# First time playing out in nearly two years... who else?



## wheresthefbomb (Jun 11, 2021)

I'm playing my first proper show since Halloween 2019 this weekend. I took a break a little after that, and then quarantine happened. I did a FB livestream thing last summer (sound sucked big time, nobody else noticed/cared but after I heard what it sounded like I couldn't do anymore) and played for a few people in my living room, but hardly the same energy. 

I'm excited because it's been a long time, the longest I've gone without performing in a good 10 years. I've got a lot of new material and I'm guessing everyone else does too, really looking forward to being part of that excitement.

How about it, who else is dusting off the ol' road case?


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## DudeManBrother (Jun 11, 2021)

Nice man, I’m jealous. The last show we played was in Feb 2020 with Gorod. I thought I was joking at the time when I said that could be my last show and I’d be okay with it; but then everything shut down a few days later and my band basically dissolved after that. It hasn’t officially ended, but we haven’t played or even practiced in well over a year, so it’s essentially done. 

I still jam with my drummer somewhat frequently, so I’m sure we’ll put something new together and get out to play some shows.


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## sleewell (Jun 13, 2021)

Last show was nov of last year. Hopefully my new band will be playing shows in july or aug.


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## GunpointMetal (Jun 16, 2021)

First one since February of last year in a couple of weeks. I'm stoked. I don't know what happened during the pandemic, but the promoters around here are offering decent money for locals and I haven't had to argue a guarantee for the other few shows I have booked for the summer, so that's cool. Can't wait to get back on stage.


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## wheresthefbomb (Jun 16, 2021)

GunpointMetal said:


> First one since February of last year in a couple of weeks. I'm stoked. I don't know what happened during the pandemic, but the promoters around here are offering decent money for locals and I haven't had to argue a guarantee for the other few shows I have booked for the summer, so that's cool. Can't wait to get back on stage.



Glad to hear it! I can relate. It's been feeling like I'm missing a part of myself. 

My guess with the money thing is it's part inflation, and part that there's simply a high demand for live entertainment right now because of quarantine. Bars and restaurants around here seem to be thriving compared to 6 months ago, so I'd guess there's generally more money around, at least for them. We'll see how long that lasts.

I got to play on top of a dome near my house. The people who put it on built a stage and everything, pretty impressive setup. Everyone else got dumped on but the weather cleared up nicely for me:


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## GunpointMetal (Jun 17, 2021)

That looks like fun!


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## mongey (Jun 21, 2021)

I actually looked up when my last one was the other day . Just over 7 years ago before my daughter was born . kinda depressing


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## Mprinsje (Jul 5, 2021)

My last show was in June or July 2020, during a brief time in between two strict lockdowns. 

They were seated shows with a limited capacity, but at least I can now say my band played a sold out show .

Next show should be in either August or beginning of September, very stoked.


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## Screamingdaisy (Jul 5, 2021)

Last “gig” was last summer. We set up on one of the band member’s driveway and did a COVID concert for the neighbourhood.

I moved after that last gig so I don’t have anything slated. Hard to find a new band when everyone is keeping their distance.


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## Semi-pro (Jul 6, 2021)

My band played one gig in 2020 fall. Of all gigs that one happened to be our album release party and everyone had fun despite the limited capacity (which ended when the bands had played and the venue was an open bar for everyone and not a "event". Suddenly it's ok to squeeze in twice the amount of ppl the same night. Stupid legilations!)

4 weeks from now we're gonna play our only booked show for this year, which'll actually be a sold out festival, which is nice!

Gootta admit that I'm a little terrified each time I pick up the guitar and try to memorize the songs


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## CanserDYI (Jul 7, 2021)

Man I haven't played a gig since like 2013 lol y u do dis to mi?


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## Baelzebeard (Aug 16, 2021)

I'm happy for everyone that is playing music again. There is no replacement for performing live.

We have a couple gigs booked now. I am more than ready to get back out there.


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 18, 2021)

I have another gig tomorrow at the University Pub. Still Covid protocols, masks except while sitting/drinking. Campus is 100% masks required and working on vaccine mandates.

I'm being paid a (very generous) flat rate. This will be my highest-grossing gig to date even after I pay out my buddy who is opening, so that's a cool little milestone.

I know nobody who posts here is in my area, but I'm really proud of the flier I made for this show. It was an old Marb ad originally. I found the Marb font online and it all came together pretty quickly after that.


