opportunities in europe

Jonathan Gregg · Post by **Jonathan Gregg** » 21 Mar 2003 3:21 pm

what are the prospects for a steel player in Europe? I'd be grateful for any insights. (I have an EU passport, so working legally is not an issue.)
best to all,
JG

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 21 Mar 2003 3:24 pm

Well there's a female trio that might need a psg that'll probably be playing a lot of gigs in France..

Crowbear?

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 21 Mar 2003 3:43 pm

There aren't a lot of PSG's here so the field is fairly clear.
Crowbear, what's the wife gonna think of you runnin off with a female trio!!! LOL

Jonathan Gregg · Post by **Jonathan Gregg** » 21 Mar 2003 3:55 pm

yeah, I didn't figure there were too many players, but I was wondering if there is much demand.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 21 Mar 2003 8:54 pm

Jonathan
i would think that northern Europa is where most steelin opportunities could be found
Holland, Scandinavia, Germany and England
keep in mind that having a day gig for €€€
will be mandatory cause Steelin' here ain't gonna pay the rent !

as for that female trio
i'm already playin' w: one !
my 2 daughters and my wife
i'm missin' that accordian player tho'

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Steel what?

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 22 Mar 2003 2:08 am

Missing the accordianist... So am I, so am I, but I am playing with her tonight!!

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 22 Mar 2003 4:56 am

I was lucky in that I was able to make a living in the UK and Europe for 17 years from 1968 playing and teaching pedal steel. There are hardly any pro steel players in England now who don't double up on guitar. Most of us older guys now have day jobs and play for pleasure in the evenings on a semi-pro basis.

Good luck to you Jonathan[This message was edited by Ken Byng on 22 March 2003 at 04:57 AM.]

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 22 Mar 2003 6:19 am

I wouldn't count on standard type steel gigs over there. The club/bar live music scene is not happening. Where the money is for live work is in concert music. It is a vast and relatively untapped market for steel players.

If you are looking for "steel player wanted" ads then it will be pretty scetchy. If you are able to create your own genre you can do very well and very likely make a decent living.

Bob

Jonathan Gregg · Post by **Jonathan Gregg** » 22 Mar 2003 8:06 am

oh well. thanks for the responses.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 22 Mar 2003 1:38 pm

good 1 Bob

Janne Lindgren · Post by **Janne Lindgren** » 23 Mar 2003 1:35 am

Hi guys, I have been playing sessions and gigs since the 60´s, recording about 5.000 titles through the years with different kinds of artists . I was playing for my living all that time. Today I do one, sometimes two sessions a month and maybe one gig a week. That is how it is in Sweden today and I am sure it is the same situation in the rest of Scandinavia. There is almost no country music club left and producers don´t use pedal steel very often anymore. There are small chances to live on playing pedal steel here nowadays, but Sweden is a beautiful country to visit, come and see us! Janne

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 23 Mar 2003 3:09 am

I agree with Bob and Janne, sorry to say that... (;

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Click on the pic!

[This message was edited by Johan Jansen on 23 March 2003 at 03:09 AM.]

David Reeves · Post by **David Reeves** » 23 Mar 2003 3:21 am

Actually to play country music in Europe, your best bet would be to try and get with the USO. I was a musician with the USO for over 13 years, the big 'Country Names' that come over to entertain the troups do not always bring their entire band with them. It is often possible to play tour dates as a musician either for the Stars or with the introductory band for several weeks at at a stretch. The pay is usually above what one would earn working stateside.

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Stump Reeves

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 23 Mar 2003 5:52 pm

I played around Italy,Germany,Austria etc... for years and the problem was that bars have a live music only on weekends and they don`t pay enough to make living without having a day job.Only chance is to get a summer festivals and play them.They are open air and they will pay ok.I know of some bluegrass trios from US who were making $2000 - $3000 a person per week at summer open air festivals.I wanted to see a real thing so I moved to Nashville.