How did you find your Band????

[Marc Friedland]

Hey Richard –

Thanks for defending my being in so many bands – you’ve had your share as well!

I think I played less than a handful of gigs with Jun, and now that I think about it – I believe except for a New Years Eve gig (1999 into 2000) they were all Moose Lodge type gigs. (What I lovingly refer to as The Animal Circuit – all Lions, Elks, Moose Lodges, etc.)

It’s not my intention to try to convince anyone to use Craigslist, but feel I should relay my experiences.
Here are a couple of successful Craigslist stories.

A couple of years ago there was a posting in the “Denver Musicians” section looking for a pedal steel player to be in a back-up band for a young girl country singer.
I answered the ad, attended one audition and 1 rehearsal and ended up playing about a half dozen gigs at high-profile venues (Greeley Stampede / Cheyenne Frontier Days) for better than the typical pay of $100 a show.

And the band I’m currently in – I first heard of them through a Craigslist ad looking for a “Utility Man”, went to see them perform at a gig, went to an audition, and already played over 20 gigs with them since December 2012 for $100 or more per night.

-- Marc

[Richard Sinkler]

I call them "Critter Clubs".

[Marc Friedland]

Les – I’m not sure if you’re partially joking or totally serious - either way is fine.
I’d like to try to express myself clearly – for the record.

I can certainly appreciate your position of a band leader needing to be weary of a player who’s been in so many bands.

The large number of bands I’ve played in may be misleading.

The reason my list of bands is so long is because I’ve made a point to remember them all, and view them as important even if only being hired as a fill-in for a weekend or a couple of particular gigs.

I don’t think a dozen bands that a teenager might go in & out of in their growing years should be a consideration to a Band Leader hiring them 35 years later as a 50 year old professional musician any more than a top guy at a large Corporation would care about their newly hired Vice President’s work history at numerous fast food establishments 3 or 4 decades earlier in their life.

Reviewing the list I see many of the bands started overlapping in 93/94. This was when I first started playing Pedal Steel. I tried to play as many gigs as I possibly could in an attempt to gain much needed experience on the bandstand with my new instrument.
None of the bands had a problem with me filling in other dates with other bands as we had an in-depth communication about the situation right from the beginning.
If you notice 2002 to 2008 – during those years the Band Leader didn’t want me playing as much with other groups, so he decided to aggressively book the band to the point where we were playing about 90 gigs or more a year which left very little, if any time for me to play with anyone else, and that was totally fine with me.
Also – I tried to include the Pedal Steel whenever I could, but some gigs I was hired as a 6-string guitarist, keyboard player, or on Bass Guitar, or combination of any or all instruments.

I’m proud of the reputation I’ve earned as a valuable band member to so many various bands throughout the years and am quite confident I would receive very good reviews and recommendations from most every Band Leader and other band members.

-- Marc

[Les Anderson]

Marc, I just looked at the number of bands you played or gigged with during any number of years. I must admit that I was a sticker and did not jump for band to band; only in my senior years did this become a happening.

I stuck with our small town country dance band for six years, during the fifties. I played with only one band during the very early sixties. I started a Jerry Murad take off band in 1962 because I played the full line of Chromatic harmonicas. I also did a tour stint with Jerry Murad and the wonderful Pearl Baily for 18 months in the mid sixties. Once the harmonica band appeal ran its course, 7 years, I went back to playing in a country music band. From 1969 until 1978 I played with one band in BC. It was not until the 2000s that I bounced around a bit. Most of it was because I play five different band instruments and was approached for different instrument use. The steel guitar demand is not only a rarity in our area, but the changing style of music offered me a great excuse for retiring from world of gigging. I still play daily at home and attend a few basement jam sessions now and then; however, the world of my style of music has vanished: and I don’t say that with a begrudging attitude.

[Herb Steiner]

Here in Austin Texas, bands are not marriages. With a few exceptions, there's not enough work for professional musicians to commit exclusively to one bandleader. So each bandleader may have his favorite player that plays the majority of the gigs, but should also have about a half dozen fill-ins for each instrument capable of handling the job adequately.

I'm not including the weekend warriors who do this silliness for grins or to get out of the house a couple times a month and don't actively seek out a variety of musical employment. I'm talking about guys who rely on music for a substantial part of their livelihood. We have to work wherever the gigs are, plain and simple, and that means many differing musical situations.

Comparing today to the gig situation fifty, forty, thirty etc... even 10 years ago... is looking in the retroscope and simply doesn't apply in this world we live in.

[Bob Hoffnar]

Like Herb said. In Austin I'm first call for a few bands and on the sub list for a bunch more.
It takes a band able to generate at least $2000 per month per guy to have committed full time players as far as I can tell. That is if they are using musicians without day job obligations.


As far as I can tell I got my gigs by owning a pedalsteel and showing up.

In NYC it is very different. The last thing you want if you are trying to make a living is to be "in the band". When I was asked to be in bands there it really meant they didn't want to pay my side man fee. It also meant unpaid rehearsals and band meetings which I didn't have time for.

[Les Anderson]

It's a far cry from forty to fifty years ago when a person who played "one" instrument could get paying gigs. Now days it seems, at least in our area, if you can't play at least two or three instruments with considerable proficiency, you can expect to sit at home and listen to others play.

[Keith Howard]

I guess I'm the weirdo here. I'm 48 years old and have only been in one "Band". We started when I was about 20, me and a buddy from school who is a great singer. Drummers, guitar players, piano players, steel players came and went. Sometimes we were "whole" for a few years and then someone would quit or get fired.

I started on Guitar and moved to Bass when I was about 24. We quit altogether for awhile to raise kids etc... but still got together a few times a year for a jam or a benefit.

About 6 years ago we started gigging pretty steady again. I was still on Bass.

Little over a year ago I bought a PSG and spent 8 hours a day/ 7 days a week playing it (my wife will say 25 hours a day / 8 days a week). Anyway, we found another Bass player and I moved to PSG. This upset our Piano player of the past 5 years (we had been friends for nearly 30 years) and eventually led to his leaving the band. Posted an ad on Craigslist, auditioned 3 and found one "good" keyboard player.

Our Drummer is one of the best in Ohio and the son of the late Deacon Morris (a great steel player from Ohio). Randall has been with us about 5 years. Our Guitar player is the young guy. He's 26 and LOVE's Merle Haggard. Great player, His dad and I were great friends before he died of cancer and now Dan works full time in my business and has played with us for 11 years. Started on drums and moved to guitar about 5 years ago when Randall came along.

SO- about 28 years, one band. Me and Rod have been the constants but then again, he is the singer, pickers change but the name stays the same because the "Smokin" Ham Band" will always mean Good Country Music and allot of fun.

These days we are a 6 piece that play out 2 to 4 times a month around central Ohio. Hope to see you at a show.

[Wesley Medlen]

I play lead, dobro 6 string lap and SD10. I played in bands for just donation's. Went to a cowboy church the steel player had cancer had to quit I was invited in. My pay is playing with one of the greatest groups with the greatest gospel music. No jealousie in this group playing for our savior. Wes

[Jack Dougherty]

I was the last one after everybody else....

[Larry Baker]

I guess my band hasn't found me yet, or I havn't found them???????