General Music Chat

However, I would like to be a professional, and so I try to approach situations as a pro would. Being ill prepared, or half-assing a performance definitely falls onto my DO NOT DO list.

A Pro can have 30 songs together in 3 or 4 days (1 day if there easy songs) a a couple of rehearsals and be ready for the show .. and it wouldn't be a half ass show. I've done it in as little time as 6 hrs with charts ... and not easy material, 2 chords to the bar with 6 chord turn arounds in every song.

For a Pro there's no such time as be ill prepared and you don't aways get the amount time that you would like to work on the material .. you have to be ready no matter what .. if your ill prepared you won't get a call-back for the next gig.

I know your not a pro, but these are the conditions that pro's work in ...
Like many have said .. you have a month to put this together ... dead lines work wonders for getting things done ... they work for me.

Ron

ACK!

Mary! I would never repeat a single song, unless it was an original that ppl demand to hear again. (Yeah - it's happened 2 or 3 times in my life.)

Hi Joseph, It is unprofessional for a single member to commit the band to a performance without consulting with the others. This involves many reasons.

Is this project brand new or are you joining an already established band?

2 hours is a long time to fill with unpolished material. It most likely end in an epic fail.

How proficient are the members in this band? Depending on how talented you and musicians are... you maybe able to pull it off.

I have done sets with free-form fusion, improvisational, and standards that turned out ok without rehearsing.

Hi JSantos, I remember you.

Prevost82,
You lost me after you said "charts". Seriously, though, you are right. I could dedicate the time to this, and make it work, but I think there are a few internal issues that are keeping me from it. The band is a side project for me, and I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble. I like the guys in the band, and want to be fair to them, but, at the same time, I'm being treated a little like an employee...anyway, more whining...sorry .

Mary, the big cash holiday gig is paying $100 +$3 per head at the door...tiny little bar in a tiny little town...don't know what I'll do with my $28!! Geez, I need a REAL booking agent...

Phil, I don't like haircuts...had one in five years.

ACK!

Mary! I would never repeat a single song, unless it was an original that ppl demand to hear again. (Yeah - it's happened 2 or 3 times in my life.)

I'm not saying TO do it. I am saying that you might have to. It is not ideal but it can happen. It's just an option. Just for the record, I have never repeated a piece or a song.That doesn't mean that I won't.But an emergency is an emergency. I would never eat eel, but you never know, I just might have to. If I even have to repeat something, I would much rather do that than nothing.

Remember the one guy, I think he was from the UK, but he recorded a song twice once as a ballad and again as an upbeat disco thingie. Now I gotta do some googling.

Okay, it was Joe Jackson. The song was Stepping Out and he did it twice...one as a ballad and one as a dance song. I'm not sure if both songs had the same name, I could only find the fast version. But I would wager that if he played it at a concert most would not realize that he played the same song twice, even if he did them back to back.

Prevost82,
You lost me after you said "charts". Seriously, though, you are right. I could dedicate the time to this, and make it work, but I think there are a few internal issues that are keeping me from it. The band is a side project for me, and I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble. I like the guys in the band, and want to be fair to them, but, at the same time, I'm being treated a little like an employee...anyway, more whining...sorry .

Mary, the big cash holiday gig is paying $100 +$3 per head at the door...tiny little bar in a tiny little town...don't know what I'll do with my $28!! Geez, I need a REAL booking agent...

Phil, I don't like haircuts...had one in five years.

You guys should be getting way more than 100.00 for 3 hours on a holiday. But, that is 28.00 more than you started out with. People will be watching you and the right people will be priceless. Even if you were playing for tips only you gotta be professional. Don't let the internal issues prevent you from doing your best. You are your own advertising.

My late .02 worth here. I am no professional musician. But I know how a professional should conduct himself.
A little cut from J Santos 1st post on this thread said it all to my mind;
It is unprofessional for a single member to commit the band to a performance without consulting with the others.

This cat more n likley would have my foot in his a##.
The show being do-able or not, is irrelevent to Joe's question IMO.
It simply should have been discussed.
How many of us have no other family / job schedules to consider ?

I appreciate everyone's input. George (via j. Santos) nailed it, and I have to be honest (I feel like I'm standing in front of an AA meeting):

"Hi, I'm Joseph, and I'm a control freak."

Okay, I'm not really that bad (I don't think!), but I'm very uncomfortable with the way this band is being run (or NOT being run, as the case may be).
There are a lot of talented, experienced folks on here, and this post was intended to open up a discussion about the regular business practices of a "professional" musician...I'm afraid my anxiety led us astray!

