The last time I got paid for getting up on a stage, playing guitar and singing, was way back in 2008. At the time I was one half of a rock'n'roll duo. Not long after the gig my bandmate informed me he wanted to go back to playing in his church band and was quitting.
I tried to get up and running with some other musicians several times, but nothing really "gelled' with any of them. So for a number of years I just sat and played/sang at home and family gatherings.
After our first trip to Nashville I caught the country music bug, and ended up joining a couple of country music clubs. I was fine getting up twice a month to sing one or two songs a day, but then some new, country music club, friends moved to my (small) town and we started up a local club. I enjoyed it for a year but a new addition to the club band didn't sit well with me and I ended up walking away.
During the time I was in the club band we played two "festival" days where the band got paid. I donated my share ($50) to the club as that was where my priorities lay at the time.
On leaving the band I decided to combine my country and rock'n'roll music into one show dubbed The Rock'n'Roll Cowboy. It took me several months to select the songs, find and obtain backing tracks (I'm just a guitar strummer) and work out a system to play them. Initially I wasn't a fan of having a"karaoke band" as it made the playing non-organic, but after several weeks I got used to playing along to the tracks. I have to admit, the band is always on time, in time, ready to rehearse, always plays correctly and never causes drama.. At the end of October I performed a 3 1/2 hour showcase to a small audience (around 50 people) at our local campground.
It went down well and one of those there asked me to apply to the local charted club (licensed to sell alcohol to members with an attached restaurant, gaming room etc). Two weeks ago I dropped by to speak to the manager and ended up being offered a paid gig next Saturday (December 9th).
I wonder if I've found my (eventual) retirement activity?
I tried to get up and running with some other musicians several times, but nothing really "gelled' with any of them. So for a number of years I just sat and played/sang at home and family gatherings.
After our first trip to Nashville I caught the country music bug, and ended up joining a couple of country music clubs. I was fine getting up twice a month to sing one or two songs a day, but then some new, country music club, friends moved to my (small) town and we started up a local club. I enjoyed it for a year but a new addition to the club band didn't sit well with me and I ended up walking away.
During the time I was in the club band we played two "festival" days where the band got paid. I donated my share ($50) to the club as that was where my priorities lay at the time.
On leaving the band I decided to combine my country and rock'n'roll music into one show dubbed The Rock'n'Roll Cowboy. It took me several months to select the songs, find and obtain backing tracks (I'm just a guitar strummer) and work out a system to play them. Initially I wasn't a fan of having a"karaoke band" as it made the playing non-organic, but after several weeks I got used to playing along to the tracks. I have to admit, the band is always on time, in time, ready to rehearse, always plays correctly and never causes drama.. At the end of October I performed a 3 1/2 hour showcase to a small audience (around 50 people) at our local campground.
It went down well and one of those there asked me to apply to the local charted club (licensed to sell alcohol to members with an attached restaurant, gaming room etc). Two weeks ago I dropped by to speak to the manager and ended up being offered a paid gig next Saturday (December 9th).
I wonder if I've found my (eventual) retirement activity?
?