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## CanserDYI (Nov 19, 2021)

wheresthefbomb said:


> I have another gig tomorrow at the University Pub. Still Covid protocols, masks except while sitting/drinking. Campus is 100% masks required and working on vaccine mandates.
> 
> I'm being paid a (very generous) flat rate. This will be my highest-grossing gig to date even after I pay out my buddy who is opening, so that's a cool little milestone.
> 
> I know nobody who posts here is in my area, but I'm really proud of the flier I made for this show. It was an old Marb ad originally. I found the Marb font online and it all came together pretty quickly after that.


Good shit man, good luck! I dig the punk show flyer, I miss those.


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## sleewell (Nov 19, 2021)

2 shows this weekend!


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## CanserDYI (Nov 19, 2021)

sleewell said:


> 2 shows this weekend!


I'll have to come see you guys, I'm in "south detroit" AKA Toledo and our local scene died with covid. Like killed it dead, everyone sold their shit and quit. I can't make it this time, but keep these flyers up I'll come out.


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## sleewell (Nov 19, 2021)

CanserDYI said:


> I'll have to come see you guys, I'm in "south detroit" AKA Toledo and our local scene died with covid. Like killed it dead, everyone sold their shit and quit. I can't make it this time, but keep these flyers up I'll come out.




hell yea bro, we will be in Detroit soon I am sure. I know what you mean though. covid killed 2 of our best local venues so really the only option for us is out of town shows which are fun but you dont get as many of your local people coming out bc not everyone wants a long drive home when they are drunk.


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 19, 2021)

sleewell said:


> 2 shows this weekend!





CanserDYI said:


> I'll have to come see you guys, I'm in "south detroit" AKA Toledo and our local scene died with covid. Like killed it dead, everyone sold their shit and quit. I can't make it this time, but keep these flyers up I'll come out.



I lived in Bowling Green, Ohio for two years with the band I was in back in 2015-17, we never made it quite that far north but did play at Frankie's in Toledo. I have some friends in the area, I'll have to send them your flyers. 

I'm happy this is turning into the "post your flyers and talk about playing shows" thread.


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## CanserDYI (Nov 19, 2021)

wheresthefbomb said:


> I lived in Bowling Green, Ohio for two years with the band I was in back in 2015-17, we never made it quite that far north but did play at Frankie's in Toledo. I have some friends in the area, I'll have to send them your flyers.
> 
> I'm happy this is turning into the "post your flyers and talk about playing shows" thread.


nice man! My dad is a BG Alumni, and I used to practically live at Frankies during the first iteration of it before it closed/reopened, same with Howards Club H in BG, very cool man!

I live in Toledo proper by the way, no one ever knows where it is when I say Toledo so I always say "South Detroit" lol


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 19, 2021)

CanserDYI said:


> nice man! My dad is a BG Alumni, and I used to practically live at Frankies during the first iteration of it before it closed/reopened, same with Howards Club H in BG, very cool man!



Howard's was our "home town dive bar away from home." We played there dozens of times and I ended up working there a bunch too. I left right before they did all the recent renovations. This picture was a couple months before then, you can see the old Howard's sign had been taken down and someone had scrawled it onto the blank space in sharpie hahaha.


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## CanserDYI (Nov 19, 2021)

wheresthefbomb said:


> Howard's was our "home town dive bar away from home." We played there dozens of times and I ended up working there a bunch too. I left right before they did all the recent renovations. This picture was a couple months before then, you can see the old Howard's sign had been taken down and someone had scrawled it onto the blank space in sharpie hahaha.


Is that a Mushok Baritone?


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 19, 2021)

CanserDYI said:


> Is that a Mushok Baritone?



Yep, great guitars, I've owned two now over the years. Recently stopped playing baritones due to wrist issues on lower frets.


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## Giest (Nov 19, 2021)

Been about seven years for me, did it for about seven more before that. We still jam regularly but I don't think any of us miss gigging, and our lives are very different now than they were then. Maintaining good standards of professionalism in a frequently greasy business and the endless networking took it out of us, it's so much more enjoyable to just focus on the music and studio stuff. We were kinda that group that never really cared and just liked having fun and meeting cool folks or other bands. We still know most of those people and play with a lot of different folks in private, but playing out isn't really something we care about anymore. The drummer has a few public projects but he kind of falls into them when they need a fill in and then comes back home. We're all childhood best friends, I think everything that ever really mattered to us as far as being musicians only revolves around that and getting better at our instruments and compositions.


