Thinning the herd - decisions, decisions! EAE D6-58 or EAE StompMix X6 / Bose S1 Pro

[lpa53]

Not on topic, but 150 gigs? Boy are you lucky. After sitting out the last two years of the insanity, I can't break back in anywhere to get even one gig!

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by lpa53

Not on topic, but 150 gigs? Boy are you lucky. After sitting out the last two years of the insanity, I can't break back in anywhere to get even one gig!

And still booking more! I've got three words for you: Assisted Living Facilities!

Before the pandemic we were banging our heads against the gigging wall, fighting for the few scraps of leftover gigs that weren't being filled by the local heavy hitters or venues that only booked with promoters. We had probably 5-6 places that hired us semi-regularly, mostly restaurants, brunch places, farmers markets, that sort of thing. The pay sucked and the overall experience of playing to a half-full (if you were lucky) room of people that couldn't care less was a bit disheartening. We called it getting 'paid to practice'.

Right before the pandemic hit, we reached out to a local assisted living facility to see if they wanted us to come play a free holiday show for them. It was great fun for everyone and they asked to come back for pay. I think we played twice and BOOM - the pandemic hit and shut everything down for a year or two. Coming out of the pandemic we had made the decision to retire at the end of 2021. Remembering how fulfilling that assisted living gig was I came up with an idea: I called several local places and offered to play free Christmas shows on the weekends as we were still working. Nearly every place jumped at the chance. Our thought was, play this show for free as a nice thing to do during the holidays and if they liked us maybe they would want to book us for the coming year when we would be retired and have more time to gig.

It worked like a charm. Nearly every place we played loved our high-energy presence and song selection. Now newly retired we had the time to play during the week in the mornings or afternoons when most of these places want music performance for their residents. So moving through the first half of 2022 we just started cold calling, emailing and reaching out to activities directors at other places. Slowly we added more and more. Since many of the activities directors of these places know and talk to each other, soon our phone started to ring with new places wanting to hire us. We finished 2022 with around a hundred gigs and already had 150 booked for 2023 with many more that have not yet booked. Some book for the year and some prefer month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter.

Assisted Living gigs are not for everyone. They require you to have a 'schtick' of some type that appeals to the residents. A lot of the people play super-simple, childlike songs (think 'You Are My Sunshine' and the like) and some people just play the music they like which is often more current or maybe genre specific like all Irish music and the like. We perform hit cover songs from the 50s and 60s mostly, Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Pat Boone, Connie Francis - you get the idea. These are the songs that your average age resident of these places tend to LOVE. They know all the songs. It's so awesome to see their faces light up with recognition when we kick into a song. It's even better when they all sing along.

There are other challenges. Some places can be pretty depressing. But an equal number are wonderful. And then some are just so-so. Each place is different in size and the level of care the residents require. The assisted living 'umbrella' includes assisted living, retirement communities, nursing home, memory care and rehabilitation and oftentimes a mix of all of the above in your larger places. Surprisingly, the memory care places are sometimes the most fun. They are still fairly active and mobile and once they hear those songs from their youth they are up and dancing and/or singing along and clapping. Nursing home and rehabilitation tend to be the hardest. Many of these people are pretty far along to the end and there is not much participation. But even on these there is recognition and appreciation. It can also be hard as you are looking at one possible future if you are 'lucky enough' to live that long.

But if you can do all of the above - play the right songs, put on a great show and have weekdays off - there are a lot places to play. Coming out of the pandemic many places were having a hard time finding people to come play. Some of their regulars decided not to come back. Some refuse to play masked - another thing you need to be willing to do that is a challenge. We arrived at the right time with the right show. These places all have budgets for entertainment and they mostly pay well. There are few smaller places with less of a budget and we apply a sliding scale for those. But generally speaking we charge and are paid as much and oftentimes more for a one-hour show than we ever were paid at a 'regular' gig where we were required to play 2-3 hours or more. AND they are a (literally) captive and very appreciative audience. Win-win.

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

And still booking more! I've got three words for you: Assisted Living Facilities!...

What a great, detailed briefing, thanks for that.

I've considered it. I'd have to retool my setlist a bit, but I've tried singing with a mask and I just don't think I could swing it.

[CASD57]

[QUOTE=Methos1979;7192985]And still booking more! I've got three words for you: Assisted Living Facilities!

