Band Hazing Ritual
Friday, 4 May 2007 14:19![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fatrockstarI'm really stressed out right now. Meds, aches & pains, money, computer issues... it's all making me very tired. Add to that the gig on Sunday night and the headache I'm experiencing becomes more than a side effect.
An assumption (I won't say whose, it could have been mine, I'm naive) led me to be knocked over by the news that we'd be playing last on Sunday. This means we'll play past midnight, and nobody I know wants to stay out that late on a Sunday. Stay up and watch TV or play video games, sure, but not go out.
Upon spreading this news a lot of people from my camp backed out. This will probably be the first gig we have where almost nobody shows up. Garret is coming down with a cold and is weathering an arthritis flare-up. A number of other people who had been waiting for a Seattle gig were happy to tell me they're NOT coming -- why do people do that? Did my RSVP say "regrets only?" Please don't go out of your way to disappoint me! I'm sure I'll find out on my own as I'm waiting for band #2 to get their gear off the stage.
I was really hoping for more gigs this summer. We (I, actually) didn't count on having to book venues months in advance, or having venues double-book or cancel our shows out from under us. I would have been happy with two gigs a month. That way we have a buffer, and can get some exposure that will increase our draw. Draw, my friends, is what gets you booked on weekends and nice stages. If nobody shows, we're just another bundle of sticks, playing for the bands that have to stick around before they get their cut of the door.
There's a name for badly-scheduled shows like the one on Sunday: Paid rehearsal. The news of our timeslot was a shock (I hate surprises), but I'm getting over it. This is part of paying dues as a band. You have to put up with a lot of shit before you're part of the scene. It's like that almost everywhere.
An assumption (I won't say whose, it could have been mine, I'm naive) led me to be knocked over by the news that we'd be playing last on Sunday. This means we'll play past midnight, and nobody I know wants to stay out that late on a Sunday. Stay up and watch TV or play video games, sure, but not go out.
Upon spreading this news a lot of people from my camp backed out. This will probably be the first gig we have where almost nobody shows up. Garret is coming down with a cold and is weathering an arthritis flare-up. A number of other people who had been waiting for a Seattle gig were happy to tell me they're NOT coming -- why do people do that? Did my RSVP say "regrets only?" Please don't go out of your way to disappoint me! I'm sure I'll find out on my own as I'm waiting for band #2 to get their gear off the stage.
I was really hoping for more gigs this summer. We (I, actually) didn't count on having to book venues months in advance, or having venues double-book or cancel our shows out from under us. I would have been happy with two gigs a month. That way we have a buffer, and can get some exposure that will increase our draw. Draw, my friends, is what gets you booked on weekends and nice stages. If nobody shows, we're just another bundle of sticks, playing for the bands that have to stick around before they get their cut of the door.
There's a name for badly-scheduled shows like the one on Sunday: Paid rehearsal. The news of our timeslot was a shock (I hate surprises), but I'm getting over it. This is part of paying dues as a band. You have to put up with a lot of shit before you're part of the scene. It's like that almost everywhere.
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no subject
5/5/07 15:53 (UTC)I'm sure you guys 'll still rock though. Their loss!
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5/5/07 17:25 (UTC)Laurel and Ed have to be at work the next morning, too. We're working out something that will allow them to dash right after the set is done. Ethan & I can afford to be out that late.
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6/5/07 11:23 (UTC)