Blues music will not stay alive in Altoona if the younger blues musicians and bands can't get booked at local bars/clubs....
I am the guitar player/singer in local blues/rock band The Ultra-Magnetic. I believe we are a pretty damn good band and I would love to be part of the next generation to keep the blues alive locally, but that is not going to happen if I can't get any of the local bars to call me back. We have played at these bars before and had good responses, pretty good crowds, and good reviews from Jim Price. For some reason I can't get us booked anywhere all of the sudden and my frustration is coming to a boil.
I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way, but I think my band is being left out because non of us are over the age of 30. I can understand why the people who book bands at these bars would rather have middle aged guys playing the blues/classic rock, but those guys aren't gonna be around forever and there will be no future for that music locally without bands like us or without young blues guitarists like myself and Colton....
No future for the Blues in Altoona.....
No future for the Blues in Altoona.....
Any band can get the rock part right...Gettin the roll is what counts....-Keith Richards
Facebook: The Ultra-Magnetic
Facebook: Vince Macharola
Facebook: The Ultra-Magnetic
Facebook: Vince Macharola
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felix'apprentice
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I play a lot of blues music .... and have had a terrible time finding anyone remotely interested in playing the material im interested in. i have found that just about everyone wants to cover 70's tunes though....
but back to your post, thats not something i want to hear. we need to keep the blues alive!!!!
i really hope you find some places to gig, and i didnt realize you guys were blues oriented band - i will definitely be looking to hear you guys soon!
- kayla.
but back to your post, thats not something i want to hear. we need to keep the blues alive!!!!
i really hope you find some places to gig, and i didnt realize you guys were blues oriented band - i will definitely be looking to hear you guys soon!
- kayla.
`(FENDER)`
I've been at clubs / bars trying to book The Hawks. As soon as you mention "Blues" they can't get rid of you fast enough. So yeah, it's a hard sell. I've heard you band, you guys are good, but just the word "blues" has a stigma attached to it. The stigma says you'll put people to sleep. WE know that's not the case.
Most of the upbeat blues tunes have a "shuffle" rhythm. Too many people find it too hard to dance to. So that can be a negative.
As The Hawks, from the beginning, we decided to stick to the blues and hope to find / create a niche. We're doing okay, not making a lot of money, but thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Gradually, people are finding us.
I don't really have an answer for you. Stick to your guns if you love the Blues. Start a side project? Age matching is the norm. Just like, you wouldn't see the 4 Ds hire any incredible rockers who are in their 50s. Booking into a bar that caters to 50 somethings can be difficult too for 20 somethings.
We will be scheduling an OPEN Blues jam next Month. We'd love to have Ultra-Magnatic join us, along with ANYONE who wants to play.
Most of the upbeat blues tunes have a "shuffle" rhythm. Too many people find it too hard to dance to. So that can be a negative.
As The Hawks, from the beginning, we decided to stick to the blues and hope to find / create a niche. We're doing okay, not making a lot of money, but thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Gradually, people are finding us.
I don't really have an answer for you. Stick to your guns if you love the Blues. Start a side project? Age matching is the norm. Just like, you wouldn't see the 4 Ds hire any incredible rockers who are in their 50s. Booking into a bar that caters to 50 somethings can be difficult too for 20 somethings.
We will be scheduling an OPEN Blues jam next Month. We'd love to have Ultra-Magnatic join us, along with ANYONE who wants to play.
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Gallowglass
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Vince,
I don't know if it has as much to do with your respective ages as with the style of music you're into. I've played in non-top 40/dance oriented bands since well before I was 30. The simple fact is that many bar owners are hesitant to book anything that is not guaranteed to make people get up and dance. That doesn't mean the audience isn't appreciative, but a bar owner observing the phenomenon isn't seeing people sitting there getting blown away, he's just seeing people sitting there.
If you're in it for the money, you might as well forget about it...or move, but I don't even know if that will really help your situation. If you're a real musician and really care about the music though you won't give up, you'll keep plugging away...and that's exactly what you should do. Eventually, if you're good enough you'll attract an audience. I've found that this audience will be way more interested in seeking you out than your average dance crowd. Eventually, some of them might even become your best friends. Define your goals in relation to your situation, that is, appreciate the music and appreciate the people who also appreciate it. You'll be happier that way.
Another factor that can't be overlooked is the old condition of "you've got to pay your dues". It's true. As you stay around longer and prove yourselves, you'll make better contacts and things will happen for you. I know it's discouraging sometimes, but don't give up man...embrace the struggle and you'll find the journey way more enlightening and beneficial.
