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Topic: question for working players |
Karen Sarkisian
From:
Boston, MA, USA
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Posted 9 Dec 2015 9:44 am |
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| Barry Blackwood wrote: |
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| New country is very big here in Boston due to the college students and 20 something's, but none of the new country bands want a steel player unless you play fiddle, banjo, mandolin and dobro as well. |
Of course it goes without saying in this day and age that they won't pay for doubling or tripling either...  |
Um, no. 
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Emmons PP, Mullen G2 and Discovery |
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Lee Dassow
From:
Jefferson, Georgia USA
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Posted 11 Dec 2015 12:45 pm
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Karen, If you are a Music major from Berklee then
I'm sure that you should be able to play other instruments. If playing out is your goal Then you should have some experience playing the piano. As I recall that was a must for music majors. Just a suggestion and please don't take it wrong. The last thing I want to do is pi\\ anyone off on the forum. Tenn.Lee
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2015 Mullen D-10 Royal Precision 9x8,-1990 BMI S-10 5x5-1972 Silver face Fender pro Reverb amp,-1965 Fender Super Reverb Amp,- 1966 Fender Showman Amp Two 15" JBL speakers,- 2006 65 Fender Twin Reverb reissue Amp,- 1982 Peavey Session 500 amp,-1978 Peavey Session 400,Goodrich Volume Pedals,John Pearse Steel Bars, |
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Karen Sarkisian
From:
Boston, MA, USA
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Posted 11 Dec 2015 3:12 pm
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Hi Lee, thanks for the response. I really just want to concentrate on steel right now. Just wishing there was a classic country or americanna band in town that needed me. a few years ago I was turning gigs down. maybe its just the times. I'm going to kick back and work on my chops, something will come up. I never really liked hauling my gear out in the winter anyways..
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Emmons PP, Mullen G2 and Discovery |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 11 Dec 2015 7:03 pm
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| Craigslist ads for Pedal Steel Player available would be an easy thing to start posting. |
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Rich Upright
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 11 Dec 2015 7:41 pm
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Everybody talks about the gig scene dying because of karaoke or DUI laws, but the fact is...the real reason why live music is dead is because nobody goes out anymore there is just too much entertainment at home. DVD,PC,Big screens,video games,surround sound...who needs to go out anymore? Proof? Gig tonight was cancelled, so do I go out & hear other bands? Nope. I'm watching TV, on different forums, messing around in the garage with the Harley, having a couple shots of 99. To me, a good weekend night is one where I can stay home. Tomorrow & Sunday I have my steady house gig, and I will play for the 8 or 9 people that will show up. 'Course the gig is out in the middle of nowhere, but still. Now when you add up all the home entertainment, THEN throw DUI laws & karaoke in the mix, top it off with an aging "going out to party" demographic, I see the days of live bands going the way of big bands from the 40s. Almost total extinction. I have noticed the price of vintage guitars & high end equipment coming down lately. If nobody's playing, nobody's buying equipment. If nobody's buying, the price will come down. Saw a '57 Strat advertised tonight for $7,000. There was a time when it was worth more than my house.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag. |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 11 Dec 2015 10:38 pm
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One of the difficulties of a website(aside from the cost) is it's almost mandatory to list current and upcoming gigs.If they're few or none,that doesn't look positive.
Me,I like Bandmix.com.It's nationwide,the basic membership is free,you can post audio,video,photos and a little description,and anyone can access it.You could almost call it an electronic online portfolio/audition.If you're about to have bizcards printed you can include your Bandmix page's website address so anyone who has your card can hear you.The link is also a nice enhancement for a Craigslist ad,and I've gotten some work out of doing that. |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 12 Dec 2015 9:17 am
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| Quote: |
| Now when you add up all the home entertainment, THEN throw DUI laws & karaoke in the mix, top it off with an aging "going out to party" demographic, I see the days of live bands going the way of big bands from the 40s. |
Don't forget to add talentless DJs and the dreaded line dancers to the equation. Those two factors alone are worth staying home for..  |
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Mark Carlisle
From:
Springville CA
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Posted 12 Dec 2015 11:31 am
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Karen, have you considered approaching some of the retirement communities in your area? I play jazz guitar with an excellent horn player. He is a music educator in our district, and between the two of us (it's a duo) we stay busy in local clubs. Also casuals at a few Country Clubs, private corporate parties for cocktail parties, etc.When we play those venues we are careful about playing too much of be-bop stuff, we program mostly American Songbook material. In the club we mostly mix it up with American Songbook and Clifford Brown, Miles, Tad Dameron (Good Bait, If You Could See Me Now, etc).
