General Music Chat

just got off the phone with the 12 string guitar player that was in the video I posted awhile back of us prepping for the Russellville, Ark. gig back a few months ago.. he has GREAT NEWS ! doing jingles and promo gigs for a world famous seed catalog company.. working up original tunes ..gigs all over the U.S. .. really stoked!

Dane - do you always believe people when they tell you 'the check's in the mail', too?

Only seed catalog place I know is Burpee, but it sure would take a ton of seed envelope sales to make enough money to pay for traveling musicians!

Good luck, Dane!

well Mike, Burpee pulled in 117.25 million dollars lasyt year, so I bet they have enough to pay a 1,000.00 a week and then some.Mike, you have got to get out more..there is Mellingers, Park's, Jackson & Perkins, Stark Bros. and more.. :lol

http://www.hoovers.com/company-informat ... 4f406.html

Perhaps this band would be more appropriate?

The Seeds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNZwCNSSWlI

Talbot

Or this one!

https://youtu.be/OpY6jAo7I2w

good enough, I was briefed for over 27 minutes on this opportunity, and although not off the ground yet, it is a sizable payout dollar wise, with even a chance a good chance to play Santa Clara, Calif. fairgrounds.. I was contacted by a great musician needing great musicians, to form or assemble a band doing vegetable related jingles and will be quite the challenge.. again, I stress, not fond of driving 41 miles to Ozark, Mo. and 41 miles back, but when winter is over and cold weather has resided, and Springtime beckons again, we will see, that is if my tune on a radio station does not gain traction and makes me a millionaire..LMFAO!!
http://thefairgrounds.org/event/farmers ... -market-5/

in California they mix food with live music..ha!

yes, snowflake..

Yeah, they have farmers markets around here too, in at least half the local towns in the summer - but they would not dare charge an admission fee to the general public, because 1) they would then need to police it/fence it, pay people to collect the admission fee; 2) people would not go when there are free options nearby.
I know plenty of solo players who play at these farmers markets too - one guy did it all summer and called it his 'vegetable tour'. They don't get any pay, they put a bucket out for tips (often getting paid in leftover produce by the vendors). On a good day they can make $60 in 3 or 4 hours. There's seldom power available, so they need a battery powered PA/amp, have to haul in their equipment from the parking area, including an EZ-Up on wet or sunny/hot days.

Sure, I know places like Burpee are multi-million dollar companies, but how much business do they get at any particular 'show' - enough to pay musicians a decent pay scale PLUS travel expenses (if its a tour, you've got transportation, hotels, food stipend, etc.)?

at the 27 minute briefing over the phone,I was informed the farmer's market at Santa Clara county fairgrounds will not pay for the gigs.. the seed co. will and fly us out also..

I hope you are all beginning to see.. a seed co. hiring a band to set up at farmer's markets around the U.S. used as a marketing tool to buy their seeds and herbaceous plants .. the food at the farmers markets will hopefully be grown using the companies seeds.. are you catcjhing on now? ..

we will be ambassadors of good will.. good will sadly lacking here?..huh, memphis1? sourpusses..

Mere Mortals Bluegrass Band plays one sometimes two "farmer's market gigs" every yr. it remains one of my favorite gigs to play.

there's elec there for us... a small stage (two 4 x 8 pcs of plywood nailed onto 2 x4's w a covering to keep us out of the sun.....)

this was funny.... i sh*t you not, when we showed up to play our last gig there.....no stage!

"hey, where's the stage?" ....turns out some knucklehead(s) STOLE IT!!!! luckily the ground was nice and dry.

these gigs go from 9-11 but really, since we are not being paid......we play when we're set up and play til we feel like....there's always real and genuine people there hanging out w us to listen and expose their kids to live music....and we're always running into a lot of people we know and are friends w ......the band is huddled together on the small "stage"...though i often wander about (and i bet you thought i only did that here on BM!)

big fun for me as well....though we're lightly amplified (w a small PA we bring) it very much feels like playing acoustically.

we usually get anywhere from $60 to $180 in the tip jar and the vendors send up so much amazing stuff that even among four or five of us....we always go home w some really good produce and meats, coffee, nice cheeses, all kinds of cool breads from local bakeries, plants, and much more......there's a really cool guy and his family who sell pretty exotic meat...we're set up at the end next to him... and besides him and his family taking real good care of us and feeding us there...they're all really into music. and they're always very vocal in expressing their gratitude for us keeping their necks and asses moving.

photos below:

last yr our fiddle gal and bassplayer were awol so i invited our old bass player to join us. she hadn't be doing much playing so you can bet she was chamfing at the bit! it was close to a perfect gig, a beautiful day, and we had a blast.

as an added bonus...of all the bassplayers that have come thru the band in the ten yrs i've been playing....she is hands down my fave bassplayer and the one who made the band sound and feel best. (and sadly i include MYSELF in that group of folks who played bass w MM's! )