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## sleewell (Dec 28, 2021)

free show at a local record store. told our vocalist he must start the show with, "WHAT THE FUCK IS UP RECORD LOUNGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" hahaha


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## wheresthefbomb (Dec 28, 2021)

sleewell said:


> free show at a local record store. told our vocalist he must start the show with, "WHAT THE FUCK IS UP RECORD LOUNGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" hahaha



Hell yeah, this sounds awesome! It's so good to see people doing shows again.


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## LostTheTone (Jan 3, 2022)

wheresthefbomb said:


> Hell yeah, this sounds awesome! It's so good to see people doing shows again.



As we pass new year it's just kinda settled in on me that my band starts our first gigs in like 10 weeks time. As long as the venues will let us play, we're showing up, end of story. And, well, thus far none of them have cancelled. It's my first time playing originals in like... God knows how long. 10 years maybe? So I'm super hungry to get out and actually play to a real crowd. 

I guess we'll see if anyone actually shows up to see us


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## sleewell (Jan 3, 2022)

We have shows 1/8, 1/26 and 2/5. Can't wait. I'll post the other flyers when I get to work. We're going to try to play 2 or 3 shows per month this year. This thing is never going away completely. Just get your booster and get out there, live life while you can. Pretty soon I'll be too old to do stuff like this so gotta make the most out it while we can.


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## LostTheTone (Jan 3, 2022)

sleewell said:


> We have shows 1/8, 1/26 and 2/5. Can't wait. I'll post the other flyers when I get to work. We're going to try to play 2 or 3 shows per month this year. This thing is never going away completely. Just get your booster and get out there, live life while you can. Pretty soon I'll be too old to do stuff like this so gotta make the most out it while we can.



100% agree with you man. We're booked to play just about every week from the second week of March to mid May. Only reason we haven't gotten stuff booked sooner is because we scheduled studio time in February and if we want to move those dates we won't be able to get consecutive days in the same space. We figure it's not worth playing gigs as a new lineup if we don't have any new material for people to buy/watch/share. 

Fortunately my band's name is _Spreading The Disease _(chosen years before I joined, and years before the pandemic) so I've unofficially christened it the Superspreader tour and will be liberally referring to that on stage, because why be in a metal band if you can't be an edgyboi


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## Lozek (Jan 4, 2022)

LostTheTone said:


> Fortunately my band's name is _Spreading The Disease_



No shit. I first met Steve S in around 1993, then we re-connected when he first started STD about 8 years ago when my band at the time was very active.


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## LostTheTone (Jan 4, 2022)

Lozek said:


> No shit. I first met Steve S in around 1993, then we re-connected when he first started STD about 8 years ago when my band at the time was very active.



Small fucking world man


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## sleewell (Jan 4, 2022)




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## sleewell (Feb 3, 2022)




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## wheresthefbomb (Feb 3, 2022)

sleewell said:


>



Glad this thread is still going strong. I sent the Battle Creek flier to my buddy who lives in Bowling Green OH.

I'm on hiatus until my carpal tunnel sorts itself out, so for now I live vicariously through your fliers.


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## sleewell (Feb 3, 2022)

wheresthefbomb said:


> Glad this thread is still going strong. I sent the Battle Creek flier to my buddy who lives in Bowling Green OH.
> 
> 
> I'm on hiatus until my carpal tunnel sorts itself out, so for now I live vicariously through your fliers.




Hey thanks man. Playing shows is a ton of fun, makes me feel alive. The metal fest is going go off. The pits are gnarly. Can't wait to see who the last headliner is.


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## LostTheTone (Feb 4, 2022)

Alright fuck since some of you are literally dying...


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## LostTheTone (Mar 19, 2022)

Whelp we just finished our first gig as a whole band - Last July was the first time (I literally joined the band on my wedding day) we played together and since then we wrote an EP, recorded it and went out to play tonight at the Giffard Arms in Wolverhampton.

Holy shit, achievement unlocked eh?

It was a proper tiny crowd, sadly. More people showed up than were in the bands, so thats a good start, but not vastly more so. One support band had covid and had to cancel, the other one were surprisingly banging - When someone tells you that the support is called the Parlour Creepers and will be playing such classics as Wake Up And Smell The Nosebleed, it doesn't give you much confidence. But they were class, and they stuck around and got the crowd going for us as well. Nice blokes.

