Guitar Gear Forum

should you book for the job you want?

i was negotiating a show at a bigger place that ive always wanted to play and bandmembers freaked a bit "we're not ready, etc."
partly because the latest live rampup, which has been going great since late last summer, has been on the same album or so's worth of songs. they have been going over fantastic live, and i try to keep the venues rotating and as fresh as possible, since we pull a lot of the same people each time, and no one wants to hear the same band, same songs, same place each month. that said, while we are always writing and i do want to break out some new stuff, its not like weve released an album or anything. bands only have so many songs, right? the set lengths are covered and then some, the shows are going great, and the venue i was looking at could very feasibly get a great turnout, especially with a little promotion, which i always handle.

so....aspire or keep woodshedding and playing the same spots?

IF yout think you can pull in enough people I say go for it. It will be a big boost to play a larger venue to a decent audience. I think it's be a back step if you don't get enough people to come and listen though, a bigger venue with less people might have the reverse effect.

I would rather see a band play less shows but awesome shows vs playing all the time but the same set.

I would go for bigger venues just for the sake of saying we played there.

sleewell wrote:I would rather see a band play less shows but awesome shows vs playing all the time but the same set.

Exactly. Fewer shows, bigger venues. Amazing how much better the show can be in a good room with lights, decent PA, and a good vibe vs. a small club with only the most basic PA and a couple of flashy disco balls. Same band, same songs, but the audience will have a totally different experience and leave with a different impression.

I definitely don't believe in lots of gigs for the sake of it.

thinking the same thing. think ill focus on the recording end for now, MAYBE do one or two small ones, but work up to a big one after SXSW

Sounds like a good plan.

sleewell wrote:I would rather see a band play less shows but awesome shows vs playing all the time but the same set.

I would go for bigger venues just for the sake of saying we played there.

This.
As long as the audience is into you, the energy level will grow exponentially with the croiwd size. I say go for it. And playing larger venues is almost a sort of promotion in itself.

I wouldn't pass up a chance to play a bigger place