General Music Chat

At the end of the 80s DWI became the big thing. Drinking at all became a no no. My band at the time was called red handed. We were also the roadies. We all had day gigs. We also played out 3 times a week.

Schedule this, home at 5,6. Load equipment at seven,set up 8,9 sound check. On 9;30 ten [depending on night and crowd] play till 1 or 2[depending on night and crowd] sometimes 3. breakdown load and move everything. Drive home past all the DWI checkpoints and the usual lone cop on the beat that just wanted to know what was in the van. Home by 4 , sleep , shower, eat , work, go to day job. come home.
REPEAT CYCLE.

I have to give a bunch of credit to the guys in that band, we worked our butts off but we had a ton of fun. Honestly the amount of labor and the DWI risk didn't allow much room for drinking. But when we got together as friends we PARTIED.

That's just bad habit.
Ritual is a formalized ceremony that includes a series of actions that become both physical as well as mental, the result is a release of energy resulting in the fulfillment of an objective.

I would add that ritual is conscious. As soon as there is no consciousness to the ritual, it stops being ritual and becomes merely habit. Habit isn't useless, good habits make us all better off. But habit serves a different purpose than ritual.

Ritual matters. Until it doesn't. The form of the ritual is often less important than the fact of the ritual.

I'm of the opinion that HAVING to drink during a gig is a bad sign of an alcoholic. Some of the players I've performed with also HAVE to smoke weed during break, We all know some very famous musicians who were notorious drunks and addicts. It's a shame that a lot of young people think that drugs and alcohol are prerequisites for being a great musician, that drugs "open" the mind to creativity. I prefer NOT to be in a gigging band with drunks and addicts. Nothing long term good has ever come from playing with them. Just been my experience, that's all. I'll fill in once in a while with a drinking band, but I won't join them permanently.

That's the post that makes the most sense, bob. It establishes your needs quite well, while allowing for others to establish their own on the subject.

we're not allow to drink on stage ... it's a job ... it's the law

I'll have a cold beer, maybe two when we practice. But never to gig.
For many people rituals matter.
I've been taught not to depend on such foolishness.
I fought a guy whom always pumped his lead foot before he kicked.
His kicks were easy to defect and step in.
On the third pump I knocked him out.

Your either in the now or your not.

Pretty simple stuff really.

That's just bad habit.
Ritual is a formalized ceremony that includes a series of actions that become both physical as well as mental, the result is a release of energy resulting in the fulfillment of an objective.

Your assumption was incorrect, or perhaps I was not clear in my description. ... it was a ritual ... he performed the action by intent ... he felt it gave him better accuracy ... I showed him the error of his ways and he, latter thanked me for it.