Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: New Band's FIRST GIG

  1. #1
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Niner Country
    Posts
    1,716

    New Band's FIRST GIG

    I don't even know if we're REALLY ready, but we're playing New Year's Eve at The Ranch in Hayward, Ca.

    Two-set gig, I'm just hoping my voice will be back in time to do my share of the vocals.

    If you're in the Bay Area and you're not busy, come on out!

    WooHOO!

  2. #2
    Forum Member music-n-motorcycle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Sierraville CA
    Posts
    565
    Right on man. See you Tomorrow.
    4:20, my favorite time of day.

  3. #3
    Forum Member BLUELOU's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    FAR FROM LA LA LAND
    Posts
    2,101

    PBRADT

    HEY BRO CONGRATS NEWYRS GIGS ARE FUN SO ENJOY AND BE MERRY

    GOD BLESS

    BLUELOU
    SINCERELY
    BLUELOU
    GODBLESS

  4. #4
    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    spanish for lard.
    Posts
    8,605
    wis i could, but i'm mixing a show that night. good luck man!
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  5. #5
    Forum Member telecast's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Ann Arbor MI
    Posts
    4,560
    New bands are so much fun while the honeymoon is still on. Have a blast!
    A friend in need is a good reason to screen your calls.

  6. #6
    Forum Member Gtrplyr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,682
    pbradt- So how did your gig in Hayward go last night?

  7. #7
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Niner Country
    Posts
    1,716
    Originally posted by Gtrplyr
    pbradt- So how did your gig in Hayward go last night?
    Pretty well. I was rough for the first three or four songs, combination of nerves, adrenalin, etc., but as the set went on, I calmed down. I was surprised at the lack of volume complaints.

    Second set was the midnight set and it was a total blast. We did a song that T. Graham Brown has on his latest record called "Use the Blues" and it finally got folks up dancing and carrying on.

    When midnight rolled around, we played "Auld Lang Syne" and the folks sang along, but what surprised them was when we broke into a shuffle and played it as a boogie.

    They dug it though, and danced. it kind of became "The Stumble" by the end, with me mentally transposing from E to A.

    All in all, a good gig, and while I'm a wreck today, I have today to recover and we leave for the Delbert Cruise on the 7th (a few days with family, during which I will be working remote from Florida).

    We have a return engagement on Valentine's day.

  8. #8
    Forum Member Gtrplyr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,682
    Glad to hear it went well!

    You know you're doing something right when you can get people up & dancing. It's nice to be able to play 2 sets as well and get into a groove. Do you have any more gigs on the horizon?

  9. #9
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Niner Country
    Posts
    1,716
    Originally posted by Gtrplyr
    Glad to hear it went well!

    You know you're doing something right when you can get people up & dancing. It's nice to be able to play 2 sets as well and get into a groove. Do you have any more gigs on the horizon?
    Well, we're going back valentines day to the place we played last night.

    I'm going to be out of town, visiting J's family (well she will, I'll be working) in Florida and then on the 11th, we board the Delbert Cruise.

    We go into the studio on Jan 24 to do our REAL demo. we're not looking to play that many bar gigs (the fewer the better, in fact) but we want to get into fextival gigs when we're ready. That is where we want to go in terms of gigging.

  10. #10
    Forum Member MIKEH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Collierville, TN
    Posts
    780
    Pete,
    I'm glad to hear the gig went well. I wish I was going on that Delbert cruise this year, but I'll be there for sure next January.

    We would like to book some festivals around here as well, but most we've checked into want to hire bands through management companies. We don't have a manager, and we're not sure we want one at this point. Do you have representation? If not, do you have any tips for getting past this formality?
    Knowledge is the small part of ignorance that we arrange and classify. -- Ambrose Bierce

  11. #11
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    306
    Mike - send the promoter a demo CD. In your cover letter, remind the promoter that bands with management representation cost the event a lot more because the manager takes a cut of the pay. Suggest that the promoter compare your band's sound with that of bands that have a manager; if your band is comparable - or better - than the bands with managers, the promoter gets just as good a show at a lower cost.

    For some REAL leverage with the promoter, tell him you know Tele-Bob.

    Pete - glad the gig went well!

  12. #12
    Forum Member Tele-Bob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    6,691
    You tell'em Pete!

    MIKEH, if you need someone to vouche for y'all you just tell 'em to call 'Ol Tele-Bob. I'm not exactly sure where that'll get ya, but I will say nice things about you. Heck, maybe the guy is a P90 fanatic too!
    If you're bored, you're not groovin'.

  13. #13
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Niner Country
    Posts
    1,716

    That's what we're doing

    But if you make a demo CD, make it WELL! If you send them something that sounds bad, it'll hit the circular file VERY quickly.

    I made our main singer re-do his vocals on one song five times because he was hitting bad notes and I don't want to use Auto-tune on him. One flat was a whole step. I said "listen to yourself and think about what you're doing. You're not hitting blue notes, you're flat."

    He was getting pissed (and this was just a tenporary demo, something to use until the real one is done) but when he heard a comparison between his bad vocals and the fixedone (I only made him redo the bad parts) he thanked me.

    Remember, someone who's not a musician may not be able to say WHY they don't like your demo, just that they don't. Before you start disseminating it to festival promoters, give it to some of your fans, other musicians you know and others. Get feedback and assuming you have the know how, and you agree with an individual's assessment, fix the things they don't like.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •