Does Alcohol And The Music Business Go Hand In Hand?

[Banter Shack]

Hey folks,

It's a well-known fact that alcohol and music have always been associated with each other. (My bad, I suppose 'complemented' was the wrong choice of word)

Next week, I'm interviewing an upcoming rapper from Wisconsin about his now 10-month sobriety and whether or not this has affected his position in the hip-hop market. I'm going to try and find out if the concept of sober festivals will achieve mainstream adoption. I also wish to extract some tips for young people who wish to navigate the Western music industry and remain sober.

Many of us have had experiences with alcohol and music. But what are your experiences with said vices and the music industry?

Cheers!

[Norsepicker]

Well, not the industry but I find even one drink confuses my fingers to the point of inaccuracy.

[buddyhu]

Well, I am not sure that it is accurate to say that music and alcohol have "complemented" each other, as that word suggests that they create some type of mutual enhancement, or create a harmonious whole.

It is true that alcohol lowers inhibitions, and that a slight lowering of inhibitions can make one more talkative/sociable, can provide some (temporary) relief from self-consciousness, and might reduce a tendency to overthink when playing ("thinking is the enemy of flow"). But MANY musicians, amateur and professional, can easily overshoot the amount of alcohol that has a salutary effect, and get careless, sloppy, insensitive, and self-absorbed in their playing (and other experiences).

As I get older and read about the MANY musical heroes who have had to pursue recovery in their later years, I am grateful that alcohol has not played a bigger role in my life, both musically and otherwise.

Will sober festivals achieve wide spread popularity? Probably not. For 85% of the world, use of alcohol is not a prominent concern...they either drink, or don't, and the use of alcohol by others is only an issue if the others get obnoxious or aggressive.

Pursuit of sobriety tends to be best when supported by a group (treatment group, AA, Rational Recovery, and the like). But the actual practice of maintaining sobriety is, for the most part, done by individuals as they move through the ordinary world alone (unless an addiction is severe, and one is living in a halfway house or similarly supportive and restricted environment for a period of time), with a return to a support group helping to maintain a clarity of purpose, while also providing a context where one about the strategies and skills that help one to achieve the desired goal, and of course, while providing the social support that can be so essential.

[J Patrick]

…no….I know many musicians that do not drink alcohol…and even if they do drink alcohol occasionally they don’t when they perform…I fall into the latter category….

[catdaddy]

Being part of an organization that puts on an annual music festival, I've had occasion to see close-up the behavior of many professional musicians before, during and after their performances. My observation has been that the vast majority of musicians who drink alcohol abstain from drinking prior to and during a performance. After the show, anything goes depending on the proclivity of the individual to imbibe and the social atmosphere.

[Nymuso]

Originally Posted by J Patrick

…no….I know many musicians that do not drink alcohol…and even if they do drink alcohol occasionally they don’t when they perform…I fall into the latter category….

Same here. A lot of musicians drink and do a lot of other things that don’t interest me. Those are choices made by individuals, and are not mandatory parts of the job description.

[jklotz]

I love to drink and play guitar! The problem is nobody want's to hear my drunken guitar playing. Therefor I look at a gig like any other job. I don't drink on the job.

Actually, a while back, when I was playing lead guitar in a country band, we'd do those 4 set nights. After the 2nd set, I'd get a beer. I'd just nurse it, then maybe another before the 4th set. But after a while, in my mind, I started thinking I can handle this. So I started being a bit more liberal with it. Then one night, after we finished and were packing up, the band leader came up to me and said "that last set was pretty sloppy. Look, I don't care if you drink, but if you play like that again on my stage, we're going to have to find a replacement." That was it. All I needed to hear. I was probably lucky he didn't fire me right then and there. Ever since, no drinking until the last cable is packed away.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Norsepicker

Well, not the industry but I find even one drink confuses my fingers to the point of inaccuracy.

This is me too. I like a drink or two in the evening, but I have never mixed that with anything requiring concentration.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by Banter Shack

...I'm going to try and find out if the concept of sober festivals will achieve mainstream adoption.

If that includes the audience, it's probably a bad idea.

[Joe Beamish]

Alcohol is so deeply woven into so many aspects of our lives, and is almost always a part of celebrations and entertainment. But I know a good number of alcoholics who are professional musicians, or at least performing musicians, who no longer drink. I used to think this must be difficult for them, but they always say they’re past it bothering them or tempting them. Clearly it’s a non-issue now.

Personally, when I was still gigging (pre-COVID), I didn’t drink while performing, except when someone handed me a beer during the last set.

I also know tons of drinking musicians, most of whom don’t drink till after the gig.

[eyesore]

In my younger days alcohol and marijuana went together like PB&J. Now that I am older ; I don't see it as much. Maybe we learned from the 60's and 70's.Anyway, one beer or a glass of wine is all I can take anymore;while I am playing or just sittin home.

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by Banter Shack

It's a well-known fact that alcohol and music have always complemented each other.

Many of us have had experiences with alcohol and music. But what are your experiences with said vices and the music industry?

Dean Martin comes to mind. He didn't really drink booze on stage as it seemed.

Can you imagine what ticket prices would be for concerts if they didn't have booze profits? Who would go? There's allot of music that has to do with younger people and partying. And most often that means booze. It does depend on ones audience. Plus changing an artists behavior in conjuction with booze and drugs will change the art they produce. Very often I have seen people become stars while using coke that may not have be able to do it without it. But once they become 'made' they either burn out or give it up. You have to dig for those stories as nobody wants it known. In todays music scene of many older road warriors they have to stay healthy. It all depends on the enviroment of the audience being catored to.

[Steve DeRosa]

I make it a point of never drinking on or before a gig...

Conversely, the more alcohol my audience consumes the better I sound...

[jklotz]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

I make it a point of never drinking on or before a gig...

Conversely, the more alcohol my audience consumes the better I sound...

I'll go with that. Jeez, playing to a sober crowd, what fun would that be?

[CityPickn]

I usually smoke weed before I play so I can sit still. If I drink I can't sit still after just one.