Getting your butt out there and playing…

[Ted Hoffman]

I think the powers that be will back me up on this one… bedroom guitarists don’t count. You owe it at least
to yourself to get out there and PLAY…
(Walking five miles to and from school in knee-deep snow uphill both ways department):
When I was a lad… the drinking age was lowered to 18. Rock and roll flourished. Then, a few years later, they raised
it back to 21. Rock gigs dried up. Know what we did? We put together a country band. I played in rock bands, country bands,
wedding schmaltz bands…AND, since this was Michigan, even POLKA bands… anything for a gig And you know what? I think
it did my playing some good. So, let your light so shine!!!
GET OUT THERE AND PLAY!!!

 

[Ed Seith]

I agree with the get out and play philosophy. No shortage of pros out there saying a 30 minute gig does more for you than a week’s worth of two-hour practice sessions, and there’s a lot of merit in that – gigging is sink or swim.
When I started gigging (1989) the 21 drinking age was already in full swing. The NY area had a number of hybrid clubs, where you had to be 18 to get in and 21 to drink, and the scene did well. I had no issue getting rock gigs, even as an original band, up until I stopped gigging in 97.
After a 21 year hiatus, I am rehearsing with my first band since then, a Stone Temple Pilots tribute (I’m really not a fan, but I was surprised at how many of their tunes I recognized) and we’re just booking our first gig now for some time in May, most likely.
That’s also why I tell people all the time to not always play sitting down. No one’s going to see a rock band sitting in chairs, except maybe the Stones.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

lol I used to only play standing up.. but since being in this apartment been two years now sitting down. Altho its hard to stay still sometimes more fun to move around.