A question about Texas

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 31 Oct 2016 6:42 pm

As a utility musician (pedal steel, guitar,5-string banjo,bass,vocals)what would be the best of the major cities in Texas to relocate to as far as working? What town really has the best music scene?

John Scanlon · Post by **John Scanlon** » 31 Oct 2016 7:28 pm

I'm guessing Austin?

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 31 Oct 2016 7:37 pm

John Scanlon wrote:I'm guessing Austin?

Yes; you would THINK...but I would also imagine Austin has the most competition. But I am thinking of the I-35 corridor between Austin & SA.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 31 Oct 2016 9:42 pm

It depends on what you mean by work. People make quite a few assumptions about Texas on the forum and mostly they are way off the mark.

On a basic level if you can play and are musically and personally adaptable you will be busy. I would look at housing costs and quality of life issues. I'm doing pretty well but if I was moving Texas now I would maybe head for Fort Worth or Houston. Cheaper housing and gigs tend to pay better than austin.

If you are planing on playing old country music you can be busy around austin but the steadymoney is in corporate events and weddings. Very few church gigs fo steel players in Austin. Houston seems to have a shortage for those gigs.

There are some nice towns in between SA and Austin.

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 1 Nov 2016 6:21 am

You could always come to Texarkana where they don't care what you sound like as long as you can play, Ole Time Rock an Roll, and make at least $40 a gig, on a good night that is. A few places pay more if you are an Out of Town Band

I wasn't kidding about above statement but being serious, any where between Ft. Worth and San Antonio would be a good place to start. A lot of competition because a lot of the best pickers located along that area. I'm too old now but if I were a serious player and wanted to stay busy, I'd be on I35 somewhere in that area, probably closer to Ft Worth.

Stuart Legg · Post by **Stuart Legg** » 1 Nov 2016 8:45 am

Best choice!
A town where you know someone who knows someone.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 1 Nov 2016 10:57 am

Here's my random thoughts based on 41 years of working all over D/FW.

The number of nightclubs has dropped considerably but there's still enough to keep busy.You won't make a comfortable living at it but it coupled with a decent day job ain't bad and can be the icing on the cake so to speak.

Most bands don't use steel like they used to. Go see 10 bands in a night and you might see two maybe three. Most bands have two guitarist or a guitar and piano.

A lot of clubs where you find steel typically book a band on Friday and another on Saturday so you may not always get two nights pay and have to play two different places to make any money for the weekend.

I worked with a band and they played all over East Texas but we traveled all over to play two nights and were only making $100 a man per night.

As for pay around D/FW,most 5 piece bands average $125 per man.

There are only 4 or so clubs that book a band for 4 nights one of those being Billy Bob's and they only pay $450 per night.

Some of the bands I've worked with travel to New Mexico,Wyoming,Colorado etc.,but when you add up expenses it becomes a nice little mini vacation for the band and nothing more.

The music scene isn't bad between Fort Worth and San Antonio but then again there's that travel thing involved so you have to decide if it's worth it.

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 1 Nov 2016 1:07 pm

Very well summed up Dick. I don't know what's happening to nightclubs, I guess karaoke is taking over and they only have to pay one guy and the singers sing for free. There is only a handful of places to play here in Texarkana and they pay hardly nothing. Your band is great and you all play a variety of music which is what they like around here.

A very few places here still book good bands like where you played here and maybe another place still do. Most of the places don't know music when they hear it so they book these bands that have 3 guitar players, two keyboard players, bass and drums and pay them about $200 for whole band and then right around the corner, there is a another band that is just as bad or even worse and will do the same gig for $100 but the people don't know the difference so they book the $100 band so if you see where I'm going.

The few times I've been around the Ft. Worth area, the bands I have heard are good and play good country dance music. You are correct about steel though. That seems to be first instrument left out if a band has to cut back.

I've always played music for a hobby so the few times we do, it's nice to get paid for something I would have done for free.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 1 Nov 2016 1:34 pm

You got it Henry. BTW I will making a cameo appearance with Todd and the gang at Fat Jacks November 25 as their new guy asked off.

If ya ain't all tied up with Thanksgiving and stuff,stop by for a few and say Hi.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 5 Nov 2016 10:06 am

Well, don't even think about the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.

Take a look at the local Craigslist ---> Click Here

$:\$

Lee, from South Texas

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 5 Nov 2016 10:34 am

When Trump gets elected all them old gigs will start rolling in again.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 5 Nov 2016 1:17 pm

Dick Wood wrote:When Trump gets elected all them old gigs will start rolling in again.

!!!

Yeah... right.

George Buechley · Post by **George Buechley** » 5 Nov 2016 2:28 pm

Hey Lee, maybe things will change when Trump's elected!

George

Doug Childress · Post by **Doug Childress** » 17 Nov 2016 11:32 am

The Houston, Beaumont, Texas area is pretty good mainly because of the concentration of industry and events associated with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. There are opportunities for corporate parties, and assortment of small and large clubs that book country bands. The problem with steel guitar players in every area is that all the country bands want one but none of the younger guys will take the time to learn to play PSG. I stay plenty busy just doing free lance work and there are several steel players around Beaumont that work constantly going from band to band. Normally a steel player can get $100.00/night. There can be some travel involved with that.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 17 Nov 2016 12:08 pm

Yeah Herb, it's gonna be yuge really yuge.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 17 Nov 2016 12:47 pm

Dick Wood wrote:Yeah Herb, it's gonna be yuge really yuge.

