a gig from hell

Winnie Winston · From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ * R.I.P.

Just had to share this with the list...
Got a call from the Wellington Sinfonia. They have been contacted to put together a "country" band for an Australian singer who is coming to do a show in February. They somehow got MY name as a steel player. Can I make a rehearsal on Tuesday? Yes? "We'll mail you the music." So I get the music-- a big bunch of charts with LOTS of lead lines written out. Fat lot of good it will do, because I can't read on steel, and there were so many "DC al Coda" that I got lost. And LOTS in Ab or Db or Eb-- God knows why.
So...
Aside from the fact that the rehearsal was in an unheated space and I could barely play as my hands lost circulation....
Seems like this singer (and I'll use the term loosely) is a woman who does a "C&W show" (tells stories and sings songs in chronological order) is coming in to do her thing in February and asked the Wellington Sinfonia to put together a band for her.
NONE of the players knew the first thing about country, but they could sure read the charts. And the charts were EXACT-- all the intros and turn-arounds were written out, and the guitar player could sure sight read them.
There was NO interaction between the singer and the musicians. She knew what the charts were-- because THAT is what she wants to hear-- and just went over each song once to make sure the band was doing it right.
There was no discussion about who backs up when, and barely any chances to do any lead playing. There was an intro, two verses, two choruses, and out. No FEEL of the music at all.
Even in the past when I've played in pickup bands for Nashville acts that came to do local shows, the headliner ALWAYS talked to the band and let them "stretch out" at times. And they were always appreciative of getting a good "feel."
In this case, it seemed to me like she couldn't have cared less about the band, and the band couldn't have cared less about the music. It was just: "it says this on the chart and I'll play it."
Very weird hearing (on Loretta Lynn's stuff) the Hal Rugg steel parts written out note for note (almost), and being played by the lead guitar. These folks, I bet, have never heard the original tunes, and probably couldn't care less.
Competent? most certainly. Music? not really.
I got paid $200 for the rehearsal. That's as far as this one will go. I'm phoning them tomorrow to pull out. I got better things to do than play steel with people who don't care to listen to it and for a singer who couldn't care less.
Life is too short for this crap!
Hey Paddy Long! Interested? Drop me a line!

JW

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

welcome to the club, Winnie. Best wishes to you. CC

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

You got through the rehearsal and now you are going to not do the gig?!??

Sounds like lot's of gigs I have played standard guitar and bass on with lot's of singers. Just go play and do what you do. Sometimes gigs are just "show and blow" and put the check in the bank.

Personally I like to see a well written chart with everything on it. This singer must pick up bands wherever she plays and having the music done like this prevents more disasters than not having it.

I suggest you go do the gig. It's a better end to the story.

Matt Dawson · From: Luxembourg, Europe

In the immortal words of Buddy Cage:

"I'll put this as lyrically as I can: I won't work in shitholes, for shitmoney, paid by shitheads."
Buddy Cage http://www.thecoolgroove.com/cage.html

In your case the money wasn't so bad, but the principal stands!

On a serious note, I also pick and choose which gigs I do and don't do, but steel is my hobby. My wife, on the other hand, is a professional (classical) musician and it would not occur to her to turn down ANY reasonably paid gig, anymore than a plumber would refuse to install a sink because he did't like the bathroom.

[This message was edited by Matt Dawson on 20 July 2004 at 05:49 AM.]

[This message was edited by Matt Dawson on 20 July 2004 at 05:50 AM.]

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

$200 for just a rehearsal would make me happy. How much does the actual gig pay ? Sounds like a piece of cake. I'll trade you one of my gigs from hell for that one any day !

Bob

[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 30 July 2004 at 02:05 PM.]

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Sometimes you have to let your ego take a back seat.

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Bob H,
Maybe it costs $200 to park your car in Wellington.

Winnie,

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

I dunno, $200 for a rehearsal is about 10 times what I would expect to get from a normal gig, here in LA. I recently spent an afternoon on a session where the singer sounded like a cat being vivisected without anesthetic.

Even so, I never get used to being disposable labor....

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

If I, as a bandleader, paid someone $200 for a rehersal

then they canceled out on the show, I would feel very offended and ripped off.

I don't think I'll ever have to worry about that in real life.

IMO, you took their money and time, you owe them a performance at their show.

If you don't like it, say no the next time.

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

Winnie....I understand!

I recently accepted a gig with a touring group from California, and when I received the charts it was a musical score.

Fortunately, a CD was included and I was able to make a "numbers" chart from it.

..but then, we performed on a stage in the street, and I was unable to hear the cues for my intro's!

This had a lot to do with my decision to give up active performing!

Gene Jones www.genejones.com

Al Udeen · From: Hendersonville Tn

Hi Winnie! That gig reminds me of a Miss Minnesota show I played with a local gal, "Marilyn Sellars" who had a big hit with " One Day At A Time" the gig was at the St.Paul auditorium, there was a rehearsal in the afternoon & the show that night, I had to work with several members of the St.Paul Symphony, when they passed out the music, which I cant read, one of the old Fuddy-Duddys said, dont you read music? I said no, but I know her songs! He said, You can remember all her songs? I said yes, but if she does something new, I write out a number chart, & he said whats that,I said thats what the Nashville studio musicians use, & their the best musicians anywhere, The guy didn't talk to me anymore, but just shook his head when I played all the intros & turnarounds, Since then I chose to play mostly in Honky-Tonks, au

Ivan Posa · From: Hamilton, New Zealand

Winnie. I am sure Paddy would love to have this gig. He is dying to try out his new Zum somewhere....IP

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Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

Shoot, Winnie, 2 bills is a LOT more than we made at Union Grove, isn't it! I gotta say, though, given my current financial status, I'd FORCE myself to make the gig, for that kind of money!

