Mike-

From the band's website:

From 6 pieces- 15 pieces. Prices ranging from $5,500 to $12,000, depending on time and day of year. All bookings come with our DJ and Lighting.



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Bill in Dayton

Diki,

I believe if you polled the forum members who perform for a living you would find that the vast majority have worked with a large number of excellent musicians and performers. And, I'm equally confident that most thoroughly enjoyed performing with them over the years, especially when they performed with a group of responsible individuals. However, as stated earlier, the payscale has not increased appreciably over the past three decades, therefore in order to make a living in the entertainment biz, at least for most of us, solo is the only avenue of choice.

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Thanks Bill, I didn't explore the website that much.
And ya know what they're probably worth every penny, but where I'm from, 5500 bucks is a down payment on a house.
I know people spend alot on weddings but I'm from a blue collar background, and if I'm gonna hand over that kind of money to one of my kids the least they can do is drive it for a couple of years.

[This message has been edited by mikeathome1 (edited 01-31-2007).]

Another viewpoint: A lot of what the rich folks are willing to pay is perceived value--"if it costs a whole lot, it MUST be worth it. After all, our friends used this group, and we certainly have as much money as they do."
In reality, wedding receptions usually don't last that long--I know there are exceptions-- and they are more for the family members than for the bride and groom and their contemporaries.
In recent years, though, I have taken advantage of this mentality somewhat and raised my prices considerably. I'm certainly not working any LESS because of it!
I just remember something. About 10 years ago I was asked to go to Dallas and play for a huge wedding reception. The pay was $1000. plus expenses, including motel.
I arrived and there was a huge bandstand with a 12-piece band already set up. They had a smaller one for me. I found out they had hired me to play for an hour before the real" band" started, and then to play during their breaks.
Now the REST of the story. Maybe 80 percent of the audience was older people, 50's and up. The band they hired was wonderful, and played a large variety, very professional, BUT they didn't know anything country. Now, this is Dallas, Texas, friends. To a lot of folks there are the two basic kinds of music, Country, and Western. By the end of the evening, the "Band" was taking 30-minute breaks, and I was playing equal time. In addition to my promised pay, I got a $300. tip for all my "extra work". Still probably only a fraction of what they paid the band.
Just more of my rambling!
DonM

I hear ya, Mike ... bands like TR Touch are just reaping some of the benefits of the over the top "excess is best" NY area mentality ...
t.

Diki, well articulated, again. Nigel, also good points. One thing I forgot is personal preferences. At my stage in life, I can pretty much do whatever I want, and, luckily, get paid for it. Couldn't do that years ago raising kids. The mix of playing what sells and what a person is comfortable with is pretty tricky, sometimes. When players of equal ability "click", it's a rare, wonderful
thing.

However it happens, let's all "keep on keepin' on"!

Regards,


Russ

[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 01-31-2007).]

And now with divorce rates over 50% sometimes the longest part of the marriage is the payments for the wedding.

I have a son getting married in July. It is REALLY going to be difficult for me to pay somebody else to play at the reception!!!
DonM

I still enjoy both band and solo work. A few members here have the big band cd our band made. We have some excellent players in our band. It is fun to be playing with other good musicians when you have a groove going. It is also fun to play as a solo. I don't view being a musician as an either or proposition.

Tom

Don ... As father of the groom all you have to do is smile and make sure everyone has a drink ... You'll have PLENTY of time to play ...
When our son got married they had a band similar to the one I posted the link to, but not as expensive ...
When our daughter got married, I couldn't talk them out of a DJ, but fortunately the band I played with in NY were all guests, and once my 'father of the bride' duties were over, we rocked the joint for a while ...
t.