For me it has always been a delicate balance between having a little fun and making a little money. The Urban Cowboy era in the 80s was great. I'm a traditional country guy, but during that time the band I was with did very well playing a mix of Top 40 at the time, rockabilly and traditional country. I don't mind being flexible on style; ya gotta play what people are willing to pay to hear. That's just the way things work. And the pay was pretty darn good in those days.
Today, it's next to impossible to find a venue where you can play any traditional country, and the Top 40 stuff is abysmal. To add insult to injury, clubs don't want to pay any more than they did in the 80s, and in some cases even less (80% of the door, etc.). The cost of playing (fuel, etc.) has soared. So I'll be damned if I'm going dig deep in my pocket and pay to play music I don't like. Even at $100, the only way you can do better than break even is if the gig is next door and you play only two sets. At $50 you're making a donation; I don't care how close the gig is. The only time I do that kind of work anymore is if a friend calls and says he needs help. That I'll still do, but I always find myself dreading it as soon as I hang up the phone.
I've played a long time and love playing. I'll never quit as long as I'm physically capable of doing it. Now I play at a Cowboy Church every Sunday (unpaid; I'd decline if they offered it). I find that scratches the itch just fine for me. There seems to be plenty of young head bangers to handle what club work that is out there, and I guess they're glad to get paid the chump change the clubs are paying.
To each his own.
Cheers,
stop playing in bands
Moderator: Shoshanah Marohn