harpdude61
1230 posts
Jan 30, 2012
9:27 AM
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Well damn. New band forms in September. They want to audition me. They want me and tell me their focus is Chicago Blues with a touch of West Coast Jump and Swing. I say perfect and take the job. I work every spare minute to get the songs like they want. Songs by LW,Cotton,SBW etc. Very harmonica friendly music.
We played 7 gigs up until last weekend and were getting a pretty good following. THese guys had been there done that but it is all new to me. I worked my ass off sending e-mails, handing out cards, calling people, going to open mics to play and tell about the band. 80% of people at the gigs were either friends of mine or connections I had made.
We have 5 future gigs that I personally booked in person at the venue.
We are scheduled to go to the studio last Saturday to do a 5 song demo. I show up at Friday's practice and there sits a sax player they say they want to use on a couple songs. News to me. Anyway by the next day they want to go more soul, RnB, and funk and I am canned!
It hurt like a sumbitch. I don't think my playing was not good enough. At gigs people would come up to me with kind words and I know they saw this. I won't say it but my wife and friends think I was getting too much attention. I am a bit more outgoing on stage. I try to feel the music and have a good time while I perform. I just played the best I could and tried to personally thank everyone that came.
They fired me by e-mail and told me I would get a 5% finders fee for the gigs i booked. Piss on that. I went and played alone for these venues and practically begged for these gigs. I told the band I already had rebooked the gigs since nothing was in writing. They aint gonna benefit from my hard work.
This really knoced the wind out of me. The last gig we did was an overnight to a Roanoke blues club. People were still waiting for seats well into the second set. I layed down in my hotel room that night so pumped I could not sleep. Great audience feedback and the sky is the limit.
I just needed to vent and hope yall don't mind. The embarassment of explaining to everyone sucks. Some do not understand. I will say that a couple of local musicians warned me about a certain controling member. I dunno. Still hard to think straight.
Comments? stories? similar experience?
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Michael Rubin
422 posts
Jan 30, 2012
9:37 AM
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I have been fired many times. I have been told I was the co leader's (with me being the other leader) best friend only to be fired a month later. I have worked with a musician for a year and a half only to discover they had recorded a new album with another harp player.
I have been told that they just do not think harp is right for the band only to find out the next night they gigged with another harp player. People do BS things. It has nothing to do with you. Your self esteem should be based upon whether or not you acted in accordance with your own sense of integrity. It sounds like you worked hard to make the band successful, both as a player and business partner. You can be proud. What I would take from this is how you learned to book gigs and quickly learn material. Those skills will help you in future bands and as long as you keep getting up one more time than you are knocked down, there will always be a band for you.
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kudzurunner
2956 posts
Jan 30, 2012
9:45 AM
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There's only one thing to do now: get some footdrums and kick ass. You and a bass player, or you and a guitar player.
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HawkeyeKane
682 posts
Jan 30, 2012
9:47 AM
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+1 to what Adam said. Even if it's a busking deal, when you go Spartan, you open your mind up into new realms of challenging yourself and reaping the benefits.
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Hawkeye Kane
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LittleBubba
154 posts
Jan 30, 2012
9:55 AM
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Sorry to hear about that, harpdude. It might've been due to the harpguy bein' a little too out front, but unless they communicate that to you, there's nothin' you can do about it.
I think the earlier comments about taking your gains and moving on were accurate: you will come out of it stronger than you went into it...and btw, it is possible to get fired from your own band too, so that ain't always the solution either, lol!
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waltertore
1916 posts
Jan 30, 2012
9:58 AM
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My only experience as a sideman was with the old bluesmen. I could fill a book with the stuff that happened but was never fired basically cause I never was hired. You showed up when they asked and played. I soon started fronting bands and that is another headache as well that lasted 20 years. I fired too many guys to count and it never was easy. Typical situation for firing- my drummer, who was an alcoholic, wandered out of the beer bar we were playing and never returned. He found his way to a hard liquor bar down the road. It was my first time playing this club and we ended up getting fired for it. I left his drums on the stage and we left. We were about 400 miles from home. I have no idea how he got back to austin.
