Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Is the live music scene in your area dead or dying? There's more and more venues in K.C. not having live music. It's hard to get excited about being in a band when there's so few gigs available. The only thing left to inspire me is original music and it's hard to find quality musicians who want to create originals knowing that opportunities to perform them live are so few and far between. Most people settle for the cover gigs and if lucky get enough money to pay for beer and gas, and maybe a few groceries. It's really kind of depressing. Sorry for the lament but I'm truly uninspired right now. I need something to get my musical juices flowing again...

Deader than hell Bob.
I've made this assertion before but I love to repeat myself.
Revival of live music will be up to live musicians.
We will have to be our own promoters and as entrepreneurs seek out other musicians so we can have our own venues.
The reason the ARENA days of yore are past is greed on the parts of all parties involved.

You and I could lease advertise and play a concert for little more than break even. The more we did the more people would come to the shows again. Before the ARENA days most concerts were put on outdoors by small entrepreneurs. That is what we must return to.
$100.00 for a ticket ?? $45.00 for a damn T-shirt ??
It's no wonder live music has taken a hit.

Same in this area. A few clubs that had music sold out recently and the new owners aren't booking any bands. Still a few paying jobs here and there but not very many.

Yep. It's heard to be inspired here, too.

The open mic I used to like has stopped again, due to internal problems in the bar - not due to the music.

The only new places opening up are designed for the gambling machines, not set up for music. They're all pretty small, too.

Ppl seem to be getting more self-involved, as a whole, around here. There's less & less interaction as they get caught up in the joys of dumping thier bucks into those machines. Even when they get a break from it to order a drink or a meal, they don't seem to talk much.

It isn't the fault of the musicians, really. I see them all scrambling, looking for new venues, but to no avail.

It's sad. There may be great things happening elsewhere, like Vegas, but out here, it's becoming a musical wasteland.

I don't even like going into bars much, anymore, just to listen to that damned beepin' & boopin' coming from the gambling machines. It irritates the living hell outta me!

I wanna be like Jesus, & toss out the money grabbers in our temples of musicianhood, but those damned machines are HEAVY!

There are a lot of places to play here but it's easier if you're an original band and play for the door. Cover bands still have work but less than the old days and don't pay as much either. Casinos pay well but most bands can't play there. The best advice I have is work on your original music and use the internet to promote it.

fisherman bob wrote:Is the live music scene in your area dead or dying? There's more and more venues in K.C. not having live music. It's hard to get excited about being in a band when there's so few gigs available. The only thing left to inspire me is original music and it's hard to find quality musicians who want to create originals knowing that opportunities to perform them live are so few and far between. Most people settle for the cover gigs and if lucky get enough money to pay for beer and gas, and maybe a few groceries. It's really kind of depressing. Sorry for the lament but I'm truly uninspired right now. I need something to get my musical juices flowing again...

You should rock just as hard in your basement as you do on stage.. Money won't get your musical juices flowing.. It's only an inhibitor. Play to Play.. if you make great music people will come. Making original music is the only way to play. I love to cover a good song every now and then though..

Here's an idea.. Go on stage with no setlist, no idea what you're going to do, when you're going to do it, or how you're going to go about it.. Just walk out there and fly from the seat. Stop talking so much between songs and try and create a story and paint a picture in the minds of the listeners.

There is so much more to music then playing the next freebird for some watered down budweiser.

Between the o/l dating sites, the gambling bars, & the fear of cops, ppl hardly ever even go out except to gamble around here, & most of them don't even drink all that much when they do.

It's a whole new world out there. I only hope I can find a place to fit in it.

It's not unusual to see those ppl that were the most fun 10 years ago, sitting at some damned machine, drinking iced tea, not even talking to the ones sitting right next to them at the adjoining machine. Wtf has happened to ppl?

philbymon wrote:Between the o/l dating sites, the gambling bars, & the fear of cops, ppl hardly ever even go out except to gamble around here, & most of them don't even drink all that much when they do.

It's a whole new world out there. I only hope I can find a place to fit in it.

It's not unusual to see those ppl that were the most fun 10 years ago, sitting at some damned machine, drinking iced tea, not even talking to the ones sitting right next to them at the adjoining machine. Wtf has happened to ppl?

They've all been lead to believe that life is about materials and credit scores. We're screwed.... Someone once said, "We're going to hell in a bucket baby, but at least I'm enjoying the ride."

