is it @ the music or $$$ or...

[gravy]

just off a thursday gig, sparse crowd, little money and yet still looking forward to the next gig got me thinking. why do i still gig? do you get into a project expecting payback immediately or are you willing to "see where this can go"? are you out of a situation because there is no money or more of a true believer in the content or is gigging just an excuse for social drinking??

[russ]

Cause I like to play, and it gives me something to complain about!
:rotflmao

[axavm]

My band is a labor of love project. $ is gravy for me. Of course I'm not opposed to making $ when possible...

[scottlr]

When I was young, it was all I thought about 90% of the time. I couldn't wait to rehearse, and pack up everything and go set up for a gig. I loved tearing down after, and then we'd always either hit a party or go out for breakfast. Money was nice to get, but even if it was only $20, it was just plain fun.

Today, the last thing in the world I want to do on a friday night after work is rush home, shower, change and load up and drive to a gig to do a rushed setup, and no soundcheck, play until 2am, get only $50 and not get home until 3-4am. Somehow, all that used to be almost as much fun as the gig itself, no longer appeals to me at all.

I don't know if I'd feel different after awhile if I forced myself to do it again. I do tend to like a routine, so maybe if I did, I'd get into that routine again. I don't know. It might come to the point that I actually NEED the extra cash, no matter how little it is.

But once I gave it up (after years and years of full time), I never looked back. The only time I ever just did weekends was when I was a kid, and when I was trying to get a band up and running to go full time. I never really did much of the day job plus weekend gigs before. After a 40 hour week, I am ready to just kick back.

[Staticbuster]

Just a labor of love for me. After years of playing in bands and writing with other people, I'm finally doing MY music. I write all the songs, and direct the overall "vibe" of the band. It's nice to finally be the guy with the "Vision" other people are buying in to.

[bloozetubes]

i play in a cover band, we do some pretty lame tunes i never want to play again but we do some really cool/fun stuff as well. not a lot of money, but it sho is fun. like Staticbuster said, labor of love.............

[gravy]

yeah def a labor of love + a band of brothers (and sisters) going thru the highs and lows.
i`ve been lucky to make some fat paydays but never w/o serious legwork.

[harpinon]

Most of us just like the buzz of being on stage and feeling the magic of making live music.
I am in one band where we just jam once a week in a basement and that's good enough for us.

[Tone_Terrific]

Outside of the stage time there is very little joy in gigging.
In a bad place with poor sound, space, crowd (or lack of) poor band prformance, cranky personnel, etc., etc.,even the stage time may not be all that cool... the big bux helps...OMG!??!...no pay either!?!?

[Jove]

I've always learned to not take a gig unless you have at least two of the following:

Good Music
Good People
Good Money

It's a rule someone engrained in my pretty young and I try to stick by it. The good people/good music combo gigs are just as good as the good people/good money gigs.

J

[jekylmeister]

To paraphrase a a great poet: Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic.......

But I can't imagine not having it in my life. What do non players fill that hole with?

[Zerksies]

I liked the partys afterward