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Well Winnie, I sympathize and agree with you. I'm the same way, sometimes. If you don't need the money, and the gig's going to be a pain, why do it? I've played gigs in the past that I wouldn't repeat for 5 figures worth of money! The way I look at it, after doing over 9,000 gigs, I've earned the right to say "No, thanks!"

No fun is no fun.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

I've worked with orchestras a time or two and here's the dilemma, as I see it: it costs the producers sooo much to pay all those orchestral musicians for a rehearsal that often (unless it's a really big name conductor with a big name orchestra) there is ONLY ONE rehearsal! Thus, if you go to the rehearsal and then back out of the gig, you leave them in the lurch, having to play the performance with an instrument they don't know, a player they don't know, music the player probably can't read either, and no rehearsal! I think the lesson here is to inquire about written music in advance of accepting the gig. As for whether the orchestral players will have a "feel" or give a damn about country music, well, that one goes without saying!

Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

Hey Winnie,
In 1984 I took a job 5 nights a week at a club called the Pines club in Anchorage, Alaska for pretty good bucks, which I kept for about a year or so.
But the real hanger upper on this was, that I had never met the club owner and took the job long distance.
When I finally got to the club, a musician
friend of mine took me in to meet the club owner for the first time. I reached out my hand to shake his politely and he said "I just want you to know, I HATE STEEL GUITAR with a passion and the only reason I hired you was because I couldn't find a guitar player.
Well, needless to say, this started off pretty rocky, but I was determined to see it through. Then to top that off, there were chairs right up under the front of the bandstand where people would sit and watch the band, and this ignorant SOB used to sit right in front of me every other night just to try and freak me out. Well, I stayed there for about a year and that was all I could take, what a fun gig that was. When I got back home, I gave up music for almost 11 years because of that, and I have been back playing for about three years now and love it, and I don't take gigs like that anymore. Oh, and I almost forgot , this gig was almost 80% rock and roll , so I played a lot of fuzz tone and chorus on the gig, it wasn't much fun, but I really needed the money at the time.
Gene

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

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

What's the U.S equivalent of $200 in New Zealand dollars?
Why was it so cold?

They handed me a stack of sheet music for the Patsy Cline show I did.
I made a song list with Keys and a few notes like "Kick the Steel Intro after Patsy says XYZ".
Needless to say... a few nights over that 16 weeks I forgot to kick the steel intro to I Fall To Pieces, and... talk about an awkward silence.

C'mon Winnie, go play the gig and let us know how it goes!
Have some fun with 'em.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Hi Winnie -- Oh boy don't you just love those orchestra gigs !! But I'm up for it, I can read reasonably well so if they want to fly me and my new Zum up to Wellington thats fine with me!! and they will need to pick up the excess weight tab for the steel, NV1000, and Pak Seat !! I will send you a PM

cheers Paddy

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Pete,
$ 200.00 NZD = $ 130.343 USD

Winnie or Paddy,
I hope one of you do it and post a report.

"That which does not kill us, only makes us stronger" - Shiver Metimbers

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Pete, remember when it's summer here (in the U.S.A.), it's winter in the southern hemisphere. July is the "cold month" down there!

"That which does not kill us...could cripple us!"

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

It sounds as though you just had an encounter with the world of professional music...

RR

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

I can see both sides of this one, Winnie. I've noticed from your other posts your comments about the dearth of PSG work down your way- I'm pretty sure blowing off this gig won't help much with that. It seems like I've always made some good business contacts at some of the most painful gigs!

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

Turn brain off, go to autopilot...., collect paycheck. Sounds like manufacturing.

[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 21 July 2004 at 10:43 AM.]

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Winnie...this year alone I've had to endure a few paid rehearsals where my first inclination was to back out after the first "black page" was handed to me. After being talked back into doing each various show, I've always ended up feeling a sense of accomplishment and musical satisfaction in every case. As a plus, I've gotten to be a better reader on steel and meet and do future gigs with other really great musicians. This is just my own experience. I don't mean to sound preachy, especially to someone as great and highly respected as yourself.

In my mind, gig's from hell are more like the all too common ones that Buddy Cage was talkng about.

Al Vescovo · From: Van Nuys, CA, USA * R.I.P.

IMHO that is the precise reason I insist that Steel Guitar players learn to read music. Either one is a professional or not. If one accepts money for a job, one should be able to perform with no excuses. There are some musicians who are Steel Guitar players and there are some Steel Guitar players who are not musicians. For me this rings true. A true story-Once I was asked to play at the Hollywood Bowl for Leonard Bernstien with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. I was asked to play Banjo and Electric Bass. I informed the contractor that I was not a bass player. He in turn said "You will only have to play I & V notes, there won't be a problem." I had to borrow a Fender Bass. I got to the rehersal and was sat up in the cello section, which was about 70 ft. away from the pianist. The very first piece that was played was using the Fender. I opened the music and the part was black with notes up and down the fret board. Well you know what happened. I stepped all over it espically when it was just piano and bass col. I probably only got 50% percent of the notes and it just was not going to work. I never got to play banjo, which I play quite well. So, on the break I went to Maestro and appologized, explained the situation, which he understood and said "don't let it bother you". Next I went to the contractor and let him know it was not going to work. He was OK with it. In turn they hired another musician and then decided not to use the Electric Bass. So, it's ironic how things work out sometime. I still worked for the contractor on other jobs, movie scores, etc, but it was on instruments that I could play. So, if one takes a playing job, be a Boy Scout, "BE PREPARED". Al

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