Booked to Play

[recordingtrack1]

one of my friends and I just got booked to play a dinner party on January 14. I am really excited about this because, it is the first time in a long while that I am playing for cash!!! LOL.

 

This is fairly large dinner at a local hall and we're playing as an acoustic duet, though we are bringing our electric guitars for "tasteful" stuff on top of some of the songs. I have been working on the songlist. They want us to play for about 90 minutes. In talking with the management, they want it clean and designed to fit a crowd of people mostly around 50. Take a look at what I have put down and see what you think.

How do you think this will float?

 

Oh BTW, we'll be playing a few originals.

 

To Make You Feel My Love (Dylan)

Operator (Croce)

Fire And Rain (Taylor)

Your Song (John)

The Ballad of Spider John (Ramsey)

Carolina In My Mind (Taylor)

Sweet Baby James (Taylor)

Time In A Bottle (Croce)

You've Got A Friend (Taylor)

A Good Time (Prine)

Pardon My Heart (Young)

The Rain Song (Zep) with electric

Something (Harrison) with electric

Still Got The Blues (Moore) with electric

 

Too boring, too over the top, too . . . ? Please give me some input.

 

RT1

[guitarist21]

The guys around 50 that I know- a lot of them would like that music. Of course, there's always a few oddballs but there's no way to plan for that. Sounds like a pretty good set to me for that crowd.

For the (admittedly few) dinners I've done, I've usually checked with the guy (or girl) that booked me and seen if they had any suggestions. But if you can't do that, I'd say that's a good looking set.

Ellen

[recordingtrack1]

Thx 21, I did talk to the manager and believe me, he is more of a piano, wine and cheese kind of guy. He was no help at all.

I appreciate your perspective.

RT

[Dan Hall]

Hi RT:
Not critical at all here, just a lot of sweet baby james. You got some CSN or CSNY? Southern Cross? 4 + 20? Wooden Ships?

The heart breaker about these gigs is they'll all be yapping away anyway and you'll get two or three that will move closer and pay attention. Bless them.

Truely, sounds good though

Dan

[Kap'n]

Sounds cool!

If I can put in my two cents, though, as an audience member, The Rain Song is very long, with little dynamic change. Maybe gratifying to a player, but not an audience friendly number, unless you're playing to Zepheads.

Of course, YMMV, etc.

[recordingtrack1]

 

Thanks Dan.

I do. Wooden Ships is one of my favorites and I have a real good open E arrangement of it. So you think I should replace some of the JT? I was mostly trying to play some "mooshy" stuff that would not offend anybody.

 

Also, to Kap'n. You're absolutely right. I love playing it and only do it in an instrumental version. I may strike it out of the list then.

 

Please, ya'll keep'em coming. I getting paid good money for this gig and I want the guy to book us some more. I need HELP.

 

This ain't like the old days when we plugged up and played Skynyrd tunes as loud as we could! This is relatively new territory to me.

 

RT:thu:

[Dan Hall]

Originally posted by recordingtrack1 Thanks Dan. I do. Wooden Ships is one of my favorites and I have a real good open E arrangement of it. So you think I should replace some of the JT? RT:thu:

 

 

Just a thought RT, everybody loves JT. I'm right in that age group and we, (as a group) kept Fleetwood Mac and CSNY on the charts more or less continuously for the entire 70's.

 

It's getting to the point where I'm no fun anymore, do dee do.....

[guitarist21]

Originally posted by recordingtrack1 Thx 21, I did talk to the manager and believe me, he is more of a piano, wine and cheese kind of guy. He was no help at all.

Oooh piano and cheese and wine. This doesn't make for good acoustic music. The piano is too loud and the wine ruins the finish on the guitar and the cheese gets stuck in the tuners... just a gross situation.

Stick to what you've got, I'd say... unless you decide to take up piano (or wine, or cheese), the tunes you've got would be the kind to catch the ears of your crowd.

Ellen

[knockwood]

Sounds pretty good up front. I like Dan's suggestions also.

A sprinkling of Simon & Garfunkel? Dash of Dylan? A spot of Sam Cooke (maybe a bit of "Bring It on Home to Me")? Not all so spot-on generation specific, maybe. Just stuff I like... 'Cause, as you know, your gig is all about me.

[Cripes]

Good selection even if artist specific. I used to do these songs many years ago for the same people you are playing for now probably...

Helplessly Hoping - Stills
Change Partners - Stills
Sad Lisa - Stevens
The Boy With the Moon and Star - Stevens
Fire and Rain - Taylor
Your Song - E. John
This Song Has No Title - E. John
Sebastian - Stookey
John Henry Bosworth - Stookey
John Barleycorn Must Die - Traffic
Time In a Bottle - Croce
Photographs and Memories - Croce
Portland Woman - NRPS
Henry - NRPS
Yesterday - McCartney
...forgotten more than I know...

[recordingtrack1]

Thanks Sweb,

I for sure think I will add Photographs and Memories. That is a pretty song. I really like John Barley Corn Must Die, but I don't have a version of it to listen to and learn this week. The cool thing about all of the other songs I have picked is that I can play decent versions of them without cheat sheets.

I have never played a "dinner party" before but I have played some parties, and often the noise is so loud that you could be up there playing Rubber Ducky on a Kazoo and nobody would notice.

