Stuck in a Bar Band rut

[bigboy78]

So my band is stuck in a bit of a rut. We’re all starting to come to the realisation that it’s not worth the effort for the $600-$800 a gig we're getting at the moment. With a 5 piece band, the split isn’t great and there is talk of getting someone to run FOH as well.

I’m trying to push in the direction of Weddings etc. we live very close to a town that is a Destination Wedding hotspot, so I think with the right marketing we could probably charge a fair bit more than we can wrestle out the of the pubs.

The Catch-22 is the band are reluctant to put in the extra effort for the small-time gigs we play at the moment. I think we need to start looking and acting like a Wedding Band playing in a Bar rather than hope that someone sees a Bar Band and wants them for a Wedding. I've met a bit of resistance. The main concern , as alawys with musicians, is worrying that we might look like we are trying too hard or acting above our station if you know what I mean. The "Its not cool to care" vibe.

Any advice on simple changes to portray a “pro” image without alienating the Friday night Boozatorium crowds?

 

[1001gear]

Look on the bright side. You could be Journey.

[wesg]

Destination wedding people aren't going to be checking you out in bars. Do a super-slick promo video, and use the bar gigs to stay fresh until the wedding business takes off. Look for posts from Guido67 and check out his band Jumpstart (jumpstartyourparty.com) to see how to do it right.

 

Wes

[Vito Corleone]

Wes is right that you aren't going to snag too many wedding gigs from bar patrons. It's a whole different game in terms of marketing and selling your band to reach the audience. Being near a destination wedding spot is great. But remember the key word there is "destination". These people all come from somewhere else and you have to reach them where they live.

 

But you might want to start by upping your dress code. While you don't want to come out wearing tuxedos when playing a biker bar, ditching the loose blue-jeans or shorts, guitar-logo t-shirts and ball caps and dressing the band in, say, better-fitting pants and sports coats is going to work in just about any venue and will put you in the direction of giving the band a better look and image. I always like to say that you should be able to spot the guys in the band as "the band" even when they are on break. You should always dress a notch or two above your audience. For some reason, musicians who love to get on stage and be the center of attention with their music often suddenly get shy about how they dress and feel they need to "blend in". Audiences actually prefer to see the band more dressed up than they are. It makes them feel as if they are seeing a real performance and getting their money's worth. Not just watching some local guys get up for a jam session.

 

I believe the author used to post here years ago which is how I found this book. It's a pretty good basic primer for bands just getting started in trying to kick things up a notch. And if nothing else, sometimes having what you already want to do come from a third or "expert" source can help you convince reluctant band members that this is the stuff to do. Check it out, if nothing else.

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cover-band-101/id465422838?mt=11

 

There's a lot more money to be made doing weddings and other private gigs but it's also a lot more work. It won't be just "show up an hour before the gig, play 30 songs, have a few beers, tear down and go home" anymore. You gotta put in the effort to make more money. In my experience, some musicians are all on board for it and others would rather just keep things simple and make less money. So be prepared to maybe lose a couple of the guys along the way if you decide to go that route.

 

Much thanks to Wes for thinking my band "does it right". Jury might still be out on that, but I do know we try! But my PM box is always open if you have any questions.

[bigboy78]

Destination wedding people aren't going to be checking you out in bars. Do a super-slick promo video, and use the bar gigs to stay fresh until the wedding business takes off. Look for posts from Guido67 and check out his band Jumpstart (jumpstartyourparty.com) to see how to do it right.

 

Wes

 

It is pretty obvious now you say it. The drunks in the Country Pub aren’t the ones dishing out $50,000 for their dream wedding.

 

I’m totally marketing to the wrong people. That’s good, it means we can relax the “image” a bit for the cheap gigs, and focus our resources into the online presence.

 

The pub gigs can be used to really polish the act in a situation where no-one really cares. A bit of dead-air or missed cues don’t bother the drunks, but I don’t want to be responsible for the wrath of a Bridezilla.

 

[bigboy78]

It’s the small things with the image.

