Separates the men from the boys

Playing music like that is like having sex (for money) with someone who disgusts you. You look back at your "younger-stupider days"; instead I'd be asking "how did it come to this?" (I don't mean you, I mean if it were me)

Mark Twain said "find a job you enjoy doing and you'll never work a day in your life". If playing any music defines that job for you I can respect that and am happy for you.
For me, "a job you enjoy doing" means playing music that doesn't require me to "bite the bullet".

EDIT: yikes after rereading this post it sound kind of harsh, I don't mean it as a criticism. I actually think what you're doing is great Bo!
No offense taken. I just grew up making a living playing music and as I got older I got into other things, like audio engineering, to make ends meet. So for me, doing anything musical is going to be better than say, delivering pizzas, to earn a living. And my upbringing was “all music is cool” and “you should play all the music you can play” to an extent, so my previous complaints about certain musics may be exaggerated (to a point). But I know where you’re coming from.
 
I did have two things I sang and played as a little solo. I would hum the melody to Far More Drums and vamp and solo during it.
The other was the Beatles tune "Things We Said Today" in 5/4, (one measure of 6/4 ( at 'deep in love not a' ), the bridges shuffle 4/4. Lido like, a little "Fool In The Rain" cymbal.
I never got to perform these live but the mice in my practice room loved it.
 
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I did have two things I sang and played as a little solo. I would hum the melody to Far More Drums and vamp and solo during it.
The other was the Beatles tune "Things We Said Today" in 5/4, (one measure of 6/4 ( at 'deep in love not a' ), the bridges shuffle 4/4. Lido like, a little "Fool In The Rain" cymbal.
I never got to perform these live but the mice in my practice room loved it.
Too bad there’s no video! That’s be interesting to see. I stay in 4 when I do anything Beatles ?
 
Do you seriously perform in a Mickey Mouse costume? I didn't know your job entailed that. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was like 12, so I'm honestly asking.

Just imagining it makes me think of this :)


Also, what do you have against Iron Maiden? Flight of Icarus is pretty bad ass!
Well that's a sight my eyes have never before beheld ?
 
I know music is dynamic but this isn't really who have become is it? Replacing actual people with electronic tracks or trying to play every genre of music on the planet? Maybe I'm missing something good luck. Appreciate you all.
 
Bo, I think it's a great idea for any musician to be able to perform solo. Being that you sing and you're a drummer I can see why you use the tracks.... You can always start solo and add musicians as needed or when the budget allows it.... There are so many great musicians in SO CA, and if you have your stuff together, you can hire great players on your gigs that pretty much don;t need to rehearse. Maybe have a chord chart or lead sheets for them, but most of those types of players have great ears and can play anything on the fly. Get the gig, and the musicians will come!

Also I totally dig the idea of a variety act.... so many bands now are so extremely specialized..... Mix it up, I say! Good luck!
 
I know music is dynamic but this isn't really who have become is it? Replacing actual people with electronic tracks or trying to play every genre of music on the planet? Maybe I'm missing something good luck. Appreciate you all.
When you open up your world and realize that your job is to be a human juke box, then yeah, that’s what I become when I do this. I meet so many people who think patrons at a bar or restaurant are actually there to be in awe of the musical performance, and there may be a little of that going on, but what happens to the musicians of the bar or food tab goes down for the venue? They get fired. And those same musicians rail against being replaced by a DJ like it’s some huge injustice when it’s just an economic law. If the venue doesn’t make money, then why continue to pay the bad entertainment? Get someone who makes the patrons dance, get thirsty, and drink beer. That’s kinda how it works.

And if I can make everyone happy (not just 1/3rd of them) by playing stuff they all enjoy, then who gets to work? In my heyday when I did this in the 80s, I was working four nights a week - I didn’t need a “real” job. So that’s my reality. I love playing in a good bar band too, but then I’m doing it in different venues throughout the week with different bands. When I worked, I was literally in one place the whole four days.
 
Bo, I think it's a great idea for any musician to be able to perform solo. Being that you sing and you're a drummer I can see why you use the tracks.... You can always start solo and add musicians as needed or when the budget allows it.... There are so many great musicians in SO CA, and if you have your stuff together, you can hire great players on your gigs that pretty much don;t need to rehearse. Maybe have a chord chart or lead sheets for them, but most of those types of players have great ears and can play anything on the fly. Get the gig, and the musicians will come!

Also I totally dig the idea of a variety act.... so many bands now are so extremely specialized..... Mix it up, I say! Good luck!

Paul I think I missed the point of this and I think your right. Bo is not Nicko Mcbrain. Iron Maiden is a band that is extremely specialized. They play to alot of people. Iron Maiden is not a variety act. But if you are playing in a bar with 10 people by all means go solo and wing it on the fly. Mix it up, I say! Good luck! Thank you Paul. Appreciate you!!
 
Bo, I think it's a great idea for any musician to be able to perform solo. Being that you sing and you're a drummer I can see why you use the tracks.... You can always start solo and add musicians as needed or when the budget allows it.... There are so many great musicians in SO CA, and if you have your stuff together, you can hire great players on your gigs that pretty much don;t need to rehearse. Maybe have a chord chart or lead sheets for them, but most of those types of players have great ears and can play anything on the fly. Get the gig, and the musicians will come!

Also I totally dig the idea of a variety act.... so many bands now are so extremely specialized..... Mix it up, I say! Good luck!
And like I said, I’d be all over using great players if everyone wasn’t so freaked out by the covid. When this pandemic is over, the solo act will probably go back on the shelf and I get back to being a member of a band.

Which, btw, I should mention, my Devo tribute band, “Through Being Cool” will be doing another online concert on Wednesday the 15th. If anyone would like details how to see it, drop me a line and I'll post the info on how to see it.
 
You might be onto something here Bo. Instead of having canned drums, can everything but the drums and vocals.

Give them the opposite of what everybody else does, and it sounds much closer to live than the reverse.

Kind of like...what you're doing now.
 
You might be onto something here Bo. Instead of having canned drums, can everything but the drums and vocals.

Give them the opposite of what everybody else does, and it sounds much closer to live than the reverse.

Kind of like...what you're doing now.
Probably why people like it. The physicality of drumming is still present, so you don’t notice the other guys aren’t there ?
 
Probably why people like it. The physicality of drumming is still present, so you don’t notice the other guys aren’t there ?
They only need us to dance anyhow. I wonder how many things must be removed until they stop?
 
And like I said, I’d be all over using great players if everyone wasn’t so freaked out by the covid. When this pandemic is over, the solo act will probably go back on the shelf and I get back to being a member of a band.

Which, btw, I should mention, my Devo tribute band, “Through Being Cool” will be doing another online concert on Wednesday the 15th. If anyone would like details how to see it, drop me a line and I'll post the info on how to see it.

Bo did I read that right? Devo tribute band?
 
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