General Music Chat

Anyone ever get a call to perform in 2 hours, . . . and it's 1/2 hour drive, and your fingers are sore as hell from last night's practice session?
And you need a shower (which will make your fingers mushy and even more sore) . . .
And you're cold and tired and sleepy and sick, and you haven't had your coffee yet, and your back aches, and . . . and . . . it's too short notice . . .
. . . wah, I want my Mommy!

Actually, ALL those excuses above are true (except for the Mommy bit)

I could have used any of them to get out of it.
But - I said yes.
What the hell - my wife works there . . .
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I played at the local Estuary Coucil last weekend, and they liked me. They had something come up suddenly, where they need a guitarist - so . . . I have to be there in 1 hour and 2 minutes.
Hey . . .
Does anyone know the chords for "Happy Birthday?"

I cant say ive ever had that pleasure. But it would seem despite all that whinning you were up to the task. Good Show.
What is an Estuary Council?

I've done last-minute shows before, I hate to turn down gigs. If you played through your issues it made you a better musician.

Hey Alan,

YEAH BUDDY, I can testify...Remember oldtimers when we were 18-40? We could get that short notice gig, kick it in the ass and have drums tore down ,PA packed,cords rolled up and loaded in the van in 20 min?..Yeah , I rememeber all right ...I played one of those a few months ago..ONLY NOW, my ass dont get up them stairs with that trap case quite as fast....Legs say EFFF IT ... Yeah , and what happened to my back? It used to help me ...Now it just sends shooting pains down my legs as woddle down a flight of stairs with an 80lb trap case ...Yeah , tryin to run with a bass bin is not fun anymore...Sweating profusely in 20 degree whether, ole baby thats what IM talkin about....BUT, I still made it...got the call at 6:30, drove 1.5 hrs, and was set up by 8:45 ready to start at 9...Cant wait for the next one....

THE KIDD

Last minute gigs can be fun.............kinda like a one nite stand!




I just love spontaneaus combustion.

Last minute gigs can be fun.............kinda like a one nite stand!




I just love spontaneaus combustion.

... (Has no words for once).

I cant say ive ever had that pleasure. But it would seem despite all that whinning you were up to the task. Good Show.
What is an Estuary Council?

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It's a place in Old Sybrook, CT, that serves good, inexpensive food to those who are on a low (or no) income. They serve meals there, and they run the local 'meals on wheels' program . . . they serve and truck about 300 meals a day . . .

There's evidently a tight group of older seniors who show up for breakfast every day there.
It turns out that this gig was thown together at the last minute, for a lady who was leaving.
A lady in her 90s, was being forced out of her home, and being relocated to another place, about 20 miles away.
She's lived in town for years and years, doesn't drive, and every single one of her friends in the entire world was there. And they were being left behind, forever . . .
She was, basically, leaving her whole life behind . . .
She was heatbroken, so they gave her a nice send-off . . .

Sound's kinda like Branson Mo.

The only thing different about a last-minute gig for me is the mental prep.
I play a lot of styles of music - and, they are all solo instrumentals.
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I like to put together a set list specific to where I'll be playing.
> At one location, I knew a lot of pot-heads would be there, so I played a mix of a lot of different styles, but: - heavy on 'the mellow.'
> Another place was a rock bar: - so : heavy on 'the heavy,' (so to speak)
> another place - they only did acoustic music; all C&W & folk. So - no Jazz, no 'unusual & creative' stuff . . .
> Another place - lots of . . . m m m 'farmer - types.' So - more folksy stuff, some blues, easy on the jazzy stuff and hard rock . . .
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The other morning - lots of sad seniors (Geez, I'm over 50, and I was the youngest one in a crowd of about 75 people).
So, anyway - one melancholy song, and then the rest was all upbeat.
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Anyone else do that w/ set lists?

Several years back, when I was constructing the roof on my first house, my wife yelled up that Jay Cameron (the great jazz baritone sax man) was on the phone. He needed a band to fill in THAT NIGHT! The gig was at one of our local Pocono resorts, and the audience consisted of some players from The Philadelphia Eagles. Also in attendance was the great stage actor "John Raitt" ("Bonnie's"dad). In the span of about five hours, I managed to call together some good players , load the sound system in the van, scribble some set lists together, and "haulass" to the gig. Turned out excellent!

A Led Zeppelin tribute band called up this bar near where I lived and cancelled their gig at 6:00 pm. The bar owner was frantic and called me up. By dumbass luck all four of our band members were available to play. I loaded up everything and set up ready to play at 10:00pm. Mind you I have always played blues and here was a hundred Led Zeppelin fans extremely disappointed their favorite cover band didn't show up. Turns out we were able to keep over half the crowd. The bar owner never heard a blues band before in her life. During the first break she came over and asked what we were playing. She ended up hiring us numerous times after that, and found out real quick what a blues band is. Last minute gigs can be very good. Most bar owners are grateful to have somebody able to fill in. Later...

Best to turn it down. No one likes a martyr, least of all, an audience. They expect excellence.

Yeah, but Bob's excellent.

I know your point, though . . .
If a fan is extremely disappointed that the group they're going to see isn't there, well, then - you're playing to an audience who is disappointed that you're playing . . . bummer . . .
That show can be a hard to perform.
But Bob got some work out of it, and was able to spread his style of music to people who might never have chosen to listen.
. . . and, that's cool . . .
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How'd you feel about that one show, Bob?
Any difference in the crowd's reaction . . . from the 1st song of the 1st set, - to the 1st song of the 2nd set?

There for a moment, I thought he wrote "best to burn it down." I was like, "gee that's harsh." LOL