Okay, call me a crybaby, but . . . back in the 1970's there were at least three venues in Altoona that ran bands 5 or 6 nights a week. the Holiday Inn ran one band 6 nights, and "Vince & the First Place every Sunday, and Sunday nights were packed.
There were a lot of other clubs, both service clubs like the VFWs and American Legions, and public Bars that ran bands anywhere from two to five nights a week. Four nights seemed to be the norm.
On top of that, there were teen dances at all of the area high schools; we used to get crowd number 400 to 500 at Tyrone H.S. No one would have thought of hiring a DJ, because records were the kiss of death for a Teen Dance. Live bands were the thing. I remember playing to great crowds at St. Mary's, St. Leo's (hosted by Dick D'andrea).
All of that was just around town. The scenes were much the same in Johnstown, Indiana (IUP and the bars), and State College was really THE place to play, with the bars and the frat houses.
We had a 3-piece band called "Wolfsbane," and we played regularly at the Frats at St. Francis, and at the Altoona Campus and The Mount. I was nothing for the three us to come home from playing a TKE party at St. Francis with $400-$500 dollars to split between us. Not a bad living in 1970-74.
A lot of times we would play 3 or 4 gigs on a weekend. When we went on the Federated Holiday Inn Circuit in 1976 we were playing 5 or 6 nights a week for about 46 to 50 weeks/year, and when we came home for a week, we could usually book a week or two at the Altoona Holiday Inn.
Earlier, 71-72 we would play a month at a time at the Oasis. Not the greatest pay, but we didn't have to move the equipment, we played 5 nights a week, rehearsed on Monday's at the club, and had Sunday and Monday nights off. I once played the Oasis 3 months in a row with three different band.
And it wasn't just our band; there must have been at least a dozen bands who were good enough to make a living at music, even in the local scene that had a radius of 75-100 miles of Altoona.
The 80s were almost as good; my wife and I made a good living working 3 or 4 nights/week --more than we were making at our day jobs at time.
I suppose everything has to come to an end, and as I see it, what ruined the whole scene for live music and put an end to bands being able to make a living at music were two things: 1. DJs, and 2. second-rate bands, and even some really good bands, who were willing to sell themselves cheap just to get a gig or two.
The hotel lounges that we used to play are virtually non-existent, and if they are still around they have DJ's and karaoke (Japanese for tone-deaf).
Club owners want bands to play for the door, or for less than they were paying us in 1972 when you could buy a decent Stratocaster for $250. We used play a lot of clubs where we had a guarantee, plus a percentage of the door, or the entire door.
We played regularly at the Coaches Inn, for example. The guarantee was $400, and we never left there with less that $800.
In the Late 80s, my wife and I played for a band called 219, from Carrolltown. We played with them for 5-1/2 years, and the last two we played nothing but weddings -- on night a week, home before midnight, good food and excellent pay. Then the DJs came in, cutting prices, and now it's rare to see a live band at a wedding.
Am I being a cry baby? Maybe. But what makes me sad is that young musician today may never have the opportunities that those of us who started out playing in the 60s, 70s, and even the 80s had; the opportunity to make a decent living at an vocation they love, to travel, see the country and make a decent wage at the same time.
We weren't big rock stars, we didn't have tour buses or roadies, or sound techs, but we had a lot of fun and made some good money. I guess I'm crying because that seems to be all gone now and I doubt the music scene here will ever be a shadow of what it was 30-40 years ago.
Sorry for the long rant, but I guess this has been stewing for a long time.
Is Blair County "Musical Groundhog Day"?????
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Atomic Jim
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bassist_25
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Those are some interesting observations, Jim. While I'm not as experienced as you and some of the other cats are, I see many of the same trends. Those who know me personally know that I don't like to A). whine, and B). talk about the good ol' days as if they're somehow superior to the current times. I just try to avoid meta-narratives whenever I can. With that said, when I first started gigging around 2000 - 2001, the local music scene just seemed much more healthy. That goes for both the covers and originals scenes. There just seemed to be a lot more happening then. I remember opening PA Musician and seeing page after page of ads for bands playing 15 times a month. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
Frankly, a lot of it comes down to what I've seen as the closing of many major nightspot venues and a general disinterest in valuing live music as a commodity. You have to adapt to the times. We definitely did. When I first joined my current band in 2004, we almost always contracted out production for any gig that didn't have an in-house PA with full FOH reinforcement. There was only one venue we ran our own PA, which was a small bar in Huntingdon County. A lot of the larger venues that could support bringing in production have closed or no longer have entertainment. We still play the big production gigs, but we've started running our own sound more often to take advantage of smaller venues to replace the big rooms that aren't around anymore. We're also starting to branch out into new geographical areas.
