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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | I've heard many stories about how the global blues are affecting us, musicians. From getting gigs to equipment, buying music, recording, family budget, too much free time, not enough, etc.
Has your music been affected? How? |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I don't gig for money so there is no change there.
On the other side, I don't plan on buying anything more than strings and picks for the forseeable future. But that's okay. I'm very satisfied with what I currently have. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Gig-wise, not so much of an effect(thusfar) . . .
Being that I predominantly play "bars', it hasn't had a huge impact(yet). When times are good, people go to bars to celebrate. When times are bad, people(sometimes) tend to t'bars to escape their problems.
When Temp was here, we had a deal of difficulty picking up some gear that he wanted (not in stock). Now, it COULDA' been that stock was depleted after the Holidays, and they might not be re-stocking till after NAMM, I dunno . . .
(d'you find the stuff in CA, Paul?? . . .)
Where I've NOTICED it is that Brick&Mortar CD/DVD stores're REALLY taking it in the shorts. I would assume that the economy & the Itunes/Internet business is really killing 'em off.
Shame too, I really enjoy foraging thru bins & walking out with something tangiable in my hand as opposed to Clicking&Waiting . . .
For the LIFE of me, I don't know HOW the Bang&Olufsen Store in my town stays in business.
I suspect it's part of some Scandinavian money-laundering scheme . . . |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | not affecting it at all. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by cliff:
When Temp was here, we had a deal of difficulty picking up some gear that he wanted (not in stock). Now, it COULDA' been that stock was depleted after the Holidays, and they might not be re-stocking till after NAMM, I dunno . . .
(d'you find the stuff in CA, Paul?? . . .)
Nope. Same story everywhere I went. Lots of high-ticket items on the walls, but the mid-price stuff and accessory lines were decimated.
As for the economy. My business sources a significant proportion of it's product from the USA. The pound has taken a hammering. As of yesterday it was down to $1.38, compared to $2.02 not long ago. That's gonna hurt us. I've had to email a few companies I set up dealerships with at NAMM to say I'm going to hold off until the pound picks up again. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | Thanks for calling me a musician. Things are about the same down in the basement where I perform. I still have the same number of people show up to listen--zero.
I sold a guitar for the first time in years and made a nice profit.
The only real effect is on the retirement account, which means I'll have to keep my day job a little longer, and some tough times for a couple of family members, which means the dollars go there instead of toward guitars. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Mark, I thought the cat was a pretty steady visitor, and was always appreciative of the nap time.
btw, hasn't affected me either, other than the fear of possibly having more time to play my guitars... |
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Joined:
August 2004
Posts: 709
Location: Germany | Paul,
you islanders should adopt the Euro.
Karl |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | The music has gotten better here. People are looking for cheaper entertainment, and a night out at an inexpensive restaurant with live entertainment is just what the doctor ordered. The jam sessions on Saturdays here at the shop have gotten bigger and better too. A lot of "escapees" from California and the east coast are moving here where housing is ridiculously affordable, so there's lots of new blood. |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | I still play as crappy as I ever did. Doesn't appear the economics have affected that. |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | ...I seem to be playing far more Blues than ever before......haven't played the banjo in months! |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Keep it up!! |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | playin da bluse? or tacit banjoing? |
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Joined:
October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | Hopefully, because all I do right now for fun is play my Guitar I'm getting better! :) Of course I could double my ability and I'd still suck compared to some of the members here! |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | There seems that there is more equipment available likely because there are more sellers than buyers. Sellers may be doing so as a means of generating revenue or income. For much of the buying public, guitars and related gear purchases are based on "wants" using discretionary funds, not "needs". As discretionary funds dry up, so will some of the market. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | This is what Josh thinks about it... |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | For one, I have to endure a moratorium on buying equipment (to say nothing of a new axe). No GAS. GAS not allowed. |
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Joined:
June 2005
Posts: 1320
Location: Round Rock, TX | I'm having to channel my GAS. Instead of new axes I'm having a couple of 'em customized. It's like when your wife gets a new do, you kinda get a new girlfriend without all the breaking up headaches. |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | last 5 months, no gigs. hotel occupancy below 50%. corporations are not conducting conventions here much. sucks big time but also gives me motivation for some higher education. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | I have a large inventory of guitars amps and other gear for sale
e mail me with your wants and needs. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | Want: several
Need: money
Oh, now I see that you said to email you. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | No $$$$.
