Prospects for fall

[ElmerJFudd]

How are the full timers doing?

 

Have you actively been lining up a gig, session, show schedule for the run up to New Year"s Eve? Have you been able to take a gig here or there without losing unemployment?

 

Those that supplement with a lesson schedule - have the students been returning? How does it compare to before the virus?

 

Those that took church and school gigs - how does it look for marching/concert bands, choirs and other ensembles?

[Ledbetter]

After a long lull, I got asked this month to jam with some guys in a garage, join some guys forming a new band to play one set at a local, super-popular festival, and asked to join one of the most popular local bands in Santa Barbara County.

 

But it"s like climbing a greased pole. There"s now questions about whether the festival will be held in light of Delta, how open things are actually going to be this Fall, and I"m not sure I want to go back to playing a small stage in front of unmasked strangers after driving 40 miles.

[Reezekeys]

I started hitting the road with AWB at the beginning of this month. We're all on the honor system to test ourselves weekly, a day or two before we go out (15-minute rapid antigen test, maybe not the best choice but better than nothing). Not sure what exactly might happen if one of us were to be positive though! So far so good. We've been to Pittsburgh PA, Mableton GA (outside Atlanta), Cleveland OH, Detroit MI, Louisville KY and Cincinnati OH. Indoor gigs were Cleveland, Detroit and Cincinnati - the rest were amphitheatres or sheds. Hardly anyone in the audience masking at these gigs. Most of the band try to stay masked as much as possible, at least while backstage or in the dressing rooms. When we've done gigs with other bands on the bill, I see a good percentage of the other musicians masked most of the time as well.

 

We have another outdoor gig this Saturday, then next month some real nice gigs out west (including one with TOP near Palm Springs, and two nights at Yoshi's in Oakland CA). Fingers are crossed for no cancellations and that we keep testing negative! All our gigs that have been on the calendar for the fall are still there as of now, including a twice-postponed tour of the UK and Netherlands in November.

 

I can't help feeling that all my full-time musician brethren would be in a much better spot if a good percentage of this country grew a few brain cells and did the right thing to end this catastrophe! I'm just starting to work after A YEAR AND A HALF OF NO GIGS --- and it could all stop again!

[analogika]

Three shows cancelled in September, another in October so far.

 

Germany has allowed venues to require proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid infection within the past six months (so-called "2G" regulations â there's also "3G", which includes unvaccinated, but tested individuals, but those are obviously still at higher risk of infection), so we're hoping the 16 shows (700 - 2500 people regularly) we have lined up for November and December might go through, despite Deltaâ¦

 

All crew are required to be vaccinated or provide proof of having recovered from Covid.

[Stokely]

Not a full-timer, but weekend warrior here in "the epicenter" (FL)...you'd literally never know anything was going on on the lower level we play at...not sure about bigger shows and tours. Gigs have been happening just like always. I played and sang masked at an indoor one a week ago, mine was the only mask in evidence--thankfully for once I'm glad it wasn't crowded. We play a wedding Sept 5th and it's not clear if things will be looking up by then or not. Hospitals are jam packed.

 

There's no doubt there will be a booming business in fake vaccination cards anywhere where they are requested (which won't be this state), as well as a lot of newly-spiritual people around the country if employers provide a "religious exemption" to any mandates.

[Threadslayer]

 

There's no doubt there will be a booming business in fake vaccination cards anywhere where they are requested (which won't be this state),

Looking at my vaccination card it seems that it would be almost trivial to create a fake one. Note that I am not advocating doing so, but still.

[eric]

Not a full-timer, though I've seen some additional new opportunities that are keeping me more busy than usual. My normal '80s band is playing the usual 2-3 gigs per month and we've been on a pretty normal schedule since June. I've picked up some gigs with two other groups that are more of a one-off engagement to play a few gigs with perhaps more in the future. My old touring band is currently scheduled for a reunion show at a big venue just after Christmas, which had been impossible during the pandemic. I do not know if there's a possibility of this being canceled, if the Covid cases continue to climb.

