GraemeC Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Contracts for this kind of thing are nigh on worthless.Either they won't sign' date=' or they will while safe in the knowledge that it will cost you too much time and money to pursue if it's broken.[/quote']Once a band moves up to the 'next' level, its unusual not to have a contract, you start to book gigs through a booking agent and the contract is there to protect both parties. Its a very professional way of working things, and if there is a problem then the agent is usually the ones to persue things.You should also have someone in your crew who isnt scared to hold the contract under the nose of the promoter and point out that the contract states you get 100 whether you fill the gig or not....and thats in cash mush, you then follow him round the venue untill he actually hands you the money....and if he tries the "oh sorry, its all in small change" trick then you remain in the gig untill you have counted it all (including a couple of mis-counts) I bet he finds some 20 notes after about ten minutes of hastle from the bar staff who all want home.....yes I've bin there and done that.Or the time we turned up to play a gig at Ayr pavilion (sadly now burned down) to be told by the caretaker that the gig was cancelled, we had the promoters address on the contract with a 600 guarantee'd fee...so we paid him a visit and after a little persuasion he made out a cheque to cash, I got one of the guys to run along to his bank to cash it while I stood outside his glass front door to make sure he didnt call the bank to cancel it.... I should write a book... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camie Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Or the time we turned up to play a gig at Ayr pavilion (sadly now burned down) to be told by the caretaker that the gig was cancelled' date=' we had the promoters address on the contract with a 600 guarantee'd fee...so we paid him a visit and after a little persuasion he made out a cheque to cash, I got one of the guys to run along to his bank to cash it while I stood outside his glass front door to make sure he didnt call the bank to cancel it.... I should write a book... [/quote']Bully! That is ace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeC Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Bully! That is ace!Sadly its a tough business and there are some sharks out there....The guy who managed Pallas in the 80's tour managed Manfred Man, some of the stories he told about touring in the US would make your toes curl.... I still remember all the good gigs as well.....and they did outnumber the bad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash@TMB Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Well while you were being fucked over left right and centre in weegie land, here's what was goin down back in Aberdeen. Makes as interesting contrast. Especially check the ending out...We had 3 touring bands playing, one from Falkirk and 2 from London. Both London bands are signed.The bands were on our cheap drinks deal. All performers at The Moorings get their drinks cost price.The bands were given a tour and introduced to Mark, and stated that they were happy with just a level check (there was no arm twisting BTW).It transpired that one of the drummers was left handed. This band was due to play second, with right handed drummers before and after. We enquired whether it would be possible to switch the 2nd and 3rd bands but their preference was to leave the running order as per the posters. This was fine with us as there was only 3 bands playing and we had plenty of time to effect the changovers.Needless to say everything was mic's up. The Distorted Mind hadn't brough a backline so they were provided with the house backline. Driving on the Right and Hightechjet elected to use the house bass amp and drum kit. All bands used their own snare drum, pedal, and cymbals. The London bands used their own cymbal stands. The London bands shared their cabs (they've been doing this all tour) but swapped the amp heads over.The performances went really well. Mark and myself assisted with the changeovers. The crowd gave an excellent response.We recorded the gig and plan to produce a couple of tracks for Driving on the Right and Hitechjet.***The bands stuck around to the end and then loaded their gear up. On the way out of the carpark the London bands van skidded and crashed into the fence, demolishing it and becoming stuck on the remains of a fence post. They called the RAC who said they'd be a minimum of 2 hours. We took them all back in the bar, and provided them with more drinks while we waited for the RAC. To keep everyone entertained we screened a movie. Afterwards we helped them load their gear up and saw them safely on their way.Honestly, more bands from Aberdeen should go on tour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattJimF Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 after that story i can see word spreading about the hospitality of the moorings and more bands asking for gigs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Karloff Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Or the time we turned up to play a gig at Ayr pavilion (sadly now burned down) to be told by the caretaker that the gig was cancelled' date=' we had the promoters address on the contract with a 600 guarantee'd fee...so we paid him a visit and after a little persuasion he made out a cheque to cash, I got one of the guys to run along to his bank to cash it while I stood outside his glass front door to make sure he didnt call the bank to cancel it.... I should write a book... [/quote']I struggle to remember any times where we haven't got what we arranged pre-gig. Being five reasonably big guys means people usually don't try and bullshit us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psydoll Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 I struggle to remember any times where we haven't got what we arranged pre-gig. Being five reasonably big guys means people usually don't try and bullshit us.Are you including Sid in that?