Gig Lessons for Ambitious Musicians
This is a post by associate editor Geoff Young.
Hi, my name is Geoff and I usually blog knucklecurve.com blog about baseball because it is one of the great passions in my life. Music is another. I mainly consume these days, but through most of the ’90s and up until mid-2005, I played in working or semi-working pop and rock bands in the San Diego area.
My primary instrument is guitar, and I also sing — though some would debate the latter point. I’m honored that Arjun has asked me to share some gig stories from days gone by. Not all of these cast me in the most flattering light, but I hope you will find them entertaining and possibly also be able to learn something from my experience. Enjoy…
Know Your Equipment
I was playing in an originals band in the mid-’90s. We’d rehearsed a lot at our bass player’s house and we were feeling pretty good headed into our first show. Everything started out fine, but then we got to a song that starts with clean arpeggiated chords. I was running a mid-’70s Les Paul through an early-’70s Fender Twin Reverb. That amp has the cleanest tone I’ve ever heard, but I had to push it a little harder to fill up a larger room with lots of people in it. Crackle, crackle, crackle.
I’m told that it wasn’t as audible in the audience as it was onstage, but it freaked me out and I — big no-no — stopped the song. We eventually made it through okay, and at the end I raised my fist skyward a la Derek Smalls at the end of “Stonehenge,” which got a laugh. The next day I went out and bought a new amp.
Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Private parties are tricky, especially if they’re outdoors. One time I just managed to avoid a very drunk, very large individual who was teetering toward me; unfortunately the amp I was using wasn’t so lucky. Thankfully neither he nor the equipment was hurt. That could have gotten ugly real quick.
Another time — and this is the only other time I’ve ever stopped a song — the host’s sprinkler system went off while we were playing. I felt drops and yelled out; we killed the amps and the host scrambled to turn off his sprinklers. Good times.
Make Friends with Your Co-workers
When you’re playing a club, do you think of the doorman and the bartenders as your co-workers? You should; if someone, e.g., jumps on stage while you’re playing, you’ll want backup. Be cool to the folks who are working the club — they have to put up with this stuff every night and don’t need your attitude — and they’ll be cool to you.
On a related note, I once saw a couple get into a fistfight directly in front of me during a song (we played some interesting venues). As the song was winding down, the doorman came in and dragged the two of them out. We then launched into our next number, which I sang: “Bad Case of Lovin’ You.” As you might imagine, I had some trouble delivering the lines.
There’s always more to tell, but a guy has to stop somewhere. Happy playing!
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