Nicely done!
Talk About Your Last Gig Here
- Thread starter Paul in Colorado
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Nicely done!
dannyh
Friend of Leo's
Played a 4th of July event for the city of Lake Jackson Texas last night, backing Terry, the Toby Keith tribute artist I’ve been backing for the past year. Good dough, great turnout, great sound guys, fun gig, but hot….and crazy humid. Played 1 set from 7:30 to 9 before the fireworks show. Had an opening band play before us and the guitar player had a non-reverb BF deluxe amp…a 64 model same as the one I own. Those are fairly rare amps these days, so it was cool to see another one being used. He and I hit it off pretty good and we had a nice discussion about those amps. His sounded SO GOOD….and I almost brought mine to this gig, but opted for the HRD as I’ve been trying not to travel with that amp much to try to preserve its little. Wish I had brought it….played the Red Tele.
Buzzgrowl
Tele-Afflicted
It is a thing - the question of bringing valuable equipment to gigs.
Fortunately, I have none.
But many keys players will not hesitate to bring their 88 keys Nord Stage IV. But, otoh, those are replacable. So many decisions...
Our 4-pc band played a gig this evening at an airplane hangar. It's a yearly party that the 2 guys that own a custom aviation business throw even year. I believe this is our 4th year. It was pretty toasty when we set up, but was pretty nice all night. We put up 2 pop-up canopies for the bass, drums and guitar, and the singer went out front on her rug. We put one light bars inside the canopies, right where they came together, directly in from of the drummer, with two lights pointed to the ceilings of each canopy for reflective light. It worked out very well. Not a lot of dancers until the end. Decent pay, food, and some tips. I'm kind of surprised that we made it through 3 band gigs in a row. I'm whooped!
I played a small, but joyous 50th anniversary celebration with Nathan at Swiss Alp Hall, in Schulenburg, Tx.
The venue has been nicely remodeled since it’s old (est. 1900) dance hall days.
The stage was nice, elevated and wide.
The catered dinner was great, as were the snacks/appetizers.
We didn’t really captivate the dancers, it became more of a concert.
Sub drummer Rick really lifted us, and we sounded our best.
I had a great time with this great band!
The venue has been nicely remodeled since it’s old (est. 1900) dance hall days.
The stage was nice, elevated and wide.
The catered dinner was great, as were the snacks/appetizers.
We didn’t really captivate the dancers, it became more of a concert.
Sub drummer Rick really lifted us, and we sounded our best.
I had a great time with this great band!
dougstrum
Poster Extraordinaire
It was a fun hot night at Eastwood. To borrow a phrase from brookdalebill~everyone played and sang their best!
Folks were dancing some stayed for all three sets.
It was hot though not so hot as the past few weeks.
Changing the speaker in my amp was a great move.
Folks were dancing some stayed for all three sets.
It was hot though not so hot as the past few weeks.
Changing the speaker in my amp was a great move.
chillybilly
Tele-Meister
Readers of previous posts will be relieved that drama, subs, and sub-related drama have, um, subsided (sorry).
We were back at one of our 'home' venues with Chamber of Commerce weather on offer instead of July's usual surface-of-the-sun/steam-bath.
Have to admit - it looked grim an hour before gig time. We were efficient in setting up and had a brief moment of respite when we looked around and saw...lots of empty chairs and tables. I have been developing a theory that seemingly good weekends for gigs - especially those involving holidays - turn out to be poor weekends for gigs as everyone is out of town. That was not necessarily the case here but one of the bartenders informed us that a well-known (?) national country act were playing at a local park nearby. So, the crowd weren't out of town but they were still elsewhere.
To our surprise and delight they arrived in droves an hour later. Maybe the other gig ended. Maybe they were hungry & thirsty. I wasn't going to give the horse a dental exam. Dozens of our regulars - 'fans' still seems a bit high-minded and self-congratulatory - attended bumping up the attendance even more and the regulars are also dogged dance-floor denizens.
In our last episode the drummer, a big strapping lad, had suffered a partially torn Achilles tendon. 10 days of rest and treatment made him able to hobble around although we did load his gear in and out - in this case, a V-Drum kit. So our 'hero score' slipped a bit there. His leg was tightly wrapped and he applied a Theragun to it frequently but adrenaline, Motrin and a few Vitamin B(eer)s got him through the normal set with just one short break. He's a trooper.
