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Topic: Company Christmas parties...possibly the worst crowds? |
Duane Reese
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 9:00 am |
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I think playing for a company's Christmas party might be one of the worst gigs you can do. It's worse than a bar gig because they paid for it so they think they should be able to do whatever they want with (or to) you, like hired pets or something...plus they seem to get way more drunk because of inexperience.
I played with a band at the singer's company Christmas party a while back, and I since told him that I'd never do that again (course I've since quit so I guess I really won't). Let me tell you that it was the most disrespectful bunch of jerks ever! Wanna be singers, people meddling with me while I'm playing or playing air guitar right behind me, spilled drinks and broken glass on the stage... The manager of the place even tried to get someone to fart into a mic (the higher-ups seemed to act the most childish...I wonder why...). I didn't go off on anyone because I didn't want my singer to have problems on the job, but I was getting mighty steamed.
Anyone else have any outrageous holiday party stories to share? |
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Steve Hitsman
From:
Waterloo, IL
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 9:08 am
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| The best gig I ever had was the Anheuser-Busch corporate Christmas party. |
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Roual Ranes
From:
Atlanta, Texas, USA
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 9:21 am
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| I used to play a lot of companie parties because we had an agent and we were part of a package deal. I loved it. There were people of many taste in what they wanted to hear so we got to play all styles. We seemed to always have to play overtime so I guess we did a good job. |
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Johnny Thomasson
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 12:56 pm
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Wow! Company holiday parties have always been the best gigs for me... good money, easy hours, etc. It hasn't been my experience that people get drunk at these events. That would be a really stupid thing to do if you stop and think about it. Yeah! Tell the boss what you really think. 
For me, wedding receptions have always been the worst. Now here is where people get drunk and obnoxious, and think they can treat musicians like the village idiot. I played one where the bride's father (the guy that hired us) insisted that his other daughter play a song on my fiddle. She was drunk on her ass, stumbled and fell, and broke my bow. It was a three star Vitale, not an inexpensive bow. He refused to believe that any fiddle bow could cost that much, so the best he would do was to "replace" it... with a fiberglass student bow he bought from a local music store. I just gave the damned thing away.
Another time, my wife had a friend in financial difficulty whose daughter was getting married. I "agreed" (you get the idea) to DJ the reception for them, gratis. The groom's parents, who I doubt were aware of the arrangements (me doing it free), treated me like I was some low brow hired hand all night. It shouldn't have mattered whether I was getting paid or not, you're not supposed to treat people that way. I swear, I came *this* close...
But... somebody wanting to fart in my mic? Now, that's where I draw the line. 
_________________
Johnny Thomasson |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 1:30 pm
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| Never, Never, Never play for or supply a Band for the Company you actually work for (your day job). However it turns out you will have to live with it forever. Also being you are an Employee, they think you should do it for free ! |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 1:34 pm
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When I worked for Mesa/Boogie (long ago), the band for the Christmas party was comprised of employees. That was actually a lot of fun, because even though we saw each other every day, we really didn't jam together very often. One time, Randy even joined in for a short jazz set on his flute.
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-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 2:05 pm
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well, not Christmas, but large regional meetings.
I have put together an employee based band easily half a dozen times and we are doing it again in May. Not a Country band, a Guitar based band singing basic rock and blues tunes...
Mostly we have fun . The band core unit consists of 3 or 4 of us who are regular players, actually the drummer is a friend of mine and we gig together now and then. We normally take a back seat to the guest singers and guitar players, we let them front the show because it really is all about having fun with reasonable music. we have a few short rehearsals, we know weeks in advance what songs we will attempt and if anyone gets stage shock no big deal, one of the core band members will step up and take the lead.
It can get out of control though, and one time it started to....
consider a company meeting with easily 600 employees in a grand ballroom..ego time....
One year we had 2 guest singers from another division who actually thought we were the back up band...we were there for them..that didn't go to good...at rehearsal I handed one of them my guitar and said..here ya go, have at it..you can back yourself...I'll sit out while you perform. I didn't care, I looked at him and said "do you actually think we dragged a few thousand dollars worth of gear half way across the US to back you up "? I proceeded to tell him and his buddy that we don't even need them, they were singing songs that any one of us could do without rehearsal...come on, Lay Down Sally? Dude...I did that when I was 5...