Tons of stuff like this has guided me to the 1 man band, which I was exposed to starting out playing with wilbert harrison. I still will play with other musicians but it is a real short list. I have no desire to get back into the band drama BS. I learned to sing, play guitar, bass, drums, and keys, after starting out just wanting to be a harp player. Frustrations led to me learning these other instruments and I found great joy in learning them much to my amazement. Next I learned(am learning) how to record myself at a sonic quality and sound that I like. Now I depend on no one. That is the only way to avoid the stuff mentioned here. Let your soul guide you. Obviously that band was no longer right for you. Better things await if you follow your heart - Good luck! Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
3,500+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Jan 30, 2012 10:04 AM
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Tuckster
943 posts
Jan 30, 2012
10:02 AM
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Ya,don't take it to heart. The music biz has plenty of nice people but it also has it's share of d**k heads. Just keep at it.
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Diggsblues
1157 posts
Jan 30, 2012
10:08 AM
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If you did the work on booking it's a 10percent agent fee not a 5 percent finder fee.
The gig could be canceled since it's no longer the
original band. What they are doing is breaking what I call the "Golden Rule". You were booked for they gigs and they should pay you for the gigs in full since they chose to make the change or have you play them.
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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groyster1
1728 posts
Jan 30, 2012
10:24 AM
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I watched the video you posted playing at the kingsport mall thought you played very well-when wallace coleman comes to east tennessee he is sometimes backed by a blues band out of greenville-dont think they have a regular harp player you might check them out dont give up you will be back
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RyanMortos
1255 posts
Jan 30, 2012
11:18 AM
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Harpdude61, that really sucks! I hope they get what's coming to them & your next band is twice as good to play with!
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~Ryan
Advanced Intermediate: based on Adam's What Level Are You? guide.
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Steven Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
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MIKE C.
56 posts
Jan 30, 2012
11:25 AM
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Welcome to the club! Those guys are real jerks. In the long run it will turn out best for you getting away from them. I have been playing with bands since 1971 so many times I have found the one word to describe why people act this way is JEALOUSY. So many times I have been extremly welcomed and the when the Harmonica got too much attention I was no longer welcomed. No big deal just move and enjoy the great ride of the "Harmonica Life". Best Wishes, Mike C.
Last Edited by on Jan 30, 2012 11:26 AM
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KingBiscuit
153 posts
Jan 30, 2012
11:26 AM
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@HarpDude - unfortunately, these things happen all too often in the local music scene. Learn from the experience and move on. I know that doesn't lessen the sting of it all, but that's the way it goes. Back in the early to mid 80s, I played bass. I had a guy trying to recruit me to his band for maybe 6 months. I finally decided to join his band. We rehearsed, he lined up our first gig, things were going great. The night of the gig, the rest of the band and I showed up at the gig, he didn't show...I called his house and his wife said "you mean he didn't tell you he's playing with a different band?". I couldn't believe it...the guy walked on HIS band!
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harpdude61
1231 posts
Jan 30, 2012
12:06 PM
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Guess I'm not the only player here that has been canned.lol
I believe your stories but cannot understand how people can be so cold, insensative, and then not have the balls to tell you what's going on.
I am pleased to say my sense of integrity is intact. I feel good about everything I have done.
I have always been the type that likes to deal with things eye to eye and man to man.
I don't know if I have the demeanor to fire someone. Heck, I got into this for fun and the love of live blues music.
Open mics, guest spots, jammin with my son, sittin in with bands.... It really is a whole lot easier. The fever has got me however.
I appeciate everyone's words of wisdom along with your experiences.
Last question...Is this the kind of thing that seasons a blues guy into a little better blues guy?
See y'all at Hill Country!
Last Edited by on Jan 30, 2012 12:08 PM
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waltertore
1917 posts
Jan 30, 2012
12:14 PM
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harpdude61: The music business and muscicians can be some of the most 2 faced liars, cheats, egomanics, self centered, insensitive, always looking to move up the ladder with no concern for those around them, dysfunctional, group of people I have ever been around. If you stay with it, it will continue. I have learned to never say I have seen it all with music people. I have been speechless more times than I care to remember. There are the good times too. Over time you will learn to weed out the garbage from the good folks. Bottom line- the more you are in charge and self contained, the less crap you have to encounter. I was lucky enough to make it up to the upper levels in the music scene. Most of these people are decent folks and have insulated themselves from the garbage. It is the armchair/part timers wishing they were full timers/wanna be's that are the ones that never cease to amaze me with their behaviors. Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
3,500+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Jan 30, 2012 12:15 PM
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Fingers
145 posts
Jan 30, 2012
12:14 PM
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I played with one band for 7 years! the singer and guitar player were brothers and so considered it there band! but as you know the harp has great pulling power and girls love it! many times people said great sound shame about Elvis (singer)lol and people would say i only came to see Fingers!!(sorry if that sounds flash) well at one rehearsal the brothers started introducing a few new songs! i said that is rock and roll i play blues! and this created a bit of tension lol, well i turned up at a gig and there was another band setting up WTF!! the landlord said didn't they tell you they cancelled? gutless fu*cks didn't have the nerve to tell me! Well next thing i hear is the brothers had set up another band......you guessed it Rock and roll!!.
