Members boxorox Posted March 3, 2009 Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 The music I play for free. I get paid to drive and haul around big black boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mddittman Posted March 3, 2009 Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 The music I play for free. I get paid to drive and haul around big black boxes. You're Rosie O'Donnell's chauffer?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Janx Posted March 3, 2009 Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 As long as you don't do anything unethical/illegal, being in it for the money can drive good decisions about the band, skills and performance. If you want more money, you will practice more, you will play things that make more money for the band, and you avoid wasting time on bad members, or bad ideas. Yes, there are some negatives that can come up, but I suspect a number of those come from unethical decisions, so if you can avoid those, the philosophy can work. Furthermore, there is nothing that says you can't enjoy making money, or enjoy doing what makes money. I mean who wouldn't feel happy that their work was appreciated by accepting the big basket of money at the end of the gig. A month long job of shovelling {censored} out of an old barn for free or minimum wage isn't nearly as appealing as, getting $20 an hour for your work. All I got when I was a kid doing that was a "now that it's cleared out, we can put some {censored}-producing animals in there." When I got paid to fix fence lines and to rake hay fields, that was worth it. It was less than minimum wage, but getting paid, versus working for free was always better. So yeah, I support "doing it for the money." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxorox Posted March 3, 2009 Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 Rosie's chauffer... Bwah-ha-ha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members corbind Posted March 3, 2009 Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 Was his name Gene Simmons? You know it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wades_keys Posted March 3, 2009 Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 I've turned down I.T. gigs that pay 80K+ per year because they would have put me in golden handcuffs, working with proprietary technologies, and ultimately my career path would have suffered as a result. I would also turn down any gig that would force me to play songs that I absolutely cannot stand. It's not about art, or even catering to the crowd. It's about where do I want to be as a musician. And since I don't depend on income from playing out, I'm free to make that decision - I want to enjoy the sound coming out of those speakers, and hopefully be challenged a little bit as a player, while still finding a way to reach "the crowd". But I won't resort to buffoonery, silly clown-act antics, or Mustang Sally. Again, it's not about "art"..... Just sayin - there's an awful lot of "art" vs. "please the crowd" threads on here, and I think that misses the mark sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members S.L.B. Posted March 3, 2009 Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 I've turned down I.T. gigs that pay 80K+ per year because they would have put me in golden handcuffs, working with proprietary technologies, and ultimately my career path would have suffered as a result.I would also turn down any gig that would force me to play songs that I absolutely cannot stand.It's not about art, or even catering to the crowd. It's about where do I want to be as a musician. And since I don't depend on income from playing out, I'm free to make that decision - I want to enjoy the sound coming out of those speakers, and hopefully be challenged a little bit as a player, while still finding a way to reach "the crowd". But I won't resort to buffoonery, silly clown-act antics, or Mustang Sally. Again, it's not about "art".....Just sayin - there's an awful lot of "art" vs. "please the crowd" threads on here, and I think that misses the mark sometimes. I agree. I don't understand people that are hard line stands on either side of the fence. We play both. I enjoy both...(covers and originals). But I'm not going to play something that I hate. Sometimes, when people say "they ain't in it for the money" That just means thats not the main reason, or but on a list it has to be somewhere, even if its at the bottom. If I'm forced to play songs I hate everynight, IE: Mustang Sally, Silly pop songs, or anything by Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, or Hannah Montana....Whats the difference between that and getting a 9-5 that I hate. If you like it fine...but I don't. I choose music I love, and that which I think I can perform the best out of anything....then I look for people that want to be a part of that.....Sure its more work, but anyone can go into a bar right down the next 50 or 60 songs on the juke box, work them up to some passable level and be gigging 3 or 4 weekends a month. Right now we gig often, and getting more and more often, playing originals, and covers like Little Feat, Gov't Mule, Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, Tea Leaf Green, Ray Lamontagne, Bill Withers, etc. And I ain't talkin' Dixie Chicken and Casey Jones cuts either. I guess my point is there is more than one way of cooking a goose. If someone is in it for the money, so what? If someone is not? So what? In my experience as jaded as things can be sometime, cream still does rise to the top and good bands will find work. Now if you play obscure {censored}, suck, and have no business skills, stage presence, or hot girlfriends, you may be in your basement awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted March 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 .....Right now we gig often, and getting more and more often, playing originals, and covers like Little Feat, Gov't Mule, Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, Tea Leaf Green, Ray Lamontagne, Bill Withers, etc. And I ain't talkin' Dixie Chicken and Casey Jones cuts either. ....... That's a cool group of artists to cover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tele-vania65000 Posted March 3, 2009 Members Share Posted March 3, 2009 Right now we gig often, and getting more and more often, playing originals, and covers like Little Feat, Gov't Mule, Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, Tea Leaf Green, Ray Lamontagne, Bill Withers, etc. And I ain't talkin' Dixie Chicken and Casey Jones cuts either. . Playing to the stoner set? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Consume Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 As long as you don't do anything unethical/illegal, being in it for the money can drive good decisions about the band, skills and performance. If you want more money, you will practice more, you will play things that make more money for the band, and you avoid wasting time on bad members, or bad ideas. Yes, there are some negatives that can come up, but I suspect a number of those come from unethical decisions, so if you can avoid those, the philosophy can work. Furthermore, there is nothing that says you can't enjoy making money, or enjoy doing what makes money. I mean who wouldn't feel happy that their work was appreciated by accepting the big basket of money at the end of the gig. A month long job of shovelling {censored} out of an old barn for free or minimum wage isn't nearly as appealing as, getting $20 an hour for your work. All I got when I was a kid doing that was a "now that it's cleared out, we can put some {censored}-producing animals in there." When I got paid to fix fence lines and to rake hay fields, that was worth it. It was less than minimum wage, but getting paid, versus working for free was always better. So yeah, I support "doing it for the money." Definitely! My Band loves me as a drummer because I keep it really basic. I don't overplay, and my timing is excellent, and I can groove like mad. My Goal is to put shaking butts on the dance floor, and sell alcohol, and in the end that is really what being in a Cover band is about from the bar owner's perspective. If you can draw a crowd, have good alcohol sales, and keep people dancing - you'll continue to work, and the better you are at it - the better your pay will be. And if you aren't playing in a cover band, but you are considering it, let me give you a piece of advice: THREE PIECE BAND. More money, and less ego's to deal with. I wouldn't trade the band I'm in right now for anything, it's the most fun I've had playing in years. Sure, I gripe about the songs and all of that because it isn't really music I listen to, BUT I still have a lot of fun playing with the guys I'm playing with; the guitarist I've known for 25 years and was in my very first REAL band, the bass guitarist I've known at least 15 years but never played in a band with. The Bass player sings lead but had a bit of a pitch problem (he would slide into and out of notes rather than nailing them) and when we discussed it with him, instead of him pitching a hissy fit he said,"Okay, you've taken voice lessons for years, teach me how to fix it!" So, now we're having voice sessions as well - and I like that attitude - it is a very can do attitude, because he (just like the guitarist and I) wants what is best for the whole group - that way we can all prosper from this. Plus, since all three of us are singing - we're going to all learn the vocal parts so if somebody has a cold or something, their vocal parts can be handled by the other two guys. I can't stress this enough, if you can't sing - take some vocal lessons. They aren't that expensive, and they just make you that much more of an asset as a musician - you don't have to strive to be Pavarotti, just learn so that you can sing in pitch, have a decent tone, and know how to sing correctly so you don't blow your voice out. Once you do learn to sing and can do it - you won't really have any fear of doing it in front of people AND you will realize that it is a LOT of Fun! I never realized the connection you have with the crowd until you sing to one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceNorman Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 I've been known to make similar statements ... it's usually when I'm surrounded by trendy art f#cks who are busy gladhanding themselves over their great tastes and thoroughly engaged in artistic snobbery. Usually they're looking to opportunities to make themselves feel good about their self ascribed artistic superiority. Easiest way to stop that bullsh!t in it's track is to declare you're not a muscian. It's one of those ying and yang plays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rorylawford Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 I've been known to make similar statements ... it's usually when I'm surrounded by trendy art f#cks who are busy gladhanding themselves over their great tastes and thoroughly engaged in artistic snobbery. Usually they're looking to opportunities to make themselves feel good about their self ascribed artistic superiority... 100X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 I've been known to make similar statements ... it's usually when I'm surrounded by trendy art f#cks who are busy gladhanding themselves over their great tastes and thoroughly engaged in artistic snobbery. Usually they're looking to opportunities to make themselves feel good about their self ascribed artistic superiority. Easiest way to stop that bullsh!t in it's track is to declare you're not a muscian. It's one of those ying and yang plays. Norm for the win! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tele-vania65000 Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 THREE PIECE BAND. More money, and less ego's to deal with. This is where I'm at right now too. The other 2 want to add another member, but I'm not so sure. Money is only one consideration. Adding another dude (as you said) is an entire other ego to deal with. This is no small proposition. Human interactions with 3 is hard enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MusicalSchizo Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 This is where I'm at right now too. The other 2 want to add another member, but I'm not so sure. Money is only one consideration. Adding another dude (as you said) is an entire other ego to deal with. This is no small proposition. Not to mention the fact that that's another person's schedule to contend with for booking stuff. Human interactions with 3 is hard enough! Asperger's Syndrome? (I have a son on the spectrum (he's high-functioning autistic), so that joke was just for me). Brian V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tele-vania65000 Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 Asperger's Syndrome? No, I'm just kind of an asshole and don't like dealing with the other humans that much! If you have ever seen interviews with Springsteen, he has Aspergerian (word?) symptoms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Consume Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 No, I'm just kind of an asshole and don't like dealing with the other humans that much! If you have ever seen interviews with Springsteen, he has Aspergerian (word?) symptoms. LOL! You sound like me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 I can agree with him to an extent... as a full time musician, there was a time when I too was making music just for the $$$. It payed the bills and then some but I was hating the music. That lasted for about 2-3 years. Then I moved on and now I make less $$$ but I enjoy the music. Would I trade places? Maybe, if the money was 10x what I`m making now. But I`m not so I`m staying put for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pink floyd cramer Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 I've been known to make similar statements ... it's usually when I'm surrounded by trendy art f#cks who are busy gladhanding themselves over their great tastes and thoroughly engaged in artistic snobbery. Usually they're looking to opportunities to make themselves feel good about their self ascribed artistic superiority. Easiest way to stop that bullsh!t in it's track is to declare you're not a muscian. It's one of those ying and yang plays. Great post! Cultural correctness= BORING. Politically correct BS applied to music. That's why I enjoy playing and listening to the "incorrect" kind of country music. Because people who trumpet their geographical/political/cultural superiority look down their noses at it- therefore it has value! But I have to allow for the possibility, too, that some people just don't LIKE that {censored}. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tele-vania65000 Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 Great post! Cultural correctness= BORING. Politically correct BS applied to music. That's why I enjoy playing and listening to the "incorrect" kind of country music. Because people who trumpet their geographical/political/cultural superiority look down their noses at it- therefore it has value! But I have to allow for the possibility, too, that some people just don't LIKE that {censored}. Head over to the Gear Page if you want to know what Brian Jonestown Massacre here is talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DevilRaysFan Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 I remember in my late teens, I was in two bands: a working band and an original band. When I announced to the original band that I was leaving because I couldnt give them the time they wanted and that I was staying with the cover band ( 5 nights a week back then), I remember - like it was yesterday - the singer saying I wanted to make money with music. That was where my heart was. Therefore, my integrity was intact, thank you very much A "sell out" is someone that sacrifices the essence of what they are for the sake of personal gain. Back then, I always wanted to make money and support myself with music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted March 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 ....I enjoy playing and listening to the "incorrect" kind of country music...... Just curious: What is incorrect kind of country music? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DevilRaysFan Posted March 4, 2009 Members Share Posted March 4, 2009 Just curious: What is incorrect kind of country music? Country music: the wrong kind Western Music: the right kind Wheres Jake and Elwood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pink floyd cramer Posted March 5, 2009 Members Share Posted March 5, 2009 Just curious: What is incorrect kind of country music? EG, anything top 40 or that is specifically NOT alt-country, Americana, or done 40 years ago by the Founding Fathers of Country Music. I need to give the alt-Americana stuff more of a chance, though- so far listened to a little and couldn't see what the fuss was about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members josh3111 Posted March 5, 2009 Members Share Posted March 5, 2009 I know how the guy feels. After playing the same 4 chord covers over and over again, I admit that I am in it for the money. But it is also gratifying to me to be able to perform our originals in the midst of over played covers to get some type of a reaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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