Musician Archive

So you want to start a band...

You've got:

A Nalargon
An Omnibox or Bandfill (Swoop bike motor)
A Mandovil (or 2)
A Traz (or 2)
A Chid or Kloo horn (or 2)

You probably have 4 to 6 players. Any less or any more seems to underserve or overkill most of the songs. Can probably get away with 3, but usually most songs require Omni or Bandfill.

So, you get everyone to jam, try out a few macro songs that someone has written, picked about the best 5 to 7 of your mix and you want to show people what you've got.

So where do you go? Well, you can go to the boards and promote yourself on your Galaxy. Merchants and some guilds are looking for in-house bands already. Some of them want full time bands, but is that really what you want? I'll let you all answer that for yourself.

Someone asks you to come do a store-opener gig for them, or a Friday Night Fight Night gig for their guild, and they ask you how much its gonna cost them.

Well, if your home planet is Corellia, and they live on Tattooine, then they need to pick up the 'expense' cost of everyone's travel, including your support staff (if you have a band doctor pumping stims for action greedy shows), and the cost for cloning on planet in case the live in Wayfar, or provide you some escort if your master dancer/musician/entertainer band leader gets clobbered by a gnort everytime they look cross-eyed at one.

Then you got to consider what your worth. Are you worth 10k per performance per performer? Or do you run a flat fee of 5k an hour per performer, minimum 2 hours? Flat-rate or by the hour, remember that you are allowed breaks, just like a real band, and be up front about that to the people or business hiring you for your show.

Expense payments should be upfront, none of this 'I'll reimburse you when you get here'. At least you know they are serious about wanting you there. And when you get there, they should probably advance you half of what they expect from you, and when the half time comes, they can either say goodbye to you, or pay you the other half, so you don't say goodbye to them. And be honest with people. Outline the terms up front in an email, and copy it to all the band members. If someone from the band doesn't show, you can reimburse them for that person. If you don't, your band probably won't be doing much anymore.

Someone in the band should go and scout the place to play before the actual play date. Just to make sure its a real place, or perhaps they really are paying you 200k for the gig while they lure their enemy to the Sarlacc pit while you play ceremonial.

Above all, your fellow band members should be completely relaxed with each other. Entertainers can be high-maintenance folks at times, so best to keep with people you mix well with.

And above all, don't make your Nalargon or Omni-box player the group leader.. trouble enough to keep that thing targeted. =D

Also, good band members are people who usually aren't the ones pressing you to be in the band. At least that's what works for me. There is a difference between walking into a cantina and playing with the local cats grooving to the tunes of training, and the professional performance. Expect a lot of polite 'no's, if its the professional performance gig that someone is paying for.

I've expunged my mind for now. Perhaps I'll add some more. I expect other people to comment as well.

Weibacca
Master Musician and Entertainer - Bria
Visit Scenic Keren. Someone has to.

100% right on the money with all of that. I'm copying and reposting on my band's forum.

It's too bad we're not on the same server cause I like your style already.

Likewise on the style I have some booking terms and conditions but I need to be stricter about enforcing them. Sounds like you already have a good band together though, I'm not part of one yet

Awesome write-up! Still trying to find a band on Eclipse, though I am one of the nameless Troupe of Cantina Trainees So perhaps it is true that my profession really "begins" when I have become skilled enough to know how best to use it

Learning songs is now KNOWING them

Of course I originally thought that this would be a thread on adding volume increase and decrease as an option for band leaders. .. .

On payment, I've found that many event sponsors and cantina owners are very willing and happy to pay upfront the agreed upon price and pay very early. All the people I've worked with (which has been only 4 employers, but we've only been giggin' for a week and a half!) have paid at the time we agreed on a price and that has been as far as a week ahead.

I would never ask for a week ahead payment, but I would accept it graciously. Also, they've all been very nice about letting me know as soon as possible the details of the event so I can schedule it with my band members and work around their RL schedules.

I've had no trouble so far and I hope not to. I hope I can expect the same fine level of business curtesy in the future as I've had up til now.

Agree with most.

Although we have 6+ musicians in our band, We actually sound really good with often just 3: mando, ommni, nala. or chin, ommni, nala.

Definatlely agree on upfront payments and the terms of the gig in advance.

Oh, definately can get away with 3 on some songs. Even Ballad with just Chid and Traz can sound decent. If you have the never tired Rodian musicians in the band, they can play a couple of interlude songs while your action heavy Wookiees take that Wookie 5.

Songs like Virtuoso and Jazz need 3 or 4 instruments to bring the full depth of them together. Virtuoso solely on the Nalargon could be subtitled 'Train Wreck' if played in the incorrect sequence. =)

This thread has only touched musicians at the moment. Mixing in the Dance Troupe can be its own thread if someone wants to comment on it, or we can throw ideas open. Business practices probably stay the same, but you'd better develop a good relationship with a fine tailor for special performances.

Then again, on our server, we have one Master Dancer who is now a Master Tailor and my PA has a Master Tailor who is learning most of the Music Knowledge line. Hopefully she'll become composer. =D

Weibacca
Master Musician and Entertainer
Hunting as a Hairstylist
Visit breathtaking Nym's Fortress, Lok. Die at the spaceport, frequently.