http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/tags/gig The Community for Working Musicians en-US Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:27:56 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/search.php http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/how-difficult-is-to-apply-for-latin-american-musicians-in-a-cruise-ship#post-1006 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:40:55 +0000 cruiseshipgreg 1006@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>NOt hard at all as long as you can play. It's all about the audition. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/how-difficult-is-to-apply-for-latin-american-musicians-in-a-cruise-ship#post-990 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:21:20 +0000 glenn paul 990@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I imagine if you are going direct and not through an agent it should be no different than anyone else from america applying,</p> <p>I was working with carnival earlier this year as a showband musicans, and my piano player was from mexico, and my bass player was puerto rican (with an american citizenship though).</p> <p>Both of them went direct, so I don't think you'll have too much trouble. Half the battle is actually getting a hold of the right people to set up your audition and what not. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/how-difficult-is-to-apply-for-latin-american-musicians-in-a-cruise-ship#post-918 Thu, 12 May 2011 04:54:28 +0000 DavidCashman 918@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I've worked with some South American musicians and techies, so it's certainly possible. I remember an Argentine drummer, and a Brazilian techie in particular. Contact the agencies anyway, and best of luck. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/kopete/wink.png&quot; title=&quot;;)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; </p> <p>David </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/how-difficult-is-to-apply-for-latin-american-musicians-in-a-cruise-ship#post-843 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:26:06 +0000 hildergarn 843@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hi. I've read several posts on this site regarding how to apply as a band on a cruise ship, but I want to know how feasible is for latin american musicians (like me) to apply on most of the links and pages they provide?</p> <p>Thanks and appreciate any reply &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/kopete/smile.png&quot; title=&quot;:)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/gig-at-the-whiskey-a-go-go#post-809 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:48:32 +0000 dmaurya 809@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>d maurya<br /> =====================================================================<br /> <a>seo services</a> </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/gig-at-the-whiskey-a-go-go#post-808 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:33:50 +0000 dmaurya 808@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hallo! i am d maurya,<br /> This is a funtastic idea.I've met some really cool people and I'm starting to get some cool opportunities. Tomorrow (saturday night) I have a gig with a band I've been playing in at The Whiskey a Go Go here in LA. It's a famous place on the west coast and a good step up for me in terms of experience. I'm excited and very glad to be apart of this.<br /> =====================================================================<br /> <a>seo services</a> </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/gig-at-the-whiskey-a-go-go#post-807 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:17:50 +0000 David J. Hahn 807@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Yeah Brian, congrats on the gig. Very cool. </p> <p>I used to play at a few venues in Chicago, but not very often. You're already well-surpassed my experience with those gigs! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/gig-at-the-whiskey-a-go-go#post-806 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:21:09 +0000 brian 806@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Not pathetic, I'd call that creative. I found the band on craigslist and things are working out well.</p> <p>well I'm glad you've at least got a date set. Happy packing! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/gig-at-the-whiskey-a-go-go#post-805 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:05:12 +0000 Andree-Ann 805@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I wish! May 21st!<br /> as a Canadian, my only option that was somewhat cost-effective was to enroll in school...one more time. so I enrolled in a cheap community college to get my student visa...call me pathetic and desperate...hahaha. </p> <p>Glad to hear to gig went well! How did you find that band? Craigslist or? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/gig-at-the-whiskey-a-go-go#post-804 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:58:01 +0000 brian 804@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Thanks Andree! It was a lot of fun and a great experience. The place was pretty well packed. I think everything went really well.</p> <p>what's the deal, are you out here yet? