You guys ever question "why do i play out"?

justinhedrick · May 20, 2011, 09:53:09 AM

first, we are a weird band. we have a synth player and play pretty heavy rock. only a few people in town actually get us (atleast they say they do

) and there are only about 2 other bands in town that mesh well with us. the rest of the bands in this town are indie hipster tight pants wearing bands or radio metal as i call it.

no one ever comes to our shows really, and it seems like sound guys don't know how to mix us: the synth is either super loud, or not there, the guitar is too low in the mix and so on.

3 of the 4 of us have wives and families and it is easier to just rock out in our practice space a couple times a month and have fun. I'm thinking about just recording and putting it online and not even playing shows.

anyone ever thought about this?

mortlock · May 20, 2011, 10:05:42 AM

i too am in an extremely weird band. in my area there is some support for unusual/experimental bands so shows are usually fun. they are still hit and miss as far as attendance goes, but ive never played live for anyone or other reason than my own love of doing it.

you have to love it. dragging equipment to some venue, not getting paid and playing to 6 people on a monday night when you have to be to work the next morning only works if you are passionate about it.

only you can answer that..

LogicalFrank · May 20, 2011, 10:30:40 AM

You got any independent show spaces out there to play as opposed to bars? I find people at those tend to be more open minded... I love seeing the old hesher dudes at metal bars but those same dudes tend to give us a big long view of the backpatches on their jean jackets when they see the drum machines.

zachoff · May 20, 2011, 11:16:54 AM

Playing out is one of the biggest reasons I'm in a band. It's super fun... Even if very few people show up.

MikeyT · May 20, 2011, 11:49:39 AM

Quote from: justinhedrick on May 20, 2011, 09:53:09 AM
first, we are a weird band. we have a synth player and play pretty heavy rock. only a few people in town actually get us (atleast they say they do ) and there are only about 2 other bands in town that mesh well with us. the rest of the bands in this town are indie hipster tight pants wearing bands or radio metal as i call it.

no one ever comes to our shows really, and it seems like sound guys don't know how to mix us: the synth is either super loud, or not there, the guitar is too low in the mix and so on.

3 of the 4 of us have wives and families and it is easier to just rock out in our practice space a couple times a month and have fun. I'm thinking about just recording and putting it online and not even playing shows.

anyone ever thought about this?

Good thread.
I think if you want to do that, there's nothing wrong with it. It's not like you couldn't change your mind in the future if you want to.

Could you find someone (like a friend, maybe) who could do your sound right and insist on bringing him along ?

Where are you ?
Probably a few 1000 miles away.

If you're close, I'd go see you at least once just to check out your sound.
Never was that big on synth in the past, but now that I rarely hear it anymore it might be interesting (especially in the context you describe).

Hemisaurus · May 20, 2011, 11:52:02 AM

Should I be taking those venues of the map Justin?

There's a few reasons I haven't played out in Hemi for a while, you hit one of 'em.

I don't have an ego to feed, I don't need to go on stage.

Central IL, is just not the place for this kind of music, even the students are pretty straitlaced

justinhedrick · May 20, 2011, 11:54:16 AM

frank,
no real independent places. there are a lot of house shows, but most are really indie acoustic stuff. we actually play in an industrial area and i've wanted to just invite some friends over, grill some burgers and have some beers and rawk. but our synth players dad as quite the stash of classic cars there and i wouldn't want anything to happen to them . . .

Hemisaurus · May 20, 2011, 11:58:24 AM

Justin, there's the IMC, but unless you convince one of their members to sponsor the show, it's expensive to rent. It really is DIY you do all the work, and take the financial chances.

http://ucimc.org/

justinhedrick · May 20, 2011, 12:13:12 PM

hemi, yes the IMC . . . i have a hate/hate relationship with that place, especially since they stopped the "byob" policy (most stoner peeps aren't going to come to a dry show). also, no need to take down the venues, they are good, just not to us.

anyway, mikeyt, we play in champaign il.

Hemisaurus · May 20, 2011, 12:25:17 PM

Yeah, but the idea was riff rock friendly gigs.

I too got tired of playing to Lemmy's two people and a dog

You want some fun shows, go out on the east or SE coast, whatever it's termed, (no offense to anyone anywhere else), there's a reason it's got so many tags.

RAGER · May 20, 2011, 12:38:22 PM

Quote from: justinhedrick on May 20, 2011, 09:53:09 AM
first, we are a weird band. we have a synth player and play pretty heavy rock. only a few people in town actually get us (atleast they say they do ) and there are only about 2 other bands in town that mesh well with us. the rest of the bands in this town are indie hipster tight pants wearing bands or radio metal as i call it.

no one ever comes to our shows really, and it seems like sound guys don't know how to mix us: the synth is either super loud, or not there, the guitar is too low in the mix and so on.

3 of the 4 of us have wives and families and it is easier to just rock out in our practice space a couple times a month and have fun. I'm thinking about just recording and putting it online and not even playing shows.

anyone ever thought about this?

