Last night TOF played our second gig since I joined last October. We were a little slow taking off due to losing two drummers in the last 8 months. Fortunately, we found a great drummer Jeff Stanko who can really play. And he is a true Rock drummer which is what we needed.
Our gig last night was at a place called Bogey's right here in our hometown. It is part of a Country Club/Golf Course, so it was a really nice place, with a large dance floor. Great food too.
Bogey's is located at the very top of a mountain. It was very overcast and rainy with fog driving there. I couldn't help but think of the old Led Zep tune Misty Mountain Hop. I told the guys when we got there we should learn that song.
We got there around 6:30 to set up. The first thing we discovered that was truly shocking was all their outlets were two-prong :!: That is unbelieveable in this day, but that was the case. And this is not some old building either. We were not prepared for this and did not have a single adapter. We were just about to run to Radio Shack when Dom (bass) found a powercord in a closet that was two-prong male and three-prong female. Luckily we carry lots of extension cords and power strips and were able to power everything off one outlet. I was afraid we would get all sorts of hum and noise without the ground, but everything was fine.
Took us about an hour to set up. This is always the most stressful part of a gig for me. With wires and cables running everywhere I always worry I will miss something and the system won't fire up. But everything was fine first time. Whew. So we sat down to relax awhile and chat with folks who were coming in.
We started around 9:15 which is a little early for most clubs, but hey, that's what the owner wanted, and the owner is your boss. We had about 100 people present. We opened with Rockin' In the Free World and blew them away. We were really on last night. I guess all these long months practicing have paid off. The only complaint was that we were a little loud (we always are), so we brought it down a little. We did sound better. We played covers like Born to Be Wild, Kryptonite, Brick in the Wall, just a wide assortment of old and new hits. We also have about 10 originals which went over very well with the crowd.
We had originally planned 3 sets of 10 songs each, but because of starting early and many people coming in in the middle of our first set we just carried over and played the first half of our second set. We took a little break after that. I bring lots of CD's and play music between sets. I enjoy playing a DJ. :D
We ended up playing to about 12:30. People started leaving early because of the weather. The owner said he wanted to get home early so we packed it up. It was actually nice to get home a little earlier.
Now the part I hate. Packing up and hauling everything home. My back is still sore today from carrying our subs down Dom's steep stairs into his basement. We just dumped everything in the middle of the room. We were all tired. We will set it all up again next practice.
All and all it was a pretty good gig. We got lots of compliments and the owner is going to give us some more gigs. We were pretty happy, we played a lot better than we even expected.
We also got a call from another club last night, so our next gig will be Oct. 8th.
I learned one valuble lesson from this gig. Carry adapters! :D
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Thanks for the adapter tip. I would have never been prepared for that either.
Glad to hear everything went well.
Good luck Oct. 8th!
Mike
That is great. I'm suprised that you did trip a breaker somehow, or start a fire. LOL Best of luck to you guys, come plays some gigs close to Oklahoma. Would love to hear it.
Geoo
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
Thanks to you both.
Yeah, I'm surprised we didn't trip a breaker too.
There was one other mishap I forgot. I broke a D string on the second set. Nice thing about a LP is it doesn't go out of tune, so I finished the song. I brought along my Strat for a backup and used that on the last 5 or 6 songs.
I've got to inspect the saddles on this LP Studio of mine. I just put on new strings 2 days ago. I have had a problem with breaking the A and D strings, always at the saddle. I never have this problem with my other guitars.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I'm sure as you know, but if not, check for burrs. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.
Hi Wes,
congrats on a great night.
Something I hope to one day achieve. Plenty of work required before that day :D
Cheers
Mick
Congrats indeed Wes, a great read. Love reading about this stuff.
Glad everything went well for you.
Something I hope to one day achieve. Plenty of work required before that day
Thanks everyone. I just want to make it clear I am not trying to show off or brag by posting about our gigs. I am just your everyday gigging musician, just like you'll find in your own hometown every Friday and Saturday night. I do it because I love it and I'm addicted to it. :D
But I do hope it inspires others to get out there and join a band.
