Re: Had a tryout last night.

On Jul 30, 4:23 am, "Jonathan" <jonat...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
"Jim Carr" <newsgro...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:qyTjk.442$Zv3.261@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'd say that for thousands of years mankind has composed and performed
music simply for pleasure. That hasn't changed. What's changed is this
notion that it *must* be a profit-making venture. When it comes to
original music, I say just accept the fact that you're doing it for the
love of it and see where it goes, which may not be very far.

    Thousands of years ago it didn't cost you $20 to drive to the gig and
back.  The clubs are making money off having bands there, original or
otherwise, and the ones who say "It's for the love of music man, not for
your evil dollars!" are fools letting the clubs take advantage of them.
    Never mind the effect on every band in town when they start giving it
away to the clubs and lowering the value of life music as a whole.  Just
because you play your own 3-chord song instead of Buddy Guy's doesn't mean
that club shouldn't give you $50 of their $4-a-beer profits so you can cover
that tank of gas and dinner and set of strings you bought for the gig.
    There's a whole world between paying money to play originals at a
"showcase", and playing Mustang Sally at the local Dentist's Union Christmas
Ball; it's called breaking even and treating your music and ability as
something of value and worth.
    -Jonathan

The only reason I ever went to clubs was to play in them. If it
weren't for a chance to gig, I would never waste my money on $8 beers,
no place to sit, barely any place to stand, and anyone at all can just
come up and TALK at you without your permission.

I remember going to L'Amour out in Brooklyn once. Why would anyone
bother? It was so loud, I was trying to talk to this girl, and she
didn't even know I was talking to her. It was that loud. Ridiculous,
way-beyond-what's-needed loud. Most clubs are the same way. Incredibly
expensive, for an experience I can only describe as painful and
depressing. How the whole concept ever got going is a total mystery to
me.

I'll play any place, just for the chance to be on stage and play, but
I can't figure out why anyone would go there to be part of the
audience. I mean, even for ME.

Live music---meh. Good for the musicians, but unless you're really
special, what's the draw for the audience?

I would be much more interested in writing some good original material
with musicians I trust to play it correctly, and then instead of
hunting down the one club left whose owner both appreciates a live
band AND is not a total creep, I would rent a nice, good-looking
studio, hire a cameraman, and film a concert. Play your best stuff and
put it out over the Internet. If your material is at all worthwhile,
you'll have a hundred times the audience of any club, and maybe even
sell a few CDs.

This strikes me as much more dignified than pleading with your friends
to "bring all of your friends with you, really, we need your support,
do you have some cousins you could call?" That gets old fast,
especially when the reason you picked up an instrument was to play
nerdy prog-rock, and your friends and family think "Play That Funky
Music, White Boy" is the pinnacle of Western culture.
.

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