High School group working on gigs

[saxman124578]

Hi, I am a High school Tenor guy, Junior. I formed a combo- Piano, bass Drums, and me on Tenor/Flute- in late fall of 2003. My combo had a lot of business during the Christmas season....about $3000.00! Then business has dropped off, we've made about that since December 24th.....no big deal though.

Anyways, to my question, what kind of advice can you give me for keeping everything organized, bills, (what's the best way to get the money at the end of the gig), edicate when you're not background music (our first real "featuring" gig is on June 12th). SO....anything will help, I have a lot of summer gigs lined up....about 15 until early september....and anything from you experienced proffesional band leaders would be great! Also, what would be the best way to distribute our demo c.d. for people to listen to?

One more question...I have a wedding gig coming up early August....it pays well so i want to put on a real good show....what specific edicate do i need for a wedding gig? thanks

We play strictly Jazz/latin-samba-bossa nova. and we have about 50-60 songs rehearsed/and aebersolds and real books if we run out of material.


I know these are a lot of questions but any advice would be appreciated.

[Frank D]

Saxman, sounds like your doing great for a first timer. Congratulations on that.

As far as keeping the money organized, I'd reccomend setting up an Excel (or similar) spreadsheet with columns for date of gig, amount received, amount paid to each player, expenses, etc. If you want something with more horsepower, then look into Quicken or something like that.

Regarding the wedding gig, check with the person that hired you about what they're looking for. Weddings are all about the bride, and they may not be looking for a "show" from the band. Probably background music during dinner, then dance music after, with a variety of tunes that will appeal to all of the guests, young and old.

[Jazzed]

Saxman,

Sounds like you're doing everything right. I wish I had your business sense when I was younger. Frank D has some good points. I use Excel to keep track of everything like Frank says.

Re: privates. As far as getting the money- make sure you get a non-refundable deposit (50% is my usual) so that if the event gets called off, at least you get something for your efforts for setting things up and can also pay your bandmates something for holding the date. State the deposit amount and the balance due amount in your contract/written agreement. And state that the balance is due before the performance begins or immediately after it ends (whichever you prefer). During your discussions with the client you might want to ask who will be responsible for paying you on that day- you definitely don't want to go up to the bride and groom asking for the money, unless that's what they had planned on. In my experience most people are cool about slipping you a check without you having to search for them, but I've heard stories to the contrary.

Frank D is also right in choice of tunes, etc. I like to meet with clients and go over a songlist. A lot of times you can do this via phone or email. Some clients won't really care what tunes you play and others will have many specific requests. They might have a theme going on, so be prepared to offer suggestions as to what tunes will fit. They might want a special song or two that you'll have to track down or transcribe, so you need to give yourself time to do that. Waltzes (3/4 time) are always nice for dancing, so make sure to have at least 3 or 4 in medium tempo in your arsenal. I'd stay away from anything experimental or out (Freedom Jazz Dance, A Love Supreme) unless the client specifically asks for it.

I think it's also very important to dress the part- suits and ties at the very least (not obvious thrift-store finds) and tuxedos are always good for wedding gigs. For a festival or club gig, you can dress more relaxed if you wish, although it's always a good idea to dress better than the crowd.

A good way to distribute your demo is a website- relatively cheap these days. Convert your audio to mp3s and post it. If you get a good url that people can remember and you print it on your business cards as well, you'll save yourself hauling around a box of CDs and promo material (still a good idea to have a few on hand or close by in your vehicle).

I'm sure others here will have many great tips for you. Good luck and keep us posted on your success.