My band Twist of Fate played last Friday night at a club called Billy Ray's in Winsted Ct.. I was really looking forward to playing at this club, having seen many bands there. They really like loud Rock and usually get pretty big crowds, so finally we could really cut loose and do what we do best, play LOUD Rock N Roll.
But things started out badly from the start. When we got there it was bitter cold with lots of wind blowing. Really frigid. We parked around the back of the club where they have a nice entrance right to the stage, we thought it was going to be great not having to lug gear. Usually you can park right at the door. But tonight a restaurant next door was packed and cars were parked all around the entrance. So we had to park far away and lug all our stuff in. Man, we were freezing.
The stage was very unusual. It is shaped like a triangle, wide at the front of the stage, but narrowing to a point in the rear. So, the drummer has no choice but to set up in the back. What is unusual is that all our amps were out in front of the drums, this caused us problems later on.
But we were happy and set up in about 45 minutes.
This club is also unusual in that it is "S" shaped. In front of the stage is a nice dance floor, but the room goes off to the right, makes a left turn where the room narrows, then turns right and opens up into the main bar. The problem is that in order for people in the bar to hear the music, you have to really crank up loud at the stage. I put on some CDs to test out the system and set EQ levels. I had the volume set just right for the dance floor, but when I walked back to the bar where most of the customers were, you could barely hear it at all. It was still early and there were maybe 15 people in our area, maybe 60 in the bar area, so I had to turn the system up loud. So, at the stage it was blaring loud, in the middle perfect, and in the bar a little quiet. But what you gonna do? You just have to compromise.
We have been used to a lot of success lately. We have been getting really nice crowds, and have kinda assumed we would keep on getting folks in. But tonight the crowd just never showed. We did everything we always do, put out lots of nice professional flyers, sent out e-mails, and invited friends. We kept expecting a crowd to come in, but they never did. Perhaps because we were new here and nobody knows us. Or, perhaps the bitter cold. Whatever, the stage area was pretty empty, about 20 people, which looked empty. And even the crowd in the bar area never got real big. I would guess at most we had 100 people in the bar at one time. This may sound ok, but it looked pretty sparse. We wanted to impress the owner so we get more gigs here, this did not look too impressive. They probably get a crowd this big every night.
At around 9:30 we started. Right away everything sounded way different than we are used to. Usually our amps are around 20 feet or so behind us, tonight maybe 8-10 feet, while our drummer was back in the corner. So, you could really hear your amp, but not the drums too well. This wasn't a problem out front as we mic the drums, but it did sound very different to us on stage.
We have four floor monitors, but lately have only been bringing two which we set up on either side of the stage. Everyone has always heard the vocals well, so we haven't needed four and it just makes the load a little lighter. But tonight our drummer could not hear us at all. He could not even hear the guitar or bass amps very well either.
We found this out on the second song. We have an extended solo on this song, but the length of the solo is memorized. About halfway through the solo Jeff went back into the beat he was to use on the third verse which follows the solo. It sounded terrible, it was obvious we screwed up. But Jeff was not aware of any mistake whatsoever as he really couldn't hear us. Oh well, we just smiled at each other and faked our way through it. But it was really bad.
A couple of songs later Jeff lost the beat again on a cover of Highway song. It wasn't his fault, we knew he was having problems. And there was really no room at all to bring one of our two monitors back to him.
We came down a little on all the amps. Now Jeff could hear the vocals and follow the music better. We started to do alright after that. But the first set was pretty bad, we are much better than that.
We improved a lot on the second and third sets. Lots of folks started coming from the bar area and we even had a few dancers. Never a big crowd, but still it is a lot more fun when people seem to appreciate the music.
To our surprise at the end of the night the owner told us he was very pleased with how well we did and liked our band a lot. So hopefully we will get booked there again. Next time we will know how to get a better sound.
So, playing out is always fun, but things don't always go well. You get to thinking your band is getting really good, will always play well, and always draw a nice crowd. Then reality bites you in the you know what. :D
I do not write these gig reports to brag. We are just one of tens of hundreds of thousands of bar bands that play every Friday and Saturday night. We are nothing special at all. But some here will go on to play these gigs like us, just a short story to tell folks what it's like.
Our next show is March 3rd, I hope we do lots better. 8)
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I like the way you tell it like it is Wes - sounds like the odds were stacked against you from the start this time.....I know very little about setting up a stage, but thanks to your regular reports, I'm getting a real feel for the atmosphere etc....keep 'em coming mate!!!
Oh, just one thing....."We are just one of tens of hundreds of thousands of bar bands ".....so, one of millions then?