Live music has also died for the next teen idol pop sensation. There are very very few bands out there still making amazing mind blowing original music.. I can only really think of a few.
Phish, Jack White, Beck.. and Rush goes back on tour this year.

Yeah, finding venues is getting harder and harder all the time. I think (and I'm pretty sure I'm just repeating a sentiment that's been spoken on here before), it has as much to do with the level of musicianship (as well as the level of performance) that is being offered by bands as much as the actual change in venues...


Man, that was one big run on sentence, wasn't it?

I mentioned a while back that my bro-in-law had a gig coming up (Postmasters convention). I've decided not to be a part of that. Why? Because he's slapping it together.

Thirty minute sets broken up by twenty minutes of DJ (death to all DJs).
Obscure songs that the audience will never recognize.
Drum machine...he's too lazy to try and find a real drummer.
Non-existent set list...I asked him for a set list a month ago.

I know I wouldn't pay to see that. Next year, I turn 40. I'll have done this for half of my life. While I hesitate to call myself a professional, I certainly adhere to a set of standards (which he is blatantly ignoring).

Sadly, this is exactly the type of thing (at least in my area) that is being offered to our audiences. It's no wonder to me why venues are being lost. Somewhere down the line, musicians took for granted the oppurtunities they had, and in the process, lost all of their work ethic. We are all paying for it now.
Rather than putting on a bad performance, I choose not to perform.

Bob I guess its like that all over.

Im uninspired myself these days. I guess when I was younger I would just jump at anything, didnt matter about pay. It was just about the chance to play in front of people, anyone. These days Im frustrated cause the cover band I have is offered the eame thing as the next guy. Not bragging but we still draw a strong crowd, plus we bring in more equipment than most bands. We tryed to make ourselves stand out and be special. Of course any place I go they will have us play whatever the going rate is. In my area its around $400 a night. The venues are tighter with thier money these days. In 78 one of the first gigs I played on a regular basis, was for $300, and we were a 3 piece. Translated to todays dollars we made a hell uva a lot more then, plus we sucked.

Im just burned out with it all, plain and simple. Turned down quite afew gigs for my band and also some stuff I could have just sat in on.

Im still inspired to play on a regular basis at home. So the thrill aint gone.

I have a friend who bought a bar, why I dont know? But he was asking me about stuff that I see. Most bars in my area have trivia night on tuesday, maybe acoustic music on wed or thursday, Karaoke on friday and then a band or DJ on sat. From a business side, you have to ask why would someone want my band? I mean what do you have to offer the venue? They arent interested in brilliant music, they want music that brings people in there door and they stay there. I guess we have to decide what sets our own bands apart, what makes people want to have your band? I cant answer that question, believe me Ive tryed over and over again.

joseph6 wrote:Yeah, finding venues is getting harder and harder all the time. I think (and I'm pretty sure I'm just repeating a sentiment that's been spoken on here before), it has as much to do with the level of musicianship (as well as the level of performance) that is being offered by bands as much as the actual change in venues...


Man, that was one big run on sentence, wasn't it?

I mentioned a while back that my bro-in-law had a gig coming up (Postmasters convention). I've decided not to be a part of that. Why? Because he's slapping it together.

Thirty minute sets broken up by twenty minutes of DJ (death to all DJs).
Obscure songs that the audience will never recognize.
Drum machine...he's too lazy to try and find a real drummer.
Non-existent set list...I asked him for a set list a month ago.

I know I wouldn't pay to see that. Next year, I turn 40. I'll have done this for half of my life. While I hesitate to call myself a professional, I certainly adhere to a set of standards (which he is blatantly ignoring).

Sadly, this is exactly the type of thing (at least in my area) that is being offered to our audiences. It's no wonder to me why venues are being lost. Somewhere down the line, musicians took for granted the oppurtunities they had, and in the process, lost all of their work ethic. We are all paying for it now.
Rather than putting on a bad performance, I choose not to perform.

I wouldn't play in a band that used a setlist.. Just saying.. I like to get on stage and let it all hang out.. Including the songs we play.. Having a the ability to pull songs on the fly and create a UNIQUE SHOW every time out has to be the best way to play live music.

If you're burned out with the plain and simple.. try something new and exciting..