 

Our guitarist still has stickers on his guitar, like a punk teenager.

The drummer has Rockabilly Flames on his bass drum skin

Tried the “lets all wear nice black shirts, try to look sharp”, the drummer comes in a black t-shirt with some metal band logo.

We still swear over the microphone

Constant bickering on stage about PA/Monitors

Singer still reads lyrics. Moved from a binder of sheets to an ipad at least.

Sometimes there is a good minute of what’s next? Even though everyone has a setlist

 

 

…….hmm writing out all the problems makes me think we’re probably still only worth the $100 a man gig.

 

[1001gear]

[jeff42]

 

Our guitarist still has stickers on his guitar, like a punk teenager.

 

Well this I don't see as a huge deal and not much you can do if it is.

 

The drummer has Rockabilly Flames on his bass drum skin

 

The head can be changed easily and for a couple bucks.

 

 

Tried the “lets all wear nice black shirts, try to look sharp”, the drummer comes in a black t-shirt with some metal band logo.

 

I have dealt with guys who show up looking like the just cut the lawn. That needs to stop. We do dress on a gig to gig basis depending on what we are doing.

 

We still swear over the microphone

 

HUGE "NO!" In my book. Unless that's the kind of band you are... But those kind of bands are not usually wedding or corporate bands.

 

Constant bickering on stage about PA/Monitors

 

Do not bicker on stage! Ever.

 

Singer still reads lyrics. Moved from a binder of sheets to an ipad at least.

 

I honestly dont mind an iPAD too much. Way better than a huge black music stand with a thick binder (that is a big NOPE with me). just dont bury your face in it all the time.

 

Sometimes there is a good minute of what’s next? Even though everyone has a setlist

 

Make long medleys.

[Vito Corleone]

 

 

I honestly dont mind an iPAD too much. Way better than a huge black music stand with a thick binder (that is a big NOPE with me). just dont bury your face in it all the time.

 

We've become an iPad band. Every member has one on a stand. We mix our own monitors from them. And then they are also used for set lists and lyrics sheets and other notes. One thing I like about them is they clean up the stage in terms of no more paper set lists and lyric sheets strewn about.

 

The problem is that they can become a crutch. The singers will read from them rather than memorizing lyrics. I've had to keep on them (well, one of them anyway) about how it's fine to look over and glance at it if you need to, but don't stand in front of it and sing. Keep moving.

 

As far as the look of it goes---certainly better than music stands. My take is audiences don't notice them or don't care. Or even like them. Hardly a gig goes by that somebody doesn't wander up curiously and ask "what are you using that for?" They are still "hi-tech" to most folks I think.

 

But a few years from now? They could start looking bad on stage. Especially if too many bands become "tablet gazers" instead of concentrating on the performance.

[senorblues]

This may seem like nit picking, but there are music stands and music stands. Mine is light brown wood - low contrast, in visual design speak. It's barely above the surface of my keyboard, which makes it much less intrusive than a second keyboard would be. it's also mounted at about 30 degrees (which was designed to accommodate a laptop, which was really a distraction with the illuminated apple logo.)

 

I also think the expectations are different for stand-up guitarists and singers - front people. The rules are different for keyboards.

 

I've got video footage from several shooting angles, and I think it looks fine.

[Vito Corleone]

Agreed. Keyboard players with sheet music in front of them is always more acceptable than a guitarist or singer having it. Drummers can get away with it easier too just because they've already got a lot of stands.

 

And better looking ones are always better. Those solid black junior-high-school looking ones? Yuk!

 

Of course, the other styles can get unsightly too once you've got 10 different pages all clothes-pinned to it.

[Vito Corleone]

Different situations are different. I think music stands in front of a horn section standing up in the back actually makes them look cooler.

 

OTHO, I recently saw Chicago on the RRHOF thing and they had their horn players standing in front of the drummer more or less across the front line. Music stands would have looked bad in that situation, I think.

 

Thankfully, I think they've pretty much memorized those horn parts to "25 or 6 to 4" by now....