Have a good one next time.....
: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.)
Hmm, there's a song title in that subject line somewhere . . . What? It's been done? Never mind.
Dang, Wes, it sounds kinda like a demonstration of Murphy's Law, but tell yourselves "it coulda been worse." (At least it wasn't snowing, a bunch of Vikings didn't chant "spam, spam, spam" while you were playing, etc.)
. . . a cover of Highway song. By Blackfoot? Cool! 8)
I've found several different tabs for that on the 'Net, and none of 'em sound quite right. Oh, well, back on topic.
I do not write these gig reports to brag. We are just one of tens of hundreds of thousands of bar bands that play every Friday and Saturday night. We are nothing special at all. But some here will go on to play these gigs like us, just a short story to tell folks what it's like.You guys are out there trying, and wanting to do it better the next time and every time. I think that makes you "special."
I went to a place down the road from my home (since closed) and saw my instructor, Pat, playing with a band he was working with shortly before the end of 2005. I saw him at a local supermarket a week or so later, and he was bummin'. He wasn't happy with the whole gig, and his own performance in particular, even though I thought they were pretty good. (For being crammed in next to a Christmas tree and right opposite the bar in this small tavern.)
Being "our own worst critics" makes us work harder. (And I'm still a contender for "World's Laziest Guitarist." :lol: )
Our next show is March 3rd, I hope we do lots better. 8)I think you will. Just consider that last one "paid practice." :wink:
Wes, as good musicians go, the show went on no matter what. That's all you can do.
Now you know better for next time. We always have that same problem going into new places. You never know until the 2nd set how things have been panning out.
I know how Jeff felt. There were many gigs where all I could hear was white noise, or so it seemed. Fortunately for me, I know the songs well enough I just told the guys to follow me. Believe it or not, that '85 gig that I have posted gave me the same problems. I couldn't hear what everyone was doing. That's why I counted out every song and the guys were looking back at me alot. It was a bad deal but turned out okay.
As a drummer I hate being stuffed in the corner. It not only makes it hard to get in and out but you get no cues from stage volume cuz it's not getting back there. I still have that problem with singing. They don't supply me a monitor so I just go off the dirty looks. :D
You won't have very many gigs like that, Wes. You just need one once in a while to get you back on the ground. :wink: :wink:
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
Thanks everyone
Vic- Yeah, I guess I could have just said millions :D . You know, it would be interesting to know how many bands are playing around the world on Friday and Saturday nights. I am sure it is in the many millions.
Doug- Yep, I meant to write Highway Song by Blackfoot. We play this song pretty well, but I have never been too happy with my vocals on this song. I am Southern and have no problems getting the right accent, but I just don't like the way I sound. I have suggested dropping this song, but the other guys like it, so I just listen to the recording and am trying to do better. I practice singing this song at home every week, I have improved a little. The phrasing is difficult while playing rhythm. I do the arpeggio picking part. I have thought about posting a tab in the Easy Song database, it is really not that hard to play. It is a very nice guitar part that I enjoy playing, just wish I sang it better.
Bish- It ain't easy being a drummer. :D The drummer gets blamed for everything, and most musician jokes are about drummers. Jeff is very good, he just couldn't hear anything. He was very crowded and could barely get back to his kit. Next time we are taking another monitor for sure.
Just wrote the report to give folks an idea of what playing in a little local bar band is like. It is always fun, but never easy.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
wes,
you guys overcame and did what you guys do best, play rock and roll, next time you guys play there, you will melt the place 8)
even god loves rock-n-roll
Doug- Yep, I meant to write Highway Song by Blackfoot. We play this song pretty well, but I have never been too happy with my vocals on this song. I am Southern and have no problems getting the right accent, but I just don't like the way I sound. I have suggested dropping this song, but the other guys like it, so I just listen to the recording and am trying to do better. I practice singing this song at home every week, I have improved a little. The phrasing is difficult while playing rhythm. I do the arpeggio picking part. I have thought about posting a tab in the Easy Song database, it is really not that hard to play. It is a very nice guitar part that I enjoy playing, just wish I sang it better.Could be that Native American thing that Rick Medlocke had going. :wink:
I love "Train, Train" too. Gotta learn the Shorty Medlocke (intro) harp part, and the Cub Koda part. Good stuff. 8)
If you get a chance to put "Highway Song" on ESD, that would be excellent.