Having the full lineup back in place was the proverbial comfortable pair of shoes. A few clams here and there but nobody seemed to notice or mind.
The only sour note (bad pun) is my ongoing battle to get a good IEM mix. The singer is the soundman at most gigs and there is, shall we say, a ceiling to his knowledge of the (digital) mixer app. We had a separate pro soundman with all his own gear at the most recent gig and it was night and day difference - a 3 hour A/B test you might say. I've upgraded my wireless gear and that has eliminated one variable. It's down to EQ, limiting, gain levels coming from the board and selected on the wireless receiver etc. I'm as guilty as anyone because a build-it-from-scratch session is sorely needed and we haven't done it yet. Tinny and occasionally distorted is no way to go through a long gig, son. I will do some torture-testing here before I head to his to sort it out. But I will have the facts on my side at least.
We were back at one of our 'home' venues with Chamber of Commerce weather on offer instead of July's usual surface-of-the-sun/steam-bath.
Have to admit - it looked grim an hour before gig time. We were efficient in setting up and had a brief moment of respite when we looked around and saw...lots of empty chairs and tables. I have been developing a theory that seemingly good weekends for gigs - especially those involving holidays - turn out to be poor weekends for gigs as everyone is out of town. That was not necessarily the case here but one of the bartenders informed us that a well-known (?) national country act were playing at a local park nearby. So, the crowd weren't out of town but they were still elsewhere.
To our surprise and delight they arrived in droves an hour later. Maybe the other gig ended. Maybe they were hungry & thirsty. I wasn't going to give the horse a dental exam. Dozens of our regulars - 'fans' still seems a bit high-minded and self-congratulatory - attended bumping up the attendance even more and the regulars are also dogged dance-floor denizens.
In our last episode the drummer, a big strapping lad, had suffered a partially torn Achilles tendon. 10 days of rest and treatment made him able to hobble around although we did load his gear in and out - in this case, a V-Drum kit. So our 'hero score' slipped a bit there. His leg was tightly wrapped and he applied a Theragun to it frequently but adrenaline, Motrin and a few Vitamin B(eer)s got him through the normal set with just one short break. He's a trooper.
Having the full lineup back in place was the proverbial comfortable pair of shoes. A few clams here and there but nobody seemed to notice or mind.
The only sour note (bad pun) is my ongoing battle to get a good IEM mix. The singer is the soundman at most gigs and there is, shall we say, a ceiling to his knowledge of the (digital) mixer app. We had a separate pro soundman with all his own gear at the most recent gig and it was night and day difference - a 3 hour A/B test you might say. I've upgraded my wireless gear and that has eliminated one variable. It's down to EQ, limiting, gain levels coming from the board and selected on the wireless receiver etc. I'm as guilty as anyone because a build-it-from-scratch session is sorely needed and we haven't done it yet. Tinny and occasionally distorted is no way to go through a long gig, son. I will do some torture-testing here before I head to his to sort it out. But I will have the facts on my side at least.
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RomanS
Poster Extraordinaire
Not sure whether it really qualifies as a "gig", but we played a "bluegrass picknick" last night.
A friend of mine has a house in a pretty swanky suburb (he inherited the plot when it was still undeveloped land, he wouldn't be able to afford buying there now - his direct neighbor is a state governor, another is the CEO of a large company, and a famous opera singer lives one street over). He's really into bluegrass and other types of Americana music (from Western swing to cajun to blues, etc), and has started doing an annual "bluegrass picknick" three years ago, free beer, people bring food, everyone from the neighborhood invited, fun event when the weather is nice...
There were three bands, and a jam session afterwards, I left around 11:30 PM, but I think they kept playing for quite a bit longer...
(I'm the dobro player.)
A friend of mine has a house in a pretty swanky suburb (he inherited the plot when it was still undeveloped land, he wouldn't be able to afford buying there now - his direct neighbor is a state governor, another is the CEO of a large company, and a famous opera singer lives one street over). He's really into bluegrass and other types of Americana music (from Western swing to cajun to blues, etc), and has started doing an annual "bluegrass picknick" three years ago, free beer, people bring food, everyone from the neighborhood invited, fun event when the weather is nice...
There were three bands, and a jam session afterwards, I left around 11:30 PM, but I think they kept playing for quite a bit longer...
