You've practiced, you've rehearsed your final note of a face-melting guitar solo with a jump-kick at the end, but what do you have to show for it? Get out there and book a gig.

by Sean Mahan

We all need gigs.  It’s really hard to make it in the music industry if you’re not a live band.  And to be a live band, you’ve got to play shows.  But to play shows, you’ve got to find them first. That’s why I’m here.

Know Your Area’s Venues: This might sound obvious, but seriously, research the venues in your area.  This could mean devoting a day of your life to driving around to bars, asking if your band can play.  It could also mean that if you live in the rural countryside, you might want to find a barn and purchase a generator.  Go to a Guitar Center or the local music shop and ask around for venues.  You know that old dude who runs his own guitar store?  Ask that guy.  A quick rundown of the more common types of venues:

Bars

You’re going to play in a bar, there’s no way to get out of it.  But bars are your friend.  Look for bars with stages; ask the manager if you can play.  You’ll be able to tell who the manager is, because he’ll be the guy who looks like he wants to leave, but he can’t.  As a rule of thumb: the bigger the bar, the better.  More people mean more potential listeners, and you don’t want to play dive bars unless it’s part of the “scene.”

Basements

Usually it’s the drummer’s.  Wait till the parents are out of town and call up everyone you know.  Generally the more booze you provide, the more they’ll like your band.
Top people to invite include:
1. Other Musicians.  They’re the only ones who are actually going to appreciate your music.
2. Girls.  Invite every girl you’re on speaking terms with.  People (meaning dudes) won’t show up if it’s a brodeo.
3. Some Nerds.  You know that quiet kid who’s a good guy but has zero social skills?  Invite him.  He’ll become a fan instantly and promote your music for you, at the cost of following you around sometimes.  It’s worth it, trust me.

Battle of the Bands

Not always the greatest idea.  My experience with band battles is this: the promoter is trying to rape you of as much cash as possible.  It’s a legal pay-to-play-scam.  I urge extreme caution when considering Battle of the Bands gigs, but play ‘em anyway.  Just keep in mind it’s not the end of the world if you don’t win and you lose a lot of money.  But hopefully the venue you played at was really cool, and some famous bands actually played there once.

Churches… eeee…

Unless you’re a Christian rock group, churches can be iffy.  But for those of us who don’t feel like singing about what a great guy Jesus was, you’ll want to know who the crowd is going to be.  It’ll be great if it’s just another gig, with people who came for music, but it won’t be so great if the local pastor running the church is in the crowd.

Clubs (not the dance kind)

Look up your local chapter of Elks, Knights of Columbus, and/or the Ancient Order of Hibernians.  They all have club halls for their meetings, and they’re usually willing to rent it out to you for a decent price.  It helps if you know someone or are a member yourself.  Again, call up everyone you know and give them directions.  Throw your own shows, it works if you have a big enough following.

Alternate venues

The aforementioned generator in a barn idea.  Play on top of a roof (safely).  Play in some other kid’s basement.  Go outside.  Does your high school or college have a stage?  Play it!  What really matters is that your band is playing for other people; you’re getting your music out there, and establishing a fan base.  You can’t do this without gigs.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of different mentalities that are associated with bands.  You have a group of people (musicians) who are all competing over one another to get gigs and get their music heard.  Some people are cool, some dudes are cutthroat.  It’s like any other business.  Also, if you’re a rich band (an oxymoron in itself) you may want to hire a manager/promoter.  Pay someone to go out and find gigs for you.  Or if you or one of your bandmates have a cute girlfriend with a lot of personality (and I’ve seen this work!), send her out to clubs and bars.  She might have a better chance of securing you a show.

Oh, and keep in mind that you’re not going to make any money.

Like, at all.

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