When graduating from college, armed with a degree and a dedication towards making a living as a musician, I scarcely could have envisioned how things would look for me over 10 years later. I wasn’t very good , an OK pianist w outsized dreams, and was very happy that anyone anywhere would want my musical services. My journey over that time will perhaps be the subject of another post but what I want to talk about in this entry is how my philosophy on accepting gigs has begun to evolve from what I’d call a ‘take everything’ free for all to a ‘take what works for you’ calculus.
I’ve changed my philosophy mostly because my life has changed. Firstly, I’ve learned you have to make a living AND stay healthy while doing that cause you can’t tolerate exhaustion, poor diet, etc. as you accumulate years. Moreover, you want to budget time for family and friends, perhaps a partner, etc. Maybe you’d like to even take a vacation with these people. Then as we grow older, we take on responsibilities, and, in my case, dependents. So you can’t just be busy all the time, jetting around from commitment A to B to C, at least not without a plan. All the while, you’ve improved at your craft and have come to expect the quality of the gigs you get called for to improve. And yet external circumstances might not change much — I continue to get called for the same category of gigs that I was more than happy to take and did take at age 25. The onus is on me and no one else to decide whether to take those gigs.
I think most people intuitively understand that the basic premise of judging the worthiness of a gig is the ratio of money to time. So, my basic premise has been to go beyond the obvious arithmetic of calculating that figure to trying to glean the little things about a gig that might not be immediately apparent in say $75/hr. You may be missing details about the gig that would lead you to see that the gig is far more time consuming than you thought. Or more arduous. Or things that would help you realize the gig is such a drag that maybe your rate for it should be higher!
So I decided to list out a few things to come to my mind about whether I should take certain “borderline” gigs that are offered to me. Not gigs that pay hundreds of dollars or are with amazing musicians who are a joy to play with in an electric, cool and receptive setting. Those kinds of gigs I’ll (almost) always take because I need to make a living and I NEED to play good music! The gig I’m referring to is more like this: ‘hey man, can you do this restaurant gig? it’s Wednesday night, 8-11, pays $85, one drink and you can get food from the band menu. jazz standards. Oh and you need to bring keyboard, amp and all your stuff! place is called Romeo Romano’s on the Upper East Side”. OK, now that’s really a borderline gig! There are situations where I’d take this and situations where I wouldn’t.
In no particular order, here are some questions I’ve learned and am learning to answer before saying ‘yes’ to the borderline gig offers that come my way.
1) Does this bandleader get other work?
If my sense is that the bandleader/artist is actively booking gigs or might refer me to those who are, I’d consider taking a borderline gig. Meeting new people is invaluable in the music world. If I already know them and they call me for good gigs a lot, I’ll take the borderline ones as an implicit signal of my trust and faith in what they’re doing. Additionally, if a gig has the chance to be regular (once a week, month, etc.) this enhances it’s appeal and makes lower pay more acceptable. I can at least count on this gig being a dependable source of income without having to worry about the details of it from week to week. Now, if a certain bandleader calls me for a whole lot of borderline gigs, that’s another story.
2) When is it? Where is it?
A borderline gig on a Saturday, when musicians are busiest, is a lot less appealing than a Tuesday afternoon when very few are doing anything at all. Time of year is a factor too — there are fewer gigs in the late summer and winter when the weather is unpleasant (July, August, January, February and March) than in spring, early summer and early Fall when the weather is ideal for parties/festivals and people are out and about (April, May, June, September, October). and holiday season (December). So gigs in those lean seasons are inherently more valuable.
Location is key. It’s not just obvious things like distance (AKA 200 miles versus 50 miles) but the time of day you are going to that location. For example, making gigs in midtown Manhattan at 6PM on weekdays is the worst. If I have to bring gear, I’m either schlepping it onto a crowded subway or paying for a parking spot (hidden cost right there). I’m paying a higher amount in tolls if I drive (peak pricing) and I’m going to sit in more traffic, thus taking more time out of my day. If the gig starts at 7 or later, I can find a spot easily (street parking often “opens up” at that time), spend less time in traffic and be a much happier camper. That might be my calculus but for others it might be different. If your a violinist, taking the crowded train is less daunting and that 6PM start time gets you home earlier. If you’re already out and about, tacking on an extra gig might work out swell for your schedule. It’s all relative.
3) Can I learn something new from it?
Sometimes a gig gives you a chance to work something out that you’d like to get real time experience with. Maybe you take a gig cause you’ll get to play a new instrument on it. Maybe the music will be difficult to read and will help keep your reading chops strong. Maybe you’ll have to learn a new groove or feel (say a jazz musician gets called for a salsa gig). It’s good to keep pushing yourself and you can think of these as paid training opportunities!
4) Who is on it?
Is this a gig with friends from the past or people you like hanging with? A lot of borderline gigs have old colleagues on them that you just want to catch up with. The older you get the harder it is to find the time to do that. Also, if you feel you might meet some new great people (see item 1), you might want to consider saying yes, So take em! P.S. this is why it’s great when bandleaders tell you who is on the gig when they ask you!
