to start getting into the scene. Start hanging out at the studio. Jam with lots of local musicians. Get to know everyone. Also, you should know that it is possible to make a really good living with a touring band. The band I was in played 6 nights a week, every week. We would play Monday to Saturday (Sunday was travel day) then pick up and go to the next town. The clubs put you up in a hotel (Or band room ) so you really don't spend that much. We would go out for three or four weeks, come back for a day or two and go back out again. But really, if it's your band, you can do what you want. The money was great, the traveling was great. It's a nice way to live (For a while anyway). It really gets in your blood. Eventually, you find it hard to stay in one place for too long. Craig Stringnetwork on Facebook String Network Forum My Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin-erator Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Originally posted by Compact Bush: Nice replies... Going on the road for me is a dream. Due to this being my second marriage I have a responsibility to pay child support, I pay every paycheck-the thing that would cause a burden is going on tour-- I would need the money every week, I don't know if many bands out there can handle that--my ex needs to get paid consistently.. Just saying I can go--there are some pre-reqs that need to be met..my wife is all for it as long as I get all my baggage in order...If all my outgoing payments are met...I'm free to go...Compact, I have to start by telling you: I really enjoy your new handle, not because of your primary campaign related intentions, but, because of the secondary meanings which can be superimposed. I've got similar (maybe pipe) dreams. I'm really hoping someone will pick up my record and pay for me to go on tour. This is one of the reasons why, at age 36, I've never been married. I haven't yet heard a girl say, "if your dream comes true, and you can play your guitar for a living, I'll back you" without a ton of conditions. Also, I've got a pretty substantial day job. I'm not sure that I could pick up for six months and be able to come right back to it if I needed it to be waiting there for me. And, because I've got bills and a mortgage, I need a steady income. As for points made about your child support, I have a little inside knowledge about this (ask me about my day job). Don't mess with that. The way around problems with that is, if you can afford it, pay your ex in advance for the time you will be away. Just make sure that she signs something acknowledging receipt of all payments for that period of time. Don't take your chances with the courts. It can go badly for you. Finally, as for whether or not this will lead to a career in the music road-show biz, I don't know . . . I think your first road gig needs to happen to be with a show or band that makes it beyond five weeks in Europe. Either way, best of luck to you! Vinny Vinny Cervoni vcbluzman@hotmail.com www.bluzberrypi.com www.42ndstband.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Here's the deal... the impact on your marrage may be more that you are understanding. Did she fall in love with and marry a guy who had an insecure lifestyle? Since the marrage is a partnership, shouldn't you consider the affects on the partner and discuss it thoroughly with her before you change the deal? After all, it may not be the deal that she signed on for. Pulling the rug out from under her may not be the best idea. Like many of the others here who work in the industry, I 'fell into' stagehand work as an adjunct to other industry related work that I was already doing. I found that I enjoy it a lot, so I do it a fair amount. It was not my primary income when I started, and though at times I have allowed it to become my primary income, it is not usually my primary income. If you enjoy this type of work, I suggest getting in touch with the local stage hands union in your area. (IATSE) Get on their extras list. They'll only call you a couple of times to start with, but if you hang in there, before you know it you'll be a regular. Doing this locally is far better than doing it on the road. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbach1 Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Originally posted by Lee Flier: Actually it can be the opposite too: young people are often more willing to take risks, older ones can get set in their ways and be worried that you'll end up without a job, or have a midlife crisis and run off with a groupie , or whatever. Do you think the issue is really job security, or is it that she wouldn't want you to leave her for a month? A lot of times what passes for "money issues" are really "emotional security" issues although not always. In any case... it really depends on what the opportunity is vs. what your lifestyle is. If you'd be risking everything you had for something that isn't likely to lead to any long term prospects, well... probably not a good idea. And I've seen that happen to a lot of folks, they give up everything for a pipe dream, come back with nothing and can't get back what they had. I also know quite a few guys who work road crews regularly where it's VERY hard on their social/family life (if they even have one). On the other hand, if you have few responsibilities, OR if you're very well established with the family and the finances and treat it more as a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, then it can be fun. There's no right or wrong answer, it really just requires a lot of soul searching on your own part: knowing what kind of person you are (some people love the road and others get burned out on it very quickly), what your family thinks about it and how much you have to gain vs. lose, etc. That answer will be different for everybody.Wise advice oh sage one. The seperation issue can be difficult. You better feel very comfortable in your relationship to put it to that kind of a test. Here is more advice from an old person: careers and money are not worth sacrificing love and relationships for. If careers and money are your thing, fine, but when you get to a stage where you really know your body is getting old fast, you will want loved ones around more than you will want anything else. End of story lori. bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compact Diss Posted October 9, 2004 Author Share Posted October 9, 2004 I went ahead and contacted the IATSE. Yeah I wouldn't go running off on my wife-there would be long discussions... Yup I know all about the child support and the limits--I would pay ahead but my ex would never sign it... Thanks for all the insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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