From dougb415@yahoo.com Fri Oct 10 07:35:55 2003
Subject:RE: Gigs everywhere

Damn... now I'm going to have to tell everyone in my band that we really haven't been having any fun. So I wonder what it was that we're all smiling about at our gigs?

I play in Funky Little Shack, a corporate wedding band based in San Francisco. The SF Bay area is another place that is stuffed to the max with musicians who "don't care about the money." So most bands are lucky to make a percentage of the door, along with the tip bucket.

Club owners *love* those artistes who don't care about getting a fair compensation for their talent. Me, I got tired of playing in one of the top jam bands in the area and making zilch.

FLS is comprised of top-notch musicians who play in original and/or jazz bands. We all got together for the express purpose of making money - so we could continue to play in those other bands without having to apply for foodstamps.

We've been together for just about two years, and are climbing our way up the wedding circuit. We can put together anything from a jazz trio to a 9-piece full band w/ horns (and go-go dancers). We make anywhere from $1000 - $5000, plus expenses.

We also get to play some beautiful locations (Carmel, Napa, Tahoe... even got flown out to Winter Park, CO) instead of some nasty club. Tho we do play the occasional club gig - we'll be at Bimbos on the 21st (for a private affair). We're in Tahoe this weekend. The gig will be over by 10:30, and we can either stay in the hotel, or drive home (around 3 hours).

On the weekends when we're not out gigging, I play in our church band. Playing organ in our church has made my Mom very happy :-) Plus it too is made up of excellent musicians, so it can be quite a kick "gigging" at 9:30 on Sunday mornings!

-Doug

ynottnaro wrote:

Now, if this rock n roll thing doesn't pan out (how
many times have I told myself this??? I just started
going back to school to get my degree 3 years ago), I
may reconsider and put one of my own corporate wedding
bands together, but....nah, who am I Kidding? You
can't do anything musically that will turn you on (as
far as gigging goes) if you're in a band like that.





Meet the new boss - same as the old boss?
There's GOT to be a better way!
http://www.therichestlife.com

Meet me and my family -
http://www.picturetrail.com/dougb415

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