🔒 ​Bapu's Random Thoughts For The Day

[bayoubill]

I went

I listened

now my skin is tight

my new favorite song 

[InstrEd]

2 hours ago, bayoubill said:

now my skin is tight

But you still shouldn't be wearing Skinny Jeans  ?

[Notes_Norton]

On 11/5/2019 at 12:49 PM, Mesh said:

The last song I heard this morning (in the Van Pool), was "Walk like an Egyptian"

We just learned that song. Making the backing track was a bit of a challenge but it turned out well.

I know, it's about time we learned that one. When you gig for the yacht club, country club, retirement development audience, the requests are a little behind the times.

When we started playing that crowd in the mid 1980s, it was Big-Band Jazz, Frank Sinatra and you couldn't even sneak in an Elvis Presley song. But those folks are gone now, new people enter the "over 55 year old" group, and so we are still learning 20-40 year old songs for the incoming group along with a few pop crossovers to that market.

It seems that the over 55 group wants to hear songs of their youth. Nothing wrong with that, there are good songs written in every era (and bad ones to, but the good ones are mostly the ones that last through the decades)

It's a good gig. With the night clubs going to karaoke, open mic nights, sports on TV, and DJs, I'm glad I moved into this market when we did. We're established and still gigging steadily.

It's a fun way to make a living.

[InstrEd]

@Notes_Norton   Glad you found a niche and are enjoying yourself while making a living.   How cool is that.

[Mesh]

18 minutes ago, InstrEd said:

@Notes_Norton   Glad you found a niche and are enjoying yourself while making a living.   How cool is that.

+1

On top of that, gets to play on yachts and country clubs!! Excellent gig you got there.

 

 

[InstrEd]

 I don't have the clothes to go on the yacht club. Maybe I can go listen to Notes_Norton when he plays the Nudist camps ?

[craigb]

6 minutes ago, InstrEd said:

 I don't have the clothes to go on the yacht club. Maybe I can go listen to Notes_Norton when he plays the Nudist camps ?

How can you tell the blind guy at the nudest camp?

It's not hard. ?

[Notes_Norton]

For the nudist camps all you need is your birthday suit (actually we wear minimal clothing for that).

For the yacht& country  clubs, sometimes a tuxedo, sometimes suit and tie, sometimes Hawaiian shirt. Same for the retirement developments.

Here in South Florida it's a big market. Many more of these hiring bands than night clubs. Of course they are one-nighters so we get to move gear a lot. But then I get to lift heavy things without paying for a gym membership ;)

With setup and tear-down every gig they make for longer jobs but if I can bag 2 a week I can make as much as I can 5 or 6 nights in a club. I the winter we do 3-5 a week, in the summer we're lucky to get 1 or 2 a week. But that gives me time to write aftermarket software plug-ins for Band-in-a-Box.

Plus I'm doing this with my wife/lover/best-friend. I met her when we were in different bands, both broke up at the same time so we did a trio and a 5 piece band together. Then due to personnel problems in 1985 I bought my first MIDI sequencer, started making my own backing tracks, and we've never looked back. We did cruise ships and night clubs for the first few years. Then we got a house-gig band for a year at a Yacht club, and that spoiled us. 

We also just learned Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark", played it last weekend, and it went over really well. I like singing and playing the sax on that one so it's good for us too.

Next? Perhaps Katrina and the Waves' "Walking On Sunshine". Thinking about it anyway.

Notes

[Wibbles]

9 hours ago, InstrEd said:

Maybe I can go listen to Notes_Norton when he plays the Nudist camps

That doesn't sound at all suspicious.

[Notes_Norton]

You can just come and hang out

[Bapu]

32 minutes ago, Notes_Norton said:

You can just come and hang out

I think the order is reversed.

 

Nope, that's right.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Bapu

[bayoubill]

Ok what’s this about an all nudist band that will only play for free in Florida? 

I can understand needing warm weather 

[craigb]

Judging by the lack of dieting around this general area, a nudist camp would be the LAST place I'd want to go!

That said, Portland does have a yearly nude bike ride event.  Go figure! ?

[Notes_Norton]

The oldest guy at the nudist camp is in his mid 90s.  Definitely in his Shar Pei  years.

Actually, it's a fun gig with young and old, and after the initial orientation, it seems quite normal.

I still think that I look better with my clothes on though.

[Notes_Norton]

2 hours ago, bayoubill said:

Ok what’s this about an all nudist band that will only play for free in Florida? 

I can understand needing warm weather 

We don't play for free. It's our business.

Well actually there are a couple of exceptions:

1. For a charity event IF nobody else is getting paid and IF it isn't a profit making gig disguised as a chairty
2. The VA. Once every couple of  years we go to the nursing home at the VA hospital about 50 miles away and give the vets in the wheelchair nursing home area a free afternoon of music.

 

[InstrEd]

5 hours ago, craigb said:

Portland does have a yearly nude bike ride event. 

Hope you had a good time?

[Wibbles]

16 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

... give the vets in the wheelchair nursing home area a free afternoon of music.

Talk about a captive audience ...

[Notes_Norton]

They can't walk out on us!

[Wibbles]

On 11/8/2019 at 7:50 PM, Notes_Norton said:

I still think that I look better with my clothes on though.

That's true of 99% of the World's population.

On a related note, when I googled "Sophisticats" it comes up with a chain of strip clubs in London*. What aren't you telling us Notes? 

 

 

 

 

* No, I don't have a history of searching the internet for strip clubs in London.

[Mesh]

On ‎11‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 1:00 PM, craigb said:

That said, Portland does have a yearly nude bike ride event.  Go figure! ?

Guessing it's no fun for the guy in last place.....just catching downwind of the whole event.