General Music Chat

Is he gone?

I missed all this, but my band doesnt play with a setlist. We may start with one and then the crowd starts yelling for thier favorites and we just go with the flow. I love improv, Ive done open mics at times and have a couple of friends who do solo gigs and ask me to play with them. Its a lot of fun. My band improvs sections of songs at times its a lot of fun.

I would be curious like others one here to hear how many gigs this guy has done. Things change real quick when you start moving equipment and try to keep other bandmembers inspired to play.

It seems to me that thru the years the people that claimed to like improv as a form really didnt take the time to learn any structure to their music to start with.

But hey if something is working for you and your having fun with it then go for it.

I think Phish and groups of that nature are an acquired taste. I listen some and listen on my XM radio to a station that has these groups. But they are very good ussually what I heard. I cant imagine just getting with 3-7 people and being able to create music that would make people want to keep coming back and seeing you over and over. I think there has to be a history of playing together for a long period of time to get to the level that you could keep people interested. And in that history the musicians would have to have started with some common songs and structures to do what they do. This goes for the Grateful Dead or any jam band, at some point they did their homework. If you look historically at these groups they either spent a lot of time together or came together from more structured bands.

Im in agreement with Bob about the sad state of the music economy these days. Its tough when it comes to getting paid, and after doing around 1000 gigs or more there is a point to where you want to do more than just get in front of people and jam. Our audience for my band, they come and want to hear the same songs over and over again.

As I always say there are no real rules to this game. So good luck to whatever it is you want out of music.

Back on topic ... it seems that music is becoming irrelevant, background noise, to a lot of other things like vid games, home entertainment, iPods, vid gambling, social networking, etc .... there's a lot of competition out there for ppl's attention and a lot of ppl that are older don't party much anymore.

Many of today's kids are surrounded by music every waking moment (iPods ... free downloads) and music seems to have lost it value, if it's free where is the value, added to that they're texting all the time, head down not that involved in what going on around them. Then there's the whole other side to music, that 90% of the new music is sh*t, anybody can produce a sh*t CD and put it up on the internet and go play a sh*t venue for free and ppl that want to go out and find good music can't ... because so many of these venues won't pay for play ... so they get sh*t. It's like a race to the bottom.

Doing the hire-gun thing spares me from much of this because I'm supporting known artists and they can draw a crowd, but even for some of them, the crowds aren't as thick as they once were ... I don't know what the answer is

Good Points Prevost!

I think back to growing up in the 70s and we didnt have all the distractions. I got Hit Parader and Circus magazine and that was what I knew about my favorite bands. What they wrote, whereas today you can go to youtube and see you fav artist sitting on the toilet or soemthing. In the 70s there was a certain mystery to musicians that just isnt there anymore. I think of one of my favorite bands Zep and the way they guarded thier whole image. How could a band do that these days? I just dont see that happening anymore. My son has over 8000 songs in his Ipod, I cant remember how many albums I had but I do remember going to a record store in the small town I grew up around and buying singles of Aerosmith and Kiss so I could learn songs.

Plus concerts were an event. They were special cause you actually got to see your favs play live. I mean as far as videos, we had The Midnite Special and Don Kirschners Rock Concert or maybe Soul Train.

There is just too much other entertainment around these days. Music is just a small part whereas to me growing up it was huge. When I got of the age to hit clubs and see live bands I did every chance I got. Now if I want to see some group I just get on youtube and find them.

And in the end it is business as Bob said, Live venues like I play depend on beer sales to make ends meet. Music is in the background in most places I go these days. I guess Im getting old cause Im past the point of going to venues that you have to stand in with a bunch of 20 yr olds. Most of them are rude and run all over you, I dont remember it being that way when I was younger. Maybe I was just naive.

Prevost I guess for you being a sideman you get your inspiration from getting to play with different people and maybe different genres.

Heard a roll call. Just another shittie checking in.

If there is no room for new people new ideas and new music...
It should die.

John ... that pretty much sums it up ... like you said .. in the 70's music was the thing ...

Prevost I guess for you being a sideman you get your inspiration from getting to play with different people and maybe different genres.

Yup ... and I love the interaction between the players and where that takes us in the music ... as much as I love the music it's self.

If there is no room for new people new ideas and new music...
It should die.

That's part of the problem ... IMHO there's isn't a lot of new ideas or new music out there ... it's just rehashed music that in most cases is less inspired the the original .... and maybe you are right maybe it should die ... then ppl might miss it .. but that will never happen

I've got a lot less call-out this year, I'm only book for 1 tour this year and a couple of summer fest gig's supporting different artists ...

A lot of venues have closed and even some fest's have closed .. do to low turn-out last year.

Doing the hire-gun thing spares me from much of this because I'm supporting known artists and they can draw a crowd, but even for some of them, the crowds aren't as thick as they once were ... I don't know what the answer is

Move to Europe. It's a totally different scene there...

Seriously. If I had an inclination to be a professional musician and wanted to make a living at live music, I'd go to Europe.

But you gotta be good...

I suppose that Improv is gone, but I have to say: Didn't Bob clarify that his OP was about the economy?

"Ya'lls only worried about gettin' paid (blah blah blah-something like that)...

Uh, that's what the post was about-oppurtunities (specifically PAID oppurtunities) to perform live.


Right??

You're right Joe but you know how people can take a thread and twist it to their own agenda. Speaking of Panda bear mating rituals...

Don't drag up harsh childhood memories for me, Jimmy...

How much do you think the present economic situation is effecting "paid" musicians anyways ??

I no for my part, we rarely go out.

I mean in past years when I had a day off I'd go to the lake and snorkel for a couple hours then home for a nap and lunch then off to the shooting range.

Now I save my gas to get to work the next day.

People keep saying the economy is recovering.
I pay more and more for less and less while facing layoffs at the same wage I made several years ago.

If that's what the pundits call recovery... we are screwed.

I couldn't agree more, Sans. I, too, have to wonder about the effect. I would be very suprised to hear about many summer concert sell outs. I think, regardless of what the "informed" people are saying, the general public is thinking the same way that you and I do. Those extra $$ that used to go to entertainment are now going to gas, groceries, etc.

Yeah Joseph

I am actually meeting people who quit smoking because they could not afford it anymore.

Probably a combination effect of less "disposable income" and readily available home entertainment.
But for the life of me I can't understand how people spend so much time watching the unadulterated crap they call "TV" these days.

Too many middle men involved in most live music venues.
Too few people wanting to pay for musical entertainment.

Doing the hire-gun thing spares me from much of this because I'm supporting known artists and they can draw a crowd, but even for some of them, the crowds aren't as thick as they once were ... I don't know what the answer is

Move to Europe. It's a totally different scene there...

Seriously. If I had an inclination to be a professional musician and wanted to make a living at live music, I'd go to Europe.

But you gotta be good...

Your right Colors ... Europe has a great live music scene ... but I couldn't live there.

I'm retiring in a couple of years and moving to Mexico for the winters ... we bought a beach house awhile ago .. and I've been asked to put a band together for cruise ship days (3 days a week). The money is decent and the hours ar great 11 am to 3 pm ... There seems to be a lot of live music in Mexico and it's well supported ... now to find some players down there.

psssst! Prevost? TAKE ME!