Frankly, that is one of the reasons we are taking the electrics. I may have to try a version of the Star Spangled Banner, LOL.

We'll wake'em up!

RT1:thu:

[recordingtrack1]

quote
______________________
originally posted by Dan Hall

It's getting to the point where I'm no fun anymore, do dee do.....
______________________

I didn't catch that on the first go around. LOL. That was good.

RT1:D

[carguy]

I wish you the best of luck with your gig! I'm in the age group you are playing for also, and I think your list sounds real good. Others here have made some good suggestions as well. I have a list around here somewhere with a bunch of my favorite songs for performing. If I can find it, I'll PM with some more possibilities.

[Cldplytkmn]

bee gees- 'to love somebody' (i'm in love with this song)
the only other thing i'll throw out there to add to the list is 'rubber ducky on a kazoo'... what a great song...

i tend to have trouble with these kinds of gigs (its kinda a similar crowd to the restaurant gig i had the past two summers) because i can't play stuff that i'm not really loving right then. I used to get alot of requests for Jimmy Buffet and i usually lied through my teeth and said 'maybe later'... but one time i just said 'i really hate jimmy buffet'... man that crowd looked at me like i was an alien.

[Queequeg]

$$$
and isn't that nice?
Good luck, recordingtrack1. I like your set list (I'm a big JT fan) and I am that 50-something demographic. And I like the suggestions given here, too.
You know The Band's "The Weight"? People seem to like that, occasionally even singing along.

new riders/purple sage? wow. haven't even thought of them for a long time. they had some good tunes. and now I am reminded of the tune, "AMY" by Pure Prairie League. easy tune. people love it.

Let us know how it goes.
-Q.

[dabones]

Man,

I agree with Dan Hall. CSN or CSNY would be sweet. Maybe some of the old Eagles tunes (Tequilla sunrise, desperado etc.).

[Hudman]

Keep in mind that people in their 50's were in their late 20's and early 30's in the 1980's. I'm sure you can find some mellow '80's stuff they would like.

[Dan Hall]

Originally posted by Queequeg You know The Band's "The Weight"? People seem to like that, occasionally even singing along.

 

 

Let's see:

Just pulled into Nazareth

Was feelin' 'bout half past dead

Just need a place, where I can lay my head.

Say mister can you tell me,

where a man might find a bed

He looked at me, and shook my hand

No, was all he said

 

I think I better go work that one out!!

[recordingtrack1]

Thanks to everybody! I talked to my buddy today, and he is wanting to add a bass player. I have never played with this guy and we are going to run through some songs later today. Cuts the pay by a third, but what the heck.

I have list of everything up to this point. I can play relatively okay (nehhhhh) versions of many or most of these songs. I do a real good version of Fallin' In and Out of Love / Amie. I can't quite hit the high notes on Desperado, though it is an excellent choice. It was done on piano, but translates really well to guitar. Maybe I can capo it up real high and drop lower my vocal range.

I am looking forward to this!

RT1:thu:

[recordingtrack1]

Just got home a little while ago. Practice went pretty good. a couple more run throughs this week and I think we'll be ready to go. My voice is really gravel-ly. Kind of worries me.

RT1:thu:

[Peter Doubt]

I love the fact that you're doing Spider John!
Not many people know Willis Alan Ramsey (the writer of "Muskrat Love").
In this situation, I would have a back-up for it - just because it's a song they may not have heard before. If they're eating and not listening closely you could throw in any one of the other mentioned songs. (The Weight)
But if it was me, I'd do it because I like it and it defines who I am by doing a song that I think they'll like, if they'll listen to it.

( It's the only song on your list that is not welll known)

I'd like to hear your version.

[billie_morini]

Your list and many of the suggestions are great. If the crowd is 50's and slightly older, play some folk songs, too. Make selections from Peter, Paul, and Mary; Joan Baez (maybe); Pete Seeger, Kingston Trio, and Joni Mitchell. If you perform some of these songs, you may find people singing along with you. Maybe you can throw in one or two Donovan songs, as well.

[recordingtrack1]

Went back and resurrected this thread to keep from starting a new one.

We had our last run through today. Spent the afternoon down at the restaurant tuning everything in and by the time we left everything is sounding good. We're playing in a private dining room/hall. The monitors ain't too great but the mains sound real clean. Lots of headroom. We'll see what it is like when the room gets full of people. I'm sure we'll have to eq everything in again. Maybe not.

Got the songlist worked up real good. Added "Cats In the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. Man that song really rocks good. We are definitely doing "Wooden Ships". That one sounds excellent with just guitars and bass, no drums. We still have a few of the "mushy" ones on stand-by just in case someone asks.

Anyway, tomorrow evening will get here quick enough but it seems like time is standing still right now!

RT1;)

[recordingtrack1]

I'm leaving to go to the gig. It starts in an hour and half. Hope I don't fall down or something stupid. Take a drink of coke and it comes out my nose or something.

Nervous:eek: :eek:

RT1

[Cldplytkmn]

whoa i missed this earlier... i guess since you're already at the gig, and i haven't seen anything on CNN.com about a coke-through-the-nose incident over in memphis, i'll assume all's going/went well.

fill us in