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Topic: Good place for a local musician |
Chase Brady
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 14 Aug 2014 11:35 am |
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I posted below an inquiry about Ireland, and didn't get much response. Then I sent out emails to about 16 venues in Ireland, and again, got no response. whenever I target specific areas, I either get no response or general grumbling about how bad things are there. So let me take another approach. Where on earth (U.S. included) can an older unknown American musician find places to play?
I'm not some good lookin' twenty something searching for that big break that's going to make him famous. I'm a retired school teacher with Social Security and a small pension. I know I should just trade my instruments in for a set of golf clubs and spend my days on the links and my evenings watching "Dancing With the Stars", but I really suck at golf and I can't stand the boob tube. I've got it in my head that I want to play music, and I'd like to do it in front of an audience. I'm just looking for some place where I can get a few gigs, maybe a spot in a band doing acoustic music. If I could earn $1000 a month, that's all I'd need.
Any suggestions? The links below will give you a better idea of what I do. Sorry for venting my frustration. Life in a musical "City of the Walking Dead" can be trying.
--Chase Brady
Check out my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGB22R_hYOXh55h_zfazCPQ
Nice YouTube comments help local musicians get gigs!
My Web Page: https://sites.google.com/site/chasebradysmusicpage/ |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 14 Aug 2014 1:14 pm
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Working your way into a music scene takes quite a bit more than sending out emails and youtube links. Promoters and venues get hundreds of those a day. Even the crappy places. I have found that you need to go where you want to be and meet people and see what is going on. It is very difficult have a venue pay you money without you being a known entity. I have found that there is work everywhere if you can offer something that is needed. That may mean learning a new repertoire and getting your chops up to local standards.
$1000 means you will need to have 10 $100 gigs per month. It may take a little time and effort to find steady gigs that will offer that.
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Bob |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 14 Aug 2014 9:42 pm
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| i am very glad that i am not starting out my musical career right now....... |
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John Macy
From:
Rockport TX/Denver CO
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Posted 14 Aug 2014 9:52 pm
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Amen...
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John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 15 Aug 2014 6:34 am
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Where in West Virginia are you? Are you going out to the clubs and jam sessions in your area? I find that craigslist is a good resource for finding places to play and people to play with.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 15 Aug 2014 7:20 am
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| Quote: |
| I'm just looking for some place where I can get a few gigs, maybe a spot in a band doing acoustic music. If I could earn $1000 a month, that's all I'd need. |
At the current rate of pay I'd say you will need more than a few gigs to earn $1000 a month.. 
| Quote: |
| Where on earth (U.S. included) can an older unknown American musician find places to play? |
Chase, if we knew the answer to that question we would all be playing there... |
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Chase Brady
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 15 Aug 2014 8:05 am
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I picked that $1000 figure because anything beyond that will be deducted from my social security. Really, I'd just like to get pocket money. How many gigs $1000 is depends a lot on what you do. My strength is as a singer/songwriter. So for money, I'm looking for solo or duet gigs. The last time I played, I made $200 dollars for a three hour evening, and even by local standards, that's not considered particularly good. It really isn't fair if you think about it. Bars will pay a solo act $200 or more, and a five piece band may get $300 to split between them. So you're right, If I were strictly a band player, $1000 would be a lot of gigs. I do play in a five piece band. We get 3 or 4 paying gigs a year plus a few freebies. The most I've gotten for any of those gigs is $50. We're obviously not in it for the money.
If i could get 2 or 3 solo gigs a month and a spot in a band that plays once or twice a month, I'd be content. That's just tough to do here (Parkersburg, WV). This area was economically depressed long before the "meltdown".
There are only a few venues that hire musicians. They come and go. A bar will try it for a month or two, then decide it's not worth it and stop. Just when you think you've got a good chance at a regular gig, they give up on it. So I'm just looking for some place with a bit more going on.
--Chase |
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Bill L. Wilson
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 15 Aug 2014 11:46 am Lookin' and Findin'.
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| Our band plays a different place every wk.end, and we have gotten a lot of gigs by word of mouth, or someone hears us, and we get hired for another gig. Seems like when one gig drys up, another one opens up. 400bucks for a 4piece band is what we usually get. The problem this wk. end, is distance. Leaving at 5:00pm and getting back home at 4:30am, for that kind of money is not worth it, but the fun of a retired old man getting to play and actually enjoying the drive out to North Western Okla. is what motivates me to do it. Drink Lots of Coffee and Chew Lots of Bubble Gum. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 15 Aug 2014 2:52 pm
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Unfortunately if you're looking to make $1000 per month playing steel guitar, you have a very limited number of places in the world where that can happen, as far as I can tell.
Nashville and Austin would be my suggestions, but you'd be competing with a lot of younger, probably better players. You might have some luck in Los Angeles as well, depending on where in the LA basin you're located.
Again, check out craigslist for the areas that sound interesting to you to see if there are any gigs for steel players.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Chase Brady
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 15 Aug 2014 5:20 pm
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"if you're looking to make $1000 per month playing steel guitar".
No, I'm not. As I said, I'm a singer/songwriter, primarily. I use acoustic lap steel on about a third of my songs these days. If I had to count on my abilities as a steel guitarist alone, I'd be lucky if someone bought me a beer. In a band setting, I'm a utility guy. I sing, I play guitar, mandolin and lap steel. If forced, I play banjo, but it ain't pretty.
--Chase Brady
Check out my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGB22R_hYOXh55h_zfazCPQ
Nice YouTube comments help local musicians get gigs!
My Web Page: https://sites.google.com/site/chasebradysmusicpage/ |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 3:39 am
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| Getting decent money isn't hard, but getting it on a regular isn't easy. Most bands I know of that work regularly have to travel 50-100 miles (or more) to work steady. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 9:16 am
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you would do better to get a part time job...make the grand. then go find some places to play music for your own enjoyment. it wouldnt matter if you made anything or not.
welcome to the world of live music in 2014. |
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