Do you play gigs in bars?

[jim_n_virginia]

We don't play bars. Tried it a few times and can't handle the drunks. So we have been sticking to festivals, private and public parties, Farmer Markets, weddings, eatery's and stuff like that.

Anybody else not do bars? Are we missing anything? We could probably play out more if we did but we stay busy enough without them. Is the pay better playing in bars?
Do bars and pubs pay better than family type venues?

Last bar we did a drunk tried to grab a mic and sing with us and the crowd thought it was funny. The management didn't say a peep, I guess the guy was a regular.

Luckily the female lead singer can go from sweet to worst nightmare in 15 seconds and got him off the stage! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Rick Cadger]

we play mostly bars (or 'pubs' as we quaintly call them in England http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ).

we don't have any problem with drunks for several reasons:

1) most of the venues are rural and the drunks are fairly mild
2) most of the venues are regular gigs and the people know us and wouldn't ruin our gig
3) the banjo player, singer and percussion guy are large bikers, and the rest of us are pretty big too
4) most of the drunks are on the stage playing to begin with...

seriously, we actively encourage audience participation, and take along a collection of quiet percussion items (shaky eggs etc) to divert would-be limelight seekers.

never had a single problem playing a bar.

When I was in a band the bars paid more than any of the other places. Festivals and such usually expected the small bands to play for free in exchange for the publicity. Private parties never wanted to pay much and a lot of them thought the band should be willing to play for food.

Back then you couldn't make a living if you wouldn't play in bars.

[MikeEdgerton]

We play bars, and the drunks that come up and sing are a part of the territory. Don't expect the management to do anything because that drunk is paying the bills. You learn how to adapt and hone your customoer service skills. We use a single condenser mic so it's worse. They can stand in front of us and still be heard.

[Ken Berner]

No, simply because the musicians that I play with want to be listened to, not shouted over by boistrous conversationalists.

[John Flynn]

I am not currently playing in bars, but I have several times. Here are the downsides for me: You reek of smoke when you are done. Being an ex-smoker of nearly 20 years who later developed asthma, I'm afraid I am somewhat militant about that. Drunks yell "Freebird" and other drunks want to play along. I have had drunks join us on washboard, spoons, saw and of course, vocals, all done badly.

I much prefer coffee houses. I play occasionally at a coffee house on Sunday morning and the audience is serene and appreciative. It is something like the opposite of playing in a bar.

[MikeEdgerton]

The bars in New Jersey are smoke free, that's why we're playing them now.

[Tim2723]

We make probably 90% of our living in bars, but they tend to be long-term contracts with places like Marriott Hotels where you're in the same place every week for years at a time (one job was every Friday for 11 years). They also have security gaurds that handle the problems. We don't do festivals, but we play one charity gig a year at the performing arts tent at the N.J. State Fair since it's held in our county and the local Arts Council runs it. It's a lot of fun though. We played three shows for them this year. You make a lot of friends that you only get to see once a year, so it's cool.

[Tim2723]

The bars in New Jersey are smoke free, that's why we're playing them now.

Halleluiah Mike! #I'm even a smoker and an advocate of smoker's rights, but I just love the smoke-free bars. #Sooo much easier to play.

[allenhopkins]

Played bars for years, when I was younger. Those were the smoky days, and I'd come home smelling like an ashtray, though I never smoked myself. Main problem to me was the hours. We'd get done at 1 a.m., and I'd have to strike the PA, pack up the instruments, drive home, unload the vehicle. Never got to bed much before 3 a.m. Hard to balance with a day job, which I had at the time.

Also, it did get a bit discouraging when people were treating the music as background only, yakking away, hitting on each other, playing video games, or watching sports on a wide-screen TV (the management was thoughtful enough to kill the audio, but still...). We had our following of fans and friends, but sometimes it was hard to get the music out through all the distractions.

I agree, coffeehouses are better as far as attention goes, but the hiss of those espresso machines can really kill the mood of a slow, bluesy, low-volume number.

