Members anthony Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 So we played earlier tonight at a local club and bar. I'm 30 and have a good fan base. Two younger friends get booted out for being under 21. I understand the whole liquor license thing. But it's just plain suck that young people can't come in off the street to hear music. I'm really going to start going out of my way to support all age venues in my area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members riffdaddy Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 The fact that all of the real paying venues in most cities are 21+ just reinforces the idea that musicians are entertainers, not artists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BLAH Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 I live in england and you only have to be 18 . harhar Which is cool as most people under 18 are immature gimps and dont belong and the ones that do get it cuz they act over 18 = / Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fastplant Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 The cooler clubs around here do the wristband thing, or seperate the minors from the bar. It's a shame for you because the people who really dig music are usually the 21 and younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 Yeah I agree anthony and fastplant. It seems kind of silly that teens are generally the people who are the biggest music fans and yet they can't get into a lot of music venues. I dunno, there's something really not quite right about the "bar as music venue" scenario. If you're a cover band maybe, but otherwise... we are gravitating more and more toward house parties and other private events where kids can get in, and the focus is on listening to music and not selling alcohol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tedster Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 Some of the problems are the mindset. If you're under 21, the mindset generally seems to be "Where can we GET alcohol"...and that ruins it for a lot of the clubs with the wristband thing. Kids arriving drunk, trying to sneak it in, or trying to sneak out to their car for a nip now and then. Pisses me off. We're a society which panders to its lowest common denominators, and music isn't one of them. Music, for most folks who go out is "nice". Alcohol is "must have". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orfalot Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 In NC its up to the bar, we live near military bases so most clubs around here do the wristband thing. These people no matter what the age are going to a bar not a concert. People go to bars and clubs to have a good time, meet people, hear some live music and mostly drink alcohol. The band is absolutely secondary to people having a good time even if its the primary reason some people are there, so yes I agree that bar bands such as ours are more entertainers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurdy Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 True. Today, most people see little point in going out unless there's drinking involved. Alcohol is the center of almost everybody's social activities. Personally, it's a bit disheartening for someone who doesn't drink. On the other hand, alcohol brings in a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise see your band, and odds are out of all those people, there's bound to be a few who will actually listen to the music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 Funny story (and true too): I was 18 or 19 and playing in a band with some guys who were in their early 20s. I think we were playing the long-since departed Palomino. We'd arrived early with our gear, and I'd walked in with the rest of the band, carrying gear and whatnot. Right before our set, I went out to have a smoke. As I walked back in, the doorman stopped me. "ID please," he intoned. "Uh, I'm in the band," I replied and started to walk by, only to be stopped by a large forearm. "No ID, no entrance." "Dude, that's my band up there getting on stage right now," I said, getting a little indignant. "I was in here earlier. I'm not drinking alcohol." Again, I tried to walk by, but the forearm (and attached 250 pound man) didn't budge. "No ID, no entrance." Apparently, this was the only phrase he's mastered. This was long before the days of cell phones, so I had to wait for someone over 21 to arrive, then beg them to walk up to the stage to inform my bandmates of my predicament. I ended up getting in, and all my friends had a good chuckle at my expense. Pretty funny. Har har. It is to laugh. - Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tedster Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 One of the coolest things here, and I've had the good fortune to live really close by, is the Wabash Barbecue "Blues Garden". Most Saturdays during the summer, they have outdoor music. They serve food, and a ton of folks come out. It's not unusual to see 8 year old kids on the "stage next to the stage" dancing and having a good time, while their parents are tossing back a couple. The downside is that it's mostly blues, and while I like blues as much as the next person, all blues does tend to get a bit old...but moreso than that, the teenagers tend to shy away from it. They want people with black T-shirts and baggy shorts playing "dead spider" pointy guitars. But, then, that'd chase the money spending adults away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 Yeah, I started gigging out when I was 15 and was advised to get a letter signed by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Basically it said that I was allowed to perform in the bars but I couldn't hang out in them, or drink of course... I had to stay on the stage or in the dressing room (as if most bars even have a dressing room) and I couldn't sit at the bar. I never had a real problem when playing... I did get a fake ID when I was 17 or 18 so I could go see other bands that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 Originally posted by Lee Flier I did get a fake ID when I was 17 or 18 so I could go see other bands that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to. Yeah, me too! Oh, and to drink copious amounts of alcohol. But also for bands! - Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackwatch Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 The downside is that it's mostly blues, Ouch...... You're making me feel old Tedster..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JBJ Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 the pubs and clubs here are nowhere near as strict as in the US even though it is only 18 so you can play them underage and usually get in unless you look really young. it;s a pain in the arse not lettng underage kids in but at the end of the day, people who arent old enough to drink usually can;t hold their drink, letting them into a pub or club to drink is just stupid. end of the day, it's the club owners licence and livelihood at stake and I'll take his side over someone who shouldn't be in the place everytime even if it's someone I know and they've put their foot down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JBJ Posted July 31, 2005 Members Share Posted July 31, 2005 the pubs and clubs here are nowhere near as strict as in the US even though it is only 18 so you can play them underage and usually get in unless you look really young. it;s a pain in the arse not lettng underage kids in but at the end of the day, people who arent old enough to drink usually can;t hold their drink, letting them into a pub or club to drink is just stupid. end of the day, it's the club owners licence and livelihood at stake and I'll take his side over someone who shouldn't be in the place everytime even if it's someone I know and they've put their foot down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members anthony Posted August 1, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 Yeah pretty suck. These were 18 year old interns of mine. We're still in the early stages of getting established but when we arrive I'm going to really stick to the places that really make an effort to offer entertainment to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tedster Posted August 1, 2005 Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 Originally posted by Blackwatch Ouch...... You're making me feel old Tedster..... That's not what I meant... I like blues...it's just that it's ALL blues...which some of the younger kids don't want. I'd even like to hear something different once in awhile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanshananigan Posted August 1, 2005 Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 'Depends a lot on the state's liquor laws in the US. In Pennsylvania, if it is a "mixed" show, you need to cordon off the drinking area from the non-drinking floor. Weird. Virginia has more liberal laws, as most venues are also restaurants (ala wristbands). Alcohol is the candy of those adults of income-producing age. Unfortunately, venues make a lot of cash from booze that you can't make off under 21 (or 18 for that matter) crowds who don't have as much money and who aren't able to get silly enough to drink 'til inhibition is gone and end up buying three more $4 pints just because! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meatball Fulton Posted August 1, 2005 Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 The problem most venues have with "all ages" shows is that no drinking means no bar recipts to offset costs of putting on the show. That's why you see so few venues that try to cater to under-21 patrons. I used to play in a band that attracted a sober dance crowd and the bar was giving them free ice water! The owners couldn't figure out why the till was empty but the club was packed We suggested they sell bottled water when we were playing. The best way to go all-ages is to promote your own shows. Rent a PA and lights if you need them and then rent a hall (VFW, church, whatever). I used to rent a local church hall for $50 so my risk of losing money wasn't too high You stand to make more money this way, too. Then all the weight to promote the show and get people in the door is on your shoulders. Find like minded bands and do a split bill if you aren't up for playing 3-4 hours on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanshananigan Posted August 1, 2005 Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 That's a great point, Fulton! It brings to mind the question of whether the goal is to play the "hot" bars or to have fun, allow others to have fun, and build a local following. A good club certainly has an "aura" over a fire hall show, but some ruckusly good times can be had at a dry or BYOB show at the local Sons of Italy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanshananigan Posted August 1, 2005 Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 WTF, Triple POST??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanshananigan Posted August 1, 2005 Members Share Posted August 1, 2005 WTF, Triple POST??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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