[heath_eld]

 

It is pretty obvious now you say it. The drunks in the Country Pub aren’t the ones dishing out $50,000 for their dream wedding.

 

I’m totally marketing to the wrong people.

 

Not sure I agree. I used to work for a good bar band, (but primarily a bar band all the same). They were pro - dressed well, good PA, good online presence, and successful. They've snagged plenty of weddings from the bar crowd.

[Mikeo]

dress for success

 

I saw Del McCoury last year, It must have been 100 degrees in the shade too. Everyone in Del's band was dressed to the hilt.

Looks like they mean business.

 

 

I never saw my grandfather wear jeans in his lifetime. Denim is for farm working folk.

 

Gots to do what ya gots to do.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sayin I'm right either.

 

[the_big_e]

f you want to be a wedding band I thnk you should well, dress like you are going to a wedding (not a red neck one either) and you should behave appropriately, If members of your existing band are not prepared to do that and put the work in to take it to that level then maybe time to find/start a new band. Not everyone is up to it. Heck, I found playing in a bar band too much like hard work!

[capitalist]

All of the above had good suggestions. I have a few more to consider.

Ask the band if they would like to play a gig for three times or more the money, free food, booze, and probably get home before 1 a.m. (At weddings, we rarely play for more than two hours. Although, if you bring PA, the load-in/load-out can take longer due to logistics, caterers, etc.)

Get on the web sites of local agency/entertainment companies to see what their musicians are wearing and playing.

Polish your sound and stage presence and when ready, call a agency and tell them you want them to come see you perform. Alternatively, make a video and send it to them.

Tell the band that playing wedding/corporate gigs is not selling out, but cashing in. All they have to do is "perform"/act a little the entire evening by acting like a professional for a few hours.

Good luck!

[Pat'sStrat]

What I discovered a while back is that people play in bands for two basic reasons....one, the band is the object. They like to let loose on the weekends, cuss and drink and act like rock stars for a few hours for their friends. Nothing wrong with that at all. For the other person, the band is not the object, but a means to an end- more money, more respect, see how far you can take it, and so on. For these people, doing whatever it takes to achieve the next level is the key. The problem arises when you have both kinds of people in the same band. My first reaction in reading this thread is that the band in question is nowhere near ready to just become a wedding type band, and frankly there are members in it that seem to be sabotaging any effort to change the band from what it is, whether consciously or unconsciously.

 

The first thing I'd do it create a side project and look for like minded individuals. Trying to shove square pegs into round holes will be a never ending source of frustration and damaged relationships. Guess how I found this out?

[daddymack]

^ trut' so pur...

 

A good friend [pro bassist] approached me a few months ago about putting together a 'wedding band'. I used to be a sub with one of the top wedding bands in LA, and I know the drill, plus my main band is a 'corporate gig' band, so nothing new for me. But...he wants me to do all the leg work. I reminded him that I was already working in 3 bands, one of which he is a member [the corporate], another which he just left, plus my solo gig [which I have let slide because of the 3 bands].

I'm really not up to the amount of work required for a high class wedding band [meaning horn section, keys, singers], doing arrangements, chasing wedding planners, and auditioning people, then the rehearsals, videos, website, FB page...because I'm already doing most of that for the 'corporate' band. So I suggested if he could find a sucker -er, bandmate, who would take on some of that, I was in...have not heard a peep from him about it since.

 

Wedding bands, good wedding bands are NOT bar bands. The entire presentation is about class and accommodation. Playing music that absolutely may suck in your opinion, but he bride/father of the bride/groom/groom's mother loves it...you play it. And you play it JUST LIKE THE RECORD.

Guitar solos? Out, unless they were an integral part of the original.

Drum solos? HA! NEVER!

Long hair, unkempt beard, visible tats or piercings? Not gonna work.

Playing too loud? Fired.

Presenting anything but a good time, happy, cohesive image? Never work again.

Typical bar band players are rarely capable of transitioning to the wedding band level; the ones who make it, the few, the hard working, the one's who read...are harder to find than hen's teeth.