It is not so hard as you think, and you do not have to be a "great" guitar player at all.
Probably the most difficult part is finding 3 or 4 people who want to form a band and then finding a place to practice. Then you start learning songs. Usually everybody will come with a few songs they already know, so that is where you start. You teach the others the songs you know, and they teach you the songs they know. At first they sound rough, but within a few practices you start to get them down. In a couple of months you will have 25 or 30 songs and you are ready to play out.
Usually someone in the band will already have experience playing out and know a few club owners. So that is who you hit first. If they know you from the past and know you can play it's pretty easy to get a gig. Sometimes you offer to play for a reduced rate the first couple of gigs just to get in the door. And that is how it should be really. You have to play a club a few times before the regulars get to know you and you start to draw a crowd. Once you start drawing a good crowd you can ask for more money and the owner will be glad to pay you.
You do not need to be so skillful on guitar as you might think. Because it is through your band's practice that you will become skillful. If you play any song a couple of hundred times you are going to get good at it. And that is all there is to it. So don't worry or think that you are not good enough. If you can change chords and keep time pretty well then you are good enough. Playing in a band will improve your playing faster than any other method I believe.
So that is why I wrote about the gig. Sometimes they can be pretty crazy. This gig was pretty lame in that respect. It was a real nice club where you don't get any lunatics. There was one drunk guy that did shout at us a lot, but that's nothing.
Our next gig is at a club that usually has Country Western groups. Now that promises to be exciting. Those crowds can be pretty rough. I've never played a gig as bad as in the Blues Brother's movie where they had to stand behind chicken wire, but close. :D I actually love gigs like that. But I am a real sicko!
Hopefully Dennis (Corbind) will post about his gig last night. I really enjoy his stories and the great detail he goes into.
So, JOIN A BAND.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
So that is why I wrote about the gig. Sometimes they can be pretty crazy. This gig was pretty lame in that respect. It was a real nice club where you don't get any lunatics. There was one drunk guy that did shout at us a lot, but that's nothing.
Back when I was in a gigging band, they were some of the funniest moments. I was trying to do my best Axl Rose imitation back then, cause he was cool and all that :oops: , and this REALLY drunk fellow (and scarey looking) walked onstage, put his arm around me and started singing with me. LOL There was always something fun happening.
Thanks again for posting about the gig. I can say that for me they are very inspiring stories. My learning guitar was all about writing and performing again. Atleast one some level. Now just need to find those three or four folks to play with.
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,
Way to go man. Where are playing on the 8th? There's a chance I'll be in CT then and I have to come check you guys out this time.
Chris
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Wes, you gotta post these gigs BEFORE they happen, so we can drop by...
Laz
Great to see you're gigging again Wes!
1 - Any chance of a look at your set list?
2 - You written any ofthe originals?
3 - Any pics?
As it used to say in my signature, Keep On Rockin' In The Free World - I remember you doing that for the easy song database, but didn't you also do Misty Mountain Hop?
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
So, JOIN A BAND.
I would love to but can't find anyone to play with. AHHHHH trying for over a year now. Rant over.....Thank You for reading
Shibby
Thanks again everyone.
Well, our next gig is on Saturday, October 8th at the Silverbrook Cafe on Rte. 57 in Sandisfield, Ma. That is maybe 20 miles from David Hodge's home.
For Ct. residents, take Rte. 8 north to Winsted, Ct. Continue north on Rte. 8 into Mass. for about 12 miles (from Winsted) until you hit Sandisfield Rd. (Rte. 57). Turn left (west) and go about 5 miles into Sandisfield.
I don't have the exact address yet, but I will get it and post it here well before the show.
We will also post directions on our band's website. Just hit the WWW below.
Yeah, you guys come out. I will see if I can get you up for a few songs. The other guys don't usually allow this, but I'll threaten them. :D
Shibby- Have you ever tried Harmony Central? They have a musician's search by zip code. That is actually how I found Twist of Fate. There were several bands looking for members within 20 miles of me. Give it a try.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
According to MapQuest that is exactly 77.22 miles from my house to the center of Sandisfield, Ma. Hmmmm, sounds like a possibility to me.