So yeah... My guitarists first gig in about 8 year, my first gig in about 12 years. And it went well. Tiny crowd, sure. But we played well. No disasters. No failures. My voice help up. And people swarmed to tell me how good I sing. Happy with that.

Oh and I look good in the pictures, which makes my wife happy


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## sleewell (Mar 19, 2022)

Nice!

We're playing w Blacktop Mojo on weds and then a house party on Sat. Going to be fun.


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## sleewell (Apr 23, 2022)




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## LostTheTone (Apr 23, 2022)

Oh man your posters are so much fucking better than ours  It took until tonight to get a poster where the town name was correctly spelled  Do not let your old, idiot bass player make posters.


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## LostTheTone (Apr 26, 2022)

And just like that I am no longer in said band anymore 

We had a rough fucking weekend. We were booked to play two gigs, one on Friday and one on Saturday. Both gigs were a couple of hundred miles away from home, and a couple of hundred miles away from each other. We show up to the first one; zero punters. I thought the power metal dudes supporting us were sound checking, but no, that was the gig starting. It was a garbage fire. We played alright, but the whole audience was the support bands. 

Next night we drive across the country. We have THREE support bands booked, including some local lads who have fans and a fairly local thrash band who are seriously good and also have proper fans. When the first support band played, the room was reasonably full. But after each band, their mates fucked off to play pool and drink cocktails named after metal songs (I recommend The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears). When we went on even one of the support bands had decided to beat the traffic. We played alright again, but again, the crowd was minimal. 

I was _emphatically_ displeased. When I joined this band I was told that we had actual fans and that the bassist would make sure we got good gigs. A few weeks back we played with a literally brand new band (who were doomy and heavy AF) playing their first ever gig. They had fans show up. We had none. 

I suggested that if we can't get literally anyone through the doors, we should stop and rethink what we were doing. In particular I said we should cancel two gigs that were even further away (like, 8 hours each way, two gigs a week apart). I said that since we have an EP release "soon" that we should save our money and our holiday days and use them to actually support and promote the EP, like sane human beings. This run of gigs was supposed to be doing that anyway, and the bassist reckoned that we would have the EP to sell at these gigs even though we only had the last studio day a week before the first date. But he said he's been doing this 40 years, so he knows how things work. 

Things escalate. I ask, bluntly, if anyone thinks these distant gigs will have a crowd. Bassist says he doesn't know. I ask if we are doing anything differently with the promotion; no we're already doing shed loads of promo. My wife tells me that the best way to find where we are playing is to search for the support bands, while even searching for us and the name of the venue doesn't bring up our dates or our posters (and yes, they really did ALL have typos in them). She also noticed bassist was whinging on facebook that venues don't pay bands and he can't get booked to festivals. 

Things escalate further. Bassist asks me if I know so much why aren't I in a big band playing to big crowds. I tell him HE'S IN THE SAME FUCKING BAND AS ME, and enquire why he isn't in a big band after 40 years if he's so switched on. He tells me has been big and played big shows. I tell him that he played to zero people on Friday, and that no matter what he thinks he is not in a big band anymore. 

After being big timed by someone in my own band, I've had enough and tell bassist that either we can cancel those gigs and re-think what we are doing, or he can fire me and cancel them anyway. I also tell him that to lose one singer is a misfortune, to lose two starts to look like carelessness, and to lose a third after less than a year shows that the problem is not the singers. 

Bassist tells me that I have a terrible attitude for this business, and that my ego is too big. I just laugh. I shoot drummer and guitarist a message saying there's no hard feelings towards them, and that I only managed to stick around so long was because I enjoyed working with them so much. 

So, am I the asshole here? Eh, perhaps very slightly. It was provocative to say that those gigs should be cancelled. But in my defense, my whole point was that we shouldn't be paying out hundreds and hundreds to put on a gig unless we think that we'll achieve something. Since not even Bassist could look me in the eye and say he believed things would be better, what was the point of this 16 hour round trip of despair? 

Perhaps I was a bit over sensitive - Everyone has bad gigs, right? 

But Bassist has told me time and time and time again that he has been doing this for 40 years and so I need to shut up, because he's right. Not just on gig dates. On everything. He doesn't like my chorus, I need to shut up and do something else. Not anything in particular, he has no idea what he wants and doesn't even know what he dislikes about this one, but I have to change it anyway because he knows best. He doesn't like this song, so I have to scrap it and start over. If I ask to add a bar to a pre-chorus, so it's a nice round 4 to sing over, no he knows best and its supposed to be 3 bars. When we're worried that the EP will be done in time, no he knows best. 