A few years ago I got a connection into a retirement circuit and we do a few of those a month. I can tell you it's a rewarding and heartwarming experience-many seniors remember the American Songbook stuff and just glow when we perform it. However, I can tell you this-on our circuit they are CRAZY about classic country music. Could be location as we are close to Bakersfield, but the classic country bands are a much bigger draw than our duo. Some are excellent, some are marginal, but seniors love it.
I know of at least one fellow forum member that plays steel on the Bako retirement circuit.
Oh yeah another thing-we always get paid, never a issue with that. And you aren't likely to be driving home at 2:00am. |
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Jeff Bollettino
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 12 Dec 2015 11:41 am
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Karen, I'm new to the forum and just about to start learning PSG so I can't offer you anything as a steel player, but I have a good deal of experience in booking bands as I do it for several local festivals each year, and I employ a good number of musicians in my business, so I hear a lot about gigging situations.
I agree with those who don't think the website is much of a help, but I am curious as to whether you were thinking of a website aimed at other musicians (to hire you) or aimed at the public to hire you?
My first question is do you have a solo act and if not, why not? I think PSG is way under-booked as a solo, playing in any situation where one might otherwise use a cocktail pianist. Use backing tracks or a bass/drums accompaniment pedal. Especially at this holiday time of year there are lots of potential hirers - stores, corporate parties, private parties, restaurants - that want nice, gentle, not-too-loud background music, and would like the novelty of PSG.
Once/if you have a solo act I think sites like gigsalad.com and the like will be more useful than your own website. Get some photos/videos/sound clips posted and a description of your repertoire so bookers like me can see what you're about.
To get the solo act known, consider doing some open mics, or find some other way to get people to see you and understand the beauty of PSG music. Have business cards handy.
OK here's my next idea that I have a feeling you are going to absolutely hate, but give it some thought if your goal is to work steady. Ready? Here it is - develop a kid act. I tell all my teachers this and they laugh and I can see on their faces that they think they won't look cool (which is maybe true) but kid acts, with songs aimed at young kids 3-10, work steady and command rates about 3X that of comparable bands. And they have loyal followings of kids who know all the lyrics to their tunes. Find two sidekicks, come up with some sort of theme, costumes and a wacky name (but not "The Pedalphiles"), then start contacting local venues, events, festivals, etc who are all looking for kid entertainment. PM me if you want an idea of what to charge, at first and once you develop a following.
OK I hope at least some of that is helpful to you. Good luck.
Jeff |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 12 Dec 2015 11:51 am
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I've just skimmed the latest posts, and Rich U. has pretty much nailed it on the head. Home entertainment, DJ's, Karaoke, DUI laws, etc have been the main causes of the lack of a gig scene here in the SF Bay Area. There are no classic country gigs, or even new country gigs. If you want to keep playing, you have to play the newer stuff, in small bars (who still find the money to pay bands). There is a decent new country scene over the hills, out of the bay area. Decent crowds, mostly younger people, who spend a lot of money. The older folks tend to drink water, or nurse one drink most of the time. Around here, you have to adapt to the newer stuff, or you stay at home playing to Band-In-A-Box. I am a stage whore, and like to play in front of people, so I evolved with "country" music to keep playing gigs.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 12 Dec 2015 12:16 pm
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Jeff B said:
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| My first question is do you have a solo act and if not, why not? I think PSG is way under-booked as a solo, playing in any situation where one might otherwise use a cocktail pianist. Use backing tracks or a bass/drums accompaniment pedal. Especially at this holiday time of year there are lots of potential hirers - stores, corporate parties, private parties, restaurants - that want nice, gentle, not-too-loud background music, and would like the novelty of PSG. |
Have to somewhat agree. But, there are those of us that don't play songs as a solo. I haven't played a steel guitar, or any kind of instrumental, in probably 10 years or more. But for those who do covers of songs (not just steel guitar songs) this could be a viable option. Outside of Nordstrom's, I don't even see solo piano gigs. Companies around here have even cut bask on live music at parties. During the holidays, in the past, I could count on playing at least a dozen corporate ( high Tech) Christmas parties a year. Then when the booking agent contacted the companies for the next year, they tell him they are no longer having live music, and usually said they are going to a DJ.
