Just got a phone call from my bassist Dom. The club we were to perform this Saturday called and cancelled us. Kind of a shock, we have played there 3 times and gotten pretty big crowds. In fact, the owner gave us a $100 bonus each time we played there.
So Dom calls the owner who is a pretty good friend of ours. He tells us that he has turned over all bookings to this young lady who works for him, she is responsible for cancelling us.
So Dom calls the club and asks for the young lady. She tells Dom that we are too "heavy" and not the proper type of band for her "clientele". What the heck, it's a pool hall. Now, it's a very nice one with probably 50 tables, and the place is clean and well kept, but nevertheless, it's a pool hall. I've never seen anybody wearing a tux in there.
Then she says she is looking for dance bands. This club has a nice dance floor, but the problem is that it is at the far end of the club, away from the bar, and also away from the pool tables. If you go out on the dance floor you are kinda all by yourself in the middle of nowhere. We have had a few dancers at all our gigs, but the problem is the design. I have played at lots of different clubs. Dancers do not like to go it alone. Sometimes you will get some brave souls, or a couple of hot chicks who are really drunk and will dance by themselves. But even then, if nobody joins them soon, they will leave the floor. Dancers feel safe in numbers.
So anyway, I am not that upset, but Dom is. The worst thing is the very late notice. We could have booked ourselves somewhere else if we knew a week ago or so. Also, I spent Sunday putting out flyers for our band at this club. They are all over town.
I think this new girl is a screw-up. I went in last night and left about 4 of our nice flyers at the club. She may have booked a band for this Saturday and THEN realized that we were already booked. That would explain the late call today. Who knows?
This is not really a rant. I have had this happen before. But I tell ya, we don't forget. We will not play there again.
The only thing that bothers me is the lost income. I was kinda counting on the money this week. Now we have to wait two weeks. We have two gigs on Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th. But I was looking forward to playing, and looking forward to the income.
Oh well, that's Rock N Roll. :D
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Wes, that's pretty harsh. Your right though, regardless of however nice of a place it is, it still is a pool hall. I've never heard of a rock band being to heavy for a pool hall, unless they were similar to GWAR or some thrash metals acts.
It's also to bad about the poor design. I can't believe they would allienate the drunk hot dancing chicks, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Seems like bad business to me, but then again so is cancelling acts on short notice.
Oh well, take in it stride is all we can say to you. Look foward to your next gigs, and rock the place like it's no one's buisness. Maybe word will get around to that girl, and she'll feel like a moron.
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
The lesson here really one about contracting.
If you don't have time to book yourself to another venue, your contract should include some penalty for a late cancellation on the part of the club.
You should be getting some payment for the late cancellation. But if it's not in your contract up-front, good luck.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
Off He Goes
Thanks for the support. Until about 4 months ago, this place never had a stage, dance floor, or live bands. In fact, we were the very first live band to play on the new stage, they were still hooking up the lights the night we played. Even then I realized that the dance floor was situated in a very awkward section of the club. There are not even tables where people can sit and watch the dancers as most clubs have. If you saw the place it would be obvious that the dance floor was not well thought out.
Man, it is a lot of work putting out flyers. I really don't feel like going around and pulling them all down.
We are calling around. We've got the itch to play. I betcha we play somewhere else this Saturday, watch and see. :wink:
Kingpatzer
We are not really a band that gets written contracts. There are pros and cons to this. Yes, we are out of luck this Saturday, but this is how we prefer to operate. I have been in many bands, and we have always agreed on a handshake. We play for Cash ONLY. No paper trail baby.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
She'll be happy. Her boyfriend's got a regular gig now, and she can keep an eye on him, too. :?
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
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Sorry to hear that, Wes.
I hope everything works out for you guys. Apparently she doesn't listen to good music!
Dance music..... pssst what is this world coming to!
Rock on,
Mike
Poolhall "clientele": I think that's a real memorable one, lol.
Don't take your flyers down; if a whole bunch of people show up asking for you, and the club's 'Entertainment Director' says they (you) were cancelled, then...that's the perfect revenge.
Poolhall "clientele": I think that's a real memorable one, lol.