Worst thing of all is that I know that Bassist was just as disappointed as me that no-one showed up to these gigs. I overheard him complaining about how the venues didn't promote it and all that. He thought they would be better shows when he booked them. But then all of a sudden when no-one shows up, he's right there to tell me that actually it's pretty rough sledding for everyone out there, so we shouldn't be too worried. But then... If it's a bad time to be playing gigs, why are we booking literally as many gigs as we possibly can?

I just... I dunno... I feel like I needed to unburden myself. 

And, you know, if anyone needs a singer come hit me up.


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## MattThePenguin (May 5, 2022)

Going to play my album release show in 24 hours and it'll be my first show since 2018 o.o


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## LostTheTone (May 6, 2022)

MattThePenguin said:


> Going to play my album release show in 24 hours and it'll be my first show since 2018 o.o



Shit yeah son


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## sleewell (May 6, 2022)

Sorry about that dude, band drama is never fun.

If your band doesn't have a local following it's not the time to be playing so far away. Playing to no one sucks but we've all been there.

I hope you find some cool people and can play some fun shows soon!!


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## LostTheTone (May 6, 2022)

sleewell said:


> Sorry about that dude, band drama is never fun.
> 
> If your band doesn't have a local following it's not the time to be playing so far away. Playing to no one sucks but we've all been there.
> 
> I hope you find some cool people and can play some fun shows soon!!



Cheers man.

In the end it was the combination of missteps being made that killed it. If Bassist had just been a little patient, and a little willing to play local venues, then there wouldn't have been a problem. But he repeatedly reminded the rest of us that this was his band, and it was "his way or no way at all". It apparently never occured to him that anyone might say "No way at all". I mean, if you want to play gigs all the time, sure you'd understand that you need the rest of your band to show up?

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be back on my feet soon enough, but I could use a break and time to collect myself, and let my bank balance recover.


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## MattThePenguin (May 6, 2022)

LostTheTone said:


> Cheers man.
> 
> In the end it was the combination of missteps being made that killed it. If Bassist had just been a little patient, and a little willing to play local venues, then there wouldn't have been a problem. But he repeatedly reminded the rest of us that this was his band, and it was "his way or no way at all". It apparently never occured to him that anyone might say "No way at all". I mean, if you want to play gigs all the time, sure you'd understand that you need the rest of your band to show up?
> 
> Anyway, I'm sure I'll be back on my feet soon enough, but I could use a break and time to collect myself, and let my bank balance recover.


just caught up and yeah, he's just being unrealistic. I have no expectations for this upcoming tour for Tomarum and neither do the other guys, we understand that we're in the "pay your dues" stage and that's why we're doing a very short run to put in some experience and time but also not completely drain ourselves financially.


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## LostTheTone (May 6, 2022)

MattThePenguin said:


> just caught up and yeah, he's just being unrealistic. I have no expectations for this upcoming tour for Tomarum and neither do the other guys, we understand that we're in the "pay your dues" stage and that's why we're doing a very short run to put in some experience and time but also not completely drain ourselves financially.



That's a healthy attitude - Everyone needs a bit of time playing real gigs together to get their chemistry and be confident about how everything is going to go. And it's fun! It's a cool experience! 

Thing is that you can't just skip ahead and just decide you can't be bothered to pay your dues. It's not as exciting to be in a local scene for a while, but that's how you start getting fans. A couple of people see you and tell their friends, and then they come and see you again next time. And someone in the audience says "Hey you guys are good, you should come do a gig with my band". 

It's proper nuts and bolts stuff, but there's a reason why people do that. My former bassist insists that it's important to show that you are a working band who are willing to travel... But I don't even know who he thinks we were showing. Like, he is the manager and promoter for all the bands gigs. And if I were a venue owner or festival booker, I'd be more worried about booking acts who get a crowd than people who just play random gigs all over the bloody place.


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## DoctorStoner (May 6, 2022)

Gosh I don't remember my last show. Must have been like 2011. I really miss it.

I wish I could but having just a guitarist and vocalist on stage probably won't pull any crowds... Proving to be impossible to find other members locally.


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## Screamingdaisy (Jun 27, 2022)

Did my first gig in a couple years this past Saturday. Went really well.