No New Guitars.
Still havin' fun.
I've seen some deals on guitars on ebay but I have more guitars than I really need.
Still fun to look. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Yeah.... I really need to close my evilBay account so that I can't just impulse buy stuff! |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | I had no effect |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 840
Location: CA | I'm happy. When I'm out on the street playing for change in the rain, my Ovations will hold up much better than other beggars. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4028
Location: Utah | This downturn has, for the time being, been good for my musical acquisitions. I purchased the '07C last summer when the factory blew out the 'frg' stock. My 19 yr old bought a 2178T. I bought myself a Hamer Newport.
I've been a cheap bastard for many years. Which means that we are in a position to take advantage of the current deflation.
My personal large purchases are over for the time being, but we will be buying my son a nice violin in the next month.
At work we have seen a 10% cut in flying, which directly translates to our paychecks. But I am senior enough to have only seen a 5% reduction. The wife will probably take a small paycut due to the latest Medicare cuts, but she has opportunities to pick up other contracts. Overall I don't feel panicked about the economy right now as far as our personal finances go. Now is the time to take advantage of deflation, before the coming runaway inflation. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | My wife's a postpartem nurse. They've seen almost a 50% drop in women having babies in the last few months and they are projecting a one third reduction over the next 6 months. (They track visits to doctors.) She was told to stay home from work 3 of the last 4 nights.
Back on track, apparently the economy reduces the number of babies, which reduces my wife's income, which means that she spends less of "her" money, which means she spends more of "our" money and there never was such a thing as "my" money. So I have less of "our" money for guitars. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | It means that I'm pushing the edge with aquisitions of really nice guitars at really sweet prices. If I could only sell somethng to justify it though.
Nobody pays me to play so it doesn't hit that way |
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Joined:
October 2008
Posts: 489
| Well, Mark I spend a lot of time in OB - was there around midnight and again at 0430 - no drop off in activity (on the east coast anyway.) |
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Joined:
November 2007
Posts: 152
Location: Maple Shade, NJ. | Things are actually better, were booked thru June. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
They've seen almost a 50% drop in women having babies in the last few months and they are projecting a one third reduction over the next 6 months. OK boys, looks like we've got our marching orders ... let's get our stimulus packages out there and help turn this economy around! |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | We normally have a high birth rate, being this close to Utah. I need to tell my Mormon friends to get back to business, so my wife can buy me more guitars. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6992
Location: Jet City | All purchasing on hold, but really, it's not like I "need" anything else. I'm very pleased with what I have, and some friends have helped with things that I needed to play live (Thanks again Miles).
I've been off my game for a bit, but have been playing more over the past week, and secured a spot for an "acoustic night" open mic on Monday. I have some other prospective paying gigs on the horizon, so I need to get on the ball and practice more.
I think the bars will be full of soggy pretzels, so there should be good opportunities for playing out.
I know my setlist is rather dark, and I've been looking at making it a bit brighter, but now I ask...
What's better in times of depression, uplifting or blue? |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by Damon67:
I know my setlist is rather dark, and I've been looking at making it a bit brighter, but now I ask...
What's better in times of depression, uplifting or blue? How to sing the blues.
Most blues begin "woke up this morning."
"I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line:
I got a good woman-- "with the meanest dog in town".
Blues are simple. After you have the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes. Sort of:
Got a good woman with the meanest dog in town. He got teeth like Margaret Thatcher and he weighs about 500 pounds.
The blues are not about limitless choice.
Blues cars are Chevies and Cadillacs. Other acceptable blues transportation is Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Walkin' plays a major part in the blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
Teenagers can't sing the blues. Adults sing the blues. Blues adulthood means old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.
You can have the blues in New York City, but not in Brooklyn or Queens. Hard times in Vermont