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeC Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 At the other end of the scale....we did a gig in Whitehaven (Cumbria) in November of 1984, it was one of those nightmare venues that any roadies out there wake up screaming in the middle of the night about...you know the type of thing, entrance on a main road swarming with traffic wardens...gig on the third floor with no in house pa or lights so it has all to be loaded in..you get the picture?I went off and found the promoter/venue owner who said not to worry, that his humping crew would arrive soon and would carry every bit of gear up the three flights of stairs, sure enough they arrived half an hour later, three guys the size of which I have never seen before, all huge body builders who did it as much for the exercise as the money...sorted.We'd been in the joint about ten minutes when one of the humpers came round everyone asking what we wanted to drink....he did it again fifteen minutes later, this went on untill we staggered out at two in the morning.At one point on his drinks round the humper asked me how I liked my steak!!!! I looked at him blankly and he explained that the band and crew were all fed at 7.30....we all sat down to a full steak dinner at 7.30 on the dot...with more drinks!!When the band finished, the humpers appeared and had a couple of mates with them, they mucked in coiling leads and puting things in flight cases before dragging it all back down stairs....I cant remember much about the gig itself....I wonder why!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 WBL played the Rockers once. The guy we dealt with was known simply as 'H'.We had a similarly shambolic experience - not as bad as you you guys but it was enough to put me off playing there again.There and the Eastgrange Loft in Forres. The guy who runs that place is total prick.Yes indeedy, although I think the ALLLL time worst is still that London gig.....! "Hmm, those vocals don't sound quite right," thinks the engineer. "I try moving the mic closer to the singers mouth.....shall I wait til he finishes the song....?....nah, I'll do it while he's actually singing into it, MUST GET THIS SOUND RIGHT......hmm, that hasn't made it any better.....I know, I'll strap an extra mic to it....." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordred Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 WBL played the Rockers once. The guy we dealt with was known simply as 'H'.We had a similarly shambolic experience - not as bad as you you guys but it was enough to put me off playing there again.There and the Eastgrange Loft in Forres. The guy who runs that place is total prick.The boy at the Eastgrange is a total prick' date=' while soundchecking Small Enclosed Area ( non of the band have any ego's ), he told them just cos you played T-In the park your not rock stars you know and dont expect to be treated differently, true maybe but you dont say it to the headline act who have promoted and are playing a gig at your venue.Its not only the band that gets the brunt of his rudeness, he's quite good at offending crowd members too.The Eastgrange Loft is a great Venue though, so dont let the owner put you off - [b']please come and rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 The boy at the Eastgrange is a total prick' date=' while soundchecking Small Enclosed Area ( non of the band have any ego's ), he told them just cos you played T-In the park your not rock stars you know and dont expect to be treated differently, true maybe but you dont say it to the headline act who have promoted and are playing a gig at your venue.Its not only the band that gets the brunt of his rudeness, he's quite good at offending crowd members too.The Eastgrange Loft is a great Venue though, so dont let the owner put you off - [b']please come and rock Ah Grigor! What a guy. Rude, inept and the worst sound man on the planet. Maybe because he's never been trained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordred Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 AAAAA that name brings a chill down my spine 8o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Disorder Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 The Eastgrange Loft is a great Venue though' date=' so dont let the owner put you off - [b']please come and rock I really don't wanna have to deal that fuck again. I'd rather play in Elgin - that town is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tav Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 after that story i can see word spreading about the hospitality of the moorings and more bands asking for gigsDamn right. Sounds like they take great care of the bands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Ascension Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 I like the sound of cheap drinks for performers at The Moorings Hopefully we can get a gig there soon - we are almost ready to break out and unleash the fury upon the world (starting with Aberdeen) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Absolutely right, The Moorings is an ace place to play, and Flash took great care of us when we were there (cheers man, the hang over was on you )We had a similarly bad Glasgow experience at Nice N Sleazy's when we were expected to go on before the doors had opened. That was lovely, as you can imagine... The tables looked like they were enjoying it though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeC Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 We had a similarly bad Glasgow experience at Nice N Sleazy's when we were expected to go on before the doors had opened. ...Its weird, they have a glitch in the organisation at T in the Park where the security wont open the gates untill they are told at 12.30 and the stage managers are making bands hit the stage at 12.30 on the dot to 0 punters.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeC Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Damn right. Sounds like they take great care of the bands!Ok heres the trick....organising a tour, play the Moorings then fuck off to the continent where bands are generally treated better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOURNEYMAN Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Definitely a rant! I think the members of Cleartone should get their facts straight before blurting out their recollection of last Friday's events at Rockers in Glasgow.Agreed, the venue booked another SUPPORT act when Forgotten Sons had already taken care of the support slot by inviting Caithness based BOSS HOGG to fill the spot.The venue was informed regards this and should have informed Cleartone that their services were not required that night.I would say that they had no right to deface Forgotten Son's posters by writing their band name on it. The poster was prepared by ourselves and clearly stated we had our own support act.With regards to the equipment situation, Cleartone had the use of the same equipment as Boss Hogg with the exception of Forgotten Sons guitarist's amplifier which the Boss Hogg frontman used as he is a close personal friend of the FS gutarist and play in another band together. Anyway, another decent Marshall combo was there to be used.In the Forgotten Sons drummer's defence, he has a double kick 7 piece setup which once in place and set up is rather hard to dismantle and set up again without wasting even more time on a night where it was rather short to begin with.Our bass player was also kind enough to allow both bass players to go through his rig.Both support bands played through the same equipment.Also it would have been extremely difficult