The Steel Guitar Forum

Big ticket prices.

And of course most clubs were rather weak in
encouraging and facilitating Designated Drivers.

I saw more than a few bouncers helping drunks
to their cars,
just to get them outa their hair.

Back when I was in Portland, Or I think the all nude bars did a number on live music. Sex out sells live music any day of the week!

Yeah, I'd rather see a "nekkid" girl anyday of the week than a bunch of hairly legged musicians........JH in Va.

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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

Me too.

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

ZB Custom S-10 (#0509)

I think a nude karaoke bar would be a big hit!

Not much left to try after that!

The last thing I want to see is
60 year old japanese men
nude, high on Saké,
and singing I Did It My Way....

Now 3 nude Japanese girls that sing
like The Trio... That I would go see.

I'd say when playing records and cd's became an "art form", and clubs that used to hire live bands now hire "DJ's".....

Regarding the pressure from MADD and the issue of more strictly enforced DUI laws killing live music, how do you explain clubs full of young people drinking all night listening to a DJ? They all have to drive home, too. Seems the only difference is the music: live versus CD. Seems here in Portland the bar owners all agreed that $300 a night is about average. I assume DJ's are considerably cheaper.

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

ZB Custom S-10 (#0509)

That seems like a fair point...

I don't know what effect Karaoke has had on the performance of live music other than I cannot stand to listen to 99 percent of the people who try and sing to it. Two things I don't do. One, I don't go out and dance to DJs, because I quit going to Sock-Hops at age 13; and two I don't go to bars to hear amateurs vocally butcher a song that I may liked before I heard their pathetic attempt to sing it.

I think more people are going out more today than years ago.Older people, younger people more cars Etc. I see people in their 80's on the dance floor. If you got somthing they want to hear, they will come out to hear live music.There is alot to go around,but there is more competition today. You have to work harder and the band has to try to sound better Play what they want to hear or they( bars and clubs) will book a DJ. Joe www.willowcreekband.com

<SMALL>how do you explain clubs full of young people drinking all night listening to a DJ?</SMALL>

Their version of "drinking all night" is usually having a few beers. They rarely drink whiskey or cocktails. The bar makes a fraction of what they make with an older crowd drinking more cocktails, whiskey, etc. It'll pay for a DJ or Karaoke guy, not usually enough for a band. I've had club owners tell me themselves, with a club stuffed FULL of young people, that they were taking in next to nothing compared to what they make from an older crowd.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 13 October 2006 at 08:15 PM.]</p></FONT>

First mistake, Jim, you believed a club owner tsk. tsk.

That makes sense, Jim. I know all my kids and their friends are big beer drinkers. They never drink hard stuff. And they're more into kegs than bottles or cans.

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

ZB Custom S-10 (#0509)

Yeah, believing a club owner may be naive, ha ha.... but I've heard this many many times over the years from owners and also bar managers who at least seemed pretty decent. I remember the first time I heard this, playing in a club that was packed, all young people. We remarked to the manager something like, "wow, great night, eh?" He said, "you'd think by the crowd, but no.... kids don't drink more than a few beers, some even just cokes.... the bar's making nothing...." <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 13 October 2006 at 08:22 PM.]</p></FONT>

Bands are often much louder than Djs
and CDs don't make mistakes.

Karioke is a participation thing,
bands tend to get riled if somebody
wants to join them on stage uninvited...

I can " be the star"
Often they get points from friends
just for having the nerve to get up and do it.

Unfortunately, the whole [oldish, maybe] personna of country music had drinking at it's core [along with many other things], but drinking was definitely THE catalyst.

So when MADD came along and caused a big watering-down of one of the essential ingredients of country, the bottom did fall out.

Everyone started to "behave". Took the edge right out of the whole scene, in most places.

Worse yet about the law - cops would often check out a known drinking establishment early-on in the day [early evening] and make a note of the vehicles in the parking lot. They would keep making rounds and basically be clocking how long the vehicles were there. You can figure the probable outcome.

Drunk driving, for sure, is bad news, but drinking is a big part of country. Isn't it?

That's why some of the newer stuff rings untrue, in a way.

Alan & 'ole Jimmy down there in the islands
begging for a "Hurricane" and not giving a hoot about time or the consequences says a lot.

A lot of what? I still wish it was that carefree and simple, as it used to be. That's what, and it's not.

Anyway, the whole fun of country and country bars has been diluted. People still drink and
and weep in their beers over lost loves; a friend's death; Mom; Dad; and on and on.
They still go to bars. But there is this cloud now over the bar scene, that everyone is aware of [mostly] - The Watch Your Step Cloud.

As mentioned above, why go out anymore? You're just a sitting duck.


<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by CHIP FOSSA on 14 October 2006 at 07:18 PM.]</p></FONT>

As I see it from my part of the country, there are three things that killed live music. #1, the club owners trying to get away with paying nothing for something, # 2, the drinking laws came into affect and #3 was the final straw, the NO Smoking laws. People would rather stay home and drink and smoke in their own living room, I am a non-smoker, but I know this had a huge affect on live music.
Gene

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If You Keep Pickin That Thing, It'll Never Heal!

The non-smoking deal is in effect in Washington, and Oregon is sure to follow soon.

The big local country watering hole in Portland -- Jubitz -- went non-smoking a while back. They have a designated smoking area, but the main stage/dancing area is non-smoking and is working quite well. Sure is nice not smelling like an ash tray when I go home.

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

ZB Custom S-10 (#0509)

There seems to be less interest in people playing instruments. One day you will ask someone what they play and they will give you the name of a computer.
Plus, the drunk driving, the Karaoke, the web. Do you realize that Karaoke only came to the states in 1982 or thereabouts? Sometimes, when I am singing at the rest homes, the help will blow me off cause they view me as a "Karaoke Singer". Guess they didn't see Barbra Streisand singing with her
(karaoke) tracks on Oprah....