[because]

So tonight we are booked in four different venues! (a jazz duo for each) the problem is, in the season of Covid19 the venues book us for patio, but will not move us inside if it rains.... the next issue is some of these 8 people have at least a one hr drive each way... the venues are leaving the decision up to the band... no hope of a "rain out/ partial pay deal" in this pandemic environment.... Since gigs are SO hard to get these days we don't want to blow them off....

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of booking during a pandemic

 

[Dave Pollack]

So tonight we are booked in four different venues! (a jazz duo for each) the problem is, in the season of Covid19 the venues book us for patio, but will not move us inside if it rains.... the next issue is some of these 8 people have at least a one hr drive each way... the venues are leaving the decision up to the band... no hope of a "rain out/ partial pay deal" in this pandemic environment.... Since gigs are SO hard to get these days we don't want to blow them off....

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of booking during a pandemic

Those 10x10 easy pop-up tents come in handy for situations like this!

 

[lostcircuits]

Been there, done that twice this summer and those were the only gigs. And it was fist-size hail, pop-up tents would not have worked well in that weather.

 

[because]

Those 10x10 easy pop-up tents come in handy for situations like this!

Yes the tents work for the band, but the customers would scatter like chickens, leaving no audience

BTW, every time I switch from Tenor to alto on a gig, I have to adjust the strap & neck etc & in my mind I see your goofy face on the "10 different styles of solos"... instead of getting my work done, I find myself worrying that I look like the guy constantly adjusting!!!

See, you make a lasting impression

 

[lydian]

BTW, every time I switch from Tenor to alto on a gig, I have to adjust the strap & neck etc...

LOL. Loved Dave's constantly adjusting guy. But I just have a strap for each and leave it on the horn. No adjusting required.

 

[KeithL]

I suspect we're in for a lot of this and other odd and questionable practices as everyone tries to figure out what the new normal is going to be. My sense at this point is that things are going to get far more difficult for weekend warrior types and folks trying to make it largely by just playing gigs and the occasional private lesson. Guys like Dave Pollack, Jay Metcalf, Steve Neff, etc. who are delivering value by playing, teaching, creating high quality video content, etc will be okay. The guys who were already struggling to get by just playing a handful of bar gigs and few weddings each month are going to find things a lot harder I fear.

 

[turf3]

LOL. Loved Dave's constantly adjusting guy. But I just have a strap for each and leave it on the horn. No adjusting required.

For almost everything I use a strap with a buckle, so the length is fixed. Once I find the length of each horn's strap it never needs to change, in fact it's troublesome to do so which keeps them at the right length.

Side benefit for someone with a long neck playing Conns is that you don't have to pull the slider up to strangulation length.

 

[KeithL]

Played a gig yesterday at a bar & grill in south Denver (actually Littleton) that went pretty well. The place has a gigantic outside deck with a nice area that has a shed roof for the band. We played 12:30 to 4:30 and to a large lunch crowd until about 3 (people stayed though our second set and left when we took our second break at about 3:15). It was the first sort of rainy day here in the Denver area in a few months so I was worried we would get rained out but the showers never lasted long enough or got heavy enough to chase the diners away.

Wait-staff all had masks on all the time and most of the patrons appeared to be courteous though once they took their masks off to eat and drink they weren't putting them back on again until they got up to leave. All and all it worked out pretty well though I'm not sure how often most of my band mates will be willing to drive 60-80 miles round-trip to play for 4 hours for $30.

I mean, I get that most of these places have had really rough years thus far and they may not have the money to pay the band a lot, though this place had a huge lunch crowd. They may not even want to comp a meal for each player - I get it. But, would it really be too much to just bring out a couple of plates of nachos or a few bar pizzas during one of the breaks?

 

[whaler]

I’ve noticed the few outdoor gigs here the people are subjected to the singing solo guitar player.
I really wanted to sit outside and eat but right after I ordered he came back from his break. I had to wave the waitress down and get our food to go.

 

[Grumps]

I've noticed the few outdoor gigs here the people are subjected to the singing solo guitar player.

Yeah, that's coming back to life here as well. Saw one outside a wine bar where I was offered a gig. The owner wanted a "saxophone player", but didn't want to come up with more scratch than he'd pay a single singer/guitarist for me to bring a small combo... for a three hour job.

 

[JayeLID]

Yeah, that's coming back to life here as well. Saw one outside a wine bar where I was offered a gig. The owner wanted a "saxophone player", but didn't want to come up with more scratch than he'd pay a single singer/guitarist for me to bring a small combo... for a three hour job.

They will NEVER disappear.....

....nor will venue managers ever clue in to possibility: "hmmmm...maybe our patrons actually would rather the singer-guitarist NOT be here"

 

[guidocreo]

LOL. Loved Dave's constantly adjusting guy. But I just have a strap for each and leave it on the horn. No adjusting required.

+1

 

[area51recording]

I've noticed the few outdoor gigs here the people are subjected to the singing solo guitar player.
I really wanted to sit outside and eat but right after I ordered he came back from his break. I had to wave the waitress down and get our food to go.

The guys around here that do this gig all seem to use looper pedals, so every tune has about a 3 minute build as they lay down all the parts before they start singing......boring as hell after a few songs....

 

[AddictedToSax]

Reminds me of a local place that had a grizzled old WWII vet, with the embroidered hat with his unit number on it and all. Pre-COVID. The old boy, had to be 90+, played standards on the keyboard, badly, and went to his van and nodded off between 20 minute sets. You had to love the old boy for trying but breakfast would have been better without him. I left him a fiver tip anyway.