Rip Van Winkle coming out of retirement

I'm an old geezer in my 50s. My last gig was in 1979 -- I sold my guitars and went into other things, for reasons too complicated to explain here. Fast forward to 2011 -- I got the itch to play again, bought a Tele, and went on a crash program to recover my chops. I also started trying to form a band. Last month I finally succeeded. I have a hot 4-piece group doing classic blues, soul (Motown and Stax,) Jimi Hendrix, and Steely Dan tunes.

My question is, how does a band look for gigs in this modern age? In the old days, we would join the union, sign up with a booking agent, and do the gigs the agent found. If you were lucky, you would hear about a gig and get it without paying 15% to the agent.

I get the impression that things are different now. I'm living in L.A., FYI. I'm aware of online stuff like Gigmaster -- do many bands go that route? I assume that you must invest in high-grade promotional material such as videos to make it work. But let's say you've got a kick-ass blues and soul band ready to go, which I expect I will have by mid-June. What's your next move?

You want to play out?
You need to find a booking agent.
Preferably someone who's willing to take 15% of nothing.
Because there are 5,000 other bands playing for free... just for the exposure.

I thought this was a thread about Vanilla Ice... :confused:

What other options have people explored, other than the traditional booking agent, or the modern cyber- Gigmasters version?

From what I understand LA is a tough market to break into, super competitive for obvious reasons. But from my rudimentary efforts and understanding of booking, you'll need videos, especially of live shows, build a fan base with really hot shows, the first of which might be for no pay, then some social networking. I spent some time in LA the last few years but never scratched the surface,( did a bunch of open stages) although I do know from a friend in Hollywood that cover bands can make a little money. There's also festivals, special events, etc. but you're starting from the bottom. If you really are KA then you should get noticed. Oh by the way, 50's does not make you a geezer yet, but you're getting close. Good success man!

As they say.... you can take the Boy out of Rock & Roll,
....but you can't take Rock & Roll out of the Boy!

Good luck Mr Perch,
(50's?? - just a kid still!)

Mr Perch, in today's brave, new, world, you need to be seen more than you are heard.

Pics, Video's, Youtube Channel, Facebook Page, website to sell your downloadable tunes from.

Heres hoping you make a hunnerd bucks.

~ ST

I thought this was a thread about Vanilla Ice... :confused:

Vanilla Ices name is Robbie VanWinkle.:grin::grin:

Put together a demo and a one sheet.
Go to clubs talk to booker.
Wait two weeks and repeat.

I thought this was a thread about Vanilla Ice... :confused:

So did I! I thought it said Rest In Peace VanWinkle

Good luck Mr Perch,
(50's?? - just a kid still!)

I suppose so. I still enjoy playing "Manic Depression."

Mr Perch I can't offer you any good advice other than to pursue your dreams regardless of age.

You can always find people who tell you can't and why you can't but if you say you can I think that's good enough.

Good luck and have a blast!

From what I understand LA is a tough market to break into, super competitive for obvious reasons. But from my rudimentary efforts and understanding of booking, you'll need videos, especially of live shows, build a fan base with really hot shows, the first of which might be for no pay, then some social networking. I spent some time in LA the last few years but never scratched the surface,( did a bunch of open stages) although I do know from a friend in Hollywood that cover bands can make a little money. There's also festivals, special events, etc. but you're starting from the bottom. If you really are KA then you should get noticed. Oh by the way, 50's does not make you a geezer yet, but you're getting close. Good success man!

Do you think this meets the KA requirement?

Tok37e_A9b0

Depends where you want to play and how flexible you are with the kind of music you will play. You may have to hang about wedding fairs and the like handing out free CDs and info,but you'll get a bite soon and then you're off.

We play weddings,formals and events,which still exist even in these financially straitened times.If you are prepared to play all the old pish of the day then the money is good and you'll play as often as you want. It only takes a few gigs to get your name about and because someone had a great time at a friend's wedding they will book you for theirs. It all gains an impetus of it's own eventually. This may be utterly irrelevant in the US of A :lol:

Good luck.

The playing/singing is fine.
For any type of video document of the potential gigging band you'll need to lose the music stand in front and guitar and bass player need to dress up some more.
If you can get 3 tunes video'd in a club with decent lighting and good crowd response your chances will be better.

The 'Bridal Fair' idea is a good one ... http://www.herecomestheguide.com/northern-california/wedding-fairs/region/southern-california/76/?/fair/region/southern-california-fairs/ These are showcases for bands, caterers, flower arrangers, dress makers, etc.

Hey, that's a pretty fine rehearsal video. To use it for booking I'd usggest a couple of things. Keep in mind I'm no video guy at all.

1-get rid if the music stand
2-move the camera to one side where you can see the drummer all of the time
3-tell her if she's gonna shake to keep facing the front

I think the mix is fine for what you're doing. Video isn't bouncing around. Good. If you're in LA you just need to book stuff out of town. Try to get a video this good of you playing somewhere and this is the one time for me that's it's worth playing a free one to get a video, especially if it's outside or a big club with a big draw, like a benefit.

Put together a demo and a one sheet.
Go to clubs talk to booker.
Wait two weeks and repeat.

Right. Do it yourself and save the agent fee. I do that all the time.

And, you are not old.

Hey, that's a pretty fine rehearsal video. To use it for booking I'd usggest a couple of things. Keep in mind I'm no video guy at all.

