Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

If you’re a working pro, which some of my friends are, then I applaud you for being able to make it in a very tough business.

Conversely, some things are better off being an avocation than a vocation. In other words, if you make music for the enjoyment of making music, you don’t have to play the same bar band songs that everyone else is playing (and that you’ve played for years). You don’t have to pack up your gear at 2am. You don’t have to worry if you’re going to get stiffed the $50-$100 you were going to make for the 4 hours of performing and the other hour it took to set up and tear down (which comes to a lousy $10-$20 an hour!).

I spent 15+ years touring all over the world as a specialty act and decided that after playing out with a band, the late nights and limited song list were not worth the little money to be made. So we put together a small nightclub setting of our own and bring our audience to us. We also perform at a private party every year and a benefit every other year. There's no money to be made but then again, a lot less hassles in a much nicer setting with the opportunity to make music with some excellent musicians twice a month.

WANTED: Keyboard and rhythm guitar-or-bass (some vocals desired)

Two of our regular musicians have new commitments in the new year that severely limit their availability so we’re looking for:
Keyboard player (some vocals desired)
and
Rhythm guitarist (some vocals desired) OR Bass player (some vocals desired)

Tired of playing the same old songs?
We focus on “B” sides and only a few well known songs (because they are more difficult and generally not heard in the bars). So if you’ve got something you always wanted to play, we’re the band for you.

Everyone can sing and our current lineup includes lead guitar, drums, female vocalist/percussionist and bass (who is willing to switch to rhythm guitar if we find a bass player instead of a rhythm guitarist). We've got a full PA and a wonderful performing space on the eastside near Chagrin Falls. Truly a plug and play situation.

Please let me know if you are interested or pass this along to anyone you know who might be able to help.

i play music for enjoyment and monetary compensation.

no reason you can't do both. as enjoyable as it is just "playing music"... for me it's that much MORE enjoyable when i make decent money doing what i enjoy!

yes, if you only play the music that YOU want to play and don't make some concessions and compromises...sure, that WILL limit your earnings opportunities.

here's how i do both:

i play jazz in two groups (only doing music we enjoy)

i play in a duo that performs 90% originals....the covers we perform we change up and do them our way. i have total carte blanche w my partner to play whatever instrument i want and solo as long as i want. and she's a really fine singer and strong gtrst w great time feel.

i play solo gtr gigs (restaurant/winery gigs) where i play "background music" ....probably 75% of what i play are instrumentals i've written along w some jazz tunes i dig and some light classical stuff.

i play in a bluegrass band doing originals and tunes WE'VE picked 'cos we dig them.

and i play three weekends a month (unless i beg off to play another gig for more money somewhere else and sub the gig out) w a top notch band at a truckstop. we do a cpl of newer country tunes that we don't find too distasteful but we mainly play honky tonk, older country, some rock and some blues. all stuff WE dig.
we don't play one tune where one of us feels "oh, no.....do we have play THIS song?"


so, it can be done. btw i'm not doing this in a big market scene either like L.A. or NYC.....i'm doing this in Mid Missouri!

am i getting rich? hell, no.... i wish!

....but i am making a living at it. well, by doing the above AND , a bunch of lessons, pickup gigs, and occasional studio work.

i never fail to appreciate what a lucky S.O.B. i am. people are lucky if they're playing w a group of folks they respect and get along with.... bandmates who are good players AND good peeps. me.....i get to play w a whole bunch of those guys!

life's good!