Did one of my first outdoor deck gigs on the 4th. There's a lot of that here in South Jersey so I guess I'll be doing more. It went well but I just felt a lot of my material was just not quite right. Place has an out door bar and tables with people coming mainly to eat. Lots of families. Not a dancing place but I did get some of the parents up to dance with the kids.
Yes I do Margaritaville and the like ( hate it !!! ) but I just don't have 3 hours of that stuff. Any suggestions for this type of atmosphere? I know some of you guys do similar gigs
BTW just did an indoor gig for a boaters club and they loved me and I'll be there all season. Different atmosphere and people got up and danced around the bar.
Go figure???

Under The Boardwalk
Brown Eyed Girl
Bob Marely (raggae)
Beyond The Sea
Summer Wind
Traveling Man
Sailing

Ru singing & kb.........or dj'ing..? Or both?

Along with the list mm posted, when I'm doing an outdoor gig - like tonight - I'll add more blues/shuffle tunes than usual ... also tunes by Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Elton John, Van Morrison, Beach Boys, etc ...
Blue Bayou
Flip Flop Fly
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
Kansas City
I do a Ben E. King/Drifters medley that goes over well: Rose in Spanish Harlem, Up On The roof, Under the Boardwalk, Save the Last Dance For Me ...
You could also get a good idea when you go see Uncle Dave ...
Basically, fun stuff ...

What Tony said!

Gary

Good above until they start requesting songs from this century .....this is the jersey shore we're talking about here!

DNJ
Both but I may just bring an Ipod along for breaks and leave the DJ system home. I want to scale down as much as possible

Bill

Thanks for the replies and keep them coming. I actually do a lot of the songs you guys suggested and the more I think about it I'm just not accustomed to that sort of situation. I came up with ideas today and will reprogram some styles to throw in some steel drum sounds. Maybe change one or two songs to a reggae beat. Heard a guy down here on a dock with a massive PA system playing just one steel drum to backing tracks. I didn't think much of it but he was working and I was watching. Can't knock success.

Thanks again

No cares anymore how you do it as long as it sounds good....2

I can see a BK5 in the near future....it will handle all your requirements...and 16 pounds to boot..

Don Its amazing and your right on with that. As I said I was watching and he was playing. Ha!

Bill,
Melodies are important but in the type of job you mentioned I feel the beat (drums and bass) are what sells. More drums (a lot more) and a little more bass and the tunes you play now will do the job

John C.

John, a good point....I use a trick on my Roland (G70)...when I need to get things going..I use the "cover" feature....by selecting the "house" drum kit or "hiphop" kit with a synth bass...done with a touch on the screen....the style or sequence comes alive....and if I have a big sound system...the mastering tools have another great punch in the EQ and compression..

The point...bass and drums are the important "dance" ingredient...melody and vocals are not the driving force...at all...

PS: this does not work well in nursing homes...

Funny that you mention that John, as right now I'm gettinig ready to play a pool party and I'm tweaking my registration (bringing up the drums and bass) That's a cool feature on your G70 Fran. I wish my Tyros could do that

I had neglected to add that the 'Top 40' stuff - which I have not seen performed very well by a OMB using an arranger - could be added through the use of an iPOD/iPAD/Smart phone/ whatever ...
And Donny, I do believe all of the songs mentioned were from this CENTURY ...

We have an area in Providence, Rhode Island - Federal Hill - which has historically been known for its Italian heritage and fine restaurants ... The 'prime' location is "DePasquale Square" which features about 6 restaurants - 3 of which are under one ownership -
http://www.google.com/search?q=DePasqual...280&bih=828
This area has become a major summer venue for entertainers, featuring live music outdoors every night ... however, I have been there on several occasions and have yet to see even ONE person playing a musical instrument ... it is all done with backing tracks ... Last Saturday after dinner we passed by with some friends from out of town ... there was a duo, male and female in about their mid to late 50's, singing to tracks, the square was mobbed, and there were lots of people dancing on cobblestone ...Last night after I finished my gig - at a restaurant "on D'Hill" - I drove through the main street ... many of the restaurants have fronts that open to the sidewalk and still had 'streetside' tables set up ... I heard music coming from one as I passed and I could see a HUGE karaoke screen showing lyrics ... there was a great amount of activity for 11 PM on a Thursday night ...
WHATEVER WORKS!!!