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Jehosaphat
161 posts
Jan 30, 2012
12:44 PM
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Harpdude i think nearly evryone who has played out in bands has had the same or a similar experience.
I've found that sometimes it comes from band members who just want to change the focus of the band from Blues to some other genre.Not everybody is a blues fanatic(silly buggers)
This can happen when someone leaves the original line up and the new guy ,especially if he is the singer/lead guitarist, wants to add some new material that he has brought with him.
The dynamics of the band slowly change and you find the Harp slowly becoming less impotant to the bands sound.
Anyways as the guys have said don't let it get you down its just part of just about any musicians journey really
just down three posts in a row,captcha didn't work first time on any of them ?
Last Edited by on Jan 30, 2012 12:47 PM
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Bluzmanze
21 posts
Jan 30, 2012
12:58 PM
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Sorry to hear the news,Welcome to the wonderful dysfunctional world of Bands.
At the very least they should have paid you 10 per cent or your full cut,whichever was more.
I have been hired and fired by more bands than I can think of.Most of the time it has not been for a competency issue/bad fit,and I am really a pretty easy guy to get along with,and am usually one of the most,if not the most punctual and prepared players in the bands I have been in.
I have been fired for competency issues,because I was good enough to get the gig,but enough to keep it,and I learned and addressed those issues and became a better player because of it,the times I was given a specific reason that turned out to be justifiable,but more times than not it was political,or because the leader was just a jerk,and had the track record to prove it.
Bands can be like a business and a family all rolled into one,which can lead to crazy situations.
Sometimes a band will have a megleomaniacal leader emerge (or two) and take a good band with a great recipe and F it all up by changing the format/and players that made it work in the first place.
I understand that having to explain being fired sucks,and yes a lot of people don't seem to be able to associate a political firing in a band being just like a political/ego firing like they have seen at their jobs a zillion times,and that a band is a sociological/political situation just like an everyday workplace.
I hope this happenstance does not sour you from continuing with music,but that kind of stuff comes with the territory when playing with other people/personalities/egos and yes,sometimes some sorry excuses for human beings.
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Andrew
1545 posts
Jan 30, 2012
1:05 PM
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"The music business and muscicians can be some of the most 2 faced liars, cheats, egomanics, self centered, insensitive, always looking to move up the ladder with no concern for those around them, dysfunctional, group of people I have ever been around."
Woah, Walter, you're describing the Civil Service!
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Andrew.
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https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000874537399
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LSC
154 posts
Jan 30, 2012
1:15 PM
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Michael and Walter's words are particularly on point, especially what Michael said about having learned some elements of the job. File under "paying your dues". Just remember paying your dues doesn't guarantee you'll receive any benefits.
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LSC
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Frank
132 posts
Jan 30, 2012
1:21 PM
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Chalk em up as a bunch of assholes - you need them like you need another hole in you ass. Fu%^ em, Fu%# em I tell ya!!! Jerks like that are dime a dozen, forget em and don't look back...
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shadoe42
117 posts
Jan 30, 2012
1:45 PM
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I have been fired twice. Both times for political reasons and for the way I looked. I was much larger at the time. Once was simply because I disagreed with the bands direction and tried to logically explain my point of view and even saying but I am good with the majority... I was ejected :)
the second time was three days before we were supposed to fly to California to record a cd. That one stung but in the end it worked out.
I also have left bands when the situation became to unbearable for whatever reason. sometimes you just have to make a break. Then you have to decide if you want to try again with another band(either as the leader or just a member) or if you want to go it solo.
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The Musical Blades
My Electronic Music World
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timeistight
304 posts
Jan 30, 2012
2:10 PM
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The best public explanation is simply that you and the band parted company over musical difference, period. Don't complain about them publicly -- it'll just make you look bad.
As far as the gigs you got, I think they are yours if you want them. Can you put together or hire a band in time to play them?
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hvyj
2075 posts
Jan 30, 2012
2:53 PM
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Yeah. Don't air the dirty laundry in public. Business is business, even if they didn't handle the termination in a businesslike way, The fact that you worked with a regularly gigging band will make it easier to get another paying gig. If you can handle playing diverse styles of music, that helps too. Some bands like to throw in different kinds of material for a change of pace every now and then and it's a big plus if you are able to go with the flow.