Just wrote the report to give folks an idea of what playing in a little local bar band is like. It is always fun, but never easy.Just keep telling yourselves, if it was too easy, it wouldn't be any fun. :wink:
Thanks Rocker, see, now you are encouraging me. :D
You know, playing guitar is difficult, it really is. When you first start out on guitar it is tough. You can't play a chord cleanly, can't remember a progression, can't do a two fret stretch,..... all this stuff plays on your mind. You can't help but wonder if you've got what it takes.
And it never really gets easy. It is something you have to live with if you are a musician. While it is immensely rewarding, it is also very tough on the psyche.
This was not really a rant at all. I have experienced many poor gigs, so I am used to it. But this band has been doing pretty well, even better than I ever expected. So, we were all a little down and disappointed.
You can't help but measure gigs but by the crowd you draw. It doesn't matter if you play brilliantly, if only 10 people show you feel like a failure. And if you draw a large crowd you feel you are doing pretty good.
Now I know this, but sometimes forget, you have no control over other people. It doesn't matter how well you play, or how well you promote, sometimes the people don't show. Even major acts cancel on occasion due to low concert sales. And it doesn't always mean you are doing something wrong, you may be doing everything right. Sometimes people just have better things to do. Maybe a popular band is playing across town and drawing your crowd, maybe the weather is keeping people away? You are not always sure.
But it can also be because your band is not that entertaining. And this fear is always in the back of your mind.
I was playing in a band when 911 occured a few years back. We had been pulling in good crowds. I noticed immediately that people stopped coming out, not just for us, but for all bands everywhere. People were in shock, scared, and depressed. Every club owner can tell you they lost business. It wasn't anything people were doing wrong, just an overall depression that affected everybody everywhere.
And no matter how much your band practices, sometimes you have a bad night. It is no different from a good baseball player getting in a slump. Tiger Woods had a slump where he didn't play well for almost 2 years. So, it is something you have to expect from time to time.
But we are pretty tough guys. I can promise you that we will talk about our mistakes at next practice. We always do. I like this band because we are all very serious about how well we perform. There are no goofs in this band.
I did not write this report to moan and groan or complain. I wrote this little report to show that playing guitar will always have it's bad moments. It's like the old ABC Sports used to say, "the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat". :D
So thanks for the encouragement Rocker, I really appreciate it. It is great to have friends who put their arm around your shoulders, even after you struck out or missed that game winning field goal.
We learned a lot from this gig, next one will be better.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Doug
Believe it or not, I am part Blackfoot. My mother has family records going back over 300 years, it is her hobby. My great-great Grandmother on her father's side was a full blooded Blackfoot. So I guess that makes me 1/32nd Native American or something like that.
I will try to post a tab for this song in the next few weeks. Now I have to really listen to the original recording to make sure I get it right. As always, I take a few liberties with covers. :D
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Wes, can you post some songs of your band performing ? i'd really like to hear what you guys sound like.
Minus Human
And all the things you said to me
I need your arms to welcome me
But a cold stone's all I see
Let my heart go
Minus Human
I do have a video of our band performing at two different clubs that Dom our bass player made. But it is just a VCR tape. I could ask and see if he could burn it on a DVD. I don't have any type of gear for that myself.
How and where could I put this on the web?
I also have a demo CD that I tried to upload a few songs to a free music host. But it seemed to take forever to download them, so I gave up on it. Each song is about 4-5 minutes long.
You are not missing much. We are your average weekend bar band. :D
Got a call Monday from Silverbrook in Sandisfield, Ma.. Unexpected, but we play again this Saturday. We are doing pretty good right now gettin the gigs, hope it lasts.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Wes,
See if you can get an audio-only file out of the tape. That will save a lot of bandwidth. I'll be glad to host the sound-files, but the MPEGs would be too much for me.
There is usually a professional DVD converter somewhere nearby. Let me know if you can't find one.
Laz
Dan
If you would like I can mail this VCR tape to you and you can do what you want. I can always get another one from Dom.
I am not too savvy on downloading music to sites and stuff like that.
Just PM me your address and I'll mail it to you.
Thanks
Wes
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Wes. I currently have a V8 camcorder connected to my media PC. I can convert to digital from that format. If you want to send me a video cassette (VHS?) I can also do that one but I don't have a player in the vicinity.
If you can get it to me for conversion, I'd be happy to host it.
OR.........
If you get a playable copy that you can send over the internet, I can give you access to my ftp site. You can upload it there and I can set it up for playback.
Let me know if I can help.
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
Nope, don't send it to me. I can't handle it as a VCR tape. I can manage a DVD (actually Jacqui can do it). Send it to a pro...
Or maybe I'll bring my DVR up to a gig soon...
Laz