Tony no surprise there .....like I always said go with the changing tide and adapt.....or drown!!! Backing tracks vocals and dj'ing is the wave of the future embrace it....or sit home.

Paul, You can do something quite similar with your Tyros. It's a bit more involved than the process Fran was talking about, but believe me, it can be done, and you can save the changes to a registration that can be recalled and modified at any time.

Fran is right about the Nursing Homes, though.

Gary

Donny, I always thought your approach was right on target for entertainers.

But, I can tell you that it is certainly possible to make a $quarter mil, plus annually in the music business with no DJ work, no arranger, no sequences, no tracks, no harmonizer, and sometimes, NO AUDIENCE...live audience, that is.

It's a "chicken hat" or not situation. I choose "NOT", but wish I had the entertainment skills to need a whole wardrobe of "chicken hats".

I don't (I'm a TERRIBLE entertainer), so I have adapted in different ways...different projects....different clients.

The takeaway, here, is it is possible to "survive and thrive" in the music/entertainment business.

You just have to figure out a way that get's the results you want, financially and personally.

I just got back from a trip overseas that, for two weeks, paid what most people would make in a year. I do 6 trips a year.

Yesterday, I spent 14 hours playing tracks for spots for a well known restaurant chain...they have been clients for over 30 years. With average residuals, that job will pay over $5,000. Next week, I'm doing a film score for a film I'm producing for a national dental organization. The score will bill out at $19,000.00 and the film will bill out at over $109,000.00. My share, after costs, will be $50,000.00.

I don't like writing scripts about oral health care (it IS, however, an important issue) or writing music about chicken strips.

Doing this, however, is part of the compromise. To a degree, I've "sold out". But that's better than starvation, and it keeps me in the "BIZ"!

Did I enjoy these two gigs? HELL NO, but the monthly jazz/B-3 night I do at a country club pays $500.00 for a trio, and I probably couldn't book more than 4 a month in this area if I tried. I LOVE THOSE GIGS!

Still, I'm not ready to give those jobs and the single guitar instrumental jobs up to operate DJ equipment (actually, my son runs a DJ operation we own and WE do quite well).

The majority of my "live" gigs consist of playing quiet enough not to interfere with dinner conversation...wouldn't want anyone to choke on that ham sandwich LOL.

Everyone needs to find a place that satisfies their needs and puts enough food on the table...gets them laid often enough...whatever.

Good luck to all finding your place in this fascinating, frustrating thing we call the music business.


Russ (stubborn ole dude) Lay

(Man, I'm old enough to have seen Steve Allen do his "chicken man"...LIVE...fabulous)!

Sorry Captain but I don't understand your post. Donny is right on, love it or hate it there are new trends in the "live" music biz that we need to accept to keep going. I choose to stick to my keyboard/vocal/DJ thing because I just can't stand there with a mic and sing to tracks, thats just me.
As far as making big dollars like you in the field of composing, yes I get it, but it has no relevance to this forum. Your moving in very different circles from most of us and I believe despite your talents your still very lucky to have hooked up with good clients. I didn't make up the well known phrase "starving composer", it takes talent+ luck and timing. Brain Surgeons make big bucks too but they're not "live" musical preformers. Different field.
As far as your $500 a night B3 gigs, get down on your knees and be thankful every time you play one. You are very fortunate to have a gig, that for the most part doesn't exsist anymore. Jazz guys fight for the few gigs there are in even fewer jazz clubs and are thrilled to walk out with $100 for the night. If you lost that gig where would you go and what would you do to keep playing ??? Oh yea, you could ask Donny !!! HA!

"As far as your $500 a night B3 gigs, get down on your knees and be thankful every time you play one. You are very fortunate to have a gig, that for the most part doesn't exsist anymore. Jazz guys fight for the few gigs there are in even fewer jazz clubs and are thrilled to walk out with $100 for the night."

Bill, I agree. In this part of the world there are NO $500 a night jazz club jobs. On a busy weekend, the few jazz clubs remaining in the Baltimore metropolitan area will shell out $150 to $200 for a trio, while weekdays pay $100, and that's if you can get a job. As for lugging a B3 around, it just doesn't happen here.

Me, I'll stick with the keyboard and vocals. My voice is my saving grace, and I have the ability to find styles that match the songs I sing. My voice is essentially my right hand. My voice has also provided me with a good living outside the world of musical entertainment. I've been a newscaster for a local, large radio station, done voice-overs for TV commercials, and for 25-years I was the announcer for the nation's largest fishing expo.