(I'm the dobro player.)
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Our trio played a smoker today - at a private lake (approx 1200 acres), on the deck of the clubhouse for one of the communities. We were facing west, but we played from 2-5, so the setting sun wasn't really a factor for me or the bass player. The singer was out front, but her head was probably in the shade from the pop-up canopy we used. The temperature got up to 92°, and I was miserable, partially because I didn't get enough sleep (and probably won't until the overnight temps drop down into the low 60s at the most). Seeing and how this was the 4th gig in a row for the 3 of us, and I was practically having a heat stroke, I think we didn't a pretty good job. There were quite a few people out on their pontoons listening to us; many of them were a fair distance, but apparently they could hear us just fine. The setup was kind of weird because there were so many obstructions in front of us. The pay was pretty good, but we got a whole $9 in tips .
. dannyh
Friend of Leo's
I had gigs in Plantersville Texas Saturday and Sunday at a winery. The first night was backing a Buddy Holly act, a young Elvis act and a general 50's & 60's music act. The second night was with the Toby Keith tribute guy. Both shows were in the big pavilion instead of the outdoor gazebo where I've always played in the past, and while not air conditioned, they do have industrial grade ceiling fans so there's a bit of a breeze and the mosquitoes aren't dive bombing you. Good crowds and response both nights, and a lotta dancers. Fun gigs but a long three days. I was ready to point my car home after...
Played the red Tele through the Deluxe Reverb.
A pic of the pavilion before the gig Saturday and another of my rig for Saturday and Sunday:
Played the red Tele through the Deluxe Reverb.
A pic of the pavilion before the gig Saturday and another of my rig for Saturday and Sunday:
chillybilly
Tele-Meister
Addendum to previous post...the singer/booker/sound man pro tem and I have been circling each other like stags trying to sort this IEM issue out with occasional butting of heads and occasional tangling of antlers.
I long ago got Westone 3-driver custom molds made before Westone announced (2024) they were no longer doing custom molds. I had to beg, plead, harangue and pester them to fulfill my order after I'd sent them foam molds and over $600. If that experience was any indicator it's probably a good thing they dropped the program.
For a few years I bravely toted my shiny clamshell box around while...never actually needing or using the IEMs. It was all wedges all the time - mine, the house, someone else's. And I was perfectly fine with that. Still am but fate intervened.
Struggling as all bands do with stage volume, instrument mix, FOH mix and especially acoustic drums in outdoor settings we sort of converted one-by-one to IEMs. I freely admit I knew *@#$ all about them and especially the wireless setups. I'm not cheap but I am cautious to a degree so I got a Galaxy Audio unit (base station & pack) and finally put my Westones into use.
Ironically, the drummer purchased V-Drums of his own volition about that time so that very large issue was negated. But we were pot committed to the IEMs.
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhfffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
No that isn't me falling asleep on my keyboard although the prospect is rather appealing just now. It's an attempt to convey the sound of the low-level static heard with the Galaxy Audio setup. Up the channel numbers. Down the channel numbers. Hmmm...this 7 (just a single digit) channel sounds better than most. Let's use that. But damn me if I could get an acceptable IEM tone. It was often distorted, tinny, clipped/peaky etc. We played with settings on the main mixer but things didn't improve much. And at no time did it approach sounding as good as a wedge. Some of you may be thinking 'Spoiler: it never will!'
The singer, fed up with my requests for mixer tweaks, blamed my equipment and pointed out that the keys player had a Sennheiser wireless and entry-level Shure standard earbuds and had no issues at all. So I plumped for a Sennheiser. Damn that's quiet! And damn these front-panel buttons are complicated when they shouldn't be! This is blinking so you can adjust that setting. Oops it's the wrong setting! How do I exit this function? How do I move to the next function? How many dirty looks am I getting while I fiddle with this contraption? Oh damn the frequencies aren't matched. How do I do that sync again? More gain on the base unit or more volume on the pack? Limiter on or off? etc.
But the much-improved signal-to-noise ratio with the Sennheiser only put the Westones under greater scrutiny. I thought I was the **** of the walk with my snugly-fit custom molds. Turns out I was a partially-deaf chicken squawking about my mix when the fault was largely my own. I played the last gig with a monitor frequency range of a landline telephone. But I soldiered on.