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Shredder
332 posts
Jan 30, 2012
5:24 PM
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Duane, If me and Ted lived closer we could throw the band together and bump those dead heads out of the gigs you booked. Ha that would show them!
I know as you say "the bug has bitten". Hang in there and keep going. You have played out and I'm sure there are other musicians that have seen you in action. Now you have a reputation of a player, use that to move to another band or start one your self.Done't be scared, make the jump. The worst thing that can happen is not trying. I hooked up with 2 diffrent guitar players doing acoustic acts. One is with Ted, "you met him at HCH2" and the other is totaly diffrent music"Country,Bluegrass, and easy listning. You have to deversify and learn to play diffrent styles. Yeah my heart in in Blues and Rock but if I want to get out and play I have to be versitile. You got the talent and desire and ability, Go for it!!
Mike ;)
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jbone
757 posts
Jan 31, 2012
4:36 AM
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not to be insensitive but it's just the dues you get to pay once you commit to be a musician. and if you could be id'd as stealing any spotlight, well, any guitar player worth their salt and most who are NOT worth their salt will tell you- or lie about it- that there is so little spotlight available that two stars in one band just cannot co-exist. which is such bullshit.
and wait until you get edged out of a band YOU FOUNDED and see how that stacks up with merely being replaced as a sideman. i would imagine it feels like someone stealing your child although i am not a parent. i do know i fell into a funk for over a year esp since it was also good friends and guys i myself had hired into the band who engineered my exit not long after they came in.
sometimes these things die a natural death and sometimes we move along on our own. other times we get some unwelcome prompting. however it works out, it's just stuff for the archives somewhere up the road. who doesn't need some good stories to tell?
the best revenge is to live well.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
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harpdude61
1232 posts
Jan 31, 2012
6:52 AM
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I really appeciate all the feedback. Sounds like some of you have experienced some real BS.
My big issue was we just got started, things going well, it aint broke, why mess with it? If I had sensed something it would have been easier. I had no clue anything was wrong. The old bomb drop.
I did find a family band that would like to fill a couple of those gig dates. A father on lead guitar, a son on bass, and the other on drums. Might be a good thing if we mesh. THey have 80% of the songs down already that we need.
True I should branch out more from the blues. Here in east TN I could play bluegrass just about anytime. My heart is in the blues and it is what moves me. I just wish someone could teach me to sing. This would open more doors I'm sure.
Thanks again for some fantastic feedback!
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The Iceman
224 posts
Jan 31, 2012
9:30 AM
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If you learn to become honest in gauging how the members of a band react to your talent, it is not hard to feel their true reaction to you getting a lot of notice from the audience. Just open up and don't be so focused on how you are doing and the audience feed back that you get.
For whatever reason, I've been plagued by this syndrome over the years - my harmonica and keyboard playing seem to shine pretty brightly, which has made many musicians, band leaders and bands not too thrilled with the reaction, which always mystified me (probably because I love when a musician joins the mix and plays better than I, but most don't).
So, before you jump in 100 percent with new units and do a lot of extra work assuming that they will love it, take your time judging their true feelings.
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The Iceman
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earlounge
395 posts
Jan 31, 2012
9:36 AM
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Screw those @ss holes man! Don't let them play any of the dates you booked. Try to find another way to play the gigs without them. Make sure to tell all your peeps so they don't keep supporting them.
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HarpNinja
2114 posts
Jan 31, 2012
9:43 AM
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What I have learned as a sorta-good harmonica player with a modest part-time career:
1. Ego is the devil
2. Being a great harmonica player is not always a good asset
3. Musicians are dumb
1. The center of most bands is the frontman or guitar player. If you oversetp that boundary and become the focal point (and are just a sideman) most band leaders would rather see the band implode than become a secondary piece of the puzzle.
2. See number one...the focal point wants people to sell their awesomeness and not yours
3. Musicians are worried more about ego than band success and your story is a good example. Also, they are dumb because they assume a guitar, bass, drums and singer can all play and fit multiple styles (going from blues to funk) but not harmonica. Idiots.
My biggest obstacle in finding a gig is people's assumptions about harmonica. Then, when getting a chance, if you are too good or too valuable, you get the hook.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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hvyj
2080 posts
Jan 31, 2012
9:53 AM
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"I had no clue anything was wrong."