[AlanN]

(the management was thoughtful enough to kill the audio, but still...).
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Timbofood]

We only do a couple of them and they are almost completely smoke free. I used to get out of the gig, unload equipment and take a shower before I would go see my girlfriend. It was late when I got there but, she appreciated the lack of "ashtray cologne". Now, I'm married, bars are smoke free, 40 lb heavier. The price of beer at these gigs has taken its toll(40 lb.) During the good weather we play in the beer garden, winter time, inside. Now I want a beer!

[Rick Cadger]

hmm... this is all interesting.

a couple of thoughts prompted by what people have said:

i agree about the smoke thing - yuk! fortunately, all bars and indoor venues in UK are now no-smoking. YAY! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

as for the musicians wanting to be heard rather than drowned by conversation... that really got me thinking. i don't know if it's a cultural thing, but the way we look at it is that if we're being paid then we provide what's needed, not what we want.

it is my preference (although usually not practical) to play acoustic sets rather than amped. that way the people who want to listen will come close and listen/sing/whatever, and those who want to have their conversations can do so at the far end of the bar without being swamped by more "entertainment" than they can handle. many times people have told me just how much they appreciate that difference between us and the rock band that played last week.

my ego is not such that i assume everyone must want to listen to every song i play.

[jim simpson]

"The bars in New Jersey are smoke free, that's why we're playing them now". Mike

Mike,
That's the situation here in WV. I would play in one if the situation would come up.
I played years ago in the smokey days and being a non-smoker, would get irritated by it. Stopped playing them and would stick to festivals, fire halls, coffee houses, etc.
It took a while for my mandolin case to loose "that smell".
Jim

[MikeEdgerton]

The last smoke filled bar I played in was the Crossroads at Asbury Park, NJ just before the ban took effect and just before they closed that historic venue. I'm not a smoker either so it tooks it's toll. We're a very vocal band and by the end of the night there wasn't much left for the harmonies. I wonder if the next generation of blues singers will have raspy voices?

[Ken Sager]

I play a bar gig every now and then, but usually under protest. The hours are the longest, pay the least, and I'm tired of seeing idiots do their George Clooney impersonations when they walk in to hear bluegrass-ish music being played.

At least Utah's bars are smoke-free, too. That makes it more palatable.

Years ago I played 4-5 bar gigs a week and make great money. During ski season in Utah there are a few places that always pack people in, even with cover charges. We always got the door plus a guarantee and the places were always packed. It was common to get between $300-450 a piece each night on weekends. $200-300 each on weeknights.

That was the 80's, and it was rock and roll. I wonder if I have that kind of stamina any more. I should try to find out...

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Fred Keller]

I join with the majority in my dislike of bar gigs--sound is usually awful, crowd is primarily there to drink (i.e., become drunk), and usually the pay is not commensurate with the work involved.

The biggest issue here in MN is that there is only one place in the state that I'm aware of that plays bluegrass regularly: a neighborhood pizza joint called Dulono's. While not a full bar, I don't enjoy playing there for the reasons I mention above. Bluegrass and acoustic music is not, overall, part of the bar scene up here. There are a handful of jazz clubs and plenty of Irish bars (although the "Irish" bands that play them often are borderline rock and roll groups) but just the one place for bluegrass and old time.

Coffeehouses are a better bet for musician and audience but playing for tips and a pound of coffee wears thin after a while. I don't denounce them--I have played them and continue to do so every now and again--but I get more of what I enjoy musically and monetarily playing festivals, orchards, dances and things like that.

[earthsave]

We do, and it always something different. We have one of our best shows, and one of our worst shows at the same bar. It all depends on who shows, how much they've had to drink, and our expectations, which I've found tends to be the dominant factor in the we perceive how well a show went.

Private parties pay the best, with bars second.

[Big Joe]

I don't play in bars for all the reasons mentioned. If I am going to play I want someone to enjoy the music...even if it is only me. I will gladly play at festivals, parties, house gigs, churchs, community centers, coffee houses, but not anyplace where the main reason for being there is drinking. I just don't enjoy the environment. I figure if I'm not comfortable, then my mandolin or guitar or bass or whatever would not be either.

[mandocrucian]

The original post and all the responses are devoid of any stylistic context. (except by vague inference: "many times people have told me just how much they appreciate that difference between us and the rock band that played last week." OK so you are playing Celtic? singersongwriter? Klingon drinking songs?)

