Getting a gig at some crap venue bar place

[Dr. Sausage]

I am in the process of getting a band together, as it is right now it's just me and a drummer, so this is for whenever it happens. I'm on the jersey coast, so there are a few dumps that I could perspectively play at. The problem is I don't know how to go about getting booked at these crap holes. The only thing I have is songs i've recorded by myself so I could use that as a clip of what the band sounds like to give to them.

How does one get booked at crappy little gigs such as this? Call them up? Go in and talk to them? Mail a cd?

[Girl Toes]

If you put together some sort of little kit with any sort of recording and something that says "I'm awesome" and "I bet people will show up." But calling them is always important. Or so I figure.

[Kilroy]

i would go in and talk to the manager, or who ever is in charge of booking bands, tell them about your band and give them a cd. I think its always better to go in and actually talk to someone, make sure they know who you are and so that you know they got ur cd. Plus it will make you look sorta proffesional, not that im saying you arent professional or anything...

-chris

[Dr. Sausage]

i would go in and talk to the manager, or who ever is in charge of booking bands, tell them about your band and give them a cd. I think its always better to go in and actually talk to someone, make sure they know who you are and so that you know they got ur cd. Plus it will make you look sorta proffesional, not that im saying you arent professional or anything...

-chris

Oh i'm not trying to be professional. haha. Perspective names for this band are The Sausage Men, or Manburger. Specialty in making songs making fun of hot topic kids. I'm just looking for a place to rawk and roll. I can just see the meeting now. "Hi we're the Sausage Men. I'm big Frank and this is our drummer Foot Long John"

[thunderboy]

Also, try to avoid referring to the venue as a "crap hole" when you are dealing with the owner/booker. They don't like that.

jt

[Karlos the Jackal]

i would go in and talk to the manager, or who ever is in charge of booking bands, tell them about your band and give them a cd. I think its always better to go in and actually talk to someone, make sure they know who you are and so that you know they got ur cd. Plus it will make you look sorta proffesional, not that im saying you arent professional or anything...

-chris

Oh i'm not trying to be professional. haha. Perspective names for this band are The Sausage Men, or Manburger. Specialty in making songs making fun of hot topic kids. I'm just looking for a place to rawk and roll. I can just see the meeting now. "Hi we're the Sausage Men. I'm big Frank and this is our drummer Foot Long John"

Well, we're not talking about going in and wearing a suit and having a sit-down meeting with the guy or anything. Just go in and say, "dude, I'm in a band, here's a CD (with all of my contact info written on it)."

Of course, my tactic was to make sure that the bass player already knew the guy doing the booking. You might look into that, too.

--K

[eeldip]

make sure you are in a band where someone else does this.

wow you live on the jersey coast... where is that? near the shore?

[lastpicked4kickball]

Do a generic bio,
get some pictures done, take one and blow one up to 8X10,
Add a disc, no matter if it's just you or the whole band (they just want someting in thier hands they can listen to),
Either mail it in or walk it in yourself but be careful when you hand walk it, you could be talking to some dumbass that has nothing to do with booking and he'll round file it, keep it for himself, or just completely space it off.

Also if you have a website plug that in your bio, all that stuff. Make sure you have plenty of contact info in the press kit, and pu tit in a manila envelope.
We use that and our website like a mofo and it hasn't failed us yet.

[Dr. Sausage]

make sure you are in a band where someone else does this.

wow you live on the jersey coast... where is that? near the shore?

Coast...shore same thing. Man you are funny.

shore- the land along the edge of a body of water

coast - seashore: the shore of a sea or ocean

[eeldip]

clearly you are not from new jersey.

coast = somewhere not near new jersey
shore = anywhere near where the atlantic meets new jersey

also, to get to the shore you go "down to" it. or simply "down" as in "i am going down the shore".

jeez, you'll never get gigs at the shore if you dont speak correctly! also, if you are from new jersey remember you never go on tour, you go on TOR. you are TORING.

[Dr. Sausage]

clearly you are not from new jersey.

coast = somewhere not near new jersey
shore = anywhere near where the atlantic meets new jersey

also, to get to the shore you go "down to" it. or simply "down" as in "i am going down the shore".

jeez, you'll never get gigs at the shore if you dont speak correctly! also, if you are from new jersey remember you never go on tour, you go on TOR. you are TORING.

Clearly you make no sense

[trodden]

clearly you are not from new jersey.

coast = somewhere not near new jersey
shore = anywhere near where the atlantic meets new jersey

also, to get to the shore you go "down to" it. or simply "down" as in "i am going down the shore".

jeez, you'll never get gigs at the shore if you dont speak correctly! also, if you are from new jersey remember you never go on tour, you go on TOR. you are TORING.

Clearly you make no sense

as4ghdf oc? ah778 sithty&*3!

[Ivon]

i would go in and talk to the manager, or who ever is in charge of booking bands, tell them about your band and give them a cd. I think its always better to go in and actually talk to someone, make sure they know who you are and so that you know they got ur cd. Plus it will make you look sorta proffesional, not that im saying you arent professional or anything...

-chris

Yeah, I never had success via emails and websites. Granted, it's been two years since I've gigged. But, I've found that extreme persistence paid off...not quickly, but it did pay off. If the manager/owner/booking agent isn't in, find out when he/she IS in! Then go. May take a few times. But you've gotta do some handshaking and hand them the CD personally. That way they have a face to associate the music with. And then try to make contact every two weeks or so. If it's some more prestigious place and they give you the line that the booking people are never in, that's bullshit. Go to shows regularly at the bigger clubs you want to play at. I can almost guarantee that the booking agent will be at bigger "name" shows. Talk to people at the show. Find out WHO the booking agent is. I know it's a pain in the ass if you're an introvert like me, but you've gotta do it. And it does help you break your mold.

This bidness is all about networking and, yes, unfortunately selling your music. The more connections you make, the better off you are. And, well...if you've already got friends playing bigger venues and they have a following, you're a few steps ahead. Keep in mind, most clubs don't give a shit about how talented you are and how much your band rocks...they want to know how many people you can fit through that door. Are they going to sell tickets (entrance fees) and are your friends gonna drink an ass load of alcohol?

Take it all with a grain of salt...and treat the "crap venues" respectfully, at least to their faces. Word travels very fast and you don't want a bad rep when trying to get a foothold in your locale. Whenever I played a craphole, I just looked at it as a good live rehearsal opportunity. It can give you a good idea of what songs people like and which songs are turds.

Regards.

[Rigsby]

Also, try to avoid referring to the venue as a "crap hole" when you are dealing with the owner/booker. They don't like that.

jt

And don't call them a motherfucker either.

I've never had problems getting gigs, even from rehearsal tapes, just being in a well rehearsed group who calls after sending a CD seems to do the trick. Be intelligible on the phone, they don't want wannabe rockstars who want to piss about or put on the tired voice, god i get really irritated by people like that myself. Oh, and in the last group the violinist used to flirt a little with bookers which seemed to help too. Good luck.

[Ivon]

Oh, and in the last group the violinist used to flirt a little with bookers which seemed to help too. Good luck.

Yes, that reminds me. Thanks.

If you have a hot "Yoko" girlfriend who is good with people, have HER deliver the promo pack. Of course, you're screwed if the booking agent is hetero female. But, hey...ya win and ya lose some.