I'm not necessarily suggesting that this applies to you, but the players who get on musicians' nerves the worst are usually absolutely oblivious to what they are doing that is driving everyone else nuts. They tend to be blissfully grooving away in their own little cocoon so wrapped up in what they are playing that they are totally unaware of the effect their playing is having on the overall sound and what the other musicians around them are trying to do. Just sayin'...
"My heart is in the blues and it is what moves me."
That's fine. But if you can play competently through chord changes it should be NBD to handle some R&B or funk or even some rock tunes without a major artistic compromise. You can't be having a limiting effect on what repertoire the band can handle and expect to work. After all, gigs are about MUSIC--they ain't just about what music the harp player is able to handle competently. It's a whole lot easier to gig if you are able to go with the flow. FWIW.
Again, maybe none of this applies to you, but it's not uncommon to hear players bitch about being dumped on unfairly when the reality is that they suffer from Dunning-Kruger syndrome.
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LittleBubba
163 posts
Jan 31, 2012
10:50 AM
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Great points Mike & hvyj. Michael Rubin reminded me about another point in a separate thread today though: gigging is fun, and if your band has more fun playing with you than without you, that's a plus.
I also try to keep in mind that quite often the harper is not the hardest worker in the band unless he's frontin' it, singin' and leadin' the tunes. The guitars and drummer (and sometimes bass) are drivin' their butts off without a break, and the harper can get a vacation here & there. Then, we sometimes think it's all about us, and we wonder why we're occasionally not invited to the party (not to mention the economics).
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hvyj
2081 posts
Jan 31, 2012
11:54 AM
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True story: Last week a bass player who plays in a couple of blues bands I've sat in with occasionally got hired to fill in for the house band's bass player at a non-blues jam/open stage, and he asked me to stop in and play. I happen to like playing with the house band's drummer so i made it a point to stop by.
Now, this bass player makes a big deal about how blues is the only music worth playing, etc. The truth is, blues is the only music he CAN play. He butchered simple rock tunes like "Into The Mystic", "Up on Cripple Creek" and other similar material, despite have been told the chords by the band leader before each tune started. He was completely over his head in a non-blues setting.
I guess the moral of the story is if a player claims that he only WANTS to play blues, some musicians will get suspicious that blues is the only type of material he CAN play. I think a lot of harp players put themselves in that box, which, IMHO is not a good business decision if you want to be able to get work.
Last Edited by on Jan 31, 2012 11:57 AM
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LittleBubba
164 posts
Jan 31, 2012
12:05 PM
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This forum is the best I've ever seen for encouraging harpers to move into many different genres.
I'm fortunate enough to play with a bunch that plays blues,country, rock,folk/rock. BUT, I play keyboards when I need to, and sing alotta backup & occasionally lead tunes from the boards or harp. Your point demonstrated, and I could stand to be more diverse yet.
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2chops
72 posts
Jan 31, 2012
12:18 PM
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I have to agree with the many of you who mentioned being versatile. I primarily do blues oriented music in my solo act. But the guys I play out with do mostly jazz and older standerds. Big band kinda stuff. Ever since they asked me to play with them, I was not only shoved right up front, but I had to expand my repatoire'. Adams lesson last summer about playing Cris Boti stuff was very helpful. So I started to think of the harp as a horn/ trumpet. I'm fitting in better as a result. Yeah, blues harp is my main thing. But stretching myself makes me a better musician and more valuable commodity to the group.
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You Tube = goshinjk
I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
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Jim Rumbaugh
662 posts
Jan 31, 2012
12:27 PM
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You didn't get fired, the rest of the band quit.
Though that may sound like a joke, and it kinda is, if the rest of the guys wanted "to go more soul, RnB, and funk ", then they wanted a different band.
If you still want a blues band, put one together. You have already proven that you have the most important skill a musician can have, the ability to get gigs. In another thread there have been comments that playing talent and money do not always go hand in hand. But if you can get gigs, talented musicians will appear. guaranteed.
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HarmoniCollege March 24, 2012
theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
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Tuckster
950 posts
Jan 31, 2012
12:50 PM
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The hard part is to find musicians that want to play ONLY blues. They're out there,but you might have to kiss a lot of frogs first. Most musician like to throw in at least some rock and maybe other styles.
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ricanefan
121 posts
Jan 31, 2012
1:19 PM
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There's a whole lot of pricks in this world; the more people you put together, the more likely there is to br at least one in the group. Add the stress and uncertainty that goes along with gigs, and crap is going to happen.
