Your first gig

[6L6]

I did my first gig when in college back in 1965. I was asked to join a Peter, Paul, & Mary clone band. It was a lot of fun and I was hooked.

Military, family, and the rest of normal life curtailed my performing until I co-founded a Classic 50/60's R&R band in 1985. What we thought would be a one time gig turned into a 27 year rockfest.

I began performing solo with my acoustic guitar at an Open Mic in San Francisco around 1997 or so. That proved to be a LOT of fun and to this day I play at two O/M's per wk. I also played solo for pay for about 15 years or so.

My advice: GO FOR IT!

[Nymuso]

I cheated in that I had been a drummer in school marching bands and was used to performing in front of an audience. Making the transition to doing it with a guitar, even solo, was no big deal. I have no clear memory of doing it for the first time, but I believe it was at Fordham University as part of a "folk music" show in the mid-late 60s. I was about 15.

[Blvdnap]

Originally Posted by GTRGUY005

Open mics are a great place to start. They can be very friendly and encouraging to beginners. Where are you located? If you happen to be in the New York City area, I can recommend some.

You can also play for family and friends at parties, holiday get-togethers, etc. It will help get you used to performing in front of people.

Thanks..I'm in Louisville, KY

[Mooh]

I grew up singing in church, a pretty serious choir with a pro choir master. I also did lots of musical theatre, and music camps. By the time I took up guitar at 14 I was already comfortable enough in front of people and had the vocal chops. Within a year I was accompanying folks at small events and church services, but my first pro rock/country gig was at 19 and from there I gigged regularly for years.

The rest is another thread.

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by Blvdnap

When did you know you were ready to play and sing on stage? How did you approach the bar/coffeehouse owner? How long was your first performance? Start with open mic nights? I'm thinking about making the leap, and happy to learn about your experience.

Every Saturday when I was 18 I'd take my laundry to a small neighborhood laundromat. I'd bring my guitar and play while sitting on one of the clothes folding counters. The patrons were mostly ladies who were regulars like me. We became pretty close after about 6 months. I'd learn and sing songs they requested as well as the songs I liked. Obviously it wasn't a gig but it did give me my first experience for publicly playing and working with an audience. That was 1973/4.

Regarding the bar/establishment side of it, I owned a bar and grill a couple years ago and live-auditioned people before giving them a time slot at my place. Many who approached me had recordings they could leave but I preferred the live audition process of selection. I'd been burned a couple times by people who had their work studio-polished because their live work did not come close to the recordings in quality. The auditions were as we could mutually fit them in. Sometimes it was in the parking lot of the bar. Other times it was at a local park. A couple times I was invited to their homes. I played at my bar but only upon request when my patrons wanted me to get my muse on. I also jammed with a couple of the players when asked. It was a fun time but that kind of lifestyle is pretty draining so I sold and moved on.

[BluesKing777]

Originally Posted by Blvdnap

When did you know you were ready to play and sing on stage? How did you approach the bar/coffeehouse owner? How long was your first performance? Start with open mic nights? I'm thinking about making the leap, and happy to learn about your experience.

What's the slogan? "Just Do It"...once that is out of the way, you can do anything you want. True. Don't think too much.

Now back in the dark, dark ages, I joined a band of total newbie beginner stinkers - we had guitars but no amps, well no amps good enough is more like it - I had a 3 watt Coronet or something, get the picture? So the drummer who joined us had to play on his 'song notes' on his knees until we could organise a 'rehearsal'.....


So this classic 'I thought you knew him? 'No, I thought you did!" guy declared he was to be our manager...Ha Ha Ha oh NO!! And he organised a 'rehearsal' for us at a mate's boat club on a Saturday Afternoon, so...another first...we discovered you could hire music equipment at a hire place! So we all headed there and hired a little PA and some guitar and bass amps recommended by the guy at the shop. Boing...

We went to the address of the boat club to find thousands of people there for the opening of the season or something and we were the band! Oh, what a stinker - first gig with our first amps and a PA and first with a drummer and and and and and no idea how to get anything to really work= awful, awful, awful! But the crowd were drunk obviously and cheered us on a bit, so all being hams, we kept at it to make something go.....

And after that, everything else is easy........

Edit: I forgot - the Hire Place also had used high end guitars! The beginning of the end and end of the beginner! You look so much more accomplished and serious with that expensive guitar over your shoulders! New word and new world of GAS....


But apart from anything, the point here is that I had a little story to tell....but if you sit at home you may not! Get to it.


BluesKing777.

[tonyo]

Further to my earlier post on this topic.

When I struck my bad problem with nerves after I'd been playing for a while, the open mic gigs went from being lots of fun to being like when you bang your head against a brick wall, it feels good when you stop. Serious / painful nerves.

As I worked through resolving those nerves, my wife challenged me and said words to the effect of... why do you bother with the open mics and fighting the nerves, you are always fine around a campfire or performing in front of small groups at home, family / friends / dinner parties. She suggested that I be happy with that and forego doing the open mic gigs.

My answer to her was that it had been a life long dream to play the guitar. And when I'd sit in the audience and listen to others, I'd always wished I could "be that guy". So now that "being that guy" was within reach of my dream, I really wanted to and had to persevere with beating those nerves.

For me, it's a bucket load of fun now "being that guy".