for our guitarist to loan his guitar to either of the other bands as he is a left handed player.Guitars are rather personal instruments anyway and any decent guitarist should always bring a spare for back up.I should also mention that Cleartone and Boss Hogg were on stage for a similar time period.Anyway, I won't go on any further, I just felt that a few things should be made clear in amongst the array of childish remarks I've read previously on ths thread.Concentrate a bit more on your music and I'm sure you'll get where your going.Keep rocking in the free world!!! JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordred Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Now thats a comeback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Ermintrude Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Definitely a rant! I think the members of Cleartone should get their facts straight before blurting out their recollection of last Friday's events at Rockers in Glasgow.Agreed' date=' the venue booked another SUPPORT act when Forgotten Sons had already taken care of the support slot by inviting Caithness based BOSS HOGG to fill the spot.The venue was informed regards this and should have informed Cleartone that their services were not required that night.I would say that they had no right to deface Forgotten Son's posters by writing thier band name on it. The poster was prepared by ourselves and clearly stated we had our own support act.With regards to the equipment situation, Cleartone had the use of the same equipment as Boss Hogg with the exception of Forgotten Sons guitarist's amplifier which the Boss Hogg frontman used as he is a close personal friend of the FS gutarist and play in another band together. Anyway, another decent Marshall combo was there to be used.In the Forgotten Sons drummer's defence, he has a double kick 7 piece setup which once in place and set up is rather hard to dismantle and set up again without wasting even more time on a night where it was rather short to begin with.Our bass player was also kind enough to allow both bass players to go through his rig.Both support bands played through the same equipment.Also it would have been extremely difficult for our guitarist to loan his guitar to either of the other bands as he is a left handed player.Guitars are rather personal instruments anyway and any decent guitarist should always bring a spare for back up.I should also mention that Cleartone and Boss Hogg were on stage for a similar time period.Anyway, I won't go on any further, I just felt that a few things should be made clear in amongst the array of childish remarks I've read previously on ths thread.Concentrate a bit more on your music and I'm sure you'll get where your going.Keep rocking in the free world!!! [/size'] JMHow dare you come on this board and disrupt such a beautiful display of parochial Aberdonian paranoia with such words. We are a simple people and resent being harassed by outsiders, especially when they speak the truth. Venue owners in Glasgow carry guns and sticks, and do unspeakable things to badgers by gaslight. There's nae folk sae fine as them that bide by the Don and Dee.Burn in hell, warlock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash@TMB Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 I would say that they had no right to deface Forgotten Son's posters by writing their band name on it. The poster was prepared by ourselves and clearly stated we had our own support act.Hey so what if they wrote their name on the bottom of the poster or whatever - after all they were on the bill too. It's only a piece of paper! You know in some particularily unprofessional venues that I frequent, the bar staff have been known to draw stuff on the posters, even occasionally glue unmentionable things over the top to really deface them for comic value.That attitude towards the posters kind of undermines the rest of what you've written which would otherwise appear reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulDW Posted February 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 We did not deface any posters of Forgotten Sons, if people who came along with us did... then thats a different story altogether. But we as a band had nothing to do with that. We did not need to do this, as we had made our own posters, and sent them down, and they had been put up. If it was anything to do with us personally, id be the first in line to apologise! The main problem lies with the venue... And we know that. The probs with the bands were just set backs I know, which could have been overcome... But guys, both you and Boss Hogg, got soundechecks. Which really does help in those kinds of situations. Situations we hadn't accounted for, or come across before. We were told by the manager beofre playing, if we soundchecked we'd only get a couple of songs. So we didnt have a choice but to go on with it, in which we got four songs. We were using the same equipment in theory, but having a drum kit in front of the amps makes it difficult to sit and change the sounds... Youa re right guitars and so on are very personal, and as such, it would have helped to get some time for that.We decided for music sake, to just get on with the best we could... And that's what we did in the end. I may has misdirected some of my criticisms, and I also exaggerated some elements in my rant (that in nature is what a rant is... but now in reflection, things are much clearer) I didn't lie very much though. On the other hand, lot of people travelled to see us, and we had we spent a long time preparing for it, Im sure you can understand the frustration. Boss Hugo played a complete set, for the record, which was closer to 40 mins, ours was just hitting twenty, when we were told we had to get off... This was by the manager, and not yourselves of course. I thoroughly enjoyed both the other bands who played... In fact I personally thought Forgotten Sons were not only one of the best Marillion tributes out there, but one of the best tribute bands full stop... and Boss Hogg, well personally I'd like them to come to Aberdeen sometime.We did feel like we were messed around on the night, though. But we can't really blame anybody else other than the venue... it was just some miscommunication in general. Guess we just got off on the wrong foot!But its water under the bridge now, a rant is a rant, and this one was in pure frustration... Not really in sound mind! It was just very petty indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve corps Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 total weak ass, lay down and get your ass fucked response.do you often tell fibs? little white ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulDW Posted February 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Was that directed at me? Or to Journeyman? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.