Last Night's Gig: trust your instincts

[Byron Dickens]

I talked myself into two different jobs when I knew better. 

[Notes_Norton]

We had a 16 year, mid-week, mid-day party going, with 50-70 regular customers and others that didn't come every week.

New owner, put the entertainers out under a canopy with no protection from a sudden thunderstorm (they are quite common here) and didn't want to pay what we were getting. 

So we started searching, two clubs said nobody with backing tracks (we have backing tracks, that I make myself, from scratch)

One led us on for a couple of months and said that he didn't want the same band on the same day/time every week

Another said, I've never tried a mid-week, mid-day band, and I don't want to start that.

And on and on and on.

We were just about to give up, tried the last one on the list, and the manager gave us all February, and if the people come like we hope they will, we will have a new place for the party, starting on our 17th year.

We spent so many years building that up, we hated to say "Bye-bye".


Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[bitflipper]

That's the first time I've heard of an employer forbidding backing tracks. Is that common in your area? Seems like an unnecessary reduction of the local talent pool.

Then again, I remember back in the 70's it was not uncommon for some clubs to require a female vocalist. I remember that because we hired two of them to gain entry into those venues.

It was a horrible experience, a soap opera. The two gals were close friends, had choreographed dance moves, and were decent vocalists. Then one of them decided it would be a good idea to do the horizontal bop with the other's boyfriend and that was the end of that band.

Never again, said me - who's been performing with a female vocalist for the past 10 years. She's married to the drummer. They're currently getting a divorce. If it comes down to them not being able to be in the same room together, I've already decided to keep the drummer.

[craigb]