I think a large part of this is the desire and, moreso, the ability to change. It's about letting go of the past and, quite naturally, this comes more easily to some people than it does to others.

There's no doubt about it, the 'scene' (there's an old-school word) has changed dramatically. Many of the band venues in this neck of the woods think only in terms of Alternative, Modern Rock bands for a young crowd, so us more 'mature' folks don't really get a look-in as there's no market for our more traditional approach, i.e. 50's to 70's stuff - I'm pretty convinced most folks over 40 sit at home in front of their big screen TVs and are all in bed by 10 p.m. Sad, really.

I played in bands from 1958-1980, then left it alone altogether for 20 years and then bought my first arranger. Would I go back into a band? For the chemistry and camaraderie, yes. For a lot of the reasons already mentioned in this thread, no.

For sure, time and tide wait for no man, and like the old r'n'b classic says, You Better Move On. Enjoy the past, but embrace the future.

Cant agree with ya there my friend....
"If You Play it they will Come"
Ask anyone who has seen me perform.......the 45-90 market is still very much there & hungry for REAL dance Music,,, find it & embrace it ..

I had close to 300 for a Mardi Gras dance Saturday night. Ages from 21 to 81 or so.
Gave free Moon Pies to the best dancers!
The youngsters didn't know what they were.
DonM

WTG Don.....great Idea ....
BTW I love moon pies

Keep em Dancin & the Music Alive Baby!
http://www.moonpie.com/

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 01-29-2007).]

yawn ........ it's 6:00 - almost bedtime.

Well, all I can say to that is that I've been playing "REAL dance music" for close on 50 years, and keeping it pretty current along the way, and they don't come like they used to. There must be something in the water down your way that's definitely missing up here. I tell ya, it's bloody frustrating.

Ive been drinking the water down here for years oh yeah ! .....

Be careful of asking questions in a forum dedicated to OMBs..... OF COURSE you will get a majority of answers saying 'sure, go ahead and fire everybody' because this is the place where most players hang out that have done that already.....

You have to ask YOURSELF how you feel about it. If there is nothing good about playing in a band, by all means, go ahead and go solo. Perhaps, though, after burning those bridges, you might find there's something about making music with other people you miss, and it's tough to get their trust back.

Issues within a band will never get resolved if you don't address them. If a player is always tardy for setup, well, if you have the power to fire him, you have the power to dock him for being late! A warning the first time might help, but if you are beginning to feel bitter about behavior, you only have yourself to blame if you don't address it.

The availability of gigs is another matter altogether, no blame there for having to accept financial reality, but my suggestion would be drop the rhythm section first (bass and drums)... they are the easiest to replace with your arranger. But if you can still get duo or trio gigs, no amount of arranger will compensate for a good guitarist or fiddle player. Not to mention the loss of singing voices - to be honest, that's what the club is REALLY paying for, you've got to have a dynamite guitarist before people will come out just to hear the guitarist (or the piano player!) play.

People want to hear SONGS, and dance. If you already sing the great majority of songs, you're in a good position to go solo (even though the girls love a guitarist!), but be realistic about what you will lose, musically, being by yourself.

I play a mixture of duo (with an acoustic guitarist) and four piece (two guitars drums and me on LH bass), and occasional full band or anything in between. While capable of going solo (I've done it on and off for 20 years or so), it never seems as enjoyable as a full band. It has it's own set of pleasures, for sure, but a musical partner to push you, and keep you fresh and interested is worth the division of funds, IMO.......

Music is a conversation, whereas arranger usage is the reproduction of a conversation. That guitar track or pedal steel track is never going to surprise you, it's never going to challenge you to try something different, it's going to pop up in the song the same way every time you play THAT chord at THAT time. That is going to get stale quickly.

Sidemen, musical partners, whatever you want to call them, they can make the difference between going out to play some music and getting payed, and clocking in at the gig to do the same thing over and over.....

Over 40 year olds stay home..you must be kidding..Saturday night , we had a packed house[about 180 people] at the club in Wildwood NJ[BTW the water is terrible there]..
There was a group of girls[ about 20-25] in their 20's...We play Dance music from the 50's - 70's normally...I tried to play to the young ladies on break music[played current dance music] ...2 girls danced..after 10 minutes I cut it and played 60's dance music and they all danced..Go figure

Our age group[regulars ] are 40 and up..These are the folks that can afford the higher prices for drinks and top notch meals at our venues..Without this age group..you could not find decent paying and enjoyable work..

Gives us your address, and we will send you some NJ water..

Fran-

I'll trade you some Ohio well water for a jug of your NJ stuff!!!



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Bill in Dayton