M. Rubin has a great perspective on it: it wansn't for nothing - you learned a ton. And as long as you come back one time more...
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harpdude61
1234 posts
Jan 31, 2012
1:38 PM
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hvyj...I signed on because of the word focus. They claimed a band without focus never suceeds. They told me Chicago Blues and West Coast Jump Swing was the focus. When I tried to get them to throw in Red House, SRV, or ZZ Top, I got my wrists slapped and was told not to lose focus.
Another focus was be a good local band..maybe one or two overnights a year. Fine.
THey voted to make the lead guitar guy the musical director. HE told me when to sound like the record and when to adlib,..when to sit out and how many breaks to play where. I knew this band was a dream come true for a non-singing harp player that loves blues...so I followed instructions. Now, I won't deny that when my time came I put as much into the part as I had in me. If that was too good for him to handle I don't get it. Why wouldn't any band member not want another band member to perform well enough to bring positive audience response. I'm always cheering other musicians on whether that band, a jam band, open mic, whatever.
Well said harpninja. My wife says that anyone that would play music live has to have some level of ego. I do have a friend that plays only for himself. Won't let anyone hear him. I lie somewhere between him and the lead guitar.
We were proving that a blues based band would work well around here..sort of a novelty.
I did learn a lot....picking apart and learning parts by ear, bandstand sign language, and what all goes into being a serious band. I learned a lot about people as well.
To be honest, at the local level, bands that drink, have a good time, invite guests up, sing Happy Birthday do better than the stuffy perfectionist bands.
I can now have a cold brew on stage and let out a YEE HAW if I so choose. I can't be a stiff on stage. Just aint in me.
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LittleBubba
165 posts
Jan 31, 2012
1:50 PM
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I do think that if your band has a bandleader and he doesn't know you well, that it's important for him to learn your strengths & weaknesses in rehearsals. If he can't do that, you're in trouble.
I've worked for some very controlling guys, and in each case I've thrived, but in each case they had credibility (I've prob'ly been lucky.) . Sometimes it took a while for me to learn their language and expectations, but once they figured me out, they were able to utilize me,teach me a few things, and get good music outa me (most of the time,lol!).
If you lose your job, live with the disappointment, and network on to the next one. It might take a while though.
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robbert
41 posts
Jan 31, 2012
2:57 PM
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If you've caught the bug, but don't need to attempt to make a living at it, then you can take your time finding the right people to play with. Make sure you're all compatible, have the same availability and commitment, have the skills, and enjoy making music together.
You could even find the right front man. An example of a good, working blues band is Mississippi Heat. The harp player is the leader, but isn't particularly the front man or vocalist.
It could take some time to assemble this band, but could be worth the effort. Even if you find one other guy to work with steadily, and have a rotation of other players, that can work.
I've played in a couple of groups for years now, mostly non blues, and we play out quite a lot; not much money in it, but we enjoy playing together in a live setting.
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LSC
155 posts
Jan 31, 2012
6:21 PM
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Last Edited by on Jan 31, 2012 6:23 PM
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nicewrk
29 posts
Feb 01, 2012
3:24 AM
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One of lifes hARDEST LESSONS. People are generaly neithere nice, kind , loyal or , fair. hold tight to what is yours and give away the rest. Aint that why the blues is a lowdown stinkin gyp. " I aint fattenen no more frogs for snakes"
The Blues is a Healer
Half Blind Mango
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nicewrk
30 posts
Feb 01, 2012
9:17 AM
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ALL...
Play what you feel and feel what you play .
Remember love of money is the root of various evils...
Harpers beware the box they want you in is play hard but pleaze play for free. If you love blues play em cause you love em. The economy is steal the time and loves of many many people. Say play cause you love it right now if you can eat eberyday the rest is Gravy.
The Blues is a healer....
Half Blind Mango
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waltertore
1919 posts
Feb 01, 2012
9:23 AM
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1 fact that will stand forever is this- people want to be around a winner. If today I announced the rolling stones were having me open their next world tour my email and responses to my posts on the net would be so big I wouldn't have time to answer a 1/1000th of them. Watch how this happens in entertainment. Talent has very little to do with where you stand in the music scene so try not to take being shafted too personally if you can. I keep tabs on who are my friends when I am a nobody and those are the ones I will keep in touch with if the big time calls. Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
3,500+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
Last Edited by on Feb 01, 2012 9:25 AM
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groyster1
1732 posts
Feb 01, 2012
10:22 AM
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@nicewrk
great post you said it well...all I want to do is participate in music that I have loved for 45+ years
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