When I think "playing in bars", it tends to be electric C&W, rock etc.

Various clubs have a dual restaurant/bar function, but if the are serving a lot of food, are they really "bars" (like "Bob's" in the Blues Brothers movie).

If this is a strictly a bluegrass conversation, then maybe it ought to be parked over in the BG/CW section. #If it's a "General Mandolin" discussion, I think it might be courteous to make some reference in regards to what type music you are playing. #

NH

(Last I heard, Springsteen outsells all the BG acts rolled into one. So I guess Owensburg isn't the center of the universe after all.))

[TonyP]

I guess I didn't realize style was important as I just guessed everybody responding was playing acoustic and mandolin.
We play a variety of music from old country to Byrds, and bluegrass. Neither one of the bands I play in likes bars. I doesn't bother me if the audience is rapt or not, it's the confusion that's caused by the din that bothers me besides the generally lo vibe. I quit playing rock because it was just too loud(yeah, so what if I'm old, at least I'm not deaf like my rockin' buddy's)and if it's takes that kind of spl to get over the din, no thanks. And like Ken says, they are the worst gigs. They want you to play the latest, longest, and for the least amount. Good reason for me to stay away.

[johnsmusic]

We are the house band at a joint called Marsh Side Mama's on Dafuskie Island, SC. No bridges to it, so it is a 30 minute boat ride. We play everything from Hank Williams to Jimi Hendrix, old county, blues, and even a little bluegrass. Great lead guitar player, 2 rhythm guitars (one we turn down, the guy is a great singer but not much of a player, but he likes the prop). I play at mandolin and blues harp, depending on the song. For years, there was a 300 lb. potbelly pig that lived under the building that people would feed beer to, after 16 years, he passed away this summer. We play inside with NO air conditioning, the SC summers are brutal. Now being on an island that you have to make quite an effort to get to, people tend to loose all of there inhibitions. For a long time we had tons of photos on our website on exposed young (and not so young) ladies. Since we use the website to get work, we have taken those photos off. This is our third summer working this gig and I've gotta say that I have never been to another place like this in my life. John

[Treblemaker]

After reading this thread it makes me think that the bars of San Francisco (the straight ones that is) are fairly different from those in the rest of the country...

Playing in a band called "Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys," sort of necessitates a lot of music making in bars. But out here we have had nothing but fun, success and hilarity in taverns, brewpubs and the like for more than a dozen years.

The occasional drunk intruder doesn't bother us much as A) we outnumber them and B) we tend to entertain enough that the patrons deal with the unruly drunk.

Also, not all bars that host music are by nature hospitable, some go out of there way to supply meals and plenty of free beer.

San Francisco is imho fairly enlightened toward all forms of "good" entertainment.
I feel privileged to leave here though I am getting damn tired of fog and bored with losing sports teams...

Treblemaker
http://www.WorldWideTed.com
http://www.Brewglassboys.com

[allenhopkins]

If this is a strictly a bluegrass conversation, then maybe it ought to be parked over in the BG/CW section. If it's a "General Mandolin" discussion, I think it might be courteous to make some reference in regards to what type music you are playing.
OK, Nils, if you insist; it was an acoustic, but eclectic group, that did some blues, a bit of country/bluegrass, and some generic "folk." Nancy was a dynamite lead singer, played guitar, National Duolian slide, and 5-string banjo; I played guitar, harmonica, mandolin, Dobro, and even a bit of Autoharp. We had a lead (acoustic and electric) guitarist and a bass player.

We did enough "familiar" stuff off the radio to handle most requests, a lot of Bonnie Raitt 'cause Nancy loved her, some Flatt & Scruggs, a touch of country rock (Eagles, Pure Prairie League). "Jukebox Irish" around St. Pat's Day, etc.

So we could handle a variety of bar gigs, and we played some "dives" and some up-scale spots in malls. Never made much money ($100 each a night was a big payday -- but of course, this was the '80's).

It was nice when people listened, made requests, didn't hassle us. There's a feeling of fellowship about a good music bar. But the hours were long, and it sometimes was frustrating when the clientele couldn't be coaxed into paying attention. DJ's were coming in more and more, and they played familiar music LOUD for less money.

