The Steel Guitar Forum

Be glad you're not moving to Florida. There are pockets of country music but very few "sitdown" jobs. Most are a night here, a night there, etc. But the majority of jobs are one or two pieces and not country. The pay is nothing to write home about either.

But it's all over. I used to live in Kansas City, Missouri and when I left in late 96 I don't think there was a place left that had a band 5 or 6 nights a week. The weekend gigs had also tailed off unless you wanted to play for $25 or $30 a night. I was working with a band that only did clubs and the minimum they would book for was $70 per man (four pieces). We played an average of 4 gigs a month.

Myron,
Possibly a regional problem.
My band plays the southern Indiana and southern Illinois clubs. My definition of clubs are the VFWs, Legions, Moose, Elks, Owls,etc. We play as much as we can stand. We average 5-6 gigs a month because that's about all we old guys can take, but we could do 8-10 if we wanted.
In this region, the Karaokes are popular in the bars and not as much in the clubs.
The older folks who frequent and belong to these organizations just like the old music and a live performance.

We also have a unique, charming, and charismatic front man who involves the crowd in our performances. We have to turn down about 20% of the offerings we get because of date conflicts.

Perhaps we're just in a good area. I'd like to think we have something different and special to offer our client's and are unique in that way. I've seen so many bands that just play music and never get to know the crowd personally. They're very good at the music but don't relate to the people.
We're not the best musically, but we have fun with the people because they've become our friends.

Good luck and keep tryin'.

Tony Orth

After 30 years of playing 6 nites a week and one-nighters, I have the perfect situation. I play in a Hotel 2 blocks from home, doing a jam on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as part of a trio. We pack the joint on Saturdays and when the bikers come thru on Sundays it's quite busy too. We have a charismatic front gal that cracks people up and her beautiful daughter to look at. They're super people to work with and I'm free to play one-niters, only if they pay. I also run my own home studio. Life is sweet, for a while.

Myron,

It's gotten that way all over.

2 years ago I left Wenatchee, Washington because the picking jobs had completely dried up, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Last July I moved from Phoenix because of the lack of work for us old pros.

Now, if you are a young rock and roller you can join a modern country band and play a few nights a month. Most of the 'country' music there is modern country. That means that it is really rock and rollers playing 'country'. You will rehearse more than you work. Every song you will play note-for-note right off the record and for $50 a night. There are exceptions, but this is the rule. I wouldn't work under such restricting conditions.

Most of the bandleaders that I talked to only wanted young musicians. Of course, that would leave me out, along with many of the great ones like Buddy Emmons, John Hughey, Weldon Myrick, etc.

So, I moved to Port Aransas, Texas. Luckily I have a real good situation here working a duo but it is one-in-a-thousand.

The only reason I can still make a living playing music is because I do a one-man-show or duo as well as playing steel and/or lead with bands. Even so, I still suppliment my income with teaching music and playing on and/or producing recording sessions.

Good luck, what ever you decide.

JPJ

It's the DJ's that are stealing our jobs!
Pure and simple.

Myron,
That seems tp be the trend.DWI,increased check points,DJ and Karyoke.I just found a "Sit down" 2 nighter but off one weekend a month..Family non-alcholic. It used to have alcohol..but the ownwer (&and lead singer) had to stop to stay afloat because of "officials" harrasment..that's the way the ball bounces
BH

Sit down jobs seem to befew and far between. In Austin Herb Steiner and Bert Rivera have the closest thing to sit down jobs that I know of. I think the key is to play all kinds of music.I play 4 times a month with thw WS band, 4 times w/' 4 piece pop combo,5 times w/ a hawaiian group. and three or 4 times by myself with trax.That is about 20 to 24 times a month and and I believe the diversification pays off.I would still prefer a 5 nite a week sit down job however. Less strain on the back you know.

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It's like that in Southern California too. There used to be dozens upon dozens of clubs everywhere, Now there are only a handful left. Some have gone to kareoke, some have closed or just gone dark, some have changed over to Mexican music.

Part of the reason is stricter DUI laws. Part of it is cable and satalite TV and the proleration of movie and sports channels, and part of it is the closure of the auto assembly plants which moved to Mexico, causing a shift on the population. The audience for country music has pretty much moved away.

Some of the few clubs that have survived, seem to be doing well, probably because they are the only ones left. But there is not a lot of club work for country pickers in this part of the world.

That area Myron use to be a Hotbed for good bands. I use to love it when I had a night off and could go listen to the likes of Willow-Creek,,Clean Living.Don Belangers group with Jim Armanti.So many great Pickers up there that never get their due like Jim Armanti,Doug Beaumire,Jim Roule,Sam Gibson,Don Otis to name just a few.