You got that right, Dick. Trump got elected and I already got offered a $50 gig for Saturday that I only have to
drive 160 round trip miles for.

Don't laugh, Forumites. I'm only joking above, but I do occasionally get gig offers like that so if you're thinking about moving here, they do exist.

Mickey Adams · Post by **Mickey Adams** » 17 Nov 2016 12:52 pm

I just got an offer to do a Fund raiser...unfortunately the funds were for the singer, not the steel player....

Rich....If you want to make a million playing music in TX...bring 2 million with you...its no different here...you can work, but every gig is 400 miles from the last, and your still only halfway across the state....But then again, you might find a nich!

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 17 Nov 2016 1:08 pm

Hey Lee, maybe things will change when Trump's elected!

Yeah, they'll get worse..

Kenneth Kotsay · Post by **Kenneth Kotsay** » 17 Nov 2016 1:39 pm

Richie, move back to Flushing NY, Florida is dead in regards to country music, especially here in southeast Florida, lots of southern rock bands, jazz, metal, rock etc. If you can figure out how to gig with Latin bands with your steel, you be a millionaire, hot chicks included, in fact there's a Cuban Country Band called, "Ricky Valido Band", from Hialeah, he has no steel player. No, I'm not interested.

Ya the scene here is gone, been that way since 2002, there's just no more clubs involved with live country music. The two clubs here in Davie only have DJs, no local country bands at all.

How about the Florida panhandle.

Now if your interested in moving back to the rotten Apple do a Google search, "New York City Country Bands" or "Brooklyn Country Music".

Your in for a surprise.
Ken from Queens.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 19 Nov 2016 2:24 am

I've played steel guitar all over Texas for about 45 years. 60's, 70's, 80's was a hayday here for pedal steel players. You just missed it. I'm retired now but still get at least a call a week to work full time now. Just got a call yesterday and had to turn it down. They called Junior Knight first, Junior told them to call me,he's still calling as far as I know. East Texas has no available steel players at the moment and plenty of country bands if that is what you play. Churches on every street corner that welcome steel however some do not.
I spent about 25 years in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area in the 70's, 80's, 90's and turned down more than I could play and that was even with guys like Tom Morrell, Maurice Anderson, Gary Hogue, Dickey Overbey and Milo Deering running around. It's much different now. Not nearly the demand for steel players there once was in the Dallas areas. Still quite a bit of steel on sessions for the chosen few. Lots of bands that travel in Texas fulltime that use steel. I played all the joints in Houston and Pasadena and they are fading away too. Never worked Austin but the players that have tell me you can work all you want there for peanuts or sometimes nothing. My bet would be to move to Tyler, Texas if you are pretty good on it. You'll be the only King on the Hill since Me, Corky Owens, Junior Knight, Bobby Tuttle, Bobby Garrett and a dozen others are not available. I think my phone calls alone can keep a man working more than he wants here in East Texas. Pay ranges $100-$150.00 average a night sometimes more but I'm not even interested in that anymore. Just not worth it to me to spend 12 hours to play a gig. Loading, driving there, loading, driving back, unloading at 5:00am back at your house. Young man's occupation.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 19 Nov 2016 2:38 am

Also Tyler, Tx. is halfway between Dallas, Tx. and Shreveport, La. Only 90 miles to either city should nothing be available around Tyler area. I've made those drives many times. There is 3 huge VFW's around Tyler that pay $100.00 per man on Fri and Sat. One snowy New Years Eve we got $375.00 each. Those VFW gigs will never go away and they will throw you out if you're not country or play to loud. My band was on that circuit of VFW's for a few years. They have about 4 bands they keep in rotation.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 19 Nov 2016 2:48 am

One more thing. East Texas needs a steel guitar teacher bad. There is none. I use to, Junior Knight use to but I got leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant about 8 years ago and have had no energy since. The pedal steel market is wide open here in East Texas to keep 2 or 3 more players busy.

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 19 Nov 2016 3:22 am

This gig is available on weekends. One of many hole-in-wall joints around Tyler. This one is on Lake Palestine near Coffee City. This was my last steel gig ever and the reason I had the girls record it. I'm playing a 1971 Emmons freshly rebuilt by the late Bryan Adams. I don't play in bands that practice. I did all that about 50 years ago. This band here is made up of ex-celebrity road players not interested in living in buses or motel rooms anymore. We just play spontaneously and have fun. If someone hits a wrong chord so be it. The lead guitar player here is Wes Hendrix. He played 8 years for Ty Heardon and a couple years for the new singer Kacey Musgraves till she decided to hit the road. We all done got old fat and lazy. The thrill is gone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNe0_XIhCl4

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 19 Nov 2016 5:51 am

Lee Baucum wrote:Well, don't even think about the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.

Don't even think about the Rio Grande Valley of South Colorado, either.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 19 Nov 2016 10:00 am

David's been there done that like many of us. Your comment about 12 hours,getting home at 5:30am and all just to make $100 sure hit home with me. I had been playing with a bunch out of Jacksonville TX since April and it just about killed me. I think it worked out to $3.00/hr after gas was subtracted.

BTW-I don't know how we haven't crossed paths after all these years. I really enjoyed your playing on the video.