• G S E
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Detroit Lakes , Mn , USA
  • Registered: 2008-01-30
  • Posts: 330

Topic: Played last night ....

Hi ,
     Played at a lttle place called Wolf Lake last night ... About thirty miles away from Detroit Lakes ... Wife and I had a good time as always , but the whole night my rythem guitar player and singing partner griped about the sound system we were using ( which was his home "hobby "system that he insisted on using instead of my system that we normally used ) and kept asking me why it sounded like crap ... I tried to explain to him that with the low power output we have no headroom , but he could'nt grasp it because he's the kind of personality that is never wrong , L O L ... Having dealt with issues like this with him for so long , it just makes me seriously consider just chucking it and going on my own ... When it comes to playing solo , I've always considered it a matter of just doing the " stand and deliver " , because when you're solo , it's all on you ... Now my singing partner IS a singer , where I'm not so much , but , when you're solo , you have nobody to take the blame when things don't go right except yourself ... Fact is , if I had his singing talent , I would have been playing out long before I finally started , but he never would go on his own because he needs someone else to blame when things are'nt just right ...
Our drummer is a completely different story , him and his wife are such sweet people ... They both stopped tonight and had a few beers with us in front of a good fire in the shop and we just love them both because there are never any issues with these people ... He just loves getting out and playing music just as I do ...  Anyway , I'm not sure what to do at this point but things are going to change , one way or the other ... Any feed back from my friends here would be great .................
                                                         Jerr

" Just reading the lyrics , it's hard to hear the song , but if the words tug at the heartstrings......it's enough for now........... "
  • buvvy
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-06-01
  • Posts: 273

Re: Played last night ....

People who drain your energy will carry on doing just that and nothing else, his perpetual moaning will most likely never stop. If
you feel relieved the moment this guy is out of your sight -- then you know what your decision must be. Best of luck, whichever way you decide.

Keep on Rocking and remember Animals Feel Pain Too.
  • From: Alabama Gulf Coast
  • Registered: 2008-06-24
  • Posts: 1,819

Re: Played last night ....

High price to pay for good singing. Adding more players to your group is to take pressure off of the current members and set them free to do more.
Each member's duty is to lift the others spirits as well. Drama must be avoided for the benefit of band and audience.

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

tubatooter1940's Website

  • wlbaye
  • Honoured Member
  • Offline
  • From: Black Hills So Dak
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,284

Re: Played last night ....

Jerry, one big plus to being a one man show is you can do it your way and don't have to argue about it. One thing I learned from a friend though while playing , I couldn't remember the lyrics to the second verse and he whispered in my ear "Just keep strumming it will come to You " . Some folks aren't so forgiving though, if you add an extra measure they are all over it. Playing with others has good and bad sometimes.

I seem to be more relaxed when I play alone and don't have to concentrate as much and sometimes it is more fun that way. It aint easy finding playing partners that are a perfect fit and make you feel at ease.

I feel for you Jerry, that's kind of a tough situation and I hope it works out with no hard feelings. It's been hard for me to find a playing partner, mostly cause I am kind of a folk player in a country or bluegrass area. I have found I am happy alone or with a lead player and a lot of good lead players are just happy to play with somebody.

I've played out a couple times lately with my Fender Ultralight Acoustasonic , I recently added another matching speaker cabinet to it. It has a right and a left output on the back and it has a stereo button it puts out 125W per side and I cannot believe the great feedback I have gotten on my sound. It sure makes a fellar feel good when all your peers are wondering about what your using. It is a spendy unit but it is so easy and fills a room just great. I don't want to start any brand wars but 2 fellas come and told me my sound sure beat the Bose system. Another fella come and told me it sure sounded great but he didn't think it was as good as a Bose .  I normally set it and forget it for the night. It has sixteen different effects for vocals and 16 for guitar. I use a little reverb on vocals and just a touch of reverb and delay on guitar. Once my volumes are set I am done messing with it for the night.http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab182/wlbaye/Ultralight3001.jpg

Later, Wayne P

wlbaye's Website

  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: Played last night ....

Jerry,

Hurt ole grumpy where it hurts the most, the wallet. Give his spot to other musicians for a few gigs. I've had to do this several times in the past few years. It's tough to remove oneself from a comfort zone but you gotta weigh the bad verses the good. I'd be willin' to bet he'll change his outlook on performing. The mood of the perfomers directly transcends to the audience. Giggin' is a privilige, not a right........

Peace and Guitars,
SouthPaw41L

Give everything but up.
  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: Played last night ....

This may over simplify things but it may get your true feeling.

Toss a coin. Heads you go solo, tales you stay. After the coin lands you will feel either relieved or troubled by the result. If it lands heads and you then have to say to yourself "Aaahh, best of 3" then you'll probably be happier staying. If it lands heads and you yell "YES!" then I think you have your answer.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • Registered: 2007-04-03
  • Posts: 3,489

Re: Played last night ....

Can i say what i feel here. Even if its way late for the post.

Music is about fun, both listening and playing. This guy has already caused you to feel uneasy.
When you start to associate an uneasy feeling with someone, its best to move on.

While you cannot control the way he behaves, he will believe me cause you to feel uneasy in every situation now
before and after a  Gig. You  are perceptive and sensitive to the other people whom you enjoy being with. You make this statement clearly in your post.

Listen to the gnawing feeling in the pit of your gut. Your instincts are finely tuned, listen, feel, and respect them.

Good luck.

Old Doll.

Why Blend in with the Crowd ? When you were made to stand out !
  • G S E
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Detroit Lakes , Mn , USA
  • Registered: 2008-01-30
  • Posts: 330

Re: Played last night ....

Hi ,
   Thanks for all your kind input ...
   You're all right ... Have to say that I wish that I could be as hardheaded about the business end as you Southpaw ... Having said that , it's great to get the input from old pros such as yourself and Toots ... Buvvy , it's as if you read my mind ... Alvee , L O L ... I try not to depend of a flip of a coin on matters like this , but what you said makes a h*ll of a lot of sense ... Old Doll , what can I say ... You just said everything that I already know , just hard to put into practice ...
   And Wayne , I feel like we should be playing together ... I also am a folk player in a sea of whatever ... That having someone to tell you the lyrics is great except when it's always you that's doing the telling , L O L ... Glad you are happy with your system ... The system that I have works really good for what I do and for the band when I can use it , L O L ... Heck , if twelve hundred watts is'nt enough , then nothing would be , L O L .... Thanks again ............                                    Jerr

" Just reading the lyrics , it's hard to hear the song , but if the words tug at the heartstrings......it's enough for now........... "
  • From: Alabama Gulf Coast
  • Registered: 2008-06-24
  • Posts: 1,819

Re: Played last night ....

My grandson, Casey and I played a gig last night for the American Cancer Association. It was a dinner for "survivors" who have been "cured" of cancer. I put quotes on the word cured because they use it as a relative term. All cancer survivors have a date certain followed by a timeline since their last signs of the disease disappeared. They all would tell us "12 months" or "ten years" since remission. Needless to say, "survivors" are a positive bunch. One fellow who was quite young came up to us with his pretty wife to announce that his throat cancer hasn't been back for 12 years. Most folks who dodge death change their priorities and try not to miss out on the really important things in life.
This was the first venue where we had enough room around our setup for Casey to skate on his rip stick (a skateboard with two castor wheels) while I sang slow ballads. This gives Casey a chance to showcase his excellent skating skills and entertain visually as well as sparing his hands on his djembe drum thus saving them for the up tempo stuff. The crowd enjoyed his skating as much as his drumming and singing.
toots

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

tubatooter1940's Website