General Music Chat

lol Offers aren't that difficult to come by. (especially of late, oddly enough)

Shows aren't either, but you have to ask which came first, the chicken or the egg.

For my self preservation, sanity and peace of mind, I need the band of one mind and in place before I bother to take a show seriously.

no band = no thanks.

You can think what you like, but if you ever played by yourself you know what what it should sound like. I'd rather not play than play some sh*t at the last minute and have it sound like crap or unrehearsed.

I guess it might have something to do with one's own personal style but I would never book the show before I had the band in place.



Just think about the dillwad's and that WPOT show.
That was easy money in the bank for 4 short hours and still people acted crazy about it. I'm guessing that the $ and the show itself are not high on their priority level.

I just like to play, the $ doesn't phase me.
It's very little and to tell the truth, I like playing in that little bar in PA>.
I get free liquor and I feel like NORM from Cheers. LOL

PS: Who the hell rehearses for 6 months? If you can't get it in 3 months, just quit or do another tune..the extra 3 months aren't going to make it any better.

I'll bet 'ya, Chuck Berry was one nervous nellie, if he had the mindset of you Chief, since he travelled the country in a Cadillac, playing with pick up bands on his tour of the U.S.A. back in the day.. Chuck Berry did not have a "band" per se..

With all due respect, how often do you guys gig? Not go to an open mic once in a while but actually do shows where you are paid? I do every week. If you have the right people together you can put together a working group rather quickly. This means people who already know their parts and only need to rehearse to get beginnings and ending tight. I'm not talking about getting people together who use rehearsal time to learn their parts and/or instruments. Dover Soul did our first show within a month of forming. I have also seen bands fall apart who rehearsed too long. People get bored and move on.

If I was doing something I could get through with a minimum of rehearsal, that'd be a possibility I suppose. Remember just cause you play often does not connotate that you play well that night as well I suppose you already know but ignore.

Everybody has their own way and to each their own, even you.

PS: I'd be nervous if I was Chuck Berry as well considering I didn't really get on with his music. If I hear the TWIST again, I think I may spew. lol And I am not the type to go playing with whatever pickup band I can find, although seems like I am doing just that in ole shitty NJ.

Live is full of contradictions, hmm?

What will you do vs what you won't do.

I'll do a lot but I'll never go on sounding like sh*t.
If you sound like sh*t and you go on, you are what you sound like.

I always say "you are only as good as your last show" and if your last show sucked, then so do you.

Try to make sure you never resemble that remark, folks.
Because it might not be the next day, but surely the day shortly after that you will start to hear all the little comments about how bad it really was.

Do what you have to do but there is never an excuse for SUCK and if you get SUCK on you, it won't come off easily. ( I think it also smells like dung, but I don't know firsthand.) lol (not lately at least)

Playing covers and sucking = band death, no viewing, pathetic and inexcusable.

Playing originals and sucking = consider suicide, it's quicker because your rep just jumped before you did and it's def dead.


How to Handle a Rope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwTg7S_YQrY

I guess the moral of the story is do whatever you have to do to remain at the top of your game.

Just don't go lifestyle facelift, that never looks good on guys.
Plastic Surgery is for women and Bruce Jenner.

If you suck the system has a way of letting you know lol. I've been playing live for 30+ years and I've had some off nights here and there but no one ever said we sucked. People come and go but the product remains consistent (The Farleys are on our seventh bass player and fourth drummer). In life you cannot wait for the perfect moment; you have to make things happen. Go book a gig for two month from now, if you haven't got it together in a month, cancel. Bands cancel all the time, bar owners know that. But having that date looming is a real motivator.

I'll bet 'ya, Chuck Berry was one nervous nellie, if he had the mindset of you Chief, since he travelled the country in a Cadillac, playing with pick up bands on his tour of the U.S.A. back in the day.. Chuck Berry did not have a "band" per se..

Hey Dane, welcome back!

Chuck Berry's music was very different from today's stuff. Basic I-IV-V chord structures. Times were different then, too.

with all due respect, how often do you guys gig? Not go to an open mic once in a while but actually do shows where you are paid? I do every week. If you have the right people together you can put together a working group rather quickly. This means people who already know their parts and only need to rehearse to get beginnings and ending tight. I'm not talking about getting people together who use rehearsal time to learn their parts and/or instruments. Dover Soul did our first show within a month of forming. I have also seen bands fall apart who rehearsed too long. People get bored and move on.

With all due respect, the videos you have posted show you guys rock, but I, personally, wouldn't hang around to hear a whole night, and the types of songs you do - with just guitar, bass and drums, no 2nd guitar, no keyboards, no harmonies - are much easier to do as they don't show when things are out-of-synch or not-quite-right. And if you are playing to a bar full of drunks, they are much less likely to notice, as well. It's a lot different playing in front of a more sedate crowd that is listening and where you are doing harmonies and not hiding behind volume.

Please shoot me if I ever have to play to a "sedate" crowd lol. The typical person who goes to our shows is around 30 and enjoys partying and rocking. I am there to supply that soundtrack. So keep on doing your acoustic open mics, I'll keep rocking. The world's a big place and has room for all kinds of stuff.

With all due respect, how often do you guys gig? Not go to an open mic once in a while but actually do shows where you are paid? I do every week.

right now i've got 15 gigs on the books for october. no open mics for me....all good paying gigs. november and december look to be busier still.

If you have the right people together you can put together a working group rather quickly.

i don't dispute that, jimmy. the problem as i see it is booking a gig and counting on FINDING the "right people" (a whole band no less) within a short time frame of a couple of months.

another consideration. jimmy, you mention everyone showing up and knowing their parts. that's all fine and dandy when you're playing "close to the script" covers. yeah, everyone learn your part off the record....simple enough. i get it.

but, if i'm not mistaken shari is doing original music as well. no way you're gonna get two or three sets together (and have a good product) in two months w/o having ANY personel in place.

as for cancelling gigs....nope, that's not anything i do. been gigging close to 40 yrs and i've never cancelled one. and that's worked out well for me. i book a gig somewhere and they KNOW i'm (or my band is) gonna be there.

another consideration. jimmy, you mention everyone showing up and knowing their parts. that's all fine and dandy when you're playing "close to the script" covers. yeah, everyone learn your part off the record....simple enough. i get it.

but, if i'm not mistaken shari is doing original music as well. no way you're gonna get two or three sets together (and have a good product) in two months w/o having ANY personel in place.

as for cancelling gigs....nope, that's not anything i do. been gigging close to 40 yrs and i've never cancelled one. and that's worked out well for me. i book a gig somewhere and they KNOW i'm (or my band is) gonna be there.

Damn straight, Planet. People need to sound like they know the materials, else what is the point really?

But you know if people can get away with hanging that rear end in the wind, more power to them. It's just never been something I can do personally most of the time. Be the proverbial boyscout, be prepared.

And I can tell you do your homework at home, very impressive work ethic. That's something that most of the locals don't really adhere to around here.

Jimmy, I don't want to criticze you but seems like maybe you guys are well practiced at going through the same tunes and in that case, it would make perfect sense to just do what you normally do.

If everyone is on track, you have no issues, right? The problem is that people are rarely prepared as well as they think they are...and you don't find out until it's chopping block time.

Writing new music with a band is a whole other ball of wax. That process can take days or years depending on the musicians and the music. But if the songs are already written and recorded learning original music should be no different than learning other covers. I can go into a studio with a drummer and record an entire CD that can be used later for the actual band to learn from. I believe Shari has the songs recorded, she just needs a band to play them. The question then becomes: how do I attract the best people in the shortest amount of time? The answer? Money of course. If you have paying gigs lined up you can get top talent, simple as that.

Isn't that the hired gun concept??

I avoid hired guns at all costs and the people I play with are never strangers, merely stranger than me. lol (and that's pretty strange)

When your hired gun drops a few measures on the backside, do you fire him? I would guess you have to.

Top money means you don't get to make mistakes.

I'd rather have a situation where it takes some extra time to coax something wonderful out of someone that is capable but maybe not as technically skilled as the hired gun.

NO TWERKING ALLOWED.. lol

The question then becomes: how do I attract the best people in the shortest amount of time? The answer? Money of course. If you have paying gigs lined up you can get top talent, simple as that.

not to pat myself on the back or blow my own horn, but i am one of the uh.... let's say "better players" in my area (mid missouri). now, if she had a gig, no matter how the good the money...in two mos...i would be unable to do it because i have every weekend booked thru 2013. and the same is true for almost of the good players around here who DO have the talent to walk in and do a respectable job w only a few prct's.

even if i had a date open...that'd still mean putting in prct time to her situation. i'm already busy playing in several deals (like many of the first call players around here)....so why do i wanna commit to two mos of prct? why would any otherwise talented and working pro?

and that leaves her to dealing w players that likely as not won't have to goods.

i don't think mid-mo and it's musicians are all that unique in that regard and i'd venture to say that's also probably the case wherever.

two months....even three? completely unrealistic to think you're gonna even find a full band of folks that you can stand to be in a room with....let alone be qualified to pull off the task at hand.

and actually, trying to entice top notch musicians w booked gigs is just as likely to bring out more of the flakes, wanna be's, and wackos. and that equals lots of wasted time auditioning them.

"A few cornflakes are better than a pile of serial killers".

Gimme flakes who have a decent work ethic and we'll provide as much cereal as they can hold..it may even taste like it's frosted at the conclusion. lol (DISCLAIMER: but it may not)

PS: Was liking your jazz stuff, Planet or whatever that video stuff was from earlier in the coffee house.

You going to give us some more soon? I am getting hooked on phonics due to Vinny and his musical re-education efforts and have that itch for something different...have to scratch my YOU TUBE. lol

PS: Was liking your jazz stuff, Planet or whatever that video stuff was from earlier in the coffee house.

You going to give us some more soon?

thanks scott. nothing new to share right now. been playing a lot of gigs w my buddy Val lately. if you haven't checked the VAL & MAL video (see my signature below for link) you might take a look at the when ya have some time to kill. all originals and she's pretty damn good.

I am getting hooked on phonics due to Vinny and his musical re-education efforts and have that itch for something different...have to scratch my YOU TUBE. lol

yep, the Vinster is DA MAN!

Rahhaggaaaahhhhhhhh Quelle était cette?

I like your coffee house stuff better, a lot better.

Why are you playing with "Melissa Etheridge"? lol

Not to be a dick, but your coffee house stuff is the ticket.
I think your Jazz is interesting, which is akin to a rave from me.

I'd stay to hear YOU play, but the other one isn't my cup of tea.

As for Vinny, starting to think he's a ringer.
You can view his profile and he's popping out obscurities daily, but it's def an education.