As a web designer (well, kind of), I think it would be best to have your website geared for other musicians to hire you (include sound bites, and video clips), venues to hire you, and a general fan base to keep up with you. The big problem with a website, is getting people to your website. Social media is the trend now, but it can also drive people to your site, which would probably be more detailed than a Facebook page. Social media (FB, Twitter, etc) should work hand in hand. I have a friend coming over today to talk to me about re-doing his band's website from them bottom up. One of their complaints is not enough traffic to their site. Most of the time, people aren't just going to guess that you have a website, or what the URL is. In today's web world, you may still come up on the 50th or 100th page of search results. Some good Search Engine Optimization might help, but there are many things the search engine looks for on a page, including how many hits you site gets. The more hits, and good SEO has an effect on your ranking in search results. And, I have read that people and companies sometimes pay search engine companies (like Google) for higher rankings in searches. I don't know this as fact though, but I have read it more than once. It's hard to drive people to a band website. I played in a band for years, did their website, and it was getting almost no hits. The leader should have been pimping the website during the gigs. If a person hears it enough, they might be inclined to visit it. Even the website on a band's banner is a step in the right direction, again if people can see it, and you talk about it so the crowd actually looks at the banner in the first place.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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George Seymour
From:
Notown, Vermont, USA
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Posted 17 Dec 2015 6:01 am
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How far are you willing to travel? Opens up more options, but there is the law of diminishing returns. Craig's list got a Lot of response for me when I was ready for a change.
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Old Emmons D-10's & Wrap Resound 65, Standel amps!
Old Gibson Mastertones |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 17 Dec 2015 9:35 am
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I asked Leon McAuliffe his opinion of what was most responsible for the demise of the Big Band Era and western swing in particular and without a hesitation he said "television."
Extrapolate that into the 21st century. McAuliffe predated Marshall McLuhan by 10 years. Technology made us lazy, and continues to do so.
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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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Billy McCombs
From:
Bakersfield California, USA
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Posted 17 Dec 2015 10:36 am
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Karen why not start your own band? Something to think about.
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78 Emmons PP,Great tone.82 Emmons SKH #56 |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 17 Dec 2015 11:22 am
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I'm adverse to giving advice. I will relate what I did.
There was a time about 4 years ago where the regional opportunities for for a "classic country" steeler were non existent. I was faced with a decision of putting the guitar aside for a while or expanding my search for "good", well executed music where I might be a fit.
I browsed Craigs List ads with descriptors like "Americana/Roots Rock/Indi/Guitar Band/Singer Songwriter". It was probably several months before I had a meaningful conversation with a singer/guitar player.
He had a demo but knew nothing of the steel. I took his demo and shoehorned a steel part which gave him at least a concept. He bit hard.
So..The short of it is I became a roots rock/Americana steeler and I am NOT the only area player doing this. The band draws. It's unique and the steel grabs attention wherever it goes. 
There's also a bunch of like minded steelers that commiserate on Facebook from time to time. You (anyone) would be most welcome.
That's my story.
Cheers
hp
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Jeff Bollettino
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 17 Dec 2015 2:46 pm
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That's a great idea Howard, I'm going to steal it (ha ha) when I learn to play this GFI I bought.
I was at Howard's show, here's a link to the one of their songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-l-JSrzCkY
The steel really adds the color to this type of band. |
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Terry Niendorf
From:
Boise, Idaho
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Posted 18 Dec 2015 10:14 pm
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| Hi Karen.... In our part of the country there is a networking web site for getting musicians together. Its bandmix.com. It's pretty much free and you can join and list yourself as an available pedal steel player, and you can search for bands that are looking for such. Don't know if its available where you are. Also, hope you have something like band-in-a-box to keep you practiced up. Good luck..... |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 19 Dec 2015 2:33 am
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| All I have to say is "Merry Christmas, Karen!" |
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