Write a 20 minute Arranged piece with 3 or 4 changes and some fancy drops.. Something to get the dance floor mooving and then have them standing their with their mouth open as you pull out of some death defying groove and roll right into a down tempo ambient jam or come out of the ambient jam into a prog rock face melter and drop into a funk groove..

You're uninspired because you not trying anything new.. just playing the same old same old.. You can only play Highway to Hell so many times before it gets tired and boring..

Brilliant music will bring people in the door.

I can put brilliant musicians in a out house and people will come to see it.

While I understand what you're getting at Improv, I must respectfully disagree. I did the improv thing for seven years that I hosted an open mic; I did more improv and played with more musicians than most people do in a lifetime. And while much of it was inspired and entertaining, a lot of it was just...slop. It depended on who was onstage but the very nature of improv means that sometimes it will be a trainwreck. This will satisfy some patrons but most people want defined songs and setlists. But whatever works.

jimmydanger wrote:While I understand what you're getting at Improv, I must respectfully disagree. I did the improv thing for seven years that I hosted an open mic; I did more improv and played with more musicians than most people do in a lifetime. And while much of it was inspired and entertaining, a lot of it was just...slop. It depended on who was onstage but the very nature of improv means that sometimes it will be a trainwreck. This will satisfy some patrons but most people want defined songs and setlists. But whatever works.

So find a group of guys and learn to improv together. Did the grateful dead ever miss a beat? Sure they did.. all the time, did anyone care? No, Why is that? Because fans of Improv understand that they are taking a HUGE risk.. they're walking into the unknown..

They key to GREAT improv is having a drummer that can keep time and change the beat and a bassist that can groove with him.

Improv doesn't have to be with random people and it rarely has to be a train wreck. There are LOTS of ways to improv.. It's the only thing that will keep you happy in the long run.. I don't care who you are if you play a song the same exact way everytime you play.. you're going to get bored... Good luck finding inspiration. I find it every time i pickup my bass.

When great improv happens there is no better musical magic. It just feels so good to surrender to the flow. Being an empty vessel is what music is all about and it is really hard to be an empty vessel when its full of scripted events and the same lame jokes told every night out.

Jazz musicians are heavy improv and I can't think of very many times I've seen many train wrecks.. just sayin.

Not only that you say most patrons want defined songs, etc.. Please find me a band with defined songs and the same tired ass setlist they played 6 years ago selling out their very own Mega festivals.. You won't..

I can however think of improv bands who have personal festivals.. with over 50-100k fans..

If all you care about is playing some local bars sure learn to play Smoke on the Water and Freebird WOOOO WOO!

its no wonder you're uninspired. You aren't doing anything to inspire yourself. Cover bands are a snoooooze fest. Not only that who gives a f**k what the patrons want.. play music for you.. and the people who like it will come.

I have much respect for bands that incorporate elements of improvisation into their music - King Crimson, for example. But there was still structure underneath. I detest jam bands like Grateful Dead and Phish, not my thing. Jazz is the only real home of improv, and after a 1/2 hour of jazz I'm ready for something else.

jimmydanger wrote:I have much respect for bands that incorporate elements of improvisation into their music - King Crimson, for example. But there was still structure underneath. I detest jam bands like Grateful Dead and Phish, not my thing. Jazz is the only real home of improv, and after a 1/2 hour of jazz I'm ready for something else.

Neither Phish or The Grateful Dead are "Jambands".. Phish has TONS of improvisation built around very very strict structure. Probably should check out a song called You Enjoy Myself to see what I mean.. and I love King Crimson.

Lets clear this up.. just because you jam doesn't make you a jamband. when I think of jambands I think of Moe., The Disco Biscuits, and Sound Tribe Sector 9.. whom I agree.. suck pretty bad and get boring..

Both Phish and The Grateful Dead are something else, much much bigger then that. Both create a SHOW that is unlike anything else..

We'll just end this conversation here because its pretty obvious you wanna bitch about being uninspired but you're to selfish to accept something new and make it your own.. selfish or ignorant.. either one is pathetic. Open up your mind look at what these bands are doing to create beautiful mind benidng music and learn something from it...

Both Phish and the Grateful dead are great for different reasons and are nothing alike. TGD writes some BRILLIANT LYRICS.. Phish writes the best grooves this planet has seen.. Probably ever. Like them or not.. You must not like dancing to the funk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO95TJfEJ4c

There are plenty of bands that improv that aren't "Jambands." The Allman Brothers come to mind.