Had a strange/sad conversation a few weeks back at the West Sacramento Moose Lodge. This is a great place, once way out in the country along the Sacramento River. But urban sprawl is closing in fast.
I went to see some guys up from Lousiana playing a Cajun gig -- a 10-button accordion, a fiddle and an acoustic guitar. Period. They had the crowd -- admittedly Cajun music fans -- up and dancing all night long.
It was good music for sure, simple and very danceable. The guy who books gigs for the club came over and asked if I was playing these days. I guess my reputation preceeded me... -L-
I said I played accordion and had bought a pedal steel to play some C&W, and would be happy to get a guaranteed good band in for him. He said Cajun was fine but don't bring a country band around. I was completely surprised and asked why? He said C&W brought the wrong kind of crowd and "those bands" were too loud and hard to dance to.
Now go figure...
In the late 60s, 70s and early 80s, I played most nights in some crowded honkytonk. The music was a mix of hard country, country rock and the odd rock 'n roll. What we lacked in harmonies, we made up in raw energy.
People danced til they puked! -L- Bobby Lee would be at Marty's Top-of-the-Hill one weekend and I'd be up there the next. Must have been a dozen decent Country-ish bands in Mendocino/Sonoma Counties back then, and maybe four or five steel players north of San Francisco.
I never thought I'd see the day a C&W band was turned down because "they bring the wrong crowd." Admittedly, I am no spring chicken, but can still pick and I can pull a bender Tele just fine, and getting people to drink beer and dance was always job one. But to think I have a better shot at getting gigs playing an instrument I have only been working on a few years is pretty sobering...
Course I could tune the bottom neck to open G and play steel in a Cajun band, but that would be cheating! :- )[This message was edited by Tom Quinn on 13 October 2005 at 12:31 PM.]