Fast forward to yesterday and the old process of elimination to test. I have quality studio cans. I have generic wired earbuds. I have the Westones (still). I called up an audio test video on YouTube (very handy) and plugged directly into the laptop. Cans? Good. Earbuds? Good. Westones? Not as good. In fact, the audio test video noted 'if you hear a buzzing or rattling during this frequency sweep you've got an issue.' And I heard a buzzing and a rattling in the left ear of the Westones. I also heard rather poor sound quality in both ears and a near-total absence of bass. Yes, yes, you've got to seat the molds snugly but...
I ran a patch cable from the laptop to the base station and plugged into the beltpack and tested again. Cans? Still good. Earbuds? Still good. Westones? More of the same but that seemed inevitable.
With a weekend gig upcoming the gear hound was unleashed and he began sniffing around for alternatives. Shure? Sennheiser? Ultimate Ears? Mackie? Reviews are handy but they are also quite random and somewhat unreliable because buyer expectations, budgets and intended uses are all over the shop which means their experiences are varied. One particular viewpoint was commonly expressed: single-driver units just aren't going to suffice.
Sweetwater had numerous options of course but, strangely, many on offer lacked reviews possibly due to newness of model. I did some searching here, at TGP and at the Fractal forum and read of a few brands I'd never heard of before. God help me I walked into the old Amazon rainforest again to view some products and reviews. BASN? KZ? To quote Paul Newman in Slap Shot 'I've never even heard of these guys.' But given the importance of monitoring and the demands of your average tone snob I placed trust in the recommendations and was willing to overlook the - ahem - rather predictable nation of origin.
Prime Days and a 15% discount came at the best possible time. I will put the BASN Bmaster 5 to the test later this week. Watch this overly large space for an update.
My gig with Audrey Malone at Sagebrush Tuesday evening was fun!
There were many great female singer songwriters on the bill, and they all performed brilliantly.
The house band was a bunch of pros, so the arrangements all sounded slick and rehearsed.
The evening went off without a hitch, it was a joy!
There were many great female singer songwriters on the bill, and they all performed brilliantly.
The house band was a bunch of pros, so the arrangements all sounded slick and rehearsed.
The evening went off without a hitch, it was a joy!
Our once-a-month, Wednesday night trio gig was this evening. The place was dead for the entire first set, then picked up a bit after that. What a difference from last month when every seat in the house was filled. But the people that were there thoroughly enjoyed what we played and the tips were pretty decent, which makes up for the meh pay. I used my favorite ugly Tele, Roland BCS and mini pedalboard. I played 3 outdoor gigs with this rig and the strings still sounded pretty good this evening, but they'll need changed this week.
Our full 5-pc band had a great gig this (Friday) evening at Old 97 Cafe, out back on their patio, which is the worst load-in ever. But I had my Rock n Roller cart, which made it slightly more tolerable. The place was packed and everyone had a great time.
The band sounded pretty good, with a few hiccups here and there.
I used my Warmoth hardtail Strat with that has a neck with fatback profile and a rosewood fretboard. It played and sounded great, but I (for some reason) had a tough time for the first few songs. I don't know what it was. I just fumbled a little more than usual. I don't if anything stood out, but I knew that I was off a bit.
The owners asked us to play and extra half hour and we obliged (for extra $$). It's a good paying gig, and the tips were pretty good, too!
The band sounded pretty good, with a few hiccups here and there.
I used my Warmoth hardtail Strat with that has a neck with fatback profile and a rosewood fretboard. It played and sounded great, but I (for some reason) had a tough time for the first few songs. I don't know what it was. I just fumbled a little more than usual. I don't if anything stood out, but I knew that I was off a bit.
The owners asked us to play and extra half hour and we obliged (for extra $$). It's a good paying gig, and the tips were pretty good, too!
My gig with Donn at his club was fun
Singer/guitarist Jon is still out.
The 5 piece band soldiered on.
Our crowd was smaller than usual.
I played my new to me parts Cabronita for the first (long) set
I played my workhorse guitar the rest of the gig.
We all played and sang our best.
Singer/guitarist Jon is still out.
The 5 piece band soldiered on.
Our crowd was smaller than usual.
I played my new to me parts Cabronita for the first (long) set
I played my workhorse guitar the rest of the gig.
We all played and sang our best.