Unlike Donny, I don't pack an Ipod, I don't DJ and I hate Karaoke. I don't sit in a corner and play background music for restaurants, though I have done that a few times and hated every minute of it. Karaoke is a big deal at the local VFWs and American Legions here, and they hire an occasional DJ - they pay $175 to $225 for a 4-hour weekend job. Yep, it's better than the high-dollar restaurants in Baltimore's Little Italy, but not much better. Most of those guys work a full-time job outside the world of music, truck drivers, construction workers, etc..., but they don't play music for a living. In fact, there are very few people that I know that plays music full time for a living. Granted, there are exceptions, but their numbers are small.

Russ has been fortunate indeed to have a high-paying restaurant job in the same location for many, many years. That's very unusual. Additionally, he has the talent to write script, which I can tell you from first hand experience, is not an easy task. It takes a high degree of creativity and dedication to be a script writer. His ability to create musical scores is, obviously, second to none, which is evidenced by the longevity of his company.

The OP was asking about songs for Decktainment. Having performed many, many deck jobs both in resort areas and private parties, the list varies greatly from one region to another, and of course, with the makeup of the audiences. The Jersey coast, for example, seems to consist of younger audiences from nearby Pennsylvania and Delaware. Ocean City, Maryland audiences consist of younger folks from southern PA and the Baltimore metropolitan area. Consequently, boardwalk entertainers tend to stick with top-40 music, which is not something easily created by an OMB entertainer using an arranger keyboard. Consequently, it a DJ/KJ venue through the 5-month summer.

When winter sets in, the kids leave, they're quickly replaced by the older contingent, folks who enjoy the tranquility of a semi-deserted beach, and will spend big bucks in the high-end restaurants that remain open year round. Those are the folks that enjoy the OMB entertainer with an arranger keyboard, but of course he also has to be a good vocalist as well. Some of these jobs will be out on the restaurant decks (weather permitting), and the music they tend to enjoy is NOT jazz. They'll send requests for anything by Jimmy Buffett, they love older Country, 60s/70s/80s Rock & Roll, and anything someone over 50 can dance to. These are the same individuals that call me for private parties when they get home from the beaches. They're not looking for DJ/KJ guys - they're looking for musician/entertainer, someone that interacts with the audience and performs the music they want to listen to and dance to.

Damned, I just wrote a book, albeit a short novel. Sorry about the rant guys and gals. Think I'll take a break from the internet for a while - it takes too much time away from havin' fun!

Gary

I think you guys are concentrating too hard on the 'B3 gig' and not on the fact that it's a COUNTRY CLUB. Initial joining fees at country clubs can range from $40,000 to to upward of $200,000 with annual fees ranging from $2,000 to upward of $50,000 with membership numbers averaging about 400-600 (google cost of CC membership). Do the math. A $500 gig for 50 weeks would cost the club @ $25k, barely a blip on the budget of the average upscale club. The secret is to have the luck, skill, talent, reputation, and connections to land (and hold onto) such a gig. So I don't think it's so much the fact that it's a 'B3 gig' as it is a 'CC gig'. Also, most of Russ' gigs are long term, stationary gigs which is a lot different than running around trying to hustle up $50 one-nighters (and praying you'll get paid at the end of the night - we've all been there ).

In every town I've lived in, there are always one or two guys that seem to have a certain niche of the market 'locked up'. I think guys like Russ and DonM and a few other true professionals here, fit that mold. More power to them, I say. It didn't just fall into their laps, they obviously earned it through years of plying their trade in a responsible, business-like way. Now they're reaping the rewards.

chas

Chas, I agree with much of the above. However, the country club jobs in this part of the nation pay about the same rate as the upscale nite clubs. I used to play at Hillendale Country Club , piano-bar kinda' job, but used the arranger keyboard instead. Lots of very rich, boring people who rarely tipped anyone, including the bar tenders and waitstaff. They all told me how much they loved the music and my vocals, I played there for about a year, and one night I said to myself "I gotta' get out of this place!" and did. The guy that took my place, a good friend, stayed there for about three years, played a great piano, and one night in the dead of winter decided he had enough as well. He moved to the Florida Keys, ran a fishing charter boat during the day, and played Tiki Bars at night until he died.

