Re: jealous of bay area gigs

[Travis Hartnett <travishartnett@gmail.com>]

There's two sorts of places to play: those that expect you to draw an
audience, and those that just expect you to provide a pleasing musical
soundtrack for the evening.  If you're doing music that's less than
commercial, or don't already have a devoted fanbase, I'd recommend
looking for venues that fit the second category.  They tend to be
places that don't have an elevated performance area, might not have a
PA, and don't charge cover.  They probably won't even pay you, what's
known as a "tips and treats" gig.  Coffeehouses, internet cafes and
the like.

The good thing about these places is that you don't have to worry
about exhausting your draw--they've got a built-in audience, and it
tends to be local to that neighborhood.  So, you can play more often
than with the larger venues as long as you play in different
neighborhoods--there's no cross-over effect that you're wearing out.

Naturally this only works if your music fits in with the ambience of
the space, and typically no larger than a trio, probably without
drums.  Or if you have to play really loud to get your point across,
customers won't be able to place orders, which is very bad for the
venue, and for you.

On Apr 9, 2005 9:50 AM, Edwin Hurwitz <edwin@indra.com> wrote:

> It's been hard to keep the momentum, though. There is a small,
> enthusiastic audience, but it gets saturated quickly. I think what I
> miss from the bigger cities is the diversity of audience and
> performers, where there is enough going on so that each event doesn't
> have to start from absolute scratch. Anyway, maybe it's time for us
> Front Range loopers to identify ourselves and get a real show
> together!
> 
> Edwin