Don't take your flyers down; if a whole bunch of people show up asking for you, and the club's 'Entertainment Director' says they (you) were cancelled, then...that's the perfect revenge.
Assuming the angry mob doesn't stay do drink away their sorrows.
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
Don't take your flyers down; if a whole bunch of people show up asking for you, and the club's 'Entertainment Director' says they (you) were cancelled, then...that's the perfect revenge.
That thought occured to me, but it could go two ways.
If a crowd shows up and asks for the band, and then leaves when they find out the band was cancelled, that would work in our favor.
But if lots of folks show up at the club, and decide to stay and listen to the DJ or whoever is scheduled Saturday night, this would convince the young lady she made a good decision.
I am not a revenge type person. Bands talk among themselves. I could tell other bands they stiffed us and they would stay away. But really, that kind of thing never works. Just leave well enough alone. I have always believed what goes around comes around.
Oh, I forgot to tell you what this gal said to Dom. Dom told her he was a little upset because of the late notice. She told him, "That's show business!" :roll:
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Don't take your flyers down; if a whole bunch of people show up asking for you, and the club's 'Entertainment Director' says they (you) were cancelled, then...that's the perfect revenge.
That thought occured to me, but it could go two ways.
If a crowd shows up and asks for the band, and then leaves when they find out the band was cancelled, that would work in our favor.
But if lots of folks show up at the club, and decide to stay and listen to the DJ or whoever is scheduled Saturday night, this would convince the young lady she made a good decision.
I am not a revenge type person. Bands talk among themselves. I could tell other bands they stiffed us and they would stay away. But really, that kind of thing never works. Just leave well enough alone. I have always believed what goes around comes around.
Oh, I forgot to tell you what this gal said to Dom. Dom told her he was a little upset because of the late notice. She told him, "That's show business!" :roll:
So you guys are celebrities now hey, how's that working for you! :D
Seriosuly though, I would take down the posters, so as not to let her get the best of this situation. Like you said, bands talk, and word gets around. Soon enough people will know what happened to you guys, and may stay away for that place.
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
Sorry to hear about all that Wes. If she's a moron, and boy does she ever sound like one, then it will show soon enough. You right in taking a positive attitude and not letting it get you down. The cream rises to the top.. or so they say.
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
wes,
that Sucks bro, i totally agree with you, i would blow a head gasket over that
as a gigging musician, you know when you walk in to a club, weather " its right"
if this chick was qualified, she would have the professionalism to know not to
do that to an act that has already been booked, my gut feeling, she won"t last long,
twist of fate will be around alot longer than she will.
i love ya bro. keep rockin
rocker 8)
even god loves rock-n-roll
So did you guys get another gig, Wes? Heard any news from what happened over the weekend at the other club?
Update
Well, I went by the club Saturday night expecting to see another band or DJ. But they didn't have anybody. They had about half of the lights off in the club and there was only a small crowd.
It occured to me today that perhaps they cancelled us for two reasons. It was Easter Sunday next morning and also the opening day of trout season which is very big up here. So, perhaps they thought that there would not be any big crowds out and so would lose money. I also drove by all the other popular clubs in my area and all seemed to have very small crowds. One club had a DJ and another popular club did not have any music going.
So this might have been the reason. That is OK, but they could have told us that and rescheduled us for another date. But to hire us 3 times, give us a bonus each time, and THEN to tell us that we do not play the right kind of music doesn't make sense. Usually if a club does not like a band they simply do not hire them again. But this would have been our 4th gig there. And we always got nice crowds.
No, we did not gig anywhere. We have taken a little time off after playing every weekend last month and have not really been pursuing gigs. We do have gigs on the 28th, 29th, and May 5th, but that is it for right now. Time to get back on the ball again. Summer is coming and I want to play as often as possible.
Thanks everyone. This was never meant to be a rant. This is just the kind of thing that happens to bands on occasion and that is why I wrote.
Don't worry, we will be out there plenty this summer. Summer Rocks! 8)
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Now I wouldn't suggest violence here, but if your guitar accidentally smacker her confused head....
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
