As I was the guy working the door, I know that the majority of you missed a GREAT show last night by J.B. Beverly (of The Wayward Drifters fame), newcomer Rory Kelly, and a solo set by Danny Kay (of The Nightlifers). Oh yeah...and a special guest.
Monday night gigs are rough. For starters...they're on Mondays. No one likes Mondays. Trying to get a crowd out on a Monday practically takes legislation from Congress. Everyone has an excuse. Last night was particularly tough as there was a hockey game.
Was I gigging? Nope. I won't do a Monday show without a decent guarantee. I don't like Mondays any more or less than you do. But...some musicians are so hardcore that they'll gig 7 nights a week...especially when they're on tour.
Sometimes, this is a matter of economics. The band knows they aren't gonna make a ton of money...but A) It's on the way to the next show and B) They might make gas money. I'll call last night's show a Gas Money Gig.
Sadly, I didn't hear about this show until the day of the show. Otherwise, I would've badgered all of you to go out and support these fine acts!
If you're not hip to J.B. Beverly, you have yourself to blame. He's been hitting the road and entertaining crowds all over for years. If you like REAL country music, you'd love him. Rory Kelly...imagine if Johnny Winter and Lemmy put together a Southern Rock band. Yeah...THAT GOOD! For a trio, Rory's band kicked some ass! His take on "16 Tons" floored me! Danny Kay...hey, I toured with the cat...I wouldn't have done that if I didn't believe in his music. Good, honest, honky tonkin' country music.
I volunteered to work the door last night...something I hate doing. But, I figured Jo needed a night off from having to do EVERYTHING, so I offered. I was going to be there anyway as I had to meet with Danny Kay to discuss some future projects, so sure...why not. Gave me a chance to check out some new, live music too. Always a good thing.
The crowd was sparse...but there were some die-hards there! You know an act is good when the die-hards show up for the opening act and stay for the whole show! And on a Monday night to boot! And going against a hockey game!
I sent out a mass text to about 50 people, trying to get some bodies through the door. Most folks didn't respond. But as the night went on, some folks did show up. I wish they could have seen the whole show! It was so worth it!
I could go into a detailed review...but why? If you weren't there, you're either kicking yourself for missing a good show or you just don't care. "Next time", right? Just a thought kids...when people don't support live music, the shows stop coming to town. Musicians, especially touring bands, network with each other. The venue is often less the topic than the town. Some towns still love live music. They get the shows. Towns where the crowds are a no-show...they don't get the shows. Why? Because it's too much of a gamble...for everyone involved.
I've personally played almost every major city in this country. One would think that a city the size of Pittsburgh could manage at least 50 people to come out to a good show on a Monday night. Guess again. Around here, people seem to look for excuses to NOT go to a show. If there's a sporting event, forget about it. The Rolling Stones backing Elvis and Howlin' Wolf would have to wait until the game was over before they'd get the average Pittsburgher away from the TV. Trust me...you get more from music than you do from any sporting event. Music stays with you. A sporting event is over when it's over. You might talk about it the next day...but then it's relegated to the land of forgotten memories. The athletes don't care if you enjoy the game or not. The musicians do. If you show up, they're playing for you and to you. They want you to remember their music. They want you to talk about it. They want you to share the experience. I used to hang out with one of the Steelers, who was also a novice guitar picker. His dream was to play music. His job was to play football. I remember the night he re-upped his contract, and got a $4 million bonus for doing so...he and I and another guy jammed at a bar, doing acoustic music. He admitted he was happier than he was playing a game. (He loved football too...don't get me wrong)
Does anyone expect everyone to come out for every show? Hell no. It's just not feasible. But...if you hear there's a good show, and it's an act you might not be familiar with, take 5 minutes, look them up online. It just might pique your interest enough to go out, spend that measly $5 (roughly the price of a decent drink) and check out something that will likely stay with you for a long time. Most bars will even have the game on the TV, so you won't miss that either. You CAN have the best of both worlds.
I mentioned a special guest. That's one of the bonuses of Monday night gigs. Fewer musicians are working and that's when we can make it out to see an act. Jayke Orvis (of The Broken Band) showed up. He's old friends with J.B. Beverly and Danny Kay. And like old friends do, they like to share with each other...so J.B. invited Jayke up to sing with him...and sing with him he did! Jayke was up and down from that stage a few times, each time more excited than the previous. He sang harmonies, a few lead lines, and looked like a kid on Christmas getting to sit in with his old buddy J.B. And you missed it.
