Using Local Musicians to Support Touring Acts Again

In the "old days" of touring, headlining singers traveled from city to city and would use local musicians to support their shows. Eventually, singers began to bring their entire bands with them (sponsored by their record label) so that that their show would be polished. A polished show would sell more records in each city they visited. However, the acts that brought along their own musicians had the detrimental effect of putting local musicians out to pasture. Remember that those were the days of cheap oil and high-dollar record sales, so travelling was not as expensive, and record sales made the touring profitable.

I believe that most musicians and listeners would agree that the days of cheap oil and high-dollar record sales are over. So, it may be worthwhile to rethink the old touring methods and to begin rebuilding networks of local musicians who can support touring acts. There is a great number of fabulous music schools and graduates throughout Canada and the U.S.,  so there is a plethora of untapped literate musical talent to be exploited. There are even established networks of professional musicians in each major city and region.

If an act has professional charts, then musically literate musicians can back up an act without much difficulty. The advantage of using local musicians is that costs of travel and accommodations are greatly reduced and more of the ticket money remains in the local musicians' home community instead of going towards travel expenses of a group of touring musicians. There would need to be at least one good rehearsal before the show to get the local musicians up to speed. An act that has complex or unusual music would need to have more rehearsals per city. However, with a bit of planning, the local musicians can be forwarded the charts and audio recordings electronically so they can prepare.

Touring acts that use local musicians can cut their travel expenses greatly, make live music more affordable, and would support the communities in which they are performing. Local musicians would also need to raise their game. Using local musicians would be good for the budget, the environment, and would reduce the fatigue and stress of side musicians being on the road for weeks at a time.

Choosing Between Two Gigs

New Year's Eve used to be the busiest and most lucrative day of the year for musicians as many celebrate the chance to renew our lives and to put the previous year to rest. New Year's Eve was selected to be close to the winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) while coinciding with the 12 months of the modern Western calendar. However, New Year's Eve seems to be losing its lustre, at least from my vantage point. More people seem to be choosing to go house parties rather than paying a lot of money to attend huge events that are hosted by nightclubs, restaurants, banquet halls, etc.. So how are musicians adapting? I'd like to know too.

This year, I had two New Year's Eve opportunities. I could have accepted both if the events were physically closer together or if I had use of a Star Trek transporter beam. My first opportunity was to play dinner music at a local retirement residence with my jazz quartet. I will in fact be doing that gig on New Year's Eve, so I will be finished by 8:30. My second opportunity was to play at the Georgetown Legion with one of my regular bands, Little Peter and the Elegants. Realistically, I wouldn't have been able to get there in time because it is a three-hour drive from Peterborough to Georgetown. I decided to sub out the second job. My sub will actually be making more money than me but I won't have the wear and tear on my car or my body. These are important factors to weigh if you are fortunate enough to choose a gig.

When I have a conflict, my policy is to stay with the gig that comes up first, unless the second opportunity is amazing, rare and/or very well paid. Typically though, live gigs are more similar in compensation so unless the money spread between the two opportunities is really great, I don't back out of confirmed gigs. Backing out of gigs also leaves a poor reliability record and sometimes hard feelings with the people who hired you. It may even exempt you from future opportunities. Generally, the factors I consider when choosing between two gigs are my comfort with the music, the compensation, and the distance, along with my general treatment and happiness.

The December Workshop

The final Instrumental Workshop of the year was on December 19th which featured short performances from each of my students. I am really pleased that the ice was finally broken with regards to performance anxiety or reluctance. I really believe that these Workshops provide an excellent opportunity for students to perform for their peers in a friendly setting in order to gain performance experience.

I gave a brief presentation on practice methodology which I divided into three headings:

(1) Environment (the practice space)
(2) Tools (the equipment used)
(3) Musical Goals: long, medium and short-term

The class then performed Frère Jacques as a three-part round on their various instruments which consisted of guitars and a keyboard. I only wish that there were some wind players in attendance like last month. The guitarists did a great job playing in the key of Bb.

The next Instrumental Workshop will be on January 23, which is the third Monday of the month as usual.