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## bostjan (Jun 28, 2022)

Things are starting to warm up with my schedule. The last gig I had play was in 2019 until this spring. Then nothing for a few months despite actively looking for gigs. Then, the weekend before last, I played my second gig in 3 years and it looks like we made an impression, because that spun off into two other gigs this summer, possibly more depending on who gets back to us. I don't really have hopes of replicating my 2013 schedule of playing an average of 2.5 shows a week, but it'll be nice to play out again.

Back in late March, it seemed like people were still a bit nervous to get out, and even when they did, most of them didn't stick around when the band took a quick break. But now things seem to be trending the opposite way, where people are eager to get out and have fun.

Having tried the facebook live thing over the pandemic and being severely let down on the lack of interaction, I had been feeling much like a hermit the past couple years.


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## wheresthefbomb (Jun 28, 2022)

bostjan said:


> Having tried the facebook live thing over the pandemic and being severely let down on the lack of interaction, I had been feeling much like a hermit the past couple years.



Glad to hear things are picking up for you. I also tried FB live and did enjoy a good amount of interaction considering the medium, but the audio quality was terrible and didn't represent my art well enough for my standards.

I did it pretty early on in the first month or two of lockdown and I think people were just stoked to be seeing me doing stuff in "real" time and playing "pretend show," but I feel like if I continued doing it the poor audio quality would've weighed more heavily as the novelty wore off. 

I feel like the people who live worked the best for were conventionally attractive singer/songwriter types with a good internet connection. A couple of those guys locally were relatively getting solid engagement, at least judging by views/likes/comments, for quite a few months.


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## buriedoutback (Jun 29, 2022)

Within Nostalgia


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## Lozek (Jun 30, 2022)

Three weeks away from my first show back since our 2020 tour, which ended days before the pandemic shut everything down. I'm going into isolation in about a week's time to make sure I'm fit to fly. First show post-Brexit too, pretty nervous about crossing international borders with guitars.


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## wheresthefbomb (Jun 30, 2022)

buriedoutback said:


> Within Nostalgia
> View attachment 109871



digging the blackened/post/shoegaze thing y'all have got going on here, keep it up!


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## narojo (Jul 1, 2022)

I haven't played a show since like 2019, but I've done some pretty bad karaoke live lol. I'm working on some music and can't wait to put a band together!


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## buriedoutback (Jul 23, 2022)

We just played the small stage in the beer garden for Mattawa (ontario, canada) Voyager Days 

Band : Nasty Bucket


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## wheresthefbomb (Aug 22, 2022)

First shows since carpal tunnel diagnosis! I'm still taking it very easy and not able to practice as much as I'd like but I'm looking forward to dusting off some new material that got put on hold, as well as less physically demanding reimaginings of some older material. 

I met this deer in the woods. She was half terrified and half curious. We enjoyed breakfast together.


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## Pietjepieter (Sep 12, 2022)

Played recently a few shows, in a looongggggg time (did not play live for almost 10 years...) 
Feels to good to play live again!


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## Screamingdaisy (Oct 1, 2022)

Screamingdaisy said:


> Did my first gig in a couple years this past Saturday. Went really well.


First gig lead to 2 more gigs. Made more than I expected and am upgrading the PA.


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## wheresthefbomb (Oct 26, 2022)

Halloween gig. I'm getting paid, a flat rate at that. I'm not paying the rent with my rock every month, but starting to pull down consistent, decent-paying gigs is an incredible feeling considering how niche my performances are. 

The last three gigs I've had have also been by invitation, rather than booking myself. Feels good man.


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## SamSam (Nov 1, 2022)

First proper gig in a few years now that my band is active again.

We had an issue with the original venue and had to find a last minute replacement (which cost us a cut of the door money) but overall it went well and the guy made £650 profit at the bar so he's pretty happy.

The other band gave us some headaches and need to get their act together. But I'll be meeting with their leader in advance if we gig with the again.

We set up the stage and borrowed lighting sonit looked pretty decent given the circumstances!


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 1, 2022)

SamSam said:


> First proper gig in a few years now that my band is active again.
> 
> We had an issue with the original venue and had to find a last minute replacement (which cost us a cut of the door money) but overall it went well and the guy made £650 profit at the bar so he's pretty happy.
> 
> ...




Glad it worked out for you. Sounds like you're putting most of the work in compared to the other bands, I hope you're paying yoursel(f/ves) accordingly. how is it you lost a cut at the door? Just more people to pay?