And with regard to your comment, Nils, I think a lot of what was said above could apply to many forms of music. I've had similar experiences playing straight bluegrass, Celtic, and "folkie-doke" material. Sometimes, regardless of the money involved, one feels unsatisfied providing "musical wallpaper."

[Paul Kotapish]

I usually turn down bar gigs for most of the bands I play in, which all tend--in various measures--towards the traditional-folk-music end of things (old-time, Irish, Quebec, Cape Breton, French, bluegrass, etc., with a full measure of Hunter/Garcia songs in one group). Even with the Grateful Dead/Celtic band, though, I don't much enjoy playing bars.

There are several acoustic-music-oriented bars in the bay area (Sweetwater, Plough and Stars, Starry Plough, Amnesion, McGrath's, et al), and several that specialize in specific idioms--Irish and bluegrass, for example, but none of them are great places to play.

I cut my teeth playing bars like the old Bayou in D.C. before I was even of legal age to be in the bars. We would load in before the bar was open but were confined to the stage and the "dressing" room backstage during regular business hours. Those five-hour nights were great for building endurance, and pretty heady gigs for a bunch of teenagers, but at this point I just don't enjoy the scene that much. It's just too much work to cut through the background noise and energy. Most folks come to bars to enjoy each other's company, and the music is a pleasant background for the primary activity of socializing. If I'm going to play background music, I'd rather do it at a wedding where the pay is many times higher, the food is better, and everyone is in a great mood.

The big exception are those few great venues that distinguish themselves as primarily music rooms that also serve alcoholic beverages, and I think those are often the best gigs. I think the key thing is the focus of the business. Most real bars want to keep the cover charge low and sell a lot of drinks, and I've usually found that neither the pay nor the audience nor the overall aesthic experience justifies the hassle of playing in those venues.

Niles brings up an interesting point, though. If you are armed to the teeth with an arsenal of electric gear, a great drummer, and an aggressive repertoire, it can be a lot of fun to overwhelm a partying crowd and sweep them into the music. Trying to do the same with an acoustic guitar and mandolin is considerably less charming most of the time.

Just one guy's opinion.

PK

The original post and most of the replies are devoid of stylistic context because it is possible to have a conversation about the music business without needing the specifics of type of music being played.

[Rocky Top]

I do probably 95% of my pickin' at church and the other 5% at jams or festivals. I've never set foot in a bar and never aim to. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Kevin Briggs]

I think bars are well-suited for 20-somethings, as far as gigs go. My general assumption is based on the fat that 20-somethings are often single, childless, and in a position where they are etching out a niche as far astheir career goes, so they have some flexibility. Plus, 20-somethings seem to have lots and lots of friends, since that age bracket is often a slightly more mature version of what goes in high school and/or college.

When I was 21-26, my main goal was to play in the best bars in town (Erie, PA - the Docksider). That's all I wanted, and I didn't have any illusions about becoming soem famous musician or whatever, which was different than many of my friends who thought playing a guitar would make them famous. By the end of that era of my life, I married my wife, began a public school teaching job, quit smoking, quit doing other things that involved heavy amounts of smoke, and started wanting to feel good when I woke up in the morning. By age 30, my current age, I've quit drinking, started exercising (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), and am celebrating my wife's second pregnancy. The last place I want to be is a bar when my beautiful daughter and pregnant wife are home sleeping. Not everyone feels that way, but I do.

My biggest gripes against bars are the hours, the smoke, and the management. The hours are late, the smoke stinks, and the management is too self-righteous.

[KNP String Band Mando]

I play bars alot in my college town, with full band and as solo act. Have had no real problem with drunks. I am a local and all the bar tenders know me and seem to take care of me. The only problem I have had with them is them asking for songs for me to play. There always that one guy that screams "Freebird". Then i respond with "theres that guy" or "Yea ill play that one next". Drunks just seem to go hand in hand with playin in bars. Just got to take them in stride and have fun with it. Also dont expect to be listened to especially in a colleg town where noone knows what your playing.

[Kevin Briggs]

My buddy Tom Takacs (Banjo in Tom's Kitchen Band) used to say, "Yeah, we'll play that one during the fourth set!"