In my experience, the crowds are still out there. It's a tough road to hoe, though...not that there's anything wrong with that. Nobody automatically deserves a crowd or a good gig. I do wish that people were less apathetic, though. I learned quickly some years ago that music is a thankless job, so at the end of the day, you ultimately have to please yourself with music.
Frankly, a lot of it comes down to what I've seen as the closing of many major nightspot venues and a general disinterest in valuing live music as a commodity. You have to adapt to the times. We definitely did. When I first joined my current band in 2004, we almost always contracted out production for any gig that didn't have an in-house PA with full FOH reinforcement. There was only one venue we ran our own PA, which was a small bar in Huntingdon County. A lot of the larger venues that could support bringing in production have closed or no longer have entertainment. We still play the big production gigs, but we've started running our own sound more often to take advantage of smaller venues to replace the big rooms that aren't around anymore. We're also starting to branch out into new geographical areas.
In my experience, the crowds are still out there. It's a tough road to hoe, though...not that there's anything wrong with that. Nobody automatically deserves a crowd or a good gig. I do wish that people were less apathetic, though. I learned quickly some years ago that music is a thankless job, so at the end of the day, you ultimately have to please yourself with music.
"He's the electric horseman, you better back off!" - old sKool making a reference to the culturally relevant 1979 film.
Just wanted to say that Im Tom Rhodes from The House Band...NOT the Tom that was posting up till now...Im hannible...Im sure Jeff has plaYED MANY BENEFITS...Times are very tuff for all bands...especially new young bands....WE do have many bookings...We play many songs no one recognize...we play songs WE like...we let fellow muscians sit in with our band..I don`t suggest this for other bands, but it works for us...We have a vast song list...100s of songs..so it helps keep us fresh aswe learn new songs..We have a fan base to build on...My suggestion is to find new venues to book into..talk the owner of a bar into trying live music ..Ask the owner to pay you what he feels your worth...You mite be able to start up a new venue that way...We did it at Molly Maguires, they didn`t have bands till I approached the owner..Now we are his biggest nite.....now were booked Nrw Years Eve and St. Patriks Day, a year in advance...played ther last year too...so it can be done...Many bands, including the Verge have tried gigs there...But the owner has settled into just 2 bands that make him money....Old Canal Inn.....same thing there..We are "Groundhogs" I guess...But we can`t help we are good! It takes years to pay off tho...good luck to all my friends!! 
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lonewolf
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Actually Tom, this isn't the "I never heard this band before, so I'm not going to the bar that I normally go to almost every day of my life to see them because even though there is no cover charge and I can leave at any time, I might not like them." mentality thread.
This is the "why do the summer special outdoor shows only hire the same 6 bands year after year?" thread.
If you recall, we went over this on FB and I was happy to see that you guys got one of the H-burg slots and that broke the same band syndrome...at least for 1 slot.
This is the "why do the summer special outdoor shows only hire the same 6 bands year after year?" thread.
If you recall, we went over this on FB and I was happy to see that you guys got one of the H-burg slots and that broke the same band syndrome...at least for 1 slot.
...Oh, the freedom of the day that yielded to no rule or time...
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bassist_25
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Ahh, you know the answer to this conundrum, Jeff. You just need to join a few councils and clubs full of self-important people whose actual power in the world is in inverse proportion to their egos and hobknob with them a little bit. I bet you'll have to turn down some of those sweet summer showcase gigs after you start getting the offers. 
"He's the electric horseman, you better back off!" - old sKool making a reference to the culturally relevant 1979 film.
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lonewolf
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eeewwww!bassist_25 wrote:Ahh, you know the answer to this conundrum, Jeff. You just need to join a few councils and clubs full of self-important people whose actual power in the world is in inverse proportion to their egos and hobknob with them a little bit. I bet you'll have to turn down some of those sweet summer showcase gigs after you start getting the offers.
...Oh, the freedom of the day that yielded to no rule or time...
It's an inside job!lonewolf wrote:Actually Tom, this isn't the "I never heard this band before, so I'm not going to the bar that I normally go to almost every day of my life to see them because even though there is no cover charge and I can leave at any time, I might not like them." mentality thread.
This is the "why do the summer special outdoor shows only hire the same 6 bands year after year?" thread.
If you recall, we went over this on FB and I was happy to see that you guys got one of the H-burg slots and that broke the same band syndrome...at least for 1 slot.
I know the bar, we were told the same thing.bsaller wrote:best one I ever heard in 45 years...I called a local bar about a booking and was told that "I only book bands that hang out here".
WTF we can't all be alcoholics! Somebody has to drive the bus.
How many visits will it take ? Get drunk there six times and you get booked ?