I've been really enjoying being able to book flat-rate gigs where I'm splitting with one other person, if at all. A flat rate gives everyone clear expectations. I'm being paid X amount to perform X amount of labor. There is so much BS involved when it's based on ticket sales or taking a cut at the door. 

A big part of the problem is often nobody is being paid to promote. I've always had a pretty strong DIY ethos but it's a lot of work. The last two paying gigs I played, being paid to promote was part of the jobs of the people booking me. It's difficult not to feel taken advantage of when a bar owner puts all of the responsibility for promotion on the performers, which seems all too often to be the case. I still take pride in always doing more than my part to promote, because I want events I'm involved in to not suck, but it's a difficult area for sure.


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## SamSam (Nov 1, 2022)

wheresthefbomb said:


> Glad it worked out for you. Sounds like you're putting most of the work in compared to the other bands, I hope you're paying yoursel(f/ves) accordingly. how is it you lost a cut at the door? Just more people to pay?



The venue change was just over a week prior to the gig and over here we don't have venues that do gigs. We have bars, club and then halls (which require renting). We avoided having to book the hall by splitting the door revenue (but not e-ticket sales) since we were not expecting a strong turnout. The scene here is basically none existent and we are trying to kickstart it so we need to be willing to compromise. 

Split wise it was 50/50 as I was honestly expecting more input from the other band (the third band pulled out as the singer's dog had an operation that day.). I get on very well with the guitarist from the other band since we've played together before and we will lay down some ground rules. We basically split the backline with them bringing cabs and pa/mixer and us the drumkit and lighting. They also have a DJ who is a great sound guy so he handled that with us covering adjustments during their set.

My main issue with them was stage etiquette and rockstar bollocks I don't need to put up with from a local cover band. 

Financially the gig didn't pay much but it has done what we needed it to do as the feedback we have received has been excellent. A rep from the local musician's association was really impressed and is pretty eager to support us in any capacity they can.


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 1, 2022)

SamSam said:


> The venue change was just over a week prior to the gig and over here we don't have venues that do gigs. We have bars, club and then halls (which require renting). We avoided having to book the hall by splitting the door revenue (but not e-ticket sales) since we were not expecting a strong turnout. The scene here is basically none existent and we are trying to kickstart it so we need to be willing to compromise.
> 
> Split wise it was 50/50 as I was honestly expecting more input from the other band (the third band pulled out as the singer's dog had an operation that day.). I get on very well with the guitarist from the other band since we've played together before and we will lay down some ground rules. We basically split the backline with them bringing cabs and pa/mixer and us the drumkit and lighting. They also have a DJ who is a great sound guy so he handled that with us covering adjustments during their set.
> 
> ...



Point of clarification, were you getting the e-ticket revenue, or was the hall taking that plus part of the door? Do you know if their take on ticket/door sales was more or less than it would have cost to rent? Always curious how these dynamics play out elsewhere.

Sound is always an issue, I've paid out of my own pocket to have good sound reinforcement for touring bands before and that shit is expensive.

Best of luck to y'all. Sounds like you've got some good hardworking people around, rockstar antics aside. Hopefully others will see how much fun you're having and the scene will continue to grow.


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## SamSam (Nov 1, 2022)

We kept all the e-ticket revenue and split that two ways between the two bands.

The door sales afforded the owner about half of his asking price for hiring the hall outright, but the drinks profits surprised him because he underestimated the drinking power of metal heads at a gig


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 1, 2022)

I see, glad he was willing to work with you on the space rental. That can be a serious barrier. The other way I've dealt with that in the past is getting people to pool money for the rental cost, but it sounds like you got the better deal in the long run.


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## buriedoutback (Nov 1, 2022)

My band Nasty Bucket playing last weekend in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada, Earth.


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## Isidore (Nov 2, 2022)

I've gone from depression and not touching an instrument in almost 2 years to first band practice this sunday. I feel all this.


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## ShredmasterD (Nov 2, 2022)

trying to get a unit together but it seems harder than ever to get lile minded players. lots of classic rock people but i want to do something else these days. played classic rock since before it was " classic rock" its a challenge


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 2, 2022)

ShredmasterD said:


> trying to get a unit together but it seems harder than ever to get lile minded players. lots of classic rock people but i want to do something else these days. played classic rock since before it was " classic rock" its a challenge



Relatable. For a while I was making CL posts trying to form a noisy sludge band. I would get emails like, "want to join me and my friend's David Bowier tribute band?"


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