I suggest learning "Freebird," and playing your guts out on it. It can be serious or satire. It doesn't need to be the full-blown, note for note solo version either. I used to be against this kind of stuff, but in a prior band we actually played "Every Rose Has It's Thorn," as a mockery of that power ballad mentality, and people thought it was great, funny, etc. It loosened people up, and they enjoyed our act more. If they were drunk enough they took it seriously and sang along.

I think Phish is a good example of a band that did popular covers, but did them their own way. For example, any jam band that covers a Neil Diamond song like "Sweet Caroline" is looking for a laugh. I know a lot of people don't like jam bands, but I do, and they taught me to loosen up when I play. It's all about you, your group, and the audience all having fun.

[JeffD]

There are bars and there are bars. I have had lots of fun playing in restaurant bars - where the folks don't seem to be as drunk. Also, as someone else mentioned, a bar that has a permenant music venue versus a bar that clears a corner for the occational musician or group - the former seems to work out better.

I will avoid a bar gig on St. Patricks Day - that is amateur night at the bars.

[AlanN]

For example, any jam band that covers a Neil Diamond song like "Sweet Caroline" is looking for a laugh.
Ah, but you haven't heard Bluegrass 45 do it - lo, all those years ago...

[mandocrucian]

The original post and most of the replies are devoid of stylistic context because it is possible to have a conversation about the music business without needing the specifics of type of music being played.

An acoustic band playing through mics is a whole different experience than all-electric with a drummer. Style is a big factor in the type of bar(s) that you may wind up playing in and the clientle frequenting the place. It can range from dives where stabbings are not that unusual, to college town food/beer/wine clubs to the Holiday Inn top-40 band circuit to the "animal circuit" (Moose, Elks, Owls, VFW etc) rock hell-pits, jazz clubs, "Irish' pub, disco, C&W dance hall....etc. etc.

And the musical styles one plays is quite often a reflection of one's overall personal philosphy on politics, religion, morality etc., not to mention age. Playing in bars is gonna be completely different for someone who likes to hang out in those same joints when they aren't playing than it is for somebody who'd rather be at the church fish-fry.

There are aspects in common which do cross economic brackets and styles, but suggesting that genre and those factors are mere secondary is rather myopic.

NH

[Pen]

I love those bar gigs. In Denver, the bars are smoke free (thankfully!!!!). They amount to 80% of our shows. Of course, we are fully amp'd w/ a drummer playing Rock/Blues/Jam music.

We've only had one problem with a drunk. Between shots & beers, he was loaded. Unfortunatly, that drunk was me. The show was recorded w/ a few camera's so I got to listen AND watch myself after the fact. That was the last time I ever tied one on during a show. The guys still make fun of some of the stuff I did. Example: During a Greatful Dead cover I was singing, I forgot a couple lines. My lips kept moving but no sound came out and my eyes sorta rolled back in my head. I perform MUCH better when I'm sober.

Anyway - bars are fun. We don't make a ton of money ($400-$500 a night), but they are consistent money.

Free Bird is one you should know in every genre you play. About 15-30 seconds of the intro, then go right into something else.

Drunks are already happy. It really doesn't take much to satisfy them as long as the bartender is on the ball.

[Rick Cadger]

The original post and all the responses are devoid of any stylistic context. (except by vague inference: "many times people have told me just how much they appreciate that difference between us and the rock band that played last week." OK so you are playing Celtic? singersongwriter? Klingon drinking songs?)...
to clarify my comment that you quoted, the difference the people like is the fact that the set is acoustic rather than electric, and thus allows civilised conversation without having to yell to be heard. the difference, in the cases to which i refer, has nothing to do with style/genre per se. that's why i typed "that difference" (specific) instead of "the difference" (vague).

for what it's worth, we do "Celtic", folk, bluegrass, blues, rockabilly, skiffle and some rock.

oh yeah, and we do play 'Freebird' and "Duelling Banjos" if people ask for them. we are there to entertain and have fun, not to indulge any serious musical aspirations at other people's expense.