Before the pandemic we were banging our heads against the gigging wall, fighting for the few scraps of leftover gigs that weren't being filled by the local heavy hitters or venues that only booked with promoters. We had probably 5-6 places that hired us semi-regularly, mostly restaurants, brunch places, farmers markets, that sort of thing. The pay sucked and the overall experience of playing to a half-full (if you were lucky) room of people that couldn't care less was a bit disheartening. We called it getting 'paid to practice'.

Right before the pandemic hit, we reached out to a local assisted living facility to see if they wanted us to come play a free holiday show for them. It was great fun for everyone and they asked to come back for pay. I think we played twice and BOOM - the pandemic hit and shut everything down for a year or two. Coming out of the pandemic we had made the decision to retire at the end of 2021. Remembering how fulfilling that assisted living gig was I came up with an idea: I called several local places and offered to play free Christmas shows on the weekends as we were still working. Nearly every place jumped at the chance. Our thought was, play this show for free as a nice thing to do during the holidays and if they liked us maybe they would want to book us for the coming year when we would be retired and have more time to gig.

It worked like a charm. Nearly every place we played loved our high-energy presence and song selection. Now newly retired we had the time to play during the week in the mornings or afternoons when most of these places want music performance for their residents. So moving through the first half of 2022 we just started cold calling, emailing and reaching out to activities directors at other places. Slowly we added more and more. Since many of the activities directors of these places know and talk to each other, soon our phone started to ring with new places wanting to hire us. We finished 2022 with around a hundred gigs and already had 150 booked for 2023 with many more that have not yet booked. Some book for the year and some prefer month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter.

Assisted Living gigs are not for everyone. They require you to have a 'schtick' of some type that appeals to the residents. A lot of the people play super-simple, childlike songs (think 'You Are My Sunshine' and the like) and some people just play the music they like which is often more current or maybe genre specific like all Irish music and the like. We perform hit cover songs from the 50s and 60s mostly, Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Pat Boone, Connie Francis - you get the idea. These are the songs that your average age resident of these places tend to LOVE. They know all the songs. It's so awesome to see their faces light up with recognition when we kick into a song. It's even better when they all sing along.

There are other challenges. Some places can be pretty depressing. But an equal number are wonderful. And then some are just so-so. Each place is different in size and the level of care the residents require. The assisted living 'umbrella' includes assisted living, retirement communities, nursing home, memory care and rehabilitation and oftentimes a mix of all of the above in your larger places. Surprisingly, the memory care places are sometimes the most fun. They are still fairly active and mobile and once they hear those songs from their youth they are up and dancing and/or singing along and clapping. Nursing home and rehabilitation tend to be the hardest. Many of these people are pretty far along to the end and there is not much participation. But even on these there is recognition and appreciation. It can also be hard as you are looking at one possible future if you are 'lucky enough' to live that long.

But if you can do all of the above - play the right songs, put on a great show and have weekdays off - there are a lot places to play. Coming out of the pandemic many places were having a hard time finding people to come play. Some of their regulars decided not to come back. Some refuse to play masked - another thing you need to be willing to do that is a challenge. We arrived at the right time with the right show. These places all have budgets for entertainment and they mostly pay well. There are few smaller places with less of a budget and we apply a sliding scale for those. But generally speaking we charge and are paid as much and oftentimes more for a one-hour show than we ever were paid at a 'regular' gig where we were required to play 2-3 hours or more. AND they are a (literally) captive and very appreciative audience. Win-win.[/]

The good thing is we are up there in age and that music is the music we grew up with... So it's not like we are playing 20-30's music lol
I think it would be fun to do the hit's of the '50s-'60s and 70's maybe throw in some new to-me country(Garth-Alan Jackson..etc.) and other newer stuff like Mr Bo-jangles, Tears of a Clown..etc..
You know I just might try that this year!!
When do you start calling around/doing gigs?
Do you offer some music on a USB drive? CD? or offer the Web site so they can see-hear you?

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Chriscom

What a great, detailed briefing, thanks for that.

I've considered it. I'd have to retool my setlist a bit, but I've tried singing with a mask and I just don't think I could swing it.

