Russ ... you have been very fortunate to develop a base of 'high roller' clientele - sheikhs and other multi/multi millionaires from the 'horsey set', and mega corporations ... something a lot of us have no exposure to, and good for you, for through your talent you have made the most of it ...
But do you not know other talented musicians you could recommend for the gigs you turn down? ... If nothing else, I find it difficult to believe that local colleges and universities don't have talented musicians who can PLAY ...

And Taike, please, your opinion isn't taken any less than anyone else on this forum ... from time to time we ALL say things that are either disregarded or criticized by others - it all depends on what is being said and who is reading it ...

As for DJs. those in the US are no different than those in Europe or anywhere else with their ability to keep people on the dance floor ...

I come from a time when bands were able to play the 'top forty' in their own style and people loved it - it didn't have to sound just like the record - the band we had was well known and people said they "loved to hear our sound" ... what I find disappointing is the fact that today, if it doesn't sound exactly like the record, it is not acceptable, hence the DJs ... I have heard bands who could play the 'top 40' and sound like the original recording, but these are well educated musicians, with 2 or more male and female vocalists and 8 to 10 musicians ...
they make a living playing music,and they demand a lot more money than a DJ ... but they do not play as many gigs as DJs because of the economics ...

Personally, I am very happy I played music with a band at the time I did ... I am just sorry that many musicians, after countless hours of study and practice, will not get to feel that excitement and joy of seeing a jammed dance floor, dancing to the music they are playing, because a DJ is taking their place ...

Right on Tony.
My experience pretty much mirrors yours. I am very thankful I got to play in a variety of bands for decades. But now,....
In order to pick up NEW clients, I have had to the "DNJ Thing" and incorporate some DJ material. In fact, I have two clients
that have never seen me play a keyboard because they hired me for pool parties and wanted balls to the wall, original RnR
hits and line dancing. Those same clients have also hired me to play in their ballrooms for some upcoming dates. I expect
those jobs will be much more of the typical ballroom type featuring a wide variety of ballroom type music from some big band
standards to Waltz, Polka, Bossa etc as well as RnR and come country favorites. I'll be singing and playing arranger
most of the night and will go to MP3s for the stuff I don't do live. Outdoor Pool Parties vs Indoor Dinner Dances...two very
distinctly different expectations by the audiences.
Eddie

Eddie in other words your "entertaining" your audience...
if your tool box is full you can build any house

just sayin'

Tony you know very well that Casinos filing for bankruptcy does not have to do anything with earnings. Sometimes rats just hack the system. Especially if they have TRUMP logo.

This turned out to be a very timely thread ...
Today I played 1 1/2 hours at the annual family picnic sponsored by our Church ... The past few years I have played for 3 hours, but this year our Pastor told me that 2 young (high school) church members had asked if they could volunteer their time to play music to promote their DJ business ... The Pastor wanted to know if that was ok with me - (I also volunteer my time for this function, as I am hired for other gigs during the year) - I said it was ok and the DJs and I split the time - I played the first 1 1/2 hours and they played the second 1 1/2 hours ...
I played some 50's and 60's, Beatles, Eagles, Sinatra, etc. ... I got quite a few compliments on the music ...
The kids did a nice job, playing a mix of top 40 and 'dance' tunes from the past few years, and while they had about 4 times the speaker power I had (I just used my 2 Podium 10s), they did not blast anyone out of the field ...
At the end of the day, guess who got a booking for a wedding next May ??? ...

OH YEAH!

Gary

Tony, every once in a while, a talented Master's candidate comes through the university who can really burn it. Sadly, faculty members are mostly site readers who couldn't play Misty without a chart.


When the new head of the entire music program got in town, he was introduced by the club owner. He asked if I could add him....I was playing a duo. The guy couldn't play a note without a chart.

This was a "fast and loose" job, with lot's of requests....a B-3 job at a country club.

I had a friend...Jay Flippen at a nearby University who outplays me with his elbow. He passed recently, but we shared jobs and played together for many, many years.

The main reason I work is this is a big "small" town. You're either in or out. Lot's of choices are made on connections and not talent. After all these years, I know most participants and know all their favorite songs.

I used to recommend other players, but caught a lot of crap when things didn't work out. Too many breaks....drinking too much...not the right material.

If I see a talented player now, I give them a list of appropriate venues and contacts and wish them luck.

There's not much competition in this area. In my market, all everyone wants is jazz. That's what I'm known for. In fact, I don't know anyone buy Chas here who would even be interested or be familiar with the material.


Russ

Russ, unfortunately, this is not at all uncommon. I have a good friend that frequented this forum in the past, he played at a couple American Legions and animal clubs, but without the dots he was totally lost. Very talented reader. If someone requested a song, he had to go through 8 huge loseleaf binders to find the sheets, which often took up to 5 minutes to accomplish. He no longer plays at these locations, and for that very reason.

The only time I performed in your backyard was several years ago at the University of Kentucky in Lexington for my sister in law's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a large room, jammed to capacity, probably about 250 people (I didn't count them), and I had the dance floor packed for the three hours it lasted. Several people came up to me and asked where I performed regularly in the area. I guess arranger keyboard players who also sing are a rare breed in that part of the world. I know you're not a big fan of arranger keyboards, and would rather play the B3 or guitar, but you must admit, a talented entertainer that can play a mean arranger keyboard could do very well in your neighborhood.

All the best,

Gary

I remember that, Gary. Thought it was in Louisville at the University of Louisville? Maybe that was another job at another time.

You're right. There is only one other guy who uses an arranger in the nicer places. He mostly does sequences with a female singer.

Russ

Gary ... Someone should have taught your friend 3 things:
1. NO ONE needs "8 huge looseleaf binders" on a gig;

2. He should have set up all his songs by genre - Ballads, swing, country, Latin, etc. ;

3. And within those genres, the songs should have been filed alphabetically.

Then it might have then taken him 30 seconds to find a song - which might be too long if people are waiting on a dance floor, but at least he might have still been working ...