 

The indoor gigs are a little surreal, as some venues are being more strict with requiring masks when moving around the club and others less stringent. One club asked the band if we'd be willing to wear masks while playing to "set the tone" for the attendees and we mostly didn't want to do that. One band member's wife is a nurse in a pediatric ICU and he kept his mask on the full time to minimize any risk of catching something and taking it home to her.

 

Meanwhile, I'm aware of numerous people (mostly fully vaccinated) that have picked up the Delta variant and been sick a few days. I also hear about the bad cases in the Covid ICU from my family member who is a nurse there, with most of the really bad versions being unvaccinated patients. It's a surreal time, not knowing if it's safe to let down your guard while fully vaccinated and spending time with people who should mostly be vaccinated. Next up - booster shots, when those are available.

[Stokely]

It is quite possible to get *very* sick even after vaccination--my keyboard player buddy did. Ended up with pneumonia and if he hadn't gotten treated when he (eventually) did things were looking pretty bad for him according to the docs. Doing well now though. Moral to the story: don't wait to get treated. Check o2 levels if you don't feel well, and get somewhere asap if they are low or you feel as bad as he did (unable to get out of bed for days).

 

He was six months out from his shots and that was probably a factor, I'm also looking forward to boosters.

 

I'll be wearing a mask at the wedding gig, and honestly I expect to be the only person doing so. It will be awkward and hopefully nobody makes a scene over it (like, say, the bride....)

 

With any luck cases will start dropping soon, there can't be that many people that haven't had it at this point Seems like everyone I know knows a ton of people getting over it or people who died. A guy my age (50s) I used to jam with just died on a vent.

[ElmerJFudd]

In the greater NYC area weddings and parties have returned with halls setting guest capacity. Broadway is going to to try and reopen, smaller and community theaters are setting capacity and also streaming performances. Church work has returned with congregants on the honor system about vaccination and mask wearing. I am not getting clear messages yet about starting up choir again. Students are about half what I used to have - but they are in person again rather than remote.

[Bill H.]

Club I'm involved with closed for a week recently when three bartenders, a barback, and at least one security guy all got sick with Delta. All were under 30 and unvaccinated. Still... all but one had fairly mild cases that only lasted a few days. That one though - a heavy gal with underlying conditions - she's been in ICU. I hope she's out... will find out tonight.

 

All us older employees are vaccinated, and made it through without incident. But I'm over 65, and my Pfizer vaccines are now approaching six months. I really want that 3rd shot. Still... Pfizer held, and I was around all these guys a lot the weekend before they all got sick.

 

Somehow in these employee challenged times our manager rounded up extra bartenders, and we were open the following week. There's been some theft involving two gals in bookkeeping (the hits just keep coming for this club) and the manager said we really can't afford to be closed right now.

 

So anyway... yeah I'm still doing my DJ thing every week. Mask mandates were recently reinstated in Oregon, but since nobody's enforcing it they are largely ignored in clubs. I put my mask on in the men's room, got my fan going behind me at my station, and that's it for me.

[Delaware Dave]

All my gigs since March with the exception of two (?) have been outdoors. We play in a few places that also have indoor stages but they all prompted for us to play outdoors; it will be interesting to see what transpires in a few months. With the variant no one is committing to indoor shows yet around here. Could be another long winter.

[ajstan]

Weekend (and occasionally weekday) warrior here in a 6-piece cover band where this is our only gigging project. We will wind up with around 50 gigs this year. We only played 4 (all indoors) from Jan-Apr with a half-dozen or so cancelled due to capacity limits and distancing/masking/dancing rules. From May 1 through today, we have played 25 gigs (7 indoors) and have 20 more scheduled (11 indoors) through the rest of the year including a New Year's Eve event. We have turned down at least 10 opportunities due to unavailability and we are missing a couple of our favorite annual events that weren't able to be scheduled because they didn't have enough time to plan once the restrictions were lifted.