[flatthead]

Um...I'll be there Friday night...:) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

We are the house band at a joint called Marsh Side Mama's on Dafuskie Island, SC. #No bridges to it, so it is a 30 minute boat ride. We play everything from Hank Williams to Jimi Hendrix, old county, blues, and even a little bluegrass. Great lead guitar player, 2 rhythm guitars (one we turn down, the guy is a great singer but not much of a player, but he likes the prop). I play at mandolin and blues harp, depending on the song. For years, there was a 300 lb. potbelly pig that lived under the building that people would feed beer to, after 16 years, he passed away this summer. We play inside with NO air conditioning, the SC summers are brutal. Now being on an island that you have to make quite an effort to get to, people tend to loose all of there inhibitions. For a long time we had tons of photos on our website on exposed young (and not so young) ladies. Since we use the website to get work, we have taken those photos off. This is our third summer working this gig and I've gotta say that I have never been to another place like this in my life. #John

[Siminole]

We play at a local bar/grill twice a week, don't really have much of a problem with it the owners are great people and run a "tight ship". Here in the central Florida area, a lot of retired folks from the larger northern citys and don't have a good understanding of Bluegrass (Generally). We play mostly old country and waltz time music.

Question for your Guy's that play bars/pubs.....Have you ever run across a "drunk patron" that didn't think they could really sing???http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[MikeEdgerton]

Question for your Guy's that play bars/pubs.....Have you ever run across a "drunk patron" that didn't think they could really sing???http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
I don't think any drunks inability to sing has ever entered the equation.

[woodwizard]

Coffee shops are cool to play not for the pay but you do seem to have good listeners there. We play mostly drinking places like restaurants w/patio's & lounges in Northwest Arkansas Fayetteville area ...down the college party avenue called Dixon street. Every big college has a street like that I'm sure. It's a lot of fun for us to play for the college scene. Especially in Arkansas Razorback country. Even Sam Bush did a show on Dixon street last year. The pay is not bad and it seems that's where we're getting hired so we're all making the best of it. I think we'd play almost anywhere just because we love to play. You can't complain when you're getting paid to do something you really like. The drunks haven't seemed to bother us. Ofcourse we've not had any real terrible things happen yet. But then again there are special gigs we get too rarely that make us proud like we are opening for Rhonda Vincent and the Rage this Wednesday at the Tontitown Grape Fest. Yeap! we're excited about that one.

[Timbofood]

I remember playing a not too big saloon here in Kalamazoo and without too much "POWER", we stopped all movement in the joint. Granted it was only for the last chorus of a song but, My point is it's not always volume, it can be content.
(at this time we had been together 16 years as a BG band) Yes, then there was smoking allowed. Fun to see pool cues being leaned on when you finish a song.

[JeffD]

#Fun to see pool cues being leaned on when you finish a song.
That right there is better than applause.

[Ken Sager]

To add more stylistic context... The worst bars to play in want R&R, or jam/funk. They pay nothing because there are a bazillion R&R/jam/funk bands doing that. I've been asked to sit in on e-mando with them and had fun, but got paid $25 bucks for 3-hrs work.

Funk that.

So, playing acoustic bluegrass-ish I get paid better in bars than playing plugged in. Playing acoustic at private parties, local concerts, festivals, etc., pays the best and are more fun.

I'd love to have a funk/jazz/jam band to play e-mando with, but where is that going to pay? I'll have to find out, I guess. I'm betting it won't be in bars.

Love to all,
Ken

[Evan Mahoney]

Good timing with the topic on places to play and not to play. I am just beginning to play out with an electric group as an acoustic mandolin amplified and often with effect processors included. I am looking forward to loosening up on stage, to play whatever: Celtic Roots and Reggae, Folk Garcia/Hunter, SCI Funk, (I havn't learned any Lynard Skynard because of their holding on to the Stars and Bars, although my new favorite song is the Band tune "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down." I think the line about chopping wood and taking the very best is compelling; and the bit about like my father before me I worked the land, and like my brother above me, I took a rebel stand. Meaning he didn't fight FOR slavery, but for his family and his heart). Freebird might be out, can we play another cliche like "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" when people shout out "Freebird?"