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Our 5-pc band played at the Kent Blues Fest in front of the KSU Hotel from 2-5. It was hot and humid, and there were occasional sprinkles during our first set, but it was hardly enough to get anything wet. The hotel manager's father brought a 10x20 popup awning and an industrial fan, which was awesome. We needed all the air movement we could get. There was a good crowd gathered 'round. Many were our friends, but there were random folks who were walking around town that heard the music and came by to take a listen. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.
A female vocalist friend of ours came by with her husband, so she got up and sang a song, by invitation from our singer. She has a powerful voice and the song she sang really suited her. Of course this made our singer, who already suffers from low confidence, even more self conscious.
Overall we sounded pretty good. For me, the humidity made it hard to play, but I got through it.
Pay was pretty good and we got decent tips. The best thing about afternoon gigs is we didn't have to mess with the lights.
A female vocalist friend of ours came by with her husband, so she got up and sang a song, by invitation from our singer. She has a powerful voice and the song she sang really suited her. Of course this made our singer, who already suffers from low confidence, even more self conscious.
Overall we sounded pretty good. For me, the humidity made it hard to play, but I got through it.
Pay was pretty good and we got decent tips. The best thing about afternoon gigs is we didn't have to mess with the lights.
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Rich_S
Poster Extraordinaire
We played our second gig this season at The Cove. In contrast to the first (for which cold and rain prompted us to be moved indoors) we played outside to the folks on the patio. It was 92 at load-in but cooled to a balmy 90 by show time. Half way through the second song, the power went out. Some staff member came out and turned it back on and we -restarted the second song. 20 seconds in, power off. Turned out the entire portable trailer/stage was powered with a 100-foot #12 extension cord, connected through a GFCI (probably only 15 amp) which was mounted to the back corner of the stage and had been sitting in the blazing sun all afternoon. The rhythm player and I (both engineers) decreed that we would run another long extension cord from the bar out to the stage and divide up the loads with PA on one and stage amps on the other. The second power cord didn't work until the bar staffer realized he had plugged it into a receptacle for the landscape lighting, which was on a timer. After that, no major problems, just a bunch of little hot-weather-related ones.
When sliding up or down frets, I would often over- or under-shoot my target position because my fingertips were sweaty mush. Our bass player's contact lends crusted over with sweat so he could see his fret board or his set list. He said lights looked liked fireworks.
However, we triumphed over the heat and played two good sets. The crowd all stayed back on the patio, under the upper deck and ceiling fans. Two people got up and danced to two songs. Everybody else showed their appreciation by applauding and whooping from back in the shade.
I played my new sunburst Player II Tele with the Duncan Hot Stack bridge pickup. I really like this setup so far. In addition to my usual pedalboard, I added a Boss/JHS Angry Driver just to try it out. I decided pretty quickly that, although the Angry Driver is a great dual distortion/overdrive pedal, it's not going to bump my trusty BB Preamp of the board. To show just how angry it really was, the pedal then died on me (dead battery, I assume), causing me one song's worth of confusion, with my signal cutting in and out while I fiddled around with various cables. By song's end I had identified the AD as the culprit, disconncted it, and plugged my guitar cable directly into my pedalboard where it should have been all along. No more experimenting with new gear on gigs for me, nope.
I played in DaCosta, Tx., at the DaCosta Sons Of Herman Hall, this evening with Nathan Colt Young.
I just got home.
The gig was very well attended, the pay was great, and we had the dance floor full the entire time.
Other than the driving, it was a great, fun gig!
I played my B bender Cabronita the first two sets.
I played my much modded Ibanez Artist semi-hollow guitar for the last set.
It sounded great, too!
I just got home.
The gig was very well attended, the pay was great, and we had the dance floor full the entire time.
Other than the driving, it was a great, fun gig!
I played my B bender Cabronita the first two sets.
I played my much modded Ibanez Artist semi-hollow guitar for the last set.
It sounded great, too!
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dannyh
Friend of Leo's
I played trio gigs weds and Thursday, subbing as leader for our regular band leader who’s on vacation. Two different trios each night, both sets of guys were great. Pretty uneventful gugs both nights, though I did have some friends I hadn’t seen in a while show up both nights. Played the red Tele weds and the 57 RI Strat Thursday. Both nights I used the Quilter 101 and 1x12 cab.
Rig pic from last night.
Rig pic from last night.