Do yourself a favor, check these bands out. I think you'll dig them. If not...hey, no harm in looking, right? Hope to see YOU at a show sometime.
Monday night gigs are rough. For starters...they're on Mondays. No one likes Mondays. Trying to get a crowd out on a Monday practically takes legislation from Congress. Everyone has an excuse. Last night was particularly tough as there was a hockey game.
Was I gigging? Nope. I won't do a Monday show without a decent guarantee. I don't like Mondays any more or less than you do. But...some musicians are so hardcore that they'll gig 7 nights a week...especially when they're on tour.
Sometimes, this is a matter of economics. The band knows they aren't gonna make a ton of money...but A) It's on the way to the next show and B) They might make gas money. I'll call last night's show a Gas Money Gig.
Sadly, I didn't hear about this show until the day of the show. Otherwise, I would've badgered all of you to go out and support these fine acts!
If you're not hip to J.B. Beverly, you have yourself to blame. He's been hitting the road and entertaining crowds all over for years. If you like REAL country music, you'd love him. Rory Kelly...imagine if Johnny Winter and Lemmy put together a Southern Rock band. Yeah...THAT GOOD! For a trio, Rory's band kicked some ass! His take on "16 Tons" floored me! Danny Kay...hey, I toured with the cat...I wouldn't have done that if I didn't believe in his music. Good, honest, honky tonkin' country music.
I volunteered to work the door last night...something I hate doing. But, I figured Jo needed a night off from having to do EVERYTHING, so I offered. I was going to be there anyway as I had to meet with Danny Kay to discuss some future projects, so sure...why not. Gave me a chance to check out some new, live music too. Always a good thing.
The crowd was sparse...but there were some die-hards there! You know an act is good when the die-hards show up for the opening act and stay for the whole show! And on a Monday night to boot! And going against a hockey game!
I sent out a mass text to about 50 people, trying to get some bodies through the door. Most folks didn't respond. But as the night went on, some folks did show up. I wish they could have seen the whole show! It was so worth it!
I could go into a detailed review...but why? If you weren't there, you're either kicking yourself for missing a good show or you just don't care. "Next time", right? Just a thought kids...when people don't support live music, the shows stop coming to town. Musicians, especially touring bands, network with each other. The venue is often less the topic than the town. Some towns still love live music. They get the shows. Towns where the crowds are a no-show...they don't get the shows. Why? Because it's too much of a gamble...for everyone involved.
I've personally played almost every major city in this country. One would think that a city the size of Pittsburgh could manage at least 50 people to come out to a good show on a Monday night. Guess again. Around here, people seem to look for excuses to NOT go to a show. If there's a sporting event, forget about it. The Rolling Stones backing Elvis and Howlin' Wolf would have to wait until the game was over before they'd get the average Pittsburgher away from the TV. Trust me...you get more from music than you do from any sporting event. Music stays with you. A sporting event is over when it's over. You might talk about it the next day...but then it's relegated to the land of forgotten memories. The athletes don't care if you enjoy the game or not. The musicians do. If you show up, they're playing for you and to you. They want you to remember their music. They want you to talk about it. They want you to share the experience. I used to hang out with one of the Steelers, who was also a novice guitar picker. His dream was to play music. His job was to play football. I remember the night he re-upped his contract, and got a $4 million bonus for doing so...he and I and another guy jammed at a bar, doing acoustic music. He admitted he was happier than he was playing a game. (He loved football too...don't get me wrong)
Does anyone expect everyone to come out for every show? Hell no. It's just not feasible. But...if you hear there's a good show, and it's an act you might not be familiar with, take 5 minutes, look them up online. It just might pique your interest enough to go out, spend that measly $5 (roughly the price of a decent drink) and check out something that will likely stay with you for a long time. Most bars will even have the game on the TV, so you won't miss that either. You CAN have the best of both worlds.
I mentioned a special guest. That's one of the bonuses of Monday night gigs. Fewer musicians are working and that's when we can make it out to see an act. Jayke Orvis (of The Broken Band) showed up. He's old friends with J.B. Beverly and Danny Kay. And like old friends do, they like to share with each other...so J.B. invited Jayke up to sing with him...and sing with him he did! Jayke was up and down from that stage a few times, each time more excited than the previous. He sang harmonies, a few lead lines, and looked like a kid on Christmas getting to sit in with his old buddy J.B. And you missed it.
Do yourself a favor, check these bands out. I think you'll dig them. If not...hey, no harm in looking, right? Hope to see YOU at a show sometime.
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