5) Do I have to bring gear? What’s the parking like? Let’s talk logistics.
A borderline gig can often fail to make the grade if the logistics aren’t right. If the venue doesn’t have a backline (sound equipment in house), if parking is impossible in the neighborhood (and you need to drive), if loading in equipment is particularly arduous, if there is anything that makes the act of making music more difficult than it needs to be, my decision may be swayed.
6) Does the bandleader have policies I’m uncomfortable with?
Some bandleaders do things I’m not particularly fond of. One such practice is called “continuous music” where basically the band is playing the entire night, rotating breaks for different band members. This happens in club date type situations (think weddings, corporate events, etc.). If the gig pays well enough, I’ll usually take it but I am not a fan. I find making music, an intense activity that demands a lot of our bodies and minds, to be often exceedingly difficult when I get two rushed 5 minute breaks the whole night.
That’s of course not all. Bandleaders could be habitually bad at making sure the band gets fed. They could have horrible charts. They could demand you dress a certain way or demand you arrive incredibly early. These people are not paying you a salary with benefits. There’s a limit to how much I’d like to be asked to do and it heavily factors into whether I’ll take something. They have the right to run their ship as they please and I have the right to say no.
7) Am I new in town?
If you’re new in town, many once borderline gigs now are just opportunities to grow out your roots in a new environment. This is a good thing for all. I can forward to the bandleader the newcomers contact info, newcomer gets a gig, I get a night off and don’t take a gig that would just annoy me. A musician once referred this phenomenon to me as “passing a gig down the food chain”. I used to complain about how venues didn’t pay enough for their bands but now I see a low paying restaurant gig as a chance for someone else to play when they’ve first moved to town. Or a chance to play with a friend. Something positive can be gleaned from most situations. In this crazy world of ours, low paying gigs aren’t the worst thing.
8) Is there a rehearsal?
Oftentimes, a gig is conditional on being available for one or multiple rehearsals. Rehearsals should be paid but often the artist organizing them does not have paid rehearsals in their budget. While an unpaid rehearsal does not preclude me from ever taking a gig I’m growing to be more weary of them. I’ll ask myself whether the rehearsals/amount of rehearsals is necessary and whether the rehearsal is for me or whether it’s for the bandleader. The rehearsal is for me when the music is challenging and I need to spend time playing it and studying it in advance of the show. It’s for the bandleader when I’m being asked to come rehearse music that doesn’t need to be rehearsed, in my estimation. When the rehearsal is for the bandleader it should be paid at a level I deem adequate. Otherwise, I’m dedicating an afternoon of rehearsal plus commute for nothing.
Interestingly, some gigs can be considered “rehearsal gigs” for bigger upcoming shows or recording sessions. I may be forgiving for low pay on a “rehearsal gig” if we’re preparing for a really cool show.
There’s also the frequent ask to learn a few to a whole lot of tunes. In many scenes in NYC, you are expected to know a certain number of tunes. But beyond that, it’s really helpful when a bandleader has charts if the gig is going to be a covers gig. This often eliminates the need for rehearsal. That said, it’s common to ask the musicians to learn tunes for the gig. I’m OK with this, especially if I like the tunes and/or the number of tunes to learn is low – you get really good at doing this sort of thing quickly with experience – but if someone is asking me to learn a lot of tunes for little bread, I’m likely to pass.
9) Am I am I being asked to do this gig because of who I am or because of what I play?
This is a question that took me a long time to even formulate but I think is hugely important to me the more experienced I get. Many gigs are just jobs and that is fine. You go and play a certain style of music as it is supposed to be played and then pack up and head home. Top 40 wedding gigs are exactly this kind of gig. Many jazz gigs are like this too. If they pay well, then you generally feel like the effort you gave to do that was worth it. Some other gigs are creative gigs and, when they are good, involve musicians hired because they bring a certain skill set, artistic vibe or general presence that is sympathetic to the music being performed. As an artist, I can say that playing music where I feel like my identity is closely aligned with the music’s identity is immensely satisfying to the soul. Conversely, when I’m hired to play music a certain way I don’t identify with and the money/details aren’t right, the feeling is very crushing to the soul. Note that this can happen on both commercial gigs and artistic gigs.
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I feel compelled to remind the reader that this is my personal list. It’s not exhaustive and doesn’t apply to everyone the same way. And, trust me, I break the “rules” I’ve laid out here with alarming regularity, just taking gigs willy nilly. It’s worth remembering that when someone asks you to do a gig, it’s not good form to take more than 12 hours to get back and confirm. Anyways, I’m working on it. Finally, I should note that I am usually (95% of the time) happy to get a text or call asking me to play anywhere. I’m not god’s gift to the world of music so I appreciate people asking!
All that said, I also know what it’s like to feel burned out and I think we owe it to ourselves and to those we play with to avoid unnecessary wear and tear. I’ve found formulating this list quite helpful in solidifying a structure of priorities and hope it helps my fellow musicians make better choices and give non musicians a little insight into how our world works! And, of course, when truly in doubt, just take the gig! It’s better to be out there.
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