Playing seedy bars.

Rllink

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A somewhat seedy bar downtown, known for live music, is having an "up and coming singer and songwriter showcase" every third Tuesday of the month, through the end of the year. Three individual performers do a thirty to forty minute set, on stage, with lighting, a sound man, the whole shebang. They even have an off stage room for the musicians, with comp beer and drinks, a couch to relax on, and a TV. So last night was the first night for it. I got a group invitation about a month ago, and I decided that I couldn't let the opportunity pass, after all, my goal and vision has been to play in a seedy bar with pool tables, rowdy patrons, and lots of spilled beer on the floor. They also said that they would pay the performers a percentage of the nights proceeds. So I went for it and signed up. I was second up and took the stage at 9:45 last night.

It was everything I thought that it would be. The sound man helped me get set up, did a sound check, and told me just to sing and play my ukulele in a natural voice, not to worry about how loud or soft I was, that he would take care of everything. That was cool. There was lights in my eyes when I tried to look out over the bar room. I could make out the shapes of some of the people sitting at the tables right in front of me, and I could see people in the back sitting at the bar, but not a lot in between. While played I could hear the people back in the corner shooting pool. There was some hooting and hollering going on somewhere, but I didn't know if that was for me, or if it was the pool players. I could also hear some people singing along with me, but I couldn't tell where or who they were.

Anyway, I was supposed to do a thirty to forty minute set, and I think that I hit the forty minute mark, maybe went over a little. I think that there is a lot of room for improvement, but all and all it went pretty well. Several people came up and talked to me, both after the set, and at bar closing. I had to stick around till bar closing to collect my money, and I'm not in the habit of closing down bars at my age. It was fun though. I told the manager that I would do it again if the opportunity came up. He said that he would have me back. So that is where I'm at in my ukulele journey right now.
 
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Did the bar's stage have chicken wire? In my home town, there was a bar named The Club 52 that had chicken wire up to protect the band from flying beer bottles. Congratulations on your brave journey into the unknown.
 
Did the bar's stage have chicken wire? In my home town, there was a bar named The Club 52 that had chicken wire up to protect the band from flying beer bottles. Congratulations on your brave journey into the unknown.
No chicken wire, and no one threw anything at me. But if you check out my signature I have the scene from Blues Brothers where they play Bob's Country Bunker. That is my inspiration.
 
Rolli.....you're my hero. Well done brother, great inspiring saga into the unknown
 
Awesome, congratulations, there's nothing better than playing live to hone your skills.

Well done, congrats, it must have been good for them to ask/allow you back. :)

Ditto to both of the above.

Brother Rollie - I'm proud of you. Thanks for sharing such a cool story. :music: :cool:
 
That's awesome. Congrats on the first stop in your live performance journey!
 
Very cool, Rollie!

I am not sure I'll ever have the skill or the nerve to do it but I have had the same vision

You are my hero and inspiration

Cliff
 
That's great - and the funny thing is that the Bob's Country Bunker clip was exactly what I was thinking of as I read your post. Super job!
 
This is amazing. I'm super impressed. Congratulations! Sounds like it went well.
 
Thank you so much everybody for the kind words. When I first started out four years ago, before I found the ukulele and was still thinking about playing the guitar, my desire was to entertain people with music. I wanted to be measured by how well I entertained people, not just how well I could play the ukuele. I just wanted to sing songs for people and help them have fun. And honestly, before I started on this quest, I was scared to death to talk in front of a group of people, let alone get up on the stage, with the lights shining in my eyes, and play for a bar full of people. I still am afraid to go up there, I think that I've just learned to push the fear aside. But that is why it was so much a big deal for me and why I had to share it. We all measure our progress in one way or another, and I measure mine by what venues I've played. This one has to be the best so far.
 
Congratulations, rllink, for not only having the courage to conquer the fear, but also for getting out there and helping people enjoy the moment. Both are important things, and what better way to do it than with a ukulele.

OT, but as I hear about the terrible destruction in PR, I think of you and those you know who have homes in PR. I recall you saying that you came back to the mainland, so I'm glad that you're safe. (Unless those bar patrons get too wild.)
 
Congratulations, rllink, for not only having the courage to conquer the fear, but also for getting out there and helping people enjoy the moment. Both are important things, and what better way to do it than with a ukulele.

OT, but as I hear about the terrible destruction in PR, I think of you and those you know who have homes in PR. I recall you saying that you came back to the mainland, so I'm glad that you're safe. (Unless those bar patrons get too wild.)
Thanks, and we got a text just a little while ago from our neighbors in PR telling us that the building did not suffer any structural damage and that everyone there rode it out safely. So that is good news.
 
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