# Members playing out on regular basis



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

How many of our current members are playing out on a regular basis?


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Depends on regular. I'd like to be out there weekly, but as it is, my band plays 8-12 shows a year or so. Once a month is pretty standard for us, but we'd like to double that for sure.


----------



## Chubba (Aug 23, 2009)

It kind of comes and goes - through the summer, it was fairly regular, I was providing musical 'background' at a farmer's market almost every weekend, and performed solo at a couple of events. I also play in a band, and we probably average 1-2 times out per month...but it varies, looks like we'Re lined up for 3 events in October, but it looks like November and December will be fairly quiet...If not for domestic and family responsibilities, I think I'd be out playing a couple of times a week if I could (and I'd learn to play bass well, I think, there always seem to be bands looking for bass players - and drums, but I'd be a lot farther away from being able to do that!)


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

We usually have at least a show per month lined up, we'd rather a show per weekend minimum though. Once our album is finished, that should happen.


----------



## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

A couple times a month until my wife and I had twins and our bass player and his wife had a baby. Have spent more time recording since then. Next gig isn't until Canadian Music Week next year!!


----------



## Brennan (Apr 9, 2008)

Other than a couple of studio sessions, I haven't played out in about a year ... I'm really starting to miss it.


----------



## Guest (Sep 30, 2011)

Low point right now. Trying rectify it though.


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

The little old cover band gets out a dozen to 20 times a year, the folkie quartet a few times, the duos a few times each and I generally can count on some one-off gigs as a pickup mercenary musician for hire. Add to that some community stuff like the church choir and accompanying a community choir, and I play out a lot.

Peace, Mooh.


----------



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Have any of you seen any change over the past year or so in terms of bar gigs etc? Increase or decrease. I remember a year or so ago we had a conversation on this and at that time things were fairly bleak


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Well, things have been bleak compared to the '70s since the '70s in rural southern Ontario. There were lots of opportunities in little Bayfield for a few years in the mid '00s, with 3 decent venues in a row on one side of the main street, but things have slowed a bit lately. I couldn't take the pace we set in the '70s today, I'm just not 20 anymore, but there aren't the venues available to play anyway. It seems to me there are fewer local bands that could play a 3 or 4 set night of a wide variety of bar band music these days...you can't have one without the other.

Peace, Mooh.


----------



## punt (Jul 9, 2011)

Were coming off about a year hiatus. October 17th, were back and should be playing 2-3 times a month, In the studio in February and plan to hit the road for an Ontario/Quebec tour to support the album in the early spring!If anyone has any contacts in the Toronto area Definatly let me know! 
Thanks
http://www.myspace.com/equalizerhc


----------



## Big_Daddy (Apr 2, 2009)

I've played a total of 9 weekends since June (counting this coming Sunday) with two bands, so I guess that's an average of about twice a month. That is just about perfect for me and I hope it continues.


----------



## fredyfreeloader (Dec 11, 2010)

One question are there any members who do the old six nights a week 12 months of the year or longer tours. As Mooh, said in the 70's there was a lot of that kind of work. I packed it in somewhere around the mid 80's, to much bother with booking agent, managers, assorted knuckle heads who thought they were big time promoters and then there were the plain ordinary jerks who owned or managed night clubs, bars, Restaurants and show lounges. It's nice if you can get full time work, which we were able to do for many years. That was long ago, now I just remember when.


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Have any of you seen any change over the past year or so in terms of bar gigs etc? Increase or decrease. I remember a year or so ago we had a conversation on this and at that time things were fairly bleak


Cover band work is still pretty bleak in TO. There simply aren't many bars in the city proper who are booking cover bands, and the few that exist are booked solid all the time. There are way more places in the 905 that look for cover bands to play. We're debating getting an agent to pick us up more shows since most venue owners in TO seem to go that route instead of having to book themselves.

TO is really an originals-band city, and sadly my originals act is in about the same state it was a year ago this time, which is pretty much inert  I should get around to actually putting a band together.


----------



## Stefano (Aug 31, 2009)

Once a month steady.


----------



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Fairly regularly. I think six times this past month but we try to average about three. The work has been pretty steady. We do about half bars and half Legion and other events. We're weaning ourselves away from the bars as our friends/peers (and therefore the people who like our stuff) don't start their nights at 10:00 pm. anymore (and that includes me too). I love matinees, fairs, dinner dances, and special events more and more all the time. The money's good, the people dance, and I'm home before midnight.


----------



## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

I'd be doing a lot more playing if I could find a lead guitar player. I've been looking for quite awhile now since ours moved away. I'm not sure if I should advertise on this forum but what the heck. If your an old rocker wanting to dust of your gear and get back out there in the Port Hope, Cobourg, Peterborough area, let me know.


----------



## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Last year my band did 37 gigs. I did maybe another 10 with others. This year we will end up with less. We took a summer hiatus and had trouble ramping up again. And our drummer is not available on a regular basis. Having said all that, we have three gigs this month, four next month and one so far in December.


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I'm taking fewer shows right now because managing the tornado repairs eats up a lot of time. Something had to give and it had to be practices and live shows. To top it off I'm not sleeping well, very weird for me.

Peace, Mooh.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

We're still in a bit of a transition period, but we'll be gigging more often this Fall yet again.


----------



## Cary (May 11, 2011)

My band hosts a weekly Jam night at a local watering hole. I've been subbing in with a soul band too, so lately it's been about 7 gigs a month. I've got a couple potential jobs on the table right now too, so I could be doing 4 days a week in the next couple months. 

I've only been gigging for about 4 years, so I can't really speak to how the market has changed, other than to say that as I get to be a better player with better gear, the gigs seem to be more abundant.


----------



## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Playing regularly since 1968, i must admit that things are slowing down for me. This year,playing in two duos,doing mostly golf,bowling parties,weddings etc... i will get out out a dozen times.
Not doing the bar club thing as there is no market for our kind of music anymore.
I'm just happy to make a few bucks and sleep in my own bed nowadays so its working out for me. I am picking my gigs more carefully and playing 4 hrs. a night max. Getting tired of setting up and tearing down the equip. Like they say, Rock and roll is a young mans game.LOL


----------



## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

currently no but for the past 2 years yes... should be soon again!


----------



## woodnoize (Jun 18, 2009)

gig #40 of 2011 by the end of the month.


----------



## LowWatt (Jun 27, 2007)

Been on hiatus since playing the El Mocambo in July while we get enough songs together for the new band, but the whole scene in Toronto has been what it is for years. Lots of originals bands and many fans that only show up for the band that they are there to see...so what you bring is what you draw. We always drew decently, but it makes it really tough to get new fans when you are always playing for 99% people you've already won over. 

Really our best promotion and way to draw new people was by playing with other bands, them liking our sound, and then them helping promote us to their fans the next time we played together. Still, at our shows, it only ever seemed to be our fans that would show up near the beginning, drink heavy, and stay to the end and most promoters we dealth with said that was a pretty rare thing....possibly why we never seemed to have a problem getting gigs, but also why those shows never seemed to get us anywhere.


----------



## Toogy (Apr 16, 2009)

We play about once a month currently... that works well for me, wouldn't want to do it anymore than that.


----------



## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


----------



## Rideski (Feb 25, 2009)

We are playing monthly as well. I'd love to be playing weekly but life just doesn't allow for that anymore..


----------



## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Rideski said:


> We are playing monthly as well. I'd love to be playing weekly but life just doesn't allow for that anymore..


Rideski, what is your bands name and where do you play mostly? I also live in Gatineau.


----------

