Advice to Bands - Fairs, Festivals and Ribfests

Just finished playing at and doing the sound for a local service organization rib fest.  A couple of observations that may be of some value to bands...

First of all a few points.  Unless you are a headliner that attracts tens of thousands of attendees, you are a basically a filler.  The ten to maybe 50 people you brought don't even amount to 1% of the crowd attendance.  You should thank your lucky stars to even be picked to play at such an event and get paid!  It is not the festival or rib fest.  It is the festival.  It is all about the service organization or community or promoter.  They are there to raise funds.  They raise funds by revenue by whatever they sell... Tickets... Beer... Ribs... What ever.  You are an expense.... An overhead. 

Here are some do's...

1. Have a video of a live performance online for talent buyers to see.  Not a music video.  Talent buyers want to see what you look like on stage.
2. Really consider whatever money they offering.  Most have budgets that they have to stick to.  Any money is good money.  It is better then not playing.  Having to travel far distances is totally different.  Being an unknown you should probably expect not to be offered to much money, unless you have a unique act, this includes travel money.
3. If you are hired, promote being at the event as much as you can promoting the organization/community/promoter that has hired you.
4. Show up an hour ahead of the time from when you are supposed to start,
5. Make sure you greet organizers and thank them for the opportunity.  Also great anyone you know... People in the crowd... Other bands... Stage and sound crew... Etc
6. Get on stage and ready to go as quickly as possible.  Most of these events want as much live music they can get as quick as they can get it.  If you take to long to start, you might not get invited back.
7. When you are done playing, get off the stage as quick as you can so the next band can get ready.
8. Have business cards.. CD... Banners... Swag... What ever you have.  Our band has always gotten more gigs, gained fans, and had more internet radio plays after we have played such an event.
9. After you are finished playing be sure to thank organizers again and say you hope they will will have you back next year.
10. Hang around after you play to watch other bands and greet more people.

Here are some don'ts...

1. If a back line is supplied, do not insist on using your own drum kit.  Doing this slows the flow of bands down and will get you not invited back.
2. Don't be a diva.. Don't insist on having everything  perfect.  This is reserved for big name acts.  Play the best you can under the conditions you have.
3. Do not allow any fan, manager, what ever to go over and tell the sound engineer their job.  The event liked that person or persons enough to have them do the sound, so respect that.
4. Do not complain if you to start early, late, get interrupted, or have your performance cut short.  The event has a good reason and its about them... Not you.
5. Do not complain or bad mouth the organizers or event over the microphone.
6. Do not send an email after the event complaining about some thing.

The above are sure ways not to get invited back.  Also, service organizations, communities, or promoters communicate.  If you are deemed to be a diva or trouble making band, that will spread amongst talent buyers and you will soon find it hard to get a gig... No matter how talented you may be.

Based on what I observed during this event, there are at least two bands that will probably not be invited back.  Thankfully, there are a good number that probably will be invited back.

Shameless promotion time... Visit our websites at...

www.lorrainedavies.com

www.toodrunktofishband.com

www.themacsmusic.net

Take care...

Rob

They Should Be Called Stupid Traps...

They should be called 'Stupid Traps,' not 'Speed Traps!"

I have been driving the highways a lot this weekend and saw something again  that I have seen so many times before done by other drivers. When people driving and speeding see a police cruiser over at the side of the road with their lights flashing and a vehicle pulled over, they hit their brakes and slow down.  Why?  If it is a speed trap and they are speeding, then they have already been hit by the radar and if there is police available to pull them over, they will.  Quickly slowing down is not going to help a bit.  If there is just the one cruiser there, they are busy with the person they currently have pulled over and are not likely to leave them to chase after another vehicle, especially when they are not operating their radar device.

All the driver of the vehicle is going to accomplish is losing control of their vehicle, or, causing the vehicle behind them to run into them.  So don't do it!  It would be best if you don't speed, but if you do, don't make matters worse by hitting your breaks! If you do, you have just been caught in a stupid trap!

R.

I Am A Visible Minority

That's right... I said it... I am a visible minority... For those that know me or have seen my picture you may wonder why I would make such a statement.  For those that do and don't know me... read on...

I am a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Straight Happy Healthy Sane Monogamous Canadian Born Male...  You can't get much of a bigger minority then that.

There are no special schools... grants... loans... mortgages... help... opportunities... government or corporate hiring guidelines or assistance... new to the country assistance... front of the line immigration rules  for me... I miss them all.  Anything I get... I have to work harder then anybody else out there to get them.  If I complain... I get called racist... or politically incorrect... or something like that.  I none of those... Well... I'm not racist(that's another blog)... but I am somewhat politically incorrect.  Being politically correct means not fighting for your beliefs... speaking your mind.. or trying to right wrongs... and that is definitely not me.  Actually... I am totally politically incorrect.

Also...  I can now add being over 50 years old to the list....  another nail and the coffin of help and opportunity.

Oh sure... there are others like me...  They just trek on and shake their head at what their government are doing, and, what others are let being done.

The only way this country of ours is going to be saved is if this group, and we will add females to it, will get together and form their own political party to challenge the current ones.  The current major political parties are watered down and have sold their souls to anyone that would give them a vote.  Our heritage and our freedoms of what we once had are gone.  The only we we are going to get them back, if we even can, is to fight for them... speak our minds.. get others involved.. and become politically incorrect.  Otherwise, we might as well join the Apathy Party of Canada(www.apathycanada.ca)  

So how about it... you in?  Other minorities welcome... 

For now though... next time you are filling in a job application and they have a check box that asks if you are a visible minority... check it.

Talk soon... R.