I don't know if it has as much to do with your respective ages as with the style of music you're into. I've played in non-top 40/dance oriented bands since well before I was 30. The simple fact is that many bar owners are hesitant to book anything that is not guaranteed to make people get up and dance. That doesn't mean the audience isn't appreciative, but a bar owner observing the phenomenon isn't seeing people sitting there getting blown away, he's just seeing people sitting there.
If you're in it for the money, you might as well forget about it...or move, but I don't even know if that will really help your situation. If you're a real musician and really care about the music though you won't give up, you'll keep plugging away...and that's exactly what you should do. Eventually, if you're good enough you'll attract an audience. I've found that this audience will be way more interested in seeking you out than your average dance crowd. Eventually, some of them might even become your best friends. Define your goals in relation to your situation, that is, appreciate the music and appreciate the people who also appreciate it. You'll be happier that way.
Another factor that can't be overlooked is the old condition of "you've got to pay your dues". It's true. As you stay around longer and prove yourselves, you'll make better contacts and things will happen for you. I know it's discouraging sometimes, but don't give up man...embrace the struggle and you'll find the journey way more enlightening and beneficial.
Hawk, I know what you're sayin. I understand that the blues doesn't exactly bring the masses around here. My frustration is that places we have already played at won't call me back for some reason. I don't wanna name the bars, but lets just say its 2 specific places that your band, The House Band, and The Hurricanes have played at very recently. This is not a negative thing about you guys in any way, I hope you aren't taking it that way. I'm just wondering why you guys are able to get booked at these places when I can't even get a call back. We all play similar music and should appeal to the same crowd, which is why I feel like I'm not getting called back because of my age.
Thanks for the feedback though. Maybe I should try to get a side project going and find some older guys who would wanna work with me haha.
Thanks for the feedback though. Maybe I should try to get a side project going and find some older guys who would wanna work with me haha.
Any band can get the rock part right...Gettin the roll is what counts....-Keith Richards
Facebook: The Ultra-Magnetic
Facebook: Vince Macharola
Facebook: The Ultra-Magnetic
Facebook: Vince Macharola
Gallow, thanks for the feedback. I'm definitely not in it for the money. I know that's not gonna happen around here. Just havin a hard time understanding why we were getting at least 2 gigs a month or more and now I can't get anything to save my life.
Any band can get the rock part right...Gettin the roll is what counts....-Keith Richards
Facebook: The Ultra-Magnetic
Facebook: Vince Macharola
Facebook: The Ultra-Magnetic
Facebook: Vince Macharola
Vince, I have been trying to catch you band for a while now. This winter, you played a few times, but I was under the weather for whatever shows I saw you were booked at. I think your videos on your FB page are great.
I know the Hawks very well, they get some awesome turnouts around here. But they only seem to play in 2 local bars. When I ask Hawk why don't they play at different venues, he says they stop him as soon as he says the word blues. What a shame. Many a bar owner would have loved to have had the crowd at Rubines last Friday night. Sometimes you cannot open a closed mind.
Keep hanging in there, I have to see you guys live. Make sure you post future gigs here and FB.
I know the Hawks very well, they get some awesome turnouts around here. But they only seem to play in 2 local bars. When I ask Hawk why don't they play at different venues, he says they stop him as soon as he says the word blues. What a shame. Many a bar owner would have loved to have had the crowd at Rubines last Friday night. Sometimes you cannot open a closed mind.
Keep hanging in there, I have to see you guys live. Make sure you post future gigs here and FB.
What undercoverjoe, Hawk and Gallowglass said, pretty much...
For new places, you might explore different angles for marketing your band to club owners. "Blues" might scare them off, but another description might sell them that you are more than just blues and have something else to offer that might appeal to the venue's clientelle.
Opening shows will widen your audience and help market you as well. And play any and all situations that present themselves; the more you're out there, the more people will see you, remember the band name and perhaps start mentioning it to club owners.
And keep the faith! The longer you're out there, the better established your name will become, and again, the fan base will widen. Longevity ultimately pays off at some point.
For new places, you might explore different angles for marketing your band to club owners. "Blues" might scare them off, but another description might sell them that you are more than just blues and have something else to offer that might appeal to the venue's clientelle.
Opening shows will widen your audience and help market you as well. And play any and all situations that present themselves; the more you're out there, the more people will see you, remember the band name and perhaps start mentioning it to club owners.
And keep the faith! The longer you're out there, the better established your name will become, and again, the fan base will widen. Longevity ultimately pays off at some point.
The Blues are special but most people are out to meet people of the opposite sex and that usually means "dancing" so that's what most bars cater to.