We also needed to 'retool' our setlist but it was unsurprisingly easy. Those songs back then were for the most part VERY easy to play with a few exceptions, of course. The vast majority of the songs we play are cowboy chord songs that repetitive and easy. The two exceptions are that there are many songs from that era that do the key change thing, usually on the final verse and chorus. Usually it's a just a half step up or down so it's not too bad. The other exception is singer/songwriters who perform on the piano. As everyone who has looked up guitar tab likely knows, a song written on piano is going to have nine thousand REALLY bizarre piano chords! (Okay, maybe more like 30-40, but still...) Sometimes you can 'simplify' them down to just 15-20 chords but it almost always doesn't work out because you just can't get it to sound quite right. I've tried many times and almost always failed to the point where these days if I pull up a tab and see 20 plus chords I just move one. I prefer the ones that are 3-5!

As for playing with masks, it's definitely a challenge but doable. It's a pain in the you-know-what physically because it can be sometimes be hard to get enough air. You need to wear the 'cone shaped' N95 type masks. The surgical ones get damp from your breath pretty quick and then when you go to take in a deep breath you just suck the mask into your mouth! Not a pleasant feeling at all, not to mention you don't get any air! The 'cone' or 'tent' shape keeps the mask out of your mouth but it also forces you off the mic an inch and a half so you have to compensate for that. And then there is the visual aspect in that the audience can't see your mouth and therefore your smile. It definitely takes away from connecting with them a bit. There are several places that allow us to take our masks off when performing as we're far enough away. It was getting much better over the summer but with winter and the usual spike in positive infections, most places are back to all masks, all the time. But there's still a few with no masks and we expect that trend to continue come spring and summer.

Originally Posted by CASD57

The good thing is we are up there in age and that music is the music we grew up with... So it's not like we are playing 20-30's music lol
I think it would be fun to do the hit's of the '50s-'60s and 70's maybe throw in some new to-me country(Garth-Alan Jackson..etc.) and other newer stuff like Mr Bo-jangles, Tears of a Clown..etc..
You know I just might try that this year!!
When do you start calling around/doing gigs?
Do you offer some music on a USB drive? CD? or offer the Web site so they can see-hear you?

You're not wrong. At 61 we're playing songs that our parents loved and listened to so it was not a stretch to learn and love the music. And we have a boatload of '70s music already in queue that we figure if we do this long enough we'll be able to slowly rotate in. We already slip a few in there that were very popular and therefore many residents know. Anything by John Denver is beloved for sure. We also slip in a couple Tony Orlando & Dawn songs that go over well.

As for when to make contact, if you plan to do what we did with the free Christmas shows then call sometime in mid-to-late November. But if you want to just get going then you can call anytime. Keep in mind that just like with cold calling regular places, getting a hold of these activities directors can be a pain in the you-know-what. They are very busy and they get these kinds of calls all the time, oftentimes from 'acts' that are really not all that good. On more than one occasion we've been pulled aside by a resident after we've finished who says something along the lines of, "You guys are great. We get a LOT of CRAP here!" So they (residents and stall alike) are very much on the lookout for a quality show.

It's not uncommon for us to have to reach out several times just to get on their radar. It's a bit easier these days for us as we can say things like, "We play over 30 assisted living homes in three states" which tends to get their attention. We'l often list several places local to them so they can reach out to their fellow activities directors for feedback about us. We typically call the switchboard operator and get the activities directors name, phone number extension and email address. We'll hit a place up with phone calls, emails and I'll even PM their FB page although those rarely get responded to. Perseverance is key. These activities directors also frequently change jobs. So if you're not hearing back at all, you'll need to call the front desk again and check.

As for media, we just took our former band Facebook page (we called ourselves NO1U Know back then) and renamed ourselves and the Facebook group page Scott and Donna Music LLC (yes, we formed an LLC). We just direct the activities directors there by giving them a direct link in emails to telling them our name to search if on the phone. So it's good to have a simple and easy-to-remember name. I retooled the group page to put up a some home video streams of us practicing songs for the assisted living circuit as well as a setlist. We'll post photos or video clips that are taken by staff at places we play and we still post the occasional photo or video clip from open mics. Anything upbeat and positive is good to post. Anything that shows us and the audience having fun is good PR.