Captain Russ, on the other hand, is very fortunate in that he resides in a part of the nation that has loads of country clubs, many of which cater to the Horse Racing/Owner industry. They tend to spend a lot of money, and apparently, tend to pay a lot for the Captain's type of entertainment.

DonM is a great entertainer, a wonderful people person, he interacts with everyone that comes into the lounge and provides an outstanding show that is geared to his clientele. His talents go far beyond playing the keyboard and singing, and having seen him perform in person and keeping in touch with him over many years, I can say, without hesitation, he is at the top of the list of great OMB entertainers. He IS the best of the best and I am very proud to know him both as a fellow entertainer and friend.

As I have often stated, this is a business and must be treated like any other business. It requires years of dedicated, hard work in order to make it successful. Very few individuals are willing to do what it takes to fit into that mold. Russ and DonM are two classic examples of individuals that did what it takes to be successful in this industry.

Gary

I tell ya Yes Gary making full time living playing music over 40+ years is easy.....but what do I know?...

Donny,

You appear to be feeling sorry for yourself, hope none of the LEDS have gone on your KORG.

Tony

quote from Cap'n Russ :"but the monthly jazz/B-3 night I do at a country club pays $500.00 for a trio, and I probably couldn't book more than 4 a month in this area if I tried."

Perhaps some of you missed the for a trio, which is about the going rate even here in RI ... also, Russ acknowledged that he "couldn't book more than 4 a month"

The local -and ONLY statewide - newspaper here in RI lists the musical entertainment for the weekend (Thursday - Sunday)... all you have to do is send it in and they will print it ... fortunately, there are several clubs that feature jazz at least one night on a weekend, and there are some pretty darn good players up here too ...

Sorry Donny, I forgot to mention you in that group of individuals that does this for a full-time living - My Mistake, and I apologize for leaving you out in the OP. By the time I got back to it, which was a couple hours later, I couldn't edit the post. Yep, you're definitely in that league as well.

I really cannot put myself in that category because for the past 8 years I've been drawing Social Security, and more recently had to begin minimal withdrawals from my retirement program I created 25 years ago. Consequently, I have three sources of income, music, Social Security and my retirement program. Music, however, still provides the majority of my income, and I hope it does for at least another 5 years. If, however, some additional body parts fail, then I'll just kick back and maybe sail around the globe.

Gary

No, Tony, our Donny, your old shipmate, just felt a little left out, I think.

Donny is an old road warrior...a veteran of the music trenches.

Come to think of it, I've been performing professionally almost 50 years, with a little time off for bad behavior...ha ha.

Sheee! Has it been that long? No wonder I tire so easily.

Thank goodness for lighter gear!

Ian

Ian, we have a lot in common, including background (I'm married to a Cajun!), taste in music and love of music and arrangers. I was blessed to have a happy childhood though. Still do!

Gary, your check is in the mail. You said just what I told you to say.
I have to have Social Security AND music income to survive. My retirement is that I have a young wife with a good job.

BTW, I actually played on a deck last night. A friend got married and I played for the ceremony and the reception in his back yard. There were young folks, older folks and old folks there. I used MP3s for Here Comes the Bride and There Goes the Wife. Then played good stuff, mostly Country and Rock n Roll, for an hour or so. Then the kids wanted "dance" music. I told the hostess that when I started playing it the older folks would leave, but she insisted.
I fired up the laptop with Electric Slide, and Chicken' Dance. Went pretty well. Then they wanted The Wobble, some T-Pain, etc. The kids all lined up and laughed at each other and the old folks started leaving.
Hostess came up and said "you were right, play something for us now". Sorta pleased everybody by the end of the night I guess, but I really dislike playing wedding receptions because of this very thing.
DonM

Ok, so I'm doing a study on the attention span of old men. Of the 30 responses to this post (including this one) 2 were right on topic (Montunoman and TonyM - both at or near the beginning of the post), 8 were vaguely related, and the rest (again, including this one) had little or nothing to do with the OP's request. Seems the longer a post continues, the more we (old men) go off-topic.

An old geezer, when asked what the secret of his 50+ year old marriage was, responded, "I don't talk and I don't listen". We certainly seem to have the second part down pretty well.

chas

Some people say that I have a short attention span, but I

Uh ... what did you say, chas?

Uh....when?

EXCUSE ME Chas. . . My post was about playing a party on a deck and I demand to be counted, even if it's a technicality.
You must be pretty bored tonight, resorting to counting the contents of posts. Of course, here I am responding to it . . .
You could be in your music room jamming and recording it for us.
DonM

Sorry Don, I stopped reading them after the first three.....I just made up the rest. So.....your party on a deck; was that like on a cruise ship or something? Do cruise ships pay well? Where was the ship going? Did you get seasick? What percentage of people get seasick on a cruise. Do cruise rates go up when fuel prices go up? Can the President really do anything about oil prices? What about Newt, he said he could get us $2/gal. gas at the pump. This may be OT but I was just wondering, what kind of tunes would you play on, let's say, a deck gig?

chas

Chas LOL !! I just got the time to read these responses and was thinking the same thing. Too funny. Kind of like a class of 1st graders playing the "telephone" game. ( If you don't know it you whisper something once to the first kid he whispers it once to the next kid and on down the line. By the time it gets to the last kid its hilarious ) Thanks again to those who offered some advice. After thinking about it and changing some things around in my tunes I think I'm ready for this week. Going out tonight to see Dave at the "Crab Trap" and get inspired.

Gee, maybe I should of kept my B3 HA!!!

Bill

Maybe Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly? All Hands On Deck? Deck of Cards?

Or, if Boo is in the house, maybe a little DECK-ster Gordon.

chas

Sorry, folks for getting so far off topic. Truth is, I'd give my left N** to just play jazz for 1/3 my average income.

It ain't gonna happen. The gigs aren't there and I'm not good enough.

What's left is a compromise. My one monthly B-3 gig is at a club established for faculty and staff members of a large state university...thus the "small but mighty" audience for jazz.

The restaurant gigs are really a chance to "fish" for film and film score work for my company. I play "background" music...two for them and one for me.

A little of the bitterness other folks devoted to playing jazz voice.


Sorry.


R.

Bill, sorry for the confusion. My point was, Donny has an approach which is to be totally flexible, and it works for him. He will change what he does to get and maintain a paying audience. His approach works for him.


I'm not so flexible, but I have been able to work for 55 plus years with 9 total weeks off without straying too far from my roots. There are things I will NOT do. Things like use sequences, do DJ work, use tracks, harmonizers, sing lots of songs I find offensive or stupid (like UGH Marguretaville (SP?).

I have compromised in other ways...the type of venues, mainly.

Music is changing, but I'm about as traditional as it gets.


I was simply trying to say there were other alternatives to some of the activities others do and approaches they take. Again, part of that is the difference between musicians and entertainers. I'm NOT an entertainer (tried, just TERRIBLE at it). Wish I were, sometimes.


I won't do certain things. It has cost me, but I really can't complain too much. My work involves lots of recording (some national jungles and scores), playing with a philharmonic as guest soloist, working restaurants and clubs, playing many styles of music, on lots of different instruments. And, I've NEVER had to go hunting for work. I have an open invitation from 4 restaurants to do 4 nights a week if I ever want to change my current arrangement. I'm overseas playing for an international horseman for 6 weeks a year.

For all of this, I'm lucky and grateful.

Just wish it had been possible to have a lifetime career playing jazz.


Russ

Russ

Again all I can say is your one lucky pup to be connected to the circles you work in. Its all about who you know and being in the right place at the right time. You lucked out and are able to work for a appreciative, loyal and well heeled group. Around here you can be the best musician in the world and still you would have to adapt to doing what the public wants. IE: Show up for a party and just jam some heavy keyboard licks, forgedaboutit- they want to do the Cha Cha slide so you better be ready to DJ some current dance tracks.
I did lots of Country Club work in some big $$$ clubs. Picked up some nice private parties from some members but was still at the mercy of the club manager. I was the house band for 8 years at one club and went through 5 managers in that time. Had to resell myself each time.
I see your from Kentucky- went to college there about a million years ago. Had a band that wouldn't of gotten many gigs in NJ but being the only good act around those parts we were treated like the Beatles.
Ahh, the good old days of showing up in a U-Haul truck, dressed in jeans and t-shirts, opening the door and having the beer cans fall out, and seeing a crowd holding a banner with your bands name on it (Rennisance) and cheering. Maybe I should of stayed out there AND kept the B3 !!

Thanks for the input