Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Band members can't make rehearsals because they can't afford the gas. One of my band members has been unemployeed for months and he doesn't know how he can get around. A prospective band member can't audition because he can't afford the gas. I never thought I'd hear something like this in my life, but it's happening now.

Last summer, I found myself more than once bumming gas money to get to gigs.. it's been a HARD year. Being lower-middle class doesn't help. We get no breaks at all and no help at all.

I just lost a good bassist for the same reason.

People can't afford it any longer.

Better cultivate people closer to you, as soon you may not have a choice.

I'd suggest car-pooling, but it's hard to fit 4 ppl in a smart car with amps, drums & a PA, isn't it?

Hate to say it because its very sad but welcome to the club. I was like this a year ago and its still the same right now.

The end is in sight huh? No way Jose.

fisherman bob wrote:Band members can't make rehearsals because they can't afford the gas. One of my band members has been unemployeed for months and he doesn't know how he can get around. A prospective band member can't audition because he can't afford the gas. I never thought I'd hear something like this in my life, but it's happening now.

I know what you mean bob. One vocalist I was working with not too long ago had a nervous breakdown because she couldn't find a day job and was evicted from her apartment. She did not show up for two weeks and I finally got a call that she was in the hospital. Times are scary tough...

Kansas City is such a large geographic metro area. We have one guy who lives in Lawrence, KS, thirty five miles west, another in Gladstone, Mo twenty five miles north. It's easy to understand not wanting to rehearse when unemployed. That also puts even more pressure on me to find us paid gigs. I know that musicians are borrowing gas money to get to paid gigs so they can repay the gas money and have a little gas left over to go grocery shopping (with their food stamps).

Kinda pees me right off though. I've had to turn away 4 bands so far in the last 11 months. No point in beating around the bush is there, might as well say it like it is and hope someday it isn't like it is.

We have the same issues. Only one of our guys has a full time job.
I do ok as long as there is a good census at the hospital. But when I get cancelled thee or four times a pay period it get rough.
Cash is the only thing keeping us out of the studio.
The good news is the recession is over! They said so on ABC.

Hence the reason I set up a nice rehearsal studio in my basement!... fully carpeted and soundproofed with awesome PA and drum kit.... Can play as lomng as we want on weekends..

Sounds like you guys need to get some paying gigs so you can practice

jw123 wrote:Sounds like you guys need to get some paying gigs so you can practice

It's a catch 22 situation. IMO we have to rehearse in order to get good enough to KEEP a gig once we get it. With all the unique material we're doing we HAVE TO rehearse. I hate the idea of gigging and sounding unrehearsed. I want to go back and play each venue again.

sanshouheil wrote:The good news is the recession is over! They said so on ABC.

LOL

Yeah, we both know that is misleading to say the least. In economic turmoil, businesses close down many stores, and keep only the most profitable. They shave overhead and shave employees, to bring the bottom line back to some semblance of profitability. Meanwhile, normal people, the middle class and lower than middle class, have been put out of work, lost their homes, moved in with others, friends or family, and applied for whatever government assistance is available.

When businesses have shaved everything they could, and begin to make a profit again, then yes, on the books, things seem to have improved. Profitability has returned, stocks may even have begun to rebound, etc... But this does not mean that life has improved yet, for the average American. Because a company has resumed some proitability, does not mean they also have enough spare cash to risk expansion again.

And with all the taxes Obamanomics requires, it is unlikely they will have it in the near future either. And without expansion or sufficient new businesses, then employment will remain stagnant. If this occurs, then businesses will not profit greatly, because there is just not enough disposable cash avilable to normal Americans to spend as they previously had. If they aren't spending, then businesses have sparse profits and bad holiday seasons.

Obama's taxes are going to go up even further. Many of them are not called "taxes" but that is what they are. Schemes like Cap and Trade, and raising taxes on the wealthy to subsidize everyone else's health care, not to mention how much debt and interest on that debt that has to be paid back...

Things are not going to get better.

They are going to get worse.

It's a house of cards waiting to fall even further.

If I am not mistaken, Obama will eventually reach TRIPLE the deficit that we had under Bush. But most networks won't bemoan that fact. Wasn't Bush evil, at least in part, for increasing the deficit? Obama is on the way to TRIPLE what occured under Bush, and many say he is not anywhere near finished with that debt accumulation.

Where is the outcry over Obama's policies? It seems they have made things MUCH WORSE, not better. Maybe he has borrowed the playbook from that Military Leader during the Vietnam war, who spoke the infamous line...

"We had to destroy the village to save it."

.

I pray the American people and the American spirit of independance is much to resiliant for a total colapse. Many of my friends are struggling. But they are fighters, and we help each other. I myself continue to live payday to payday but much by choice. It's difficult at times. Yet Jeanette and I have discussed it many times. Everything we own will be paid off in 5-7 years. Sure we could mortgage our whole life again for another 30 years and make daily life less of a struggle. But I think we would lose in the long run. I have no intent to lose.

CraigMaxim wrote:

sanshouheil wrote:The good news is the recession is over! They said so on ABC.

LOL

Yeah, we both know that is misleading to say the least. In economic turmoil, businesses close down many stores, and keep only the most profitable. They shave overhead and shave employees, to bring the bottom line back to some semblance of profitability. Meanwhile, normal people, the middle class and lower than middle class, have been put out of work, lost their homes, moved in with others, friends or family, and applied for whatever government assistance is available.

When businesses have shaved everything they could, and begin to make a profit again, then yes, on the books, things seem to have improved. Profitability has returned, stocks may even have begun to rebound, etc... But this does not mean that life has improved yet, for the average American. Because a company has resumed some proitability, does not mean they also have enough spare cash to risk expansion again.

And with all the taxes Obamanomics requires, it is unlikely they will have it in the near future either. And without expansion or sufficient new businesses, then employment will remain stagnant. If this occurs, then businesses will not profit greatly, because there is just not enough disposable cash avilable to normal Americans to spend as they previously had. If they aren't spending, then businesses have sparse profits and bad holiday seasons.

Obama's taxes are going to go up even further. Many of them are not called "taxes" but that is what they are. Schemes like Cap and Trade, and raising taxes on the wealthy to subsidize everyone else's health care, not to mention how much debt and interest on that debt that has to be paid back...

Things are not going to get better.

They are going to get worse.

It's a house of cards waiting to fall even further.

If I am not mistaken, Obama will eventually reach TRIPLE the deficit that we had under Bush. But most networks won't bemoan that fact. Wasn't Bush evil, at least in part, for increasing the deficit? Obama is on the way to TRIPLE what occured under Bush, and many say he is not anywhere near finished with that debt accumulation.

Where is the outcry over Obama's policies? It seems they have made things MUCH WORSE, not better. Maybe he has borrowed the playbook from that Military Leader during the Vietnam war, who spoke the infamous line...

"We had to destroy the village to save it."

.

Silly stuff... How did we get here? It would be decidedly worse if the party of NO was still running things as they essentially were one short year ago. Your memory is either very short or this is your usual schtick and I assume the latter as opposed to the former. You use a quote from the Vietnam era to sort of bolster your point and I do mean sort of. Did you serve your nation? If so I can respect that, otherwise..... just more hot air to no purpose.