Here's an Idea. Something like a 2 hour "Happy Hour" around 5 'clock in the afternoon after people get off work. Not your average gig. Find a bar willing to try it. Maybe a bar that's not doing anything else for a couple days a week and just leave your equipment there. A "house band". Almost a practice.
A bar in Johnstown down by the train station was doing that about 10 years age and was real successful.
Here's an Idea. Something like a 2 hour "Happy Hour" around 5 'clock in the afternoon after people get off work. Not your average gig. Find a bar willing to try it. Maybe a bar that's not doing anything else for a couple days a week and just leave your equipment there. A "house band". Almost a practice.
A bar in Johnstown down by the train station was doing that about 10 years age and was real successful.
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KeithReynolds
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Just sent you an Email on the subject, then found this post.mjb wrote:lets get a blues fest going here guys... i''m feeling it.... maybe lets just meet up at pellies or somewher and bounce some ideas around and start putting something together, i'm game...
I suggested a Sunday afternoon in April, venue to be determined. Perhaps we could make it a regular thing?
Sunday's seem to work, as most musicians are free to join in the fun.
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UncleScabby
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agreed... androbinhood wrote:see, no matter how much people diss this site, this is what I love about it, you can make a topic for advice and when people see it they are more than willing to offer their advice to aid musicians, thanks to the powers to be for having this website
" Longevity ultimately pays off at some point." - JP
that's what she said...
The BMC
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
www.facebook.com/thesitchrocks
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
www.facebook.com/thesitchrocks
VOMA, (Venue of Musical Arts?) in Johnstown looks for blues bands I think, don't know what it's like but it sounds extremely promising.
Like the other guys said, it's an uphill battle for a blues band outside an urban area, you really have a lot of dues to pay, and we all know how your musical dues work... it sucks to pay them, they're never really paid, but when you start seeing the fruits of paying dues, you're way glad you did. You're gonna have downtime and crappy gigs. That's how it is. The Hurricanes can lay a crowd on the doorstep of any local establishment pretty easy, but I've played with them at gigs where our wives and the waitstaff were the only ones there. And they still killed, too. You just have to keep on rockin'.
Try doing your own shows. Play a few Mysterytrain shows, that guy's like a business incubator for new bands. Go to jams and network with the jammers and the venue. Lose a little money playing for free. When I'm cold-calling looking for bookings, I usually end the conversation as soon as I hear the word, "No." You can't force it, and it's extremely satisfying when the place down the road books you instead.
It's tough enough for classic-rock bar-bands and 80's tribute acts to get gigs (and they're the ones bars book), so it has to be difficult for a blues band, hell, it SUPPOSED to be, that's what makes successful shows so sweet. As for being under 30, I'd think that was a plus. Few people my age (late 40's) even go to nightclubs at all, if you can pull a younger crowd, they drink more and stay longer. Concentrate on your chops and your show, and be better than the next band, more entertaining. For blues, it's simple: Connect. Blues guys don't depend on image or production, they connect with their song, and feel it, and the listener feels it, too. I have personally played harp with Felix, looked back at him, and he had his eyes closed, tears on his cheeks, wailing on that Strat. That, and his need to play out on the edge of his abilities, are why he's the man around here. Well, that and playing 200+ shows a year for anyone that'll listen.
In short, nobody ever said it was easy. It's supposed to be hard, to seperate the wheat from the chaff. Think about that, you'll figure it out.
Like the other guys said, it's an uphill battle for a blues band outside an urban area, you really have a lot of dues to pay, and we all know how your musical dues work... it sucks to pay them, they're never really paid, but when you start seeing the fruits of paying dues, you're way glad you did. You're gonna have downtime and crappy gigs. That's how it is. The Hurricanes can lay a crowd on the doorstep of any local establishment pretty easy, but I've played with them at gigs where our wives and the waitstaff were the only ones there. And they still killed, too. You just have to keep on rockin'.
Try doing your own shows. Play a few Mysterytrain shows, that guy's like a business incubator for new bands. Go to jams and network with the jammers and the venue. Lose a little money playing for free. When I'm cold-calling looking for bookings, I usually end the conversation as soon as I hear the word, "No." You can't force it, and it's extremely satisfying when the place down the road books you instead.
It's tough enough for classic-rock bar-bands and 80's tribute acts to get gigs (and they're the ones bars book), so it has to be difficult for a blues band, hell, it SUPPOSED to be, that's what makes successful shows so sweet. As for being under 30, I'd think that was a plus. Few people my age (late 40's) even go to nightclubs at all, if you can pull a younger crowd, they drink more and stay longer. Concentrate on your chops and your show, and be better than the next band, more entertaining. For blues, it's simple: Connect. Blues guys don't depend on image or production, they connect with their song, and feel it, and the listener feels it, too. I have personally played harp with Felix, looked back at him, and he had his eyes closed, tears on his cheeks, wailing on that Strat. That, and his need to play out on the edge of his abilities, are why he's the man around here. Well, that and playing 200+ shows a year for anyone that'll listen.
