“Stay Safe…See You Soon”
Category: General
A Girl and Her Hero
“I’m not a technical drummer; I am a backyard keg-party, garage jam-band drummer, and that’s the way it is.” – Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters / Nirvana)
Art of the Set List
Studio or Garage
Before the Stage: The Basics
Bands, Bars, & Gigs was designed to explore and bring awareness to local bands and venues around the nation. However, at the outset, we believe it’s valuable to the reader that the next several posts should center on the foundational aspects of planning a gig. That creates context for understanding the dynamics of bands and venues. The amount of time, energy, and effort that goes into planning a live local gig…well, it’s a lot.
Continue readingNo Gigs: Down Time Growth
It’s said practice makes perfect. Well, I don’t know about perfect, but it certainly leads to improvement and breakthroughs. The desire to practice is the result of a passion and love for a personal interest, that becoming the engine of motivation. For many local gigging musicians, the pandemic has created an unexpected volume of down time that is being redirected to practicing rudiments, learning songs, writing original music, and filling the void with trying to improve their chops. These are the people who have a true love of their instrument and are always thinking about how to become a better player. Like anything in life, with challenges come opportunities.
Continue readingCollateral Damage: Instrument Retailers
An unfortunate result of the pandemic has been the economic impact on musical instrument retailers, local businesses that equip bands with an array of gear to perform. As unemployment grows, disposable income shrinks, and other related financial pressures mount for individuals and families, discretionary expenses have been hit extremely hard. From that new guitar, amp, keyboard, drum kit, brass instrument, microphone, and/or accessories, even as small as drumsticks and guitar strings, the economic slowdown has devastated brick and mortar instrument stores.
Continue readingVenues: Fighting for Survival
Small businesses across America are faced with unprecedented economic challenges that stem from the Coronavirus pandemic. For owners of bars, pubs, night clubs, restaurants, and cafes, essentially any venue that hosts live music, they’ve struggled to survive particularly because of the restrictions limiting occupancy levels. It so happens, bands are a major draw for many of these live event places, but with headcount restricted, these establishments are struggling to generate revenue and can barely cover operational costs and stay afloat.
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