I like what someone said about being an entertainer on stage, that's why you are there. Until you are playing venues like Red Rocks or something where people come to hear you play, not to be out on a Saturday night, expect to have people talking and your music as an afterthought. Be grateful you are an afterthought, you really get to play what you want to then.
To generalize, people go to see A New Jersey Band at the Stone Pony and maybe have a beer while they listen. Greensky Bluegrass might play their Brewery on a Saturday night and people maybe have a listen while they drink.

I want to be like Jerry, he could play anything anywhere with anybody. Bars and weddings alike.

[Brady Smith]

The bars in New Jersey are smoke free, that's why we're playing them now.
Stopped doing bars some time ago because of this.

[Domhnall]

I play primarily in my city's local music club, which is a concert venue first and a bar second, so people come there to listen to music and drink, not drink and hear some music.

[groveland]

The only bars I play any more are sandbars.

http://www.grovelandsoftwarelabs.com/images/MoonOnLacVieuxDesert.jpg

Ba-doom-boomp-schshhh. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Jim M.]

One St. Patrick's Day, I was playing with an Irish group in an Irish pub (in the USA), and a drunk stumbles up and says "Don't you know any blues?"

So we played "O'Carolan's Farewell to Music" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[MikeEdgerton]

Stopped doing bars some time ago because of this.
Because of the smoke of the lack of smoke?

[Steve L]

One St. Patrick's Day, I was playing with an Irish group in an Irish pub (in the USA), and a drunk stumbles up and says "Don't you know any blues?"

So we played "O'Carolan's Farewell to Music" #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
I was in a pub one St. Patrick's Day standing with my bouzouki, next to a fiddle player, and acoustic guitarist and a tin whistle player. A woman staggered up and asked if we played any Motown. I can't repeat what I told her.

[Stephanie Reiser]

This thread reminds me of that scene in The Blues Brothers where they have a gig at that c & w road house. They had to play behind the chicken wire and the crowd was throwing beer bottles at them regardless.

[Tim2723]

We have both kinds of music. #Country and Western

[oggiesnr]

This thread reminds me of that scene in The Blues Brothers where they have a gig at that c & w road house. They had to play behind the chicken wire and the crowd was throwing beer bottles at them regardless.
Been there, done that, Irish Club in Rotherham back in the late Seventies. First number, looking at the chair sized dints in the wire and thinking "Like us you *****s, like us"

Got bottled off at Appleby Frodingham Steelworks Social Club annual dinner/dance with a different band as well, fun times http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

To return to thread. I earn my living where I may and if a pub pays then that's where I'll be. It'll be a different set than we'd play in another setting and some work and some you chalk down to experience. The smoling ban makes it a lot pleasanter though.

All the best

Steve

[Snakebeard Jackson]

We play bars all of the time. The down side is my mandolin tends to always be called a uke, banjo, little gutiar, etc. Also I'm always being asked to play Devil went down to georga or Loosing my religion, depending on the type of crowd. The plus side is PEOPLE DANCE!, we can turn up the volume, we get payed more, there is beer for free generally for the band. Bars are fun.
I don't want to be critical but if the excuss is we want to be listened to, I suggest turning your PA up. People go to bars to party and dance, not sit around. Drunks never join us on stage because we took the first one and threw him off the stage. After we never had a problem. I like to play fast with fire. I want to have people dance to the mandolin, not sit and clap.:blues:

[Harrmob]

Snakebeard- I'm with you. We play mainly bars, 3 piece plugged in: mando, guitar and bass. We make more money in bars, we get fed, drinks are provided, and normally we can "go to work" after the family dinner and the kids have been bathed and are ready for bed. Our Saturday mornings and afternoons can still concentrate on kids football/baseball games, and on top of that, it can be a real "hoot" (sometimes plural) to watch people in bars dance. I personally love playing in bars ( minus the smoke).

[Jonathan Peck]

I dunno', seems to be a whole lot of us-vs-them attitude here. I love taking brakes outside and talking with evryone who's hanging out at the bar. It's always the really drunk ones who tell me how great I am - Hey, I practice and work really hard so it's nice to get a positive comment every now and then, and I'll take 'em' anywhere I can get them....even if it's right before they throw up and fall down the stairs
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif