Recently, a few colleagues and I chatted about some of the crazy gigs we all used to have when we first started in the music business. I chimed in about one gig I did in Jamaica Queens that began at 9 PM and ended at 3 AM. This band played six 30-minute sets, playing be-bop at 500MPH for old black ladies all night. These ladies would look up from the bar from time to time with sad faces to see if this was the last tune we would play. I’m sure they wondered when we would stop trying to impress them and play some down-home blues. Once they discovered we had four more songs to play for that set, they returned to their conversations and sipped more of their Chivas Regal. It was embarrassing and sad.
One musician told a story about recording in a studio all day, playing a Broadway show at night, then heading out afterward and having a late-night set at a club.
Another chimed in and let us know how he used to play a gig that started at 11 PM and ended at 7 AM. The discussion pretty much ended there. He seemed to win the ‘Worst Gig In The World’ contest trophy. After I said, “Hell no, I couldn’t do that kind of gig,” I was met with opposition from one fellow musician listening to the one-upmanship back and forth. He asked, “If you love playing music, why wouldn’t you take that gig?” I didn’t go into too much detail about why I wouldn’t, but I will here.
I’ve heard the saying, “A gig is a gig.” I’ve also heard that you should accept every gig because you never know what could come out of it. This might be true for young, hungry musicians who are new to town and have no family responsibilities, but it may not be applicable for more seasoned veterans. I was once young, hungry, and new to town. When I came to New York in 1993, I was excited. I was eager to learn and sacrificed sleep to meet the right musicians. I would take any gig anywhere.
It paid off in the long run.
I remember playing in ten different bands a few years after arriving in New York City. One night, I worked with three of the ten bands I was playing with at the same venue – one right after another. If I remember correctly, it was a singer-songwriter; first, a fusion band next, then I ended the night performing with a world music/hip-hop collective. It was pretty incredible and a whole lot of fun.
Back in the 1990s, I would work at my day job from 8 AM-6 PM, then head into the city looking for jam sessions or other places where musicians would hang out. I’d wind up getting back home at 2 AM. I’d get a few hours of sleep and then do it again. In the mid-2000s, I worked at a bank, taught drum lessons from 6:30 PM-7:30 PM, ran to my off-Broadway show at 8 PM, and played until 10:30 PM. In addition to that crazy schedule, I would play my matinees on Saturdays then run to NJ to play weddings.
I was not a stranger to the hustle of a New York City musician. Not at all. I’ve been there and done that.
But…