I always arrive at least an hour before start…after setting up (which only takes about 15-20 min) I spend the rest of the pre-gig mingling with the early crowd, ask for requests and generally just build a rapport. As I don’t have a sound guy, I’ll find someone that seems like they know music enough to let me know after the first song if the guitar/vocal balance and volume are appropriate. Then, I always publicly thank my impromptu sound guy. My biggest tip of the night often comes from that guy.
Love your vid! I’m a seasoned musician that played in bands all my life, and now starting to do solo but even with that experience it’s different with solo gigs. Brett.
Took a hiatus from solo gigs about 5 years ago but looking to get back into it. Thanks for these videos Frank. Btw. Some of the dive bars I played in a t shirt IS dressing up. 😊
I'm pretty new at performing, but these all seem like good points. Being a teacher helps me because I am good at doing everything in my power to avoid disaster!
Showing up early for a gig also gives you the psychological advantage with the crowd. They will automatically assume you are part of the establishment when they walk in and see you already set up.(for what it’s worth.)😏
Spare gear is critical. I keep an extra amp in the car, mics, cables, strings, batteries, even a “woody” type sound hole pickup in my gig bag, (pickups can and do go bad). Paranoid, maybe. But like you, I don’t care for excuses. I’ve had to announce that I was taking a 5 minute break to change gear but I haven’t had to tell anyone I couldn’t finish a job. Good video.
Great stuff! New to your page. The sound volume is very important to me. My motto for sound is "be heard not loud" I have been solo giging for a few years now. Booking still seems so cumbersome to me. I'v created spead sheets tracking contact info and perfered methods of contact from all the different venues I play at. The human factor is so inconsistent, I am not sure if building the spread sheet was worth it. I am willing to deal with it because I love it so much. Am I just being unrealistic that the process can be smooth?
Based on my own experience and self reflection, I can't drink at all before a gig. And this is just from years smoking weed, drinking trying to find a balance, never really hitting the sweet spot. The only thing that works for me is drink water. Alcohol after I am done and paid, if that, usually not until I get home, and even then I'm probably tired and just ready to go to bed. Reading this makes me feel like I'm really old. I do think that I probably talk too much between songs. A lot of times I will tell a quick tale of the history of the song. I might need to scale that back a bit. The audience probably doesn't care about the session players, producer, or the gear used as much as I do LOL
Make sure you tune up two guitars one spare just in case a sting breaks or something else goes wrong spare batteries are always a good idea get some body to watch your equipment if you use the bathroom or if you’re alway from your stuff
Fantastic video, spot on. Many of those suggestions can and should apply to almost any employee who wants to get ahead, be taken seriously and be professional.
In a perfect world I would have a working band going as well but so hard to make it work. Personalities, schedules and the fact that venues don’t pay well makes it really tough