You can check out our Facebook page by clicking on the link down in my sig line. If you want to do a Facebook page I highly recommend you do a Facebook Group and not a Facebook Page as the FB Page is more for businesses and they (FB) will quickly and annoyingly inundate you with messages that attempt to 'upsell' your Page by getting you to buy more exposure. We initially had the FB Page and I got so sick of it I just started up a FB Group and you don't that sort of thing.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

We also needed to 'retool' our setlist but it was unsurprisingly easy. Those songs back then were for the most part VERY easy to play with a few exceptions, of course. The vast majority of the songs we play are cowboy chord songs that repetitive and easy. The two exceptions are that there are many songs from that era that do the key change thing, usually on the final verse and chorus. Usually it's a just a half step up or down so it's not too bad. The other exception is singer/songwriters who perform on the piano. As everyone who has looked up guitar tab likely knows, a song written on piano is going to have nine thousand REALLY bizarre piano chords! (Okay, maybe more like 30-40, but still...) Sometimes you can 'simplify' them down to just 15-20 chords but it almost always doesn't work out because you just can't get it to sound quite right. I've tried many times and almost always failed to the point where these days if I pull up a tab and see 20 plus chords I just move one. I prefer the ones that are 3-5!

As for playing with masks, it's definitely a challenge but doable. It's a pain in the you-know-what physically because it can be sometimes be hard to get enough air. You need to wear the 'cone shaped' N95 type masks. The surgical ones get damp from your breath pretty quick and then when you go to take in a deep breath you just suck the mask into your mouth! Not a pleasant feeling at all, not to mention you don't get any air! The 'cone' or 'tent' shape keeps the mask out of your mouth but it also forces you off the mic an inch and a half so you have to compensate for that. And then there is the visual aspect in that the audience can't see your mouth and therefore your smile. It definitely takes away from connecting with them a bit. There are several places that allow us to take our masks off when performing as we're far enough away. It was getting much better over the summer but with winter and the usual spike in positive infections, most places are back to all masks, all the time. But there's still a few with no masks and we expect that trend to continue come spring and summer.



You're not wrong. At 61 we're playing songs that our parents loved and listened to so it was not a stretch to learn and love the music. And we have a boatload of '70s music already in queue that we figure if we do this long enough we'll be able to slowly rotate in. We already slip a few in there that were very popular and therefore many residents know. Anything by John Denver is beloved for sure. We also slip in a couple Tony Orlando & Dawn songs that go over well.

As for when to make contact, if you plan to do what we did with the free Christmas shows then call sometime in mid-to-late November. But if you want to just get going then you can call anytime. Keep in mind that just like with cold calling regular places, getting a hold of these activities directors can be a pain in the you-know-what. They are very busy and they get these kinds of calls all the time, oftentimes from 'acts' that are really not all that good. On more than one occasion we've been pulled aside by a resident after we've finished who says something along the lines of, "You guys are great. We get a LOT of CRAP here!" So they (residents and stall alike) are very much on the lookout for a quality show.

It's not uncommon for us to have to reach out several times just to get on their radar. It's a bit easier these days for us as we can say things like, "We play over 30 assisted living homes in three states" which tends to get their attention. We'l often list several places local to them so they can reach out to their fellow activities directors for feedback about us. We typically call the switchboard operator and get the activities directors name, phone number extension and email address. We'll hit a place up with phone calls, emails and I'll even PM their FB page although those rarely get responded to. Perseverance is key. These activities directors also frequently change jobs. So if you're not hearing back at all, you'll need to call the front desk again and check.

As for media, we just took our former band Facebook page (we called ourselves NO1U Know back then) and renamed ourselves and the Facebook group page Scott and Donna Music LLC (yes, we formed an LLC). We just direct the activities directors there by giving them a direct link in emails to telling them our name to search if on the phone. So it's good to have a simple and easy-to-remember name. I retooled the group page to put up a some home video streams of us practicing songs for the assisted living circuit as well as a setlist. We'll post photos or video clips that are taken by staff at places we play and we still post the occasional photo or video clip from open mics. Anything upbeat and positive is good to post. Anything that shows us and the audience having fun is good PR.

You can check out our Facebook page by clicking on the link down in my sig line. If you want to do a Facebook page I highly recommend you do a Facebook Group and not a Facebook Page as the FB Page is more for businesses and they (FB) will quickly and annoyingly inundate you with messages that attempt to 'upsell' your Page by getting you to buy more exposure. We initially had the FB Page and I got so sick of it I just started up a FB Group and you don't that sort of thing.

Thanks!!! I've downloaded your set list to see what I can do

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by CASD57

Thanks!!! I've downloaded your set list to see what I can do

Let me know if you want my pdf's! I can zip them up and email them to you!!

[Pine Cone]

Scott's posts agree with my decade of plays at assisted living facilities. My mother and father both ended up in care homes, so they have a special place in my heart.

I lived a thousand miles from my parents in their last days so I was not able to play for them as much as I would have liked. So now I play for the folks who live in care homes close to me. Small payback to those who entertained my parents.

