The REAL life of a covers band!

THE "FANTASY"

THE REALITY...

I often get asked by wide-eyed people, what it's like to be in a working band?  How cool it must be getting out every weekend and hanging with the band, entertaining a crowd, making music, having fun!

Of course whilst we hate to shatter the illusion of an "all great fun time" out gigging with the band we sometimes have to give the question-asker a reality check!

Yeah, it's great fun........for the most part, but seriously, there are so many reasons why it's not all glam.

SETTING UP...AGAIN

Lugging all of that heavy gear gets a bit old!  It's not so bad setting up whilst you're fresh and ready to go.... but  think about the end of the night, having just played a 4hour long gig.  (another "reality" is that it is pretty taxing being on stage singing and dancing for 4 hours)....  Come "pack down" time at the end of the gig (be it 12.30, 1am or 3am)... the very LAST thing you feel like doing is packing away all of that equipment!  And then lugging it out to the vehicles and packing it in so that it all fits SAFELY...   Wrapping cables is tedious also!  Your gear is often splattered with numerous alcoholic beverages...so you have to wipe them down.. and the sticky cables too...

Oh... just lately we have been doing many a wedding... and with weddings comes FAMILY members who come and introduce themselves and let you know that 1/ they are THE next NZ Idol!!  (and they want to "bless" your band with a song ... or 12!)  2/ they can play guitar like Slash, and "wanna have a go" on our guitarists VERY expensive gear  3/ they would like to learn how to play drums... and ask "can I have a go"  4/ they think you're crap if you don't play any of THEIR favourite music

Often I'm mid-song and several people come up to the stage mid performance, lean right in my face while smoking, and blow smoke right into my face whilst asking "can you play some Eminem/OneDirection/Bob Marley/...*insert name of many famous artists*  or want to have a conversation with you (whilst you're singing) They get really annoyed sometimes that I can't answer them back right away (I am trying to remember lyrics etc and answer you in between pauses where I should be BREATHING).... Now I don't like to appear rude (usually), however,  persistent song requestors can become a bit annoying...especially with the second hand smoke!
I'm sure some people actually flat out forget that we are a LIVE BAND... not a jukebox!  No, we don't know All the songs in the world ........ sorry bout it.
Also.... we might be musos/singers.... but sorry that doesn't mean that you can hum us the tune to a song and we will magically pick it up.........???  And then because we can't just learn this song you've hummed (by osmosis)...you tell us we're useless/crap/etc! LOL Come on people!!

This is not fictional... it is very very real and what we have to deal with at a lot of gigs.

Another thing that happens a lot is that people love to come and jump up on the stage and gyrate and grab the microphones to yell into ...... and they don't realise that the equipment they're standing all over/tripping over and spilling their drinks on costs a great deal of money.... so..it's not that we are being Divas... or wanting to "hog the stage"... we are merely trying to protect our equipment, so that we may still have it for another gig!!  (And that's why we motioned to security to come haul your butt off of the stage!! :)

Anyway I feel much much better for having that bit of a moan.... and all ready to face it again this weekend!! ;)
But despite all that I've raved on about....  I LOVE music.  I LOVE being a part of a band.... and creating (or re-creating) music, having a good time and making money at the same time!  I LOVE entertaining people and seeing them having a great time.  (and most of the time the types of people mentioned in my story are only about 2% of the people at each gig).... and when I'm not doing it... I totally MISS it!! (and hubby says I become quite grouchy... like a caged tiger or such) lol

PHOTO COURTESY OF T.PALMER (I THINK) :)

MATT SETTING UP

PHOTO COURTESY OF K.BROWNE

What things do you do, 
that seem "really cool" to others, but ..... 
you know better???