Backstage Banter

Art & Soul

Why Don’t Venues Want to Pay Bands Anymore?

I’m not talking about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, but many of the “second tier” performers who play the clubs and bars. It is a fact that for years now, many venues expect musicians and bands to play for tips. In the old days, the bar or restaurant would “hire” a band, pay a pre-arranged amount, advertise and accept the responsibility of getting customers in to see the band. Somewhere along the line the venue owners realized that there was a good supply of quality musicians looking for a place to play and could work this angle in getting the musicians to play, basically for free. And, many of us are guilty of perpetuating the cycle by giving in and going along with the program. Is it because music is an intangible? I mean, the bar owner still has to pay for the booze to serve the customers. Why shouldn’t he or she pay for the music that serves the customers and helps keep them happy and buying drinks? I guess there are just too many of us that love what we do and are looking for a chance to play. Sometimes I think it would be better to have been born before the advent of recorded music. Then, if someone wanted to hear music, they had to hire the musicians to create the live music. Of course, if the king didn’t like the music, he might chop off your head.

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Passion is as Passion does.

Who is that guy grinning in the background? ;-)

Who is that guy grinning in the background? ;-)

I get a kick out of these guys every time I watch this. They exemplify the passion shared by the pros in the know.

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An Ode to the Random

I don’t know if the rest of the iPod music community is as addicted to “shuffle” as I am, but I have to confess a deep love for the random. With my 160gig ipod in tow, I am in awe of the creative thought processes that derive from interesting musical combinations. The intersection of Billie Holiday and Trent Reznor on an overcast Thursday afternoon, or the junction of Black Metal and Doom Jazz on my daily commute can fuel my imagination for days.


In addition to the general creative stimulation of the shuffle feature, I love rediscovering a lost classic or two. Recently my iPod unearthed a relatively unknown classic circa 1988 by UK band “The Primitives”. It struck me that this band were two decades ahead of their time – essentially remaining obscure but pre-empting the current mass of indie girl-group inspired “noise pop” bands (Raveonettes, Best Coast, Vivian Girls etc.). Best of all they wrote some great songs. I urge anyone to resist the melody of “Crash” or the punk energy of “Stop Killing Me”. If you get a chance, grab their album “Lovely” – it’s been out of print on CD for years, but has recently been reintroduced digitally and can be picked up at  iTunes or Amazon mp3.



While I still love the experience of a well-crafted album played front to back (preferably on vinyl in a dimly lit, acoustically balanced room), an 18,000 song library set to random shuffle is one of the great joys of living in the 21st century. Here’s to the modern age.
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Reunion Blues on Formula 1 Movies!

F1Movies

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LUTHIERS KNOW! – Part 1

Mike Kinal crafts incredible guitars and basses. Here’s what he has to say about Reunion Blues.

Kinal

“I bought my first Reunion Blues Bag back in 1988 and decided then that these were the cases for my guitars. The new Continental Series reinforces my opinion – best cases on the planet.”

- Mike Kinal – Kinal Guitars – www.Kinal.com

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High Fashion AND Ultimate Protection?

Just came across this high fashion web site that selected Reunion Blues to help enhance their outfit. – Nice indicator that Reunion Blues is more than just the ultimate protection for your instrument!

overknee-299x300

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FenderTalk.com talks about RB Continental

Our friends at FenderTalk.com struck up a conversation about the popular RB Continental stress test videos that we thought was going in an interesting direction.

Fendertalk

These videos are just as much fun to produce as they are to watch. Stay tuned!

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Gibson Les Paul Blog & Reunion Blues Road Show

Thanks to guitar lovers like those at the Gibson Les Paul Electric Guitar Blog, the Reunion Blues Vintage Guitars Road Show continues to roll and grow in cyber space.

See it HERE.

See Part 3 at Bananas at Large, San Rafael, CA

See Part 3 at Bananas at Large, San Rafael, CA

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Thanks to Wayne’s Guitar Blog!

Special thanks to Wayne’s Guitar Blog for helping us promote the Reunion Blues Vintage Guitars Road Show in Nashville. Watch for Road Show videos coming soon on this blog, and on PremierGuitar.com.

Wayne's

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Our thanks to Guitar Mania!

We are proud to be associated with these good people who are helping spread the word about our popular Reunion Blues Vintage Guitars Road Show.

Click on this image to see Part 4.

GuitarMania

If you would like to see his Road Show offered to your area, contact your local authorized Reunion Blues dealer and let them know they can get more detailed information by calling 800-950-1095.

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