I hang my head in shame at having neglected my blogging lately. To be honest, I think it's because I haven't had much to say, particularly regards to anything musical. Myself and The Ronald have been doing our usual thing of only vaguely contemplating 'the next gig'. I tried to get a few things sorted earlier on, but none of them came to fruition.
My attitude sways from extreme dislike of the idea of playing 'proper gigs' to 'why should we not get paid for doing it', a typical Vicky contradiction.
On the one hand I feel that being booked to play a gig for money, ultimately ends up a bit of a damp squib when the gig actually comes round. For all the hours I put in making sure the set list is right, learning the words and worrying about doing a good job, the gig rarely leaves me feeling absolutely elated. Most of the time people couldn't give a toss what you were doing and ultimately, the tiny bit of money you do receive for the gig doesn't go very far. I enjoy it, but I'm not left feeling particularly rewarded.
On the other hand, all the times we've played in small pubs, with a group of friends, for nothing, I have been left feeling warmed, contented, inspired and happy. There has been no stress involved, we're free to sing whatever song we feel like at that moment and oddly, anyone who happens to be in the pub at the time actually listens, enjoys and is drawn in.
I have thus made up my mind that, I'm not going to exert loads of energy and effort into chasing gigs. I would rather sit in a pub once a week with our guitars and just jam away quietly in the corner over a pint and, if the barman wants to chuck us a few freebies for entertaining people, then so be it.
I also swore that I wouldn't be entering any more competitions. I think it's too easy for pubs to use them as a way of getting in free entertainment without having to pay the bands. BUT THEN, something like a songwriters competition comes up and I can't help but feel a competitive edge creep in, some primeval need to prove that we're better than everyone else (or not as the case has been). Despite saying I won't do them again, the fact is I quite enjoy performing at them, the audiences are normally up for listening and I love the feeling when you know you've got them. BUT THEN, as The Ronald points out, we should be aiming for better things than competitions now. we should be aiming to get our name out there so that we can be booked to BE THE BAND OF THE NIGHT, not one of the bands of the night....
God it's all so complicated! Do you and should you, give your time for free? To me, there's a lot to be said for enjoyment, fulfillment. BUT... GHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
Hence the reason we've been hiding in the mountains crippled with inertia.
what you need is a following.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're playing to people who know you're music its easier and more fun than to a room full of strangers who aren't interested - that's the hard bit for any band, the "support act syndrome"
Same with my writing - i get crippled by the thought that no bugger is ever gonna read it, so i don't write and its been hard getting out of that
Hell - why not do things for free: so long as they're fun. When they start being a chore?? Well, that's why they pay us to go to work - no sensible person would go if they weren't paid to
I think you need to work out why you do music. Are you just looking for a living off it or is the enjoyment more the thing? It's a stupidly tough world to break into as you know. If playing for free with friends floats your boat more than so-called proper gigs then I'd concentrate on that. Having said that, even the 'one of the bands...' gigs give valuable experience not to be ignored. We've seen how you've really grown as performers over the time we've been listening simply because you've gone onstage time and again. Possiby the least helpful comment ever. Just keep making music.
ReplyDeleteGlad to read a post here...miss you when you hibernate, but I truly understand the need to do that. I simply do not have advice concerning your dilemma, so I sought some counsel via quotes (think of them what you may):
ReplyDeleteA primitive artist is an amateur whose work sells.
~Grandma Moses
A great work of art is made out of a combination of obedience and liberty.
~Nadia Boulanger
A job is something we do to get a paycheck and pay our bills. Jobs are legitimate, at times, but work is why we are here in the universe. Work and calling often go together.
~Matthew Fox
A professional is someone who can do his best work when he doesn't feel like it.
~Alistair Cooke
All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.
~Aristotle
After you've done all the work and prepared as much as you can, what the hell, you might as well go out and have a good time.
~Benny Goodman
xo
I've followed a similar train of thought myself.
ReplyDeleteHaving gigged quite a lot in the last 18 months I've definitely noticed that, generally, the more attentive the audience, the less one gets paid. Functions, where you're playing away in a room full of rowdy anaebriated people pay well. Gigs -in our case in jazz clubs, etc- where 30 or 40 people listen attentively pay, er, not so well. People pay more for background music than foreground music. It cetainly makes sense here in England: as the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham said, "the English don't like music. They just like the noise it makes".
Oh, no advice whatsoever really, and all the above sound far wiser than I.
ReplyDeleteIf I tried to make a living from writing, I think what I feel about writing might well change, and that would worry me. It is, as they say, deep shit you're talking about.
Still, Merry Christmas Watercats! I'd be in your merry band of followers if I had a helicopter.
D.F.T.P'S:
ReplyDeletefollowers.. that elusive thing. To gather followers you have to get out gigging ALL THE TIME, constantly circulate your name, get as much exposure as possible, EVERYWHERE! Unfortunately this isn't really possible for us, venues locally are few and far between really and we really can't afford to travel to the cities just to play open mics. So it looks like we might be doomed on that front. saying that, we go down really well with middle aged men, whether that is due to me, ron or the songs, I'm not sure. So perhaps we just need to target our audience more constructively :)
ARGENT:
You are right about the performance thing. Getting out and doing every gig offered has been worth it, just to be at the point i am now with confidence etc. We have our proverbial act together, maybe that's why I'm suddenly disillusioned? I've gained everything i can from the experience.. (except riches, lol)
LYDIA:
I love quotes, there is one for every situation isn't there! and there's always one out there you can use to back up your point of view and thus justify it ;) I particularly like the last one though, there is something in that one that is a good balance to live by :)
DOMINIC:
I must say, while I was back in the UK in the summer, there seemed to be an awful lot more venues for bands than around here. I guess because that's England, loads of people, loads of built up areas, equals lots of music pubs within fifty square miles. I did almost wonder if it wouldn't pay us more to line up some gigs in UK, travel over once a month for a long week-end, stay with my sister, do the gigs, get paid and come home again, lol. but I'm guessing UK pubs pay about the same as irish ones (about fifty euros)! That is such a cool quote too, and is probably more true today than it ever was!
TITUS:
ahhhcheers Titus! Bloody money complicates everythign doesn't it! it must be the ruination of creativity really. Mind you, the way things are going, we won't have to worry about euro's for much longer, we'll probably be delighted to be paid in loaves of bread ;)
I think it's partly to do with your style of music. If you were a band playing heaps of happy, clappy tunes or big rawkish rock then it is easier to get paid gigs that make you feel good too but with the more contemplative type music (like yours) I think it works better to build up your name in other ways first (getting your music onto radio, getting an album together...). Then once you have more of a following you can fill a bigger, better paid gig with people who have come specifically to see and hear you (not just drunks who happen to be in that room). Not that drunks are always bad... but you do want drunks who like you a bit or they're just a pain.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think you're brilliant and that your songwriting especially is very strong. Onwards, onwards... don't be dissuaded by the size of the mountain.
x
You're right. Ours isn't an immediately easy type of sound, there are quite a few songs in minor chords, not everyone's cup of tea I'd guess. I think I need to get to appoint where I stop worrying too much about the type of songs I make, I have a tendency to think about the potential audience reaction to a song and have loads that I just will not do as part of a gig. I think I just need to say feck it. This is what we do, like it or not. For a couple of happy go lucky, snarky, piss takers, we're quite serious when it comes down to it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good words, to be honest, keeping this blog helps a lot, to know there are people out there who don't know us in reality and are willing to say good things is really encouraging.