Well I gotta ask. Are you guys any good? If you guys have something, people will take notice even if it's not in their genre. If you only practice twice a month that tells me you're probably not very tight. Just an assumption.

justinhedrick · May 20, 2011, 12:43:44 PM

Quote from: RAGER on May 20, 2011, 12:38:22 PM
Quote from: justinhedrick on May 20, 2011, 09:53:09 AM
first, we are a weird band. we have a synth player and play pretty heavy rock. only a few people in town actually get us (atleast they say they do ) and there are only about 2 other bands in town that mesh well with us. the rest of the bands in this town are indie hipster tight pants wearing bands or radio metal as i call it.

no one ever comes to our shows really, and it seems like sound guys don't know how to mix us: the synth is either super loud, or not there, the guitar is too low in the mix and so on.

3 of the 4 of us have wives and families and it is easier to just rock out in our practice space a couple times a month and have fun. I'm thinking about just recording and putting it online and not even playing shows.

anyone ever thought about this?
Well I gotta ask. Are you guys any good? If you guys have something, people will take notice even if it's not in their genre. If you only practice twice a month that tells me you're probably not very tight. Just an assumption.

objectively i think we are good. however, last night we were not tight. for the most part we are pretty tight and "music people" as i call them (people who listen to more than what the radio force feeds them and are in to our type of music) say that we are good. so, to answer your question, i guess i don't know?

Hemisaurus · May 20, 2011, 01:26:57 PM

Yeah, that's the key Justin, if you practice twice a week, you'll be selling out those arenas in no time

Rager, I guess I don't know where exactly you live, but round here you can be the next (Sleep/E.Wiz/Black Sabbath/insert preference) and no bugger will get off their ass to come see you. They like to know their music in advance, they want it to remind them of the days their mullet was cool, y'know

This is definitely a location, location, location thing, you could take Justin's band to Chicago, or Portland, or whatever, and I'm sure they'd do just fine.

Justin, if you can be assed with the travelling and need to restore your bands collective ego, get a gig booked at someplace like Metal Shakers in Chicago (I can never figure if it's all one word, Frank?) and you'll probably get a more appreciative crowd.

LogicalFrank · May 20, 2011, 03:03:11 PM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on May 20, 2011, 01:26:57 PM
Justin, if you can be assed with the travelling and need to restore your bands collective ego, get a gig booked at someplace like Metal Shakers in Chicago (I can never figure if it's all one word, Frank?) and you'll probably get a more appreciative crowd.

To be honest, I doubt they even know. I have always called it The Metal Shaker.

spookstrickland · May 20, 2011, 04:33:41 PM

I play out for the feeling that I get on stage when I'm playing with a band. It's great jamming but the feeling you get on stage playing for an audience is just orgasmic!

Lumpy · May 20, 2011, 05:25:45 PM

Speaking as an interested spectator, IMO recording and releasing music is at least as important as playing shows. If your local gig situation sucks, put that time and energy into recording. There are lots of cool bands located in the middle of nowhere... how did we find out about them, all the way on the other side of the country? It wasn't necessarily because they played a local show in town

A good record could open some doors for you, for gigs, too.

dogfood · May 20, 2011, 08:00:42 PM

As much fun as I've ever had playing out I've doubled that amount of fun mathmatically playing parties in living rooms. I don't know why I've such a stiffy for playing parties but, alas, there it is all stiff and such. As far as being stuck in a shithole town...do what the rest of us did-leave and I'm not trying to be a smart ass or anything like that. I left my shithole town and I'll never look back except to piss at them, all IROC's and Mullet's, fuck'm to hell. I still enjoy listening to REM's Rockville makes me think of never returning to Springfield, Ohio. Hell.

eyeprod · May 20, 2011, 10:11:22 PM

Next to writing awesome songs with bandmates I love to jam with, there is nothing more I want to do than to perform that shit in front of as many people as possible, every chance there is. The bigger, the better. If I owned all this shit and never really used it, I would feel like a freakin' idiot.

Hemisaurus · May 21, 2011, 02:10:45 AM

VOLVO))) · May 21, 2011, 02:13:00 AM

I like playing houses. Something satisfying about removing everything from the walls, and tripping the breaker multiple times.

Hemisaurus · May 21, 2011, 02:15:25 AM

Quote from: SunnO))) on May 21, 2011, 02:13:00 AM
I like playing houses. Something satisfying about removing everything from the walls, and tripping the breaker multiple times.

You can trip breakers in bars too, or at least I have

When fully loaded my amp needs it's own circuit.

spookstrickland · May 21, 2011, 04:30:56 AM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on May 21, 2011, 02:15:25 AM
Quote from: SunnO))) on May 21, 2011, 02:13:00 AM
I like playing houses. Something satisfying about removing everything from the walls, and tripping the breaker multiple times.
You can trip breakers in bars too, or at least I have

When fully loaded my amp needs it's own circuit.

I love it! How many watts is your rig drawing?

neighbor664 · May 21, 2011, 06:15:47 AM

I did, so now I don't. I may one day resume, but if I ever do it wont be with any thing more than a resonator acoustic guitar or a 1x12 combo amp.

Eyehatehippies · May 21, 2011, 07:12:29 AM

I ask myself why I play out every time that I play out.

RAGER · May 21, 2011, 11:59:49 AM

Quote from: spookstrickland on May 20, 2011, 04:33:41 PM
I play out for the feeling that I get on stage when I'm playing with a band. It's great jamming but the feeling you get on stage playing for an audience is just orgasmic!

Spook, did you get raptured yet?