1-get rid if the music stand
2-move the camera to one side where you can see the drummer all of the time
3-tell her if she's gonna shake to keep facing the front

I think the mix is fine for what you're doing. Video isn't bouncing around. Good. If you're in LA you just need to book stuff out of town. Try to get a video this good of you playing somewhere and this is the one time for me that's it's worth playing a free one to get a video, especially if it's outside or a big club with a big draw, like a benefit. We had a camera man who was supposed to show up, but didn't. As a result, we had to just point the camera at the band and tell the drummer's nephew when to turn it on. And believe it or not, this is the camera we used. (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Stabilized-Wide-Angle-Recording/dp/B0075SUHQC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349150253&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+digital+cameras)

We are hoping this video will help us get our first gig. Then we can begin to build on that with more videos, etc.

Here's another:

FZnfBrsS-5M

Better camera spot. Tripod is fine. Still, keep her facing front and get rid of the music stand. other than that this is just great.

Better camera spot. Tripod is fine. Still, keep her facing front and get rid of the music stand. other than that this is just great.

I think the music is great, you grove which is what people want. I actually like the Heard it through the Grapevine video better, because everyone knows it and can dance to it, plus everyone is singing which people dig

If you can not get video in front of an audience as others have suggested, I would; clean up the rehearsal space and make it look as much like a "studio" as possible (move the fan), have the bass player and yourself dress a bit sharper, no shorts and loose the sunglasses

Good luck

I think the music is great, you grove which is what people want. I actually like the Heard it through the Grapevine video better, because everyone knows it and can dance to it, plus everyone is singing which people dig

If you can not get video in front of an audience as others have suggested, I would; clean up the rehearsal space and make it look as much like a "studio" as possible (move the fan), have the bass player and yourself dress a bit sharper, no shorts and loose the sunglasses

Good luck

I agree with everything except the sunglasses, which I thought were boss and groovy. How did you know about the Grapevine video? Since it does exist, I'll post it:

N87Ot3_yGl0

Does not matter one ounce how the guys dress if there is a girl in the band. Nothing wrong with looking the way you look.

Any southern Californians here? We have our first gig:

November 10, 8:30-12:30
Buchanan Arms Pub
2013 West Burbank Blvd
Burbank
Ca 91506

I deleted two YouTube videos because I replaced them with better versions where the sound was more in sync. But all four videos are here:

http://www.facebook.com/OutOfTheBlueFeaturingLucindaChatfield

I agree with everything except the sunglasses, which I thought were boss and groovy. How did you know about the Grapevine video? Since it does exist, I'll post it:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N87Ot3_yGl0">YouTube Link</a>

No problem. You can view the videos on YouTube and once there if you click on your user name and see all of your videos. Good luck with the gig

Any southern Californians here? We have our first gig:

November 10, 8:30-12:30
Buchanan Arms Pub
2013 West Burbank Blvd
Burbank
Ca 91506

Tomorrow night will be my first time on stage in 33 years. Wish me luck.

Have fun, you should do great.

If you record it bring back a version of "I Can't Stand the Rain -- Ann Peebles" for me. I love that song.

Have fun.

We had a small but ecstatic crowd. "Manic Depression" went over especially well.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/252336_520894701257072_1257915296_n.jpg

Yours is a very cool story, to quit for so long and come back. It doesn't happen everyday!

Here's another story like yours, but even longer without playing.

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/08/16/silicon-valley%E2%80%99s-secret-rock-star/

Excellent.

Yours is a very cool story, to quit for so long and come back. It doesn't happen everyday!

Here's another story like yours, but even longer without playing.

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/08/16/silicon-valley%E2%80%99s-secret-rock-star/

Hey! The article even recycles the "Rip van Winkle" metaphor. I wish I had a posh Silicon Valley job to support my music habit -- I'd buy another SCXD in case mine dies on a gig.

If you live anywhere near West Los Angeles, come on down.
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/252336_520894701257072_1257915296_n.jpg

Well, we played our Oz Noy tune for the first time out, and demonstrated that it is possible to perform "Whipping Post" with a guitar trio + singer.

Was there any doubt? I've known that since I was 16 and that was.......wow

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/546417_536019199744622_1246571234_n.jpg

Another Rip, here. I was completely away from the guitar for 25 years. I started playing 6 years ago, and love it. My high school band played our 40 high school reunion last year. It was fantastic. We still get together and we email almost every day. The level of communication and trust that we have is unlike anything else I've experienced.

Well, tomorrow night is our last gig. It was great while it lasted. I picked a bad time in history to start a band, with the economy collapsing day by day. In the 1970s, this band would have been living very well.

Please tell us the Spinal Tap-esque story of your band's destruction.

Well, there are 8 million stories in the naked city. This one is not exceptional. We tried to get gigs in Los Angeles, where there are a gazillion bands competing to play for peanuts in night clubs. We were stubborn about sticking to music we like, as you can see from the Facebook page. We had a great time playing, but lack of money sooner or later makes everyone tense and desperate. That's about the long and the short of it.

......And the drummer exploded? Was the whole band nekked? I've heard about bands like that. Money? Money don't get everything its true......

Well, after over a month of auditions, we found a new drummer and have relaunched the band under the name Blue Links (http://www.facebook.com/BlueLinksBand).

Hopefully this time you wont make the band all about the chick singer.

In my opinion, thats eventual band suicide.

Good luck whatever you do... yes, its difficult everywhere now for bands in Clubland.

Hopefully this time you wont make the band all about the chick singer.

In my opinion, thats eventual band suicide.


Well, there's always my awesome Telecasting... and last night, I sang lead on "Crosscut Saw."

Well, there's always my awesome Telecasting... and last night, I sang lead on "Crosscut Saw."

Good for you!

In my opinion, when you put your singer first and foremost in your bands promo materials, you're setting yourself up for disaster. Seen it fail too many times. Sure there are cases you can point to where it works, but, most of the time...

If you live near Los Angeles...

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/525208_374802775961279_1847370750_n.jpg

And, here we go again...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/282279_250735798398496_1403779772_n.jpg