The bottom line for me is that the guy making the decisions for the band really doesn't seem to know what he's doing. His approach makes no sense, and I find myself constantly biting my tongue.

I can (and have) fill a slot in a band, but I have to have confidence that the person running the show knows what they are doing. I just don't have that feeling with this band, and I'm not sure that my input is welcome.

Jeesh, this has turned into "Dear Abby". Sorry folks .

Many artists really are complete mental freaks, so "when in Rome" you might consider "the Toga" unless the guy tries to give you a reach-around.

It turns into the age-old question of "who do you think is good to-day" and "how much do you want to work with the individual in question"?
Enough to put up with bs? Well then you might have a deal..

(cue dirge)

My late .02 worth here. I am no professional musician. But I know how a professional should conduct himself.
A little cut from J Santos 1st post on this thread said it all to my mind;
It is unprofessional for a single member to commit the band to a performance without consulting with the others.

This cat more n likley would have my foot in his a##.
The show being do-able or not, is irrelevent to Joe's question IMO.
It simply should have been discussed.
How many of us have no other family / job schedules to consider ?

Yeah! I would have never booked a gig without discussing it with the band first especially this time of year. PLLLUUSSS, I have contracts that I give to my musicians...I don't care what their degree of professionalism is if I have a band I handle them professionally. That being said, I have no band but I will contact my many musician friends and discuss the upcoming gig...anyone that is available for hire for the performance will receive a contract and, if applicable, a deposit...yes, a deposit. Work begins immediately and I guarantee you a great 3 hour show.

Personally, that is how I roll. This time of year especially requires professionalism.

However, I would like to be a professional, and so I try to approach situations as a pro would. Being ill prepared, or half-assing a performance definitely falls onto my DO NOT DO list.

A Pro can have 30 songs together in 3 or 4 days (1 day if there easy songs) a a couple of rehearsals and be ready for the show .. and it wouldn't be a half ass show. I've done it in as little time as 6 hrs with charts ... and not easy material, 2 chords to the bar with 6 chord turn arounds in every song.

For a Pro there's no such time as be ill prepared and you don't aways get the amount time that you would like to work on the material .. you have to be ready no matter what .. if your ill prepared you won't get a call-back for the next gig.

I know your not a pro, but these are the conditions that pro's work in ...
Like many have said .. you have a month to put this together ... dead lines work wonders for getting things done ... they work for me.

Ron

If you are getting paid, you are a pro. Each show that you do is advertizing who you are and you should improve with each performance...unless your bio-rhythms are off. Every show that you do you should perform at your best. No different from Metallica or the LA Phil.

Okay...I just gotta say this - if someone committed me to a New Years Eve gig for a $28 guaranteed paycheck, I'd laugh 'em out of the band.

I've done plenty of stuff in my life that was humiliating, but I just wouldn't even consider going there. A gig on that night is something that should COST, unless you're doing a friend a favor at a very private party, imho.

I'd surely be telling them to go piss up a rope & move on.

I'll give ya this one - after laying low for awhile in the local music scene (I'd been playing elsewhere, but not at home), I got a call out of the blue to do a local NYE gig for some pretty good money, with a mere 3 week's notice. It was at a new bar. The new bar was in the same building that had housed a very rough bar, & the new one had only been open a month. I went in, set up, saw my name on the sign right out at the roadside on a curve where no one could possibly miss it. I played for the bartender & owner, cuz no one showed up.

That was rather humiliating, cuz lots of ppl drove right by the place on their way to other bars & parties, & saw my name out there, & the empty parking lot. There was only one aged cpl that came in & sat for a full set before they left to go to a real party. Ugh!

I'm not exaggerating. One cpl. That was it for the entire night. I played anyway, but quit at quarter after midnight & left. I gave the guy a discount but jeeez it felt like a disaster to me then, & it still does now.


pssst! Mary! Try the eel. It's really quite good!

Our band wouldnt take less than $1200 for a New Years Eve gig, there are 4 of us, we get $750 a night these days for regular gigs and more for private stuff.

Locally the pay ranges vary for bands. Ive had people call me wanting us for as little as $200 to just the door, most local bars in the Memphis area pay $400.

In the early 90s we used to play for the door all the time. We would make anywhere from $500 to $2000 depending on the venue.

If you just want to play it doesnt really matter what you are paid. I do some solo acoustic stuff for $75 plus tips, ussually wind up around $100 a night from those gigs plus food and drinks.

Good Luck with your gig and dont sweat it too much.

If he had called me and said he had a New Year's Eve gig for $100 plus $3 per head I would have said "that sounds good, what are the rest of you making?"

Good one, Jimmy.