In short, nobody ever said it was easy. It's supposed to be hard, to seperate the wheat from the chaff. Think about that, you'll figure it out.
Some of us have been "paying our dues" for so many years and with every band we play in to start over again that we have lifetime membership cards. I always say the worst is that somebody tells you no and we all get told no alot in life and with our music and you move on. You have to be persistent, consistent, and stick together but it can be frustrating at times when a band just can't seem to get established no matter how good they are. In this region, bands that play a variety of songs; e.g., rock tunes mixed with straight forward and rocking blues or a mixture of dance songs are more likely to get the attention of a club owner or manager.
Even my band, which plays a variety of party rock dance music that covers six decades, is often pigeon holed by club owners to attempt to classify our format with labels such as "oldies", "classic rock", etc. but while we do perform those types of songs, we play a very wide variety of music from the 50s to today at every gig. However, I have had club owners or managers say to me that they know we have a really good band but we are an "oldies" or "classic rock" band and they won't book us because they want bands that play newer material and that perception is there. Places we do play love the fact that we cover alot of different things and genres. We also play a lot of 80s tunes but even 80s are oldies now for many people.
There have been some very good suggestions mentioned so far by veteran musicians on Rockpage and that is why this is a great place to seek advice.
Just remember, "You can't be everything to everybody, but you can be alot of things to alot of people."
Hang in there and search for alternative venues to perform as has been suggested. The bar scene is tough as it is in this region as Songsmith has stated but if you can adapt in order to perform while still playing the blues eventually positive things will happen.
Best wishes!
Even my band, which plays a variety of party rock dance music that covers six decades, is often pigeon holed by club owners to attempt to classify our format with labels such as "oldies", "classic rock", etc. but while we do perform those types of songs, we play a very wide variety of music from the 50s to today at every gig. However, I have had club owners or managers say to me that they know we have a really good band but we are an "oldies" or "classic rock" band and they won't book us because they want bands that play newer material and that perception is there. Places we do play love the fact that we cover alot of different things and genres. We also play a lot of 80s tunes but even 80s are oldies now for many people.
There have been some very good suggestions mentioned so far by veteran musicians on Rockpage and that is why this is a great place to seek advice.
Just remember, "You can't be everything to everybody, but you can be alot of things to alot of people."
Hang in there and search for alternative venues to perform as has been suggested. The bar scene is tough as it is in this region as Songsmith has stated but if you can adapt in order to perform while still playing the blues eventually positive things will happen.
Best wishes!
Last edited by moxham123 on Friday Mar 04, 2011, edited 2 times in total.
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KeithReynolds
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I love this "Pay Your Dues" stuff.
CLEARLY thats wtf their band is TRYING to do!!! Hello??! McFly??!!
They want shows. How do you "pay your dues" without playing shows? Unless by "pay dues" you mean "kiss ass".
Obviously "paying your dues" is something that needs to be done around here, but you cant "pay your dues" in a garage can you?? Not at all.
Help them out, oh loving musician community.
I think people sometimes forget what it was like starting out.
Just my thirty-seven cents.
CLEARLY thats wtf their band is TRYING to do!!! Hello??! McFly??!!
They want shows. How do you "pay your dues" without playing shows? Unless by "pay dues" you mean "kiss ass".
Obviously "paying your dues" is something that needs to be done around here, but you cant "pay your dues" in a garage can you?? Not at all.
Help them out, oh loving musician community.
I think people sometimes forget what it was like starting out.
Just my thirty-seven cents.
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nakedtwister
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VinceM25 wrote:That's a really good idea Ram, thanks.
Hey Vince, just so you know, about halve of the crowd we play for are younger people and they really seem to dig the Blues. They are always very respectful to us Old Bastards.
So don't get too discouraged. It's not your fault that some people have heads up their 80's asses. I usually try to explain to people that if it wasn't for the Blues, none of the Hair Bands would be where they are or were. Most have either covered the Blues in some way or robbed licks to fit their need. Take the Black Crows for instance. One of their biggest hits was an Otis Redding song. Just pumped up a little bit on 'roids. And Keith as for "dues paying", sometimes you have to eat a little shit before you can get the candy. The sooner you realize that the sooner your life will take the turn. Just sayin'.