All of the above.
All of the above.
Nothing. That's why I dont do it any more.
Playing out has been of my life almost non-stop since 1975. (I took breaks due to motorcycle accidents and strokes...) Being a musician is who I am and what I do. Since retiring from the day job in the fall of 2009, I've kept amazingly busy as a musician.
But your real question was why. The first time I sat behind a kit and played all night in front of a crowd, I got and addictive rush. I've been getting that "rush" for thirty-nine years now.
My siblings have all had some substance issue at one point in their lives, I never did. My one brother went clean in 1981, he co-incidentally has been a gigging musician this whole time as well.
Music is my drug of choice I guess.
-Mike
"We don't stop playing because we grow old.
We grow old because we stop playing."
"I wish that my playing reminded people of Steve Gadd. But they seem to confuse me with his little known cousin... E."
"Snare drums happen."
Hard to quantify. Playing music to me is so much about sharing it with others. I really want people to enjoy what we do. There are certain logistical things that make it a burden (PA, setting up, tearing down, etc...) and sometimes I would be fulfilled playing 2 sets instead of 3 or 4. But the social aspect outweighs any negative. I get to hang with my bandmates. I get to play music while people dance or listen. I get to meet other musicians (there are always musicians of some sort in the crowd) and for some of them who are more at the wannabe point (they have a kit or a guitar, and play a few songs at home, but aren't able to or ready to gig) and if you make yourself available, they love to talk shop and I love to be receptive to that and make them feel good about music and their night out. I am no rock star, but when a band takes time to greet guests or is at least approachable during breaks, it makes a huge difference to the audience. Been on both sides of that equation and know it to be true.
Oh, and I love it when my kick drum makes the subwoofers thump. Really, that alone would be enough!
being with my mates on stage, seeing people singing and dancing, i love it.
Have you got you're ticket for the rock train? You gotta earn that Ticket!!
Premier Genista - Pearl Masters - Primus custom snare - Zildjian A Custom- DW 5000 pedal - Zildjian Zack Starkey sticks
I play lead Drums
In the early days, lugging all the stuff around was a hop.
Our keyboard player had a Hammond B-3 with a Leslie which made us all sound like Frankie Valli with a wedgie for a few hours.
That part I hated.
The gigs were always fun, although, in the early days playing in bars, you never really knew what might happen (especially in Jersey and New York). I've seen a few fights including 1 I started when a guy wouldn't leave my GF alone and I hit him in the back with a stick and started a brawl.
I did love the gigging, but after 30+ years, even that gets old.
The fun for me is seeing people having fun, and knowing that I am doing something that others would love to do. The difference between me and them is that I found a way to make it happen. Achieving the unexpected has always been fun for me.
Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.
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I do it for the MASSIVE amounts of cash. Sometimes, I even make make enough to ALMOST cover the cost of fuel hauling equipment to the gig...
Actually, it's being "in the groove" with the other guys in the band. That time when everyone is playing and thinking together and the individuality all blends perfectly into a complete song. Seeing a crowd get absorbed in the music and forget about the troubles and worries of life for a few hours is also a big part.
-Brian
"Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"
Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!
"I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham
complete opposite to marko
The playing is fun! All the rest is a big hassle.
all the best...
i like the adrenaline rush I get and hearing my stuff miked up.
out in California I use to pack my 5 piece (13,16,18,24) into my 77 firebird before I got my van. Cymbals and stands in the trunk. Now I have a Pathfinder and it's cake. Not as nice as my 76 van but then again nothing beats a van.
77 formula arriving for recording
Last edited by slinky; 07-03-2014 at 07:08 AM.
RDM/Damage Poets
UFiP TAMAHA Zildjian
REGAL TiP
AQUARIAN
I could still use the rear view and the driver side side mirror everything else was blocked. Used it like a truck for about four years.
RDM/Damage Poets
UFiP TAMAHA Zildjian
REGAL TiP
AQUARIAN
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