I have mostly played shows with Washington or Idaho Old Time Fiddlers, a Specialty Act subset in Scott's list. We play at most places either every month or ever other month. Care homes are often grouped in neighborhoods, so so sometimes you can book two shows in a day that are close to each other.

Currently I am also playing with more pop & jazz players and we play lots of Jazz and Pop Standards. We often try to organize set lists around seasons, holidays, or other themes.

Ask for requests, and learn some of the requests you don't know (if you can) for next months show. Engage your audience. Tell jokes. Be an entertainer. Be kind.

Mostly it is a lot of fun, but sometimes it gets difficult as you get to know the residents and their families and watch them go through their good and bad days. Children and grandchildren of residents are often part of your audience.

in the end days, my mom didn't know who I was, but she enjoyed the music I played, and clearly still remembered many songs from her younger days.

For the residents, your performances can be the highlight of their day/week/month. For me, being able to bring some joy to their lives can be the highlight of my day/week/month.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Pine Cone

Scott's posts agree with my decade of plays at assisted living facilities. My mother and father both ended up in care homes, so they have a special place in my heart.

I lived a thousand miles from my parents in their last days so I was not able to play for them as much as I would have liked. So now I play for the folks who live in care homes close to me. Small payback to those who entertained my parents.

I have mostly played shows with Washington or Idaho Old Time Fiddlers, a Specialty Act subset in Scott's list. We play at most places either every month or ever other month. Care homes are often grouped in neighborhoods, so so sometimes you can book two shows in a day that are close to each other.

Currently I am also playing with more pop & jazz players and we play lots of Jazz and Pop Standards. We often try to organize set lists around seasons, holidays, or other themes.

Ask for requests, and learn some of the requests you don't know (if you can) for next months show. Engage your audience. Tell jokes. Be an entertainer. Be kind.

Mostly it is a lot of fun, but sometimes it gets difficult as you get to know the residents and their families and watch them go through their good and bad days. Children and grandchildren of residents are often part of your audience.

in the end days, my mom didn't know who I was, but she enjoyed the music I played, and clearly still remembered many songs from her younger days.

For the residents, your performances can be the highlight of their day/week/month. For me, being able to bring some joy to their lives can be the highlight of my day/week/month.

We try to engage as much as we can. Some places engaging is easy with very active residents and then some other places not so much. But you're right, in most cases, you are the highlight of their day regardless of how much they appear to be - or not - listening. We play a place where many of the residents are pretty far along on their end days. They are wheeled in to the room in their wheelchairs and oftentimes seem to be unconscious.

There is this one tiny little woman that is wheeled in and she is all curled up and looks... shrunken. Usually her eyes are closed. Sometimes they are open but even then she just stares blankly and I often wondered what - if anything - was going on inside her head. Then the last time we played there they wheeled her in close to me and as soon as we started playing I noticed one tiny little index finger was tapping, ever so slightly, IN TIME to the music.

This continued the entire hour. She's in there. She can't move, can't talk but she's there listening and enjoying the music. And that, my friends, is what it's all about. That is what keeps us going to the places that aren't as much fun to play, knowing that for many we are giving them brief moments of joy in what surely must be an otherwise dull and depressing existence.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

We try to engage as much as we can. Some places engaging is easy with very active residents and then some other places not so much. But you're right, in most cases, you are the highlight of their day regardless of how much they appear to be - or not - listening. We play a place where many of the residents are pretty far along on their end days. They are wheeled in to the room in their wheelchairs and oftentimes seem to be unconscious.

There is this one tiny little woman that is wheeled in and she is all curled up and looks... shrunken. Usually her eyes are closed. Sometimes they are open but even then she just stares blankly and I often wondered what - if anything - was going on inside her head. Then the last time we played there they wheeled her in close to me and as soon as we started playing I noticed one tiny little index finger was tapping, ever so slightly, IN TIME to the music.

This continued the entire hour. She's in there. She can't move, can't talk but she's there listening and enjoying the music. And that, my friends, is what it's all about. That is what keeps us going to the places that aren't as much fun to play, knowing that for many we are giving them brief moments of joy in what surely must be an otherwise dull and depressing existence.

Powerful..Story Thanks!

[GoPappy]

Methos, that story brought a tear to my eye. My dad had Alzheimers and eventually his personality completely changed and he didn't know who I was. But I knew my dad was in there somewhere.