Members pconn171 Posted March 29, 2006 Members Posted March 29, 2006 I need some advice on how to get out of town gigs. I have no contacts outside of my local city (Pittsburgh, PA) but I'm looking to play some gigs in other cities, such as New York or Detroit. Any advice or info? I really don't even know where to start because how do you even book a gig at a place that you don't even know is worth going to and how do you know where to even look for that place that you don't know exists?
Members Jonas Posted March 29, 2006 Members Posted March 29, 2006 You can try to ask god for alot of monkeys that will go to every town and check out the venues there. Then all you have to do is get alot of bananas(yellow ones are better) and lure the monkeys back. THen when they are eating the juicy bananas, just shove a lightbolb in theyr heads and you can see what the venue was like. Or you can go to different towns, check the places, give demos and have a good time.
Members gtrbass Posted March 29, 2006 Members Posted March 29, 2006 Are you in a cover band or an original band?
Members Brian Krashpad Posted March 29, 2006 Members Posted March 29, 2006 Trade shows with bands in nearby towns. Also, look for "music scene" websites in target towns and see where the locals who play similar styles to you are playing. Some places will book you based on a demo, others require that you pair up with a local band, a very rare few will give a show even without either of those requirements. But don't count on the latter. Good luck. BK
Members Beachbum Posted March 29, 2006 Members Posted March 29, 2006 Originally posted by gtrbass Are you in a cover band or an original band? I think it would be important to know what style/type of music you play.
Moderators BATCAT Posted March 29, 2006 Moderators Posted March 29, 2006 Originally posted by Brian Krashpad Trade shows with bands in nearby towns.
Members Spynal Posted March 29, 2006 Members Posted March 29, 2006 Originally posted by Brian Krashpad Trade shows with bands in nearby towns. + a bajillion
Members RupertB Posted March 29, 2006 Members Posted March 29, 2006 Start by looking over the venue lists, band lists, & forums at these sites: http://www.cleveland.com/music/http://www.cnymusic.com/http://www.dcmusicnews.com/links.php3 Theres even one for Pittsburghhttp://mediawebsource.com/pittsburghlive/
Members gtrbass Posted March 29, 2006 Members Posted March 29, 2006 If you're in a cover band, I would think the best option is to find a regional booking agency that markets traveling cover bands. I was involved with one such agency (Starstruck Entertainment) when I lived in Western New York many, many moons ago. They booked us all over the region (Pittsburgh, Bradford, Erie, Jamestown, Syracuse, Southen Ontario, etc) The following info was posted on another website a while back, and I saved it for the "ya never know when this could come in handy" file. If you're in an original band, it is more possible than ever to DIY and book all over the country with real money attached. Not a lot of money, but you might be able to get enough of a guarantee to cover costs and hopefully make $$$ merch and CD sales. It is really hard work, but it can be done. One DIY resource is www.byofl.org (Book Your Own F*cking Life). It is reputed to be a great database with people willing to help out, especially if you are willing to help them out when they tour your way (even if you can't really swap gigs yet, you can offer leads and a crash pad). The focus of the site is punk, but you'll find that a lot of folks there are willing to check out new things. You should also know that a lot of the people on there are reportedly a bit flakey, and since it's the most well known listing, are often flooded with requests. Another resource is www.trustkillshows.com It's a great show database that has tons of promoter info. It's even useful is determining routings as you can visibly see the paths of bands that are on the road. Again, it covers mostly punk/indie/hardcore/underground bands, but it has lots of club contacts and a lot of the promoters are open to other stuff.
Members pconn171 Posted March 30, 2006 Author Members Posted March 30, 2006 Thanks for all of the advice. I'm in an original rock band and we play stuff that's pretty much in vein of what's popular on the radio today in modern rock. We call it alternative rock, but everything that doesn't fit somewhere else is alternative so it's probably not as specific as my above description. It's a harder rock, but pretty shy of metal.
Members DanteRTS Posted March 30, 2006 Members Posted March 30, 2006 We've found the show trade the easiest way to go. But, I'd encourage you to do as much research as possilbe finding bands that actually draw. Otherwise, you'll be driving for 8 hours to play for 35 people and $100. Worth it? After about 4 or 5 in a row it starts to get old. Plus then you start owing 30 bands shows back in your home town. Don't just play one show in a market and that's it. That is a true waste of time. Set up a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th show in the same place. If they like you, you'll have a date to tell them to catch you again. Plus, you can actually start to develope you're own draw. It's a tough deal to make productive. Good luck!
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