• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Topic: ABOUT BANDS AND GIGS

Isn' it nice to know and get an answer on the following fact:
HOW MANY CHORDIANS HERE, ARE:

1) Professionals in music (music teachers), luthiers, or working in a music store.
2) Who is a professional guitar player? Making $$$ and able to live by writing, performing
3) About "semi professionals", example, you have a nice job, earning 3000$ a month, and his second "job" is a musician having let's say 1 or 2 gigs in the week?
4) Amateurs, who have the passion and the possibility to show their skills on gigs.

Also: I was in 2003 in the USA, starting in Chicago, trying to follow ROUTE 66. I call this holiday: the "finding the blues holiday", (I also visit a lot of pawnshops) Chicago -> St Louis -> driving through Missouri and amazed that in a pawnshop, they speak with a Northern accent, followed by, driving 2 miles, in an other pawnshop, they speak with a southern accent. We were still in Missouri, so I continue --> Crossing the Mississippi --> Nashville --> Memphis --> New Orleans.
Why this story? I heard bands playing in "over" crowded bars, like in BB Kings club on Beale street or Nashville, at noon, a "lonesome player" playing great, and at night, impossible to tell what I heard and saw. Memphis & New Orleans: even better, fantastic bands, playing better than the most famous bands. If I come back: I would do the same. I never saw so many bands playing with passion and skilled, more than famous bands. We don't have this here in Europe.
So I would love to see answers on my 4 questions.
__________________________________________________________________________

GITAARDOCKPHIL SAIS: I WISH THAT I STUDIED LAW, MUSIC AND USE THIS 2 TOGETHER

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

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

Re: ABOUT BANDS AND GIGS

I'm lucky and blessed enough to fall into the #2 category. Got my first guitar when I turned 17, played 8+ hours a day for 6 months, fell totally in love with this amazing instrument, and started playing clubs. Haven't stopped since and won't stop until I'm dead and gone.

Give everything but up.
  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: ABOUT BANDS AND GIGS

So amigo, SouthPaw, what is the name of your band, or are you performing alone? This topic might be interesting, of course hoping that people will answer like you do. I really appreciate it.
It is very subjective of course, but I am very interested in how many "chordians" are able to live, or do have an extra job, by playing. I should really love that you can help me, maybe another name for this topic, like who can live from playing solo/band or as side job.
What is your opinion?
I do know one thing: people always look at the sunny side, dreaming about FAME. My answer is always the same, I was active as Doc on one of the biggest rock festivals, and was also Doc in theatre, with Belgium greatest actors. Believe me, my job was hard, I worked 14-15 hours a day, and Saturday 8-9 hours: result: relation crashes. But actors, musicians who reached a certain level, THEY WORK & PERFORM, WHILE WE HAVE A FREE WEEKEND, HOLIDAY, X-MAS..
That is the side the public doesn't see at all. Or earning a lot of money, like I did, why: I worked as a fool, and was always the first to invest in material like a surgical laser (50.000$), which caused a PHENOMENAL JEALOUSY BY MY COLLEAGUES, even so bad that they started to spread rumours, like drinking, women (that part is right) but I survived all these things, even better, the more they talked about me, the more people I saw. Unfortunately, it is all over now, but even disabled, I had the luck to sign too many insurance contracts, so the jealous collueges are still there, with me laughing, even in this situation.
CONCLUSION: TO ALL PEOPLE WHO ENVY OR ARE JEALOUS BECAUSE OF A MUSICIAN THINK TWICE, YOU CAN RELAX AND THE ARTIST IS WORKING

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

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

Re: ABOUT BANDS AND GIGS

guitaardocphil,
I've pasted a previous answer to a question similar to yours. Here it is;


"My stage name is my birthname when I play solo(Toney Hall) and my band's name is Acoudos.(pronounced ah-coo-dose) It has dual meaning, when we're 2 piece it means acoustic duo, when it's more than 2 it means a dose of acoustic music. Most of my gigs are solo but the line up of musicians that I have are all very much like family.(some actually are family) The name is trademarked and copywritten since 1997. We don't have a working website because not to sound egotistical, we don't need one for what we want. We have more gig opportunities than we can accept and we're not looking to be 'big stars'. Just wanna do what we truely love and pay the bills by doing so. There's probably some stuff floating around on us but we really try to keep a semi low profile. My past is very dark(haha).

Peace and Guitars,
SouthPaw41L(Toney)"

Give everything but up.
  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: ABOUT BANDS AND GIGS

Hi dear Tony (don't shoot me if I still write Southpaw. I wasn't amazed about you playing acoustic.
Q: the % of playing own songs versus covers? (Meaning like Simon & Garfunkel).

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

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

Re: ABOUT BANDS AND GIGS

gitaardocphil wrote:

Hi dear Tony (don't shoot me if I still write Southpaw. I wasn't amazed about you playing acoustic.
Q: the % of playing own songs versus covers? (Meaning like Simon & Garfunkel).

Not sure what to make of the first part of your statement? (" I wasn't amazed about you playing acoustic") Please explain what you meant by this. I'm confused over this statement.

To answer you question regarding % of own songs verses covers, I play all covers unless an original song is requested. In my job, I am hired to play music that  people are familiar with and the rare times someone is interested in hearing an original song gives me great joy.

SouthPaw41L

Give everything but up.