So within one week, we've got an earthquake and a hurricane?? The biggest earthquake to hit the area in like 100 years, as well as a hurricane that's projected to be an effective "100 years storm." Bizarre.
As one of my friends mentioned the other day, “It’s been a great few days; just perfect out. And that’s why we had to have an earthquake.”
Things in life won’t go your way. You’ll meet sure successes with puzzling failure. You’ll have good days ruined and bad days made worse. It’s part of life. Whether you want to call it karma, bad mojo, or just rotten luck, these things happen. Natural disasters strike in many forms beyond just their typified weather patterns.
So I thought I’d give some insight into the top 5 things that I’ve run across in my music career that have acted as “natural disasters,” and maybe even give some ways to deal with them. It helps to know a little of what you can get yourself into and how you can deal with it. Sure there will always be idiots who will take shelter from storms under trees, but hopefully these stories and tips will help you to be better prepared for your gigs.
1. Children – They’re the effective twister of gigs. They’re unpredictable and reckless and you can’t do anything about it because discipline is “abuse.” I don’t care how cute you think they are they can still screw stuff up. Also, they really aren't all that cute. And they’re stuck with this level of deniability, too, that keeps their actions completely unchecked. Add the pandemic of bad parenting, and suddenly children are demon-possessed monsters.
I’ve had to deal with kids playing with my pedals and spare guitars during gigs and even had one throw a ball at me while I was playing. If you know me, you’re probably surprised that these children are still alive. Me too.
So how do you deal with them? Well, you can’t hit them. You can either ignore them or try to demoralize them. With one such pedal pesterer, after he/she/it(?) decided to turn a volume knob the whole way off, I simply stopped playing for a second, looked down and said, “Look what you’ve done,” and then fixed it and went on. True story. With kids like the one that threw the ball, you just pray that their parents take care of it. This is not to discount all children, however. Jeremy Bentley’s daughter danced around while I played and afterwards said, “Thank you for playing that song for me.” And other kids are just put into a trance and are mesmerized by the music.
2. Weather
Be it a tornado, hurricane, or even rain or snow, weather can be your gig’s natural disaster. If the weather doesn’t result in a cancellation, it can drastically impact the turnout. And it doesn’t have to just be “severe” weather, keeping people locked up in their homes. There are also days when people would rather take advantage of nice weather outside than sit and listen to music. That’s common in the spring and fall.
What do you do when the weather has sabotaged your gig? I’ve had gigs cancelled due to snow and have had gigs on nice days when no one wants to be inside. Those times are hard and I’ve suffered through many gigs like that, having the wrong attitude. It is important to remember, no matter how big or small your audience, that they are taking time out of their day to see you. That may mean that they survived a rainstorm to see you or that they are sacrificing a nice bike ride to be inside.
What made me realize this was what ended up being one of my favorite gigs. It was at Live @ The Hub, during severe thunderstorms (old blog post), complete with flooding and tornadoes. There may have only been 8 people there, but they were there having come through nasty storms and knowing that they would have to go out in them later. Even with knowledge of a tornado that had touched down near the venue, people stayed.
You can either look at it upset that you aren’t packing the venue, or you can look at the sacrifice that those who are there are making. The more that you appreciate people who see you, the more likely you are to make lasting fans.
3. Other Events – these are largely unforeseen. I’ve accidentally scheduled shows near school, not realizing that there were other events happening on campus. We ran into that with First Friday’s quite a few times this past year. I’ve had other gigs in towns where that I am less familiar with, but during times when a community fair or something of the like was happening. These things kill your potential draw.
It sucks. As a small act, competing with a well established event is near impossible. And it can be demoralizing thinking that everyone else is at a concert or party that you’d rather be at. My advice? Wear on. You’re there for 3 hours tops, so smile and just enjoy playing. I’ve used times like this to experiment with new material or to just practice improvising. And, of course, if there are any people there, make them feel like you are there playing just for them. Engage them in conversation and lighten the mood. If you’re in a bad mood, people will walk out. You don’t want that.
4. Forgetfulness – Let’s face it; if you blow off a gig because you’ve forgotten about it, you probably won’t be asked back. I’d recommend a calendar. However, there are plenty of other things that you can forget that will only trip you up a little bit if you are prepared for it.
Common things that can most easily be forgotten can be broken into three main categories: instruments, equipment, and merch. Forgetting any of these things can be devastating, depending on the specifics of your gig. Even merch, despite being insignificant for the performance, is extremely important for the people you are playing to.
I’ve approached combating forgetfulness from a few different directions.
- Consistency. Have unique sets, but have them so drastically different from one another that you are constantly taking and leaving different gear. For a while I gigged with 3 guitars. At first, I would vary between 1, 2, and 3, so there were times when I would end up forgetting an extra guitar that I had meant to bring. Once I was in the habit of brining 3, I consistently had 3 at every show.
- Organization. This is a good life skill, beyond the realm of music. Being organized and knowing exactly where your gear is will help you to not forget it. When I first moved up to Reading, one of the things I focused on was organizing my gear. Now that it's organized, everything I need to gig is in one place. Occasionally I'll forget something minor, but I haven't done anything really stupid.
- Simplification. Do as I say, not as I do. The less stuff you take, the easier it will be to remember. It will also cut down on your setup time.
- Have a backup plan. So you forgot a guitar? Who in the area do you know with a guitar? Forget your looping pedal? Have a backup set that doesn't use looping or alternate versions of your songs that don't use it. Forget your amp? Have a way to plug into the PA direct. Forget your merch? Have an online store and smart phone or, if you're local, hand out business cards and tell them where you'll be next or when you'll be at that venue next.
Forgetting stuff happens to everyone. Once, while recording at MR.STUDIO, I forget all of my pedals. It sucked, but I made the most of the day and got a few really great recordings out of it because I had an alternate plan. Be prepared.
5. Faulty Equipment
Sometimes it's just a broken string. Other times, it's malfunctioning electronics. And in a small percentage, there is actual damaged gear (broken headstock, neck, etc.). None of this is good. At all.
Like I mentioned earlier, it is best to have a backup plan. Bring a second guitar, have a set planned without effects, or be able to plug direct into a PA.
I had all of the electronics crap out on me in my Taylor at a gig once. I borrowed another persons guitar, but didn't have the money to get the Taylor fixed. I ended up taking a condenser mic I had laying around and rigging up an internal miking system. With the exception of loud places and boomy rooms, it worked great for about 6 months or so. Now I've got a backup acoustic and some nice new pickups in it. But for an economical fix, the innovation paid off.
No matter what your disaster is, you need to know how to combat it. Don't let anything screw with your gig. If your fans see that you're persevering through something, it will reflect well on you.
Good luck battling the hurricane this weekend!