They made an immediate correction in attitude..after all was said and done they sang a few songs and had a good time like the rest of us, checked there Elvis suits at the door...
But, these things can get out of control if someone doesn't take the reigns.
The other times no issues , my wife came once and sang a bunch of classics..they asked her to come back and told me to stay home !!!!
Just kidding..
These can be really fun events...May will be a good time
me and my Texas buddy are already planning Pride and Joy and Hey Joe !
t
PS, the last time we did this was in San Antonio, we had groupies !
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Shane Glover
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 3:19 pm
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I sat in with a band for a BIG TIME christmas party once.
The party was for a Big Oil Co. out of Okc. We played at Remington Park Race track on the 3rd floor.These guys thought theirs did not stink.
They always played hideously loud.I kept trying to tell them we were more or less background music. They did not listen!! After the 1st 30 seconds of the 1st song the front two rows of tables emptied. These people got up and walked to the back of the room. Mind you all the big wigs sat up front.
I could not help it!! I started laughing and bit my tongue to keep from saying I told you so.We ended up playing most of the night for about 10 or 15 of the band leaders buddies.I still chuckle when I think about it !!
Shane
_________________
Buncha CRAP !! But someday Ima get me some good gear !! |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 13 Feb 2010 4:01 pm
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| Johnny Thomasson wrote: |
Wow! Company holiday parties have always been the best gigs for me... good money, easy hours, etc. It hasn't been my experience that people get drunk at these events. That would be a really stupid thing to do if you stop and think about it. Yeah! Tell the boss what you really think.
For me, wedding receptions have always been the worst. Now here is where people get drunk and obnoxious, and think they can treat musicians like the village idiot. I played one where the bride's father (the guy that hired us) insisted that his other daughter play a song on my fiddle. She was drunk on her ass, stumbled and fell, and broke my bow. It was a three star Vitale, not an inexpensive bow. He refused to believe that any fiddle bow could cost that much, so the best he would do was to "replace" it... with a fiberglass student bow he bought from a local music store. I just gave the damned thing away.
Another time, my wife had a friend in financial difficulty whose daughter was getting married. I "agreed" (you get the idea) to DJ the reception for them, gratis. The groom's parents, who I doubt were aware of the arrangements (me doing it free), treated me like I was some low brow hired hand all night. It shouldn't have mattered whether I was getting paid or not, you're not supposed to treat people that way. I swear, I came *this* close...
But... somebody wanting to fart in my mic? Now, that's where I draw the line. |
Another great gig: remember the CB radio Coffeebreaks back in the 70's. You had to play in a gym while kids were bouncing a ball, and they'd do cake walks and some guy would talk for 30 minutes about a cake......... I was young and really enjoyed it. 
Yep, Wedding's  Got to be there early because they don't want people to see you setting up. Then "stand over there in the corner and play some quite music while the people are coming in". Then after you play the wedding march on the fiddle, you have to back up the brides cousin Joe that just got out of the pen, and he wants to sing a Tony Bennett song that you've never even heard. Then the reception where people think because you can play some music that you can do any of the songs they hear on the radio and all the rock standards, etc.... Then they have to take thirty minutes to make pictures and they don't want you to tear down because they want to have the speakers, amps, mics, etc... in the picture so they can brag about having a band at the wedding. All this time, nobody is paying any attention to your music. You get finished, pack up and get your $50 and go home.
The key to being successful on weddings is to practice, practice, practice........... not the music, that don't matter,......... practce playing and looking like you're having a big time so the pictures and videos will look nice.
Expensive fiddle bow? Most people think that $200-$300 would be an expensive bow. They can't imagine a bow costing as much as their cars, but they think every old fiddle that belonged to someone's grandpa, etc... is worth a fortune, but in 99% of the time not worth more that $200, tops.
Just saw an ad for a fiddle on Craig's list that said it had a label in it saying it was a Strad, but the guy did't think the label was real. Duh........ Here's the good part: He said since it didn't say "copy" it had to be older than 1927 (I think) because that's when "they" made them start putting "copy" on the label.
Gotta go now to play my $1500 fiddle, $3000 bow and $2000 steel guitar and make my $50 bucks.
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