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/gig-at-the-whiskey-a-go-go#post-803 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:26:36 +0000 Andree-Ann 803@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Hey Brian! </p> <p>Glad to hear you're gigging around town! I haven't played those awesome clubs on the Sunset strip myself, but I know people who have. The thing is all about bringing your crowd - while everybody knows the Rainbow and there's people (and I mean famous people) hanging out there all the time, if you don't bring your own crowd, chances are your show will fall flat. All I've heard from the experiences of my friends is that you need to promote like nowbody's business in order to make those shows work. The Rainbow, the Troubadour, the Whiskey...remember in the 80's when hair bands use to walk around on Sunset Blvd to hand out flyers to absolutely everybody? Don't hesitate to do that - if you bring a good crowd, the owner of the place will want you back for sure and if you can get a weekly or monthly feature on the club circuit, you're golden! </p> <p>Then again, I'm talking out of my hat because the only experience I have with those places is ordering a pizza at the Rainbow...</p> <p>Congrats on the Whiskey - its apparently a great venue to play!! </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/gig-at-the-whiskey-a-go-go#post-802 Sat, 16 Apr 2011 03:41:52 +0000 brian 802@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I just wanted to share a bit of what's been going on with me lately. I just moved to LA a couple months ago and I've been doing a lot of the things that are talked about on the site here. Trying to network, gig, find other keyboardists and musicians, music directors, etc. It's been hard but I've had a bit of success so far. I've met some really cool people and I'm starting to get some cool opportunities. Tomorrow (saturday night) I have a gig with a band I've been playing in at The Whiskey a Go Go here in LA. It's a famous place on the west coast and a good step up for me in terms of experience. I'm excited and very glad to be apart of this.</p> <p>Anybody here play places like the Whiskey or the Roxy or places like that? What were your experiences? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/do-you-have-to-be-religious-to-take-a-church-gig#post-790 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:45:07 +0000 Derek 790@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I agree with you Owen. Just like anyone, musicians need work too. Work wherever an opportunity is presented to you. </p> <p>On one side, for a church to have good music, you cannot always depend on volunteers. You get what you pay for in just about everything. I know there are some great talented musicians doing a wonderful job and are more than happy to do it for nothing. They are serving, and thats what they want to do. </p> <p>On the other hand, too many churches, and especially the "gospel singings" play the "Do it for the Lord" card and in my opinion, that is taking advantage of a musician. You would not ask a roofer to come over and roof your house for free, just because he is a roofer. </p> <p>Not only is a church a church, but is also partly a business. No organization can pay their light bill, keep the building and grounds maintained, etc., without having some income. It is a balance. Consider it as working for any other business, as in a church-business. I don't think anyone agrees with absolutely everything that goes on at the company they work for, but yet we all continue to go to work the next day because it is income and how we support ourselves. One important factor to keep in mind is that if you are hired to perform at a church, both parties made an agreement. If the church does not agree with your personal beliefs, then they do not have to hire you. If your personal beliefs have a problem with the church's beliefs, then you do not have to take the job. But do not feel bad at things they say. They decided to hire you. </p> <p>Whether in a church or at any other event, you are fortunate to be making an income doing what you love doing. The reason we are all chatting on this site. Our love of music. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/show-bandlive-entertainment-companies#post-775 Sat, 19 Mar 2011 03:03:37 +0000 brian 775@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I haven't actually submitted anything to these bands just yet. I'm in the middle of putting material for a really good portfolio to show them so I can better my chances. So nothing yet. However I have been networking with a few local cover bands and keyboardists that I've found in the area and so far I'm setup to be a sub for a working cover band. My primary focus has been networking and not surprisingly, no matter where you network, it crosses over into all areas of music. I'm about to start playing with a big church nearby and connections made there are turning into this cover band situation. My other little achievement I've made so far having been here 6 weeks, I have a gig with a rock band I've joined at the Whiskey a Go GO next month. It's things like that that I hope will maybe help me get in with major show bands out here.</p> <p>I'll update again in the future when I make further efforts with show bands. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/show-bandlive-entertainment-companies#post-769 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:07:07 +0000 loveofjazz 769@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I work in a show band here in NC called the Phase Band.<br /> <a href="http://www.eastcoastentertainment.com/artist/Phase_Band.html">Phase Band @ EastCoastEntertainment.com</a><br /> <a href="http://phaseband.net">Phase Band</a><br /> In our region, there are other booking agents and offices but East Coast Entertainment is the biggest that I'm aware of.</p> <p>As a band, we have a substantial repertoire that covers many genres. We can start the night with soft jazz and end with Van Halen, depending on the client's requests. Most of our work is for weddings and corporate events, though we play the occasional bar or club to fill in the schedule and keep some revenue coming in.</p> <p>Gigs like this are tough to find, but usually worth the work if you can make the cut. Before joining these guys, I -NEVER- danced and played at the same time. Now, it's part of the nightly performance and I will get called out for standing still, even if I'm feeling poorly or not in the mood. The client pays for entertainment, and much of our business relies on word-of-mouth.</p> <p>Again, it's a good on to have, but tough to get in to. I had to network with the right people JUST to be on the radar when a position came open.</p> <p>Have you had any luck getting in touch with the right people since you posted this thread? </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/do-you-have-to-be-religious-to-take-a-church-gig#post-768 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:15:41 +0000 Owen Fletcher 768@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Well, you don't have to drink alcohol to play in a bar, so my answer would be......play where you can, and where you want to. Play On! &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/kopete/smile.png&quot; title=&quot;:)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/do-you-have-to-be-religious-to-take-a-church-gig#post-753 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:01:42 +0000 Nick Rosaci 753@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I don't think it's bad or wrong. Think about the workers who built the church: do you think they went to great lengths looking for workers who shared the church's beliefs? I use a very similar argument when people try to argue that it's wrong to get paid to play at a church (do you really think the plumber or janitors do their job for free, just because it's a church?).</p> <p>Even more so, I think it's good to not be a part of a church community where you're playing the gig. From what I've seen, the moment a musician joins the church, they try underhanded things like not pay them, since they're no longer an outsider. One church told me they had problems bringing a Catholic into their Baptist group. Now, THOSE are the churches I would have a problem playing. I outright told them, "hey, it's all the same book." </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/do-you-have-to-be-religious-to-take-a-church-gig#post-752 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:25:02 +0000 Cameron Mizell 752@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>In terms of impact to the morality of our society, a non-believer playing a church gig is probably one of least unethical jobs in this world.</p> <p>If you've got the chops and they're willing to pay for it, it's ok to take the gig. Religious views aside, I think churches are places where people come together for a sense of community. The music is an important part of bringing people together during the ceremony, and churches need somebody specially trained to interpret the music on the page--not the text. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/do-you-have-to-be-religious-to-take-a-church-gig#post-741 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:58:25 +0000 Joe Stone 741@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p><blockquote>The only time I really question whether I should be there or not is when they speak our against homosexuality or abortion. I really feel conflicted when that happens.</blockquote><br /> I think this is similar to the job situation I described, where you might be working for a company that does things you disagree with in another division.</p> <p>Here's a more direct example and question. Would you take a gig entertaining a convention or meeting of a political party with whom you disagree? Say it's just background music, or as part of the band to play after dinner. Or maybe a big donor is having a big party and is hiring a band to play during the cocktail hour, and dancing after dinner.</p> <p>David, your gigs sound cool. I'm glad that they worked out for you and that the churches seem to like you. It makes me wonder if I should look into those kinds of gigs. While as I said, I don't like religious ceremonies, maybe if I was on the other side of it they would be more tolerable for me. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/show-bandlive-entertainment-companies#post-740 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:29:06 +0000 brian 740@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>Good Tip. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/show-bandlive-entertainment-companies#post-739 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:21:38 +0000 Cameron Mizell 739@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>There are also corporate bands that do more pop, dance, and top 40 music like Stevie Wonder, Kool &amp; The Gang, and whatever is popular at the moment. I've heard of several, but the only one I've looked into in the NYC area is <a href="http://www.hanklane.com/">Hank Lane</a>.</p> <p>Like Dave mentioned, the musicians have to memorize all the music. They also require many of the band members to sing, giving the lead vocalists a break now and then.</p> <p>These kinds of bands usually have a repertoire list on their website. The lists are usually pretty similar from band to band, so just start learning these songs and you'll be ready for an audition. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/do-you-have-to-be-religious-to-take-a-church-gig#post-738 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:27:17 +0000 David J. Hahn 738@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>I took a steady church job about a year and a half ago. I play organ for a little church in the East Bronx. I needed the gig, any gig, when I first started. I keep playing it because, to my surprise, I kind of dig it. </p> <p>I'm not religious, and definitely not a practicing Catholic or anything. But I like the people that I see at the church and it's kind of hip to do the same ceremony every week - it's comforting or something. I can't explain it. It's the lowest stress gig I have all week, that's for sure. I like that. </p> <p>I also play at a synagogue on the lower east side. I'm not Jewish and I like that too. They hire me because they like my playing and I'm a good sight-reader. They pay me for a service, you know?</p> <p>I don't like every musical I music direct. I don't agree with every performer I accompany. I like my church gig, but I don't agree with everything they're selling. </p> <p>The only time I really question whether I should be there or not is when they speak our against homosexuality or abortion. I really feel conflicted when that happens. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/do-you-have-to-be-religious-to-take-a-church-gig#post-732 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:31:56 +0000 Joe Stone 732@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>There was a recent discussion at another forum I'm on about playing in churches, and I noticed a few people were working at churches that weren't theirs, while others did it at their own church as part of their beliefs.</p> <p>I think it might be unethical or at least contradictory if you're <em>against</em> what the church preaches, but if you're not religious and what they do does not bother you, I don't see a problem with it. I would be like that except that I don't have any use for religion and am uncomfortable at religious ceremonies.</p> <p>Another way to look at it is, is it unethical to work at a company where you do not agree with all of the company's policies? I worked at GM for a few years. Where I worked, we developed certain systems for cars, and as far as I knew, it was fine. I don't know if there were any toxic things happening where the parts were manufactured, and I don't know about any other divisions GM owned at the time.</p> <p>After that, I worked at a division of a company that made trucks for the Army (troop transport, tow trucks, dump trucks, etc.). That was fine, mostly. Then they started trying to expand into versions of the trucks that would be rocket launchers and the like. I knew then I should get my peace-loving butt out of there. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/show-bandlive-entertainment-companies#post-730 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:38:57 +0000 David J. Hahn 730@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>There are a few of these in NYC - the <a href="http://www.starlightorchestras.com/">Starlight Orchestra</a> and the <a href="http://mariannebennett.com/">Marianne Bennett Orchestra</a> are two that come to mind. The play corporate events, weddings, bar miztvahs - that kind of thing.</p> <p>I know some horn players that have worked these gigs. They told me they had to have all of the music memorized, no charts - they just learned the standard party songs off the recordings and had them ready to play. That's not my skillset, so it scared me off from researching much further. </p> <p>The musicians I know that have played these gigs are all great players. They are music school grads - jazz performance majors mostly. </p> <p>It's a much better gig than cruise ships - it pays much better and you sleep in your own bed at night. </p> http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/topic/show-bandlive-entertainment-companies#post-729 Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:38:30 +0000 brian 729@http://www.musicianwages.com/forums/ <p>So I've been researching and becoming more aware of these kinds of groups and I'm not exactly sure one would call them. But I just wanted to get some people talking about this to better understand it.</p> <p>There are groups that I guess you would call Show Bands or Orchestras (not traditional symphonic orchestras), or whatever. They're like cruise ship music groups but not involved with cruise ships. They have a ton of musicians on staff and put together all kinds of different band and ensemble arrangements and do all manner of weddings and corporate events etc. Has anyone had any experience with these types of companies (other than cruise ship gigs)? I've been interested in cruise ship gigs before but I think I'd be more interested in these kinds of companies because they're on the mainland. </p> <p>Here's some major ones I've found so far in the LA area. They do major events like celebrity's parties and such.<br /> <a href="http://www.westcoastmusic.com/html/index.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.westcoastmusic.com/html/index.php</a><br /> <a href="http://www.waynefoster.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.waynefoster.com/</a></p> <p>This one seems slightly more run-of-the-mill.<br /> <a href="http://www.themusicconnectionorchestra.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.themusicconnectionorchestra.com/</a></p> <p>Would you say that these companies are just like the ones on cruise ships which are talked about extensively in this blog already?</p> <p>I'm going to try to apply to these places, but I wonder if I'm even of high enough caliber to compete.</p> <p>Anybody know of any others like these in their city? </p>