 

There are some local party/dance bands with full-timers that have 100-150 gigs, and I have a recently-retired friend who does that same amount with restaurants and smaller bars in various configurations of 2-4 players.

[allan_evett]

Stage work has improved a lot over 2021. Since May I've been averaging 5 - 6 gigs a month. That's been mostly outdoor public events and private parties, though there have been some club dates happening too. September is busy, but October through EOY look quieter right now.

 

The church has been busy. Choir hasn't returned yet, but the small-medium size team (varies per Mass) has been busy. I play 8 - 10 Masses a month.

 

Teaching has mostly transitioned back to in-person lessons, though there are still 2-3 students who rely on virtual meetings. Some gains, some losses - which is typical as the school year starts. Getting busier though, which is good.

 

Actually did a session a few weeks back: a blues-rock singer who needed keys on a demo. While the Chicago area recording scene has dried up for me, a studio in the Valparaiso area throws a session my way from time to time. This one was the first since 2019.

[Iconoclast]

I'm kind of a tweener, not a full timer but I do a couple drive/fly gigs a season.

 

I've had maybe 25% of my gigs cancel for the fall-winter (which is the biggest here in the sunbelt).

 

Lost a string of them because of a Covid Liability clause that the venue wanted that the band leader wasn't going to sign. Also, with a lot of these gigs being in older communities there's a lot of people more susceptible, but also I would think, more people vaccinated?

 

I thought I was over booked for the season, as my day-job has picked up to record levels, but evidently it's all going to work out.

[Old No7]

My response.........

 

Old No7

 

[MathOfInsects]

Calendar is filling up, not quite to pre-pandemic levels, but definitely showing signs of life.

 

More than a few cancellations because of COVID 2 Electric Boogaloo, including a pretty high-profile spot that we had to cancel on very short notice because the group's politically unvaccinated member came down with a fever an hour before load-in.

 

University is still online, in a decision that seemed odd to me when they announced it in June but now seems prescient and impressive.

 

I prescribed myself a booster a few days ago. I am so very, very ready for this sh*t to be over.

[ElmerJFudd]

Sounds like we"re in better shape than a year+ ago. Let"s hope for the best (but plan for the worst).

 

Silver lining - if we use the pandemic of 1918 as a comparison, 4 waves from February 1918 â April 1920. There should come a point where we"re not filling up the ICU"s any longer - even if it"s not possible to eradicate. What we"ve got going for us is mass effort to vaccinate, better antivirals, many more hospitals. But also 3x the population.

 

Break a leg all in the last quarter of 2021!

[CowboyNQ]

Not too good down here sadly. We were in very good shape earlier in the year and got quite a few shows of a national tour away before Delta made its presence felt in our two most populated cities. Due Australia's relatively small population, flight availability and super tight border restrictions mean that even for those of us who live in COVID-free states, it's almost impossible to travel.

 

We've rescheduled a heap of dates into 2022 with hopes that vaccination levels (Australia has been a laggard in this regard mainly due to supply issues) will reach a point where things can open up again.

 

My two smaller non-touring bands just aren't gigging at all, and won't for at least a couple of months. In my home town Delta has caused major restrictions to venue capacities and, like in the movie Footloose, dancing is not allowed. Even though there are zero community cases where I live.

 

Luckily I'm not a 100% full-timer - I also run my own business which I ebb and flow around my musical commitments. I've been ramping up my work with international clients now that I'm not gigging nights.

[MAJUSCULE]

Nothing cancelled yet. Things have been crazy since basically July 1 restrictions lifting. Just did a gig in Vancouver last night, 50% cap and live-streamed, masks mandatory unless actively eating or drinking. Not sure when or even if we'll see those types of restrictions again in Alberta. Played a couple weekends at a club a little while ago and it was a little bit of a shock to see the dancefloor basically identical to any Fri/Sat in 2019.

 

Booked pretty solid through October, a few things in November-February and plenty of whispers about other dates in there. But maybe a little more apprehension to nail those dates down and lock in logistics.