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CJC

If you want to work full time at music and make a living,move to Nevada - Reno or Vegas and play the Casinos.There's all kinds of live music being played and if you're good,you can wiggle into the better scenes pretty quickly.There are a lot of shows that just stay in one spot for years.Even if you're just a hack,you can play around the smaller towns in Nevada and make a living.The whole state economy is based on various forms of entertainment.

Hey Joe thanks for the kind words. The live music scene in New England and elsewhere is nothing like it was in the 70' and 80's. Back then every town and city had several clubs with live music. In the Springfield MA area there were a lot of places that had house bands 5, 6, or 7 nights a week. I did 7 nights a week for 5 years. Monday and Tuesday at the Ranch House and Wed - Sun at Billy T's. Joe you did that routine too.

Nowadays I do about 4 gigs a month and that's plenty. My guitar students at Downtown Sounds and at Williston prep school keep me busy 5 days a week, so who needs loud smokey bars anyway?
The gigs are few and far between now. And the bands have to travel further from home to find work. I feel bad for the young budding players who don't have the opportunities to play live that we had.

Joe, do you remember NORM'S in Groten CT? I played there last night with a country band. It's called Boomer's now. See what I mean about the travel?
I'm just doing fill-ins nowadays and occasional gigs with the Lonesome Brothers It's an all-original "alternative country" band with Jim Armenti and Ray Mason. I've recorded 3 CDs with them, and we've got a good local following of young folks!


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www.dougbsteel.com


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 25 March 2001 at 09:24 PM.]</p></FONT>

I play steel in the New England club scene just about every weekend. It is not as busy as it was in the 70's and 80's. But one thing to keep in mind is that a baby born in 1980 is legal drinking age now. We are talking about a scene that was happening a LONG time ago !

Doug,
I play at Boomer's in Groton sometimes. Its one of those clubs that gives me that
"what has my life come to" feeling

Bob

Hey Doug,How can I get one of those CD"S with you JiM and RAy. I Guess the Yankee Rythm Band is no longer? You must have one heck of a sound.You guys should get most of the Studio work. Downtown Sounds wow I remember the flyers they sent out glad they are still hoping,Heck Northhampton always was a musicians town.

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CJC

I have seen many times where state and local police park their unmarked vehicles near the vicinity of the local joints I'm picking at. One evening I had parked my red Mustang out front. The cops must have concluded that the owner of the red sports car, me, must be really ripped since my car had been parked out front all night. They were half-right. As soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, they pulled me over and as I rolled down the window of my car, the patrol officer was hit with a typical bar room stench, booze and cigarettes. He asked me how many drinks I had and I responded, "NONE!" He said you're wrong cause I smell alcohol. What he smelled was my wife, who consumed more shooters, you can fill up a bathtub with and she was cursing like a merchant marine. I had to take the sobriety test even though I volunteered to take a breathalyzer, I wanted to speed things up and go home. He finally let me go and the bar went out of business the next month.

Gary Lee

The DWI crackdown is all over. Our band lost a job in KC one time because of that (the club went out of business). But here in Florida it's the tight club owners that won't pay for a decent band. It's not all of them but a good majority of them will only pay for a one or two piece "band".

Then we have to contend with the seasonal thing with the tourists and winter residents (snowbirds). My busiest months were Dec, Jan and Feb, primarily because of the snowbirds. After April, I don't have any bookings until November. There will be a few that come along but basically May through October is dead. There are some areas of the state that have tourists all year, like Orlando or some of the beach areas, but most of the state is seasonal.

I sympathize with you guys. It seems that if you kill or injure someone after you've been "drinking", they (figuratively) want to hang you! But, if you do the same thing out of stupidity ("I wasn't paying attention, or I was just going too fast...") it's no big deal. Go figure!

Well Myron,when you get to Phienix,you'll be able to really enjoy the weather,you will not be bothered by having to go play somewhere.They ain't no place to play here either.
Ray

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Steeling is still legal in Arizona

Myron,
That's the way it is....So if you do want to pick..you'll probably have to organize something something your self...Probobly a Family type function...Find a place ..get a band ..and get a crowd..
It's was nice seeing Dougs' post..Keep on pickin' all you Yankees..and us transplanted ones too
BH

Whew!!!!!!!

RayMan, that's just the kind of Response i like !
Steel goin'+ gettin' it !

Rayman, that's great that you are playing all you want. There are those, like you, that are doing well but it's the exception.

Tell someone like Wally Murphy that he he's not working 6 nights a week because he can't tune his guitar. Or tell Herby Wallace that the picking jobs dried up in Sevierville because the musician's can't play. Tell that to the guys in Nashville, that have forgot more than you or I will ever know, that are working for tips. etc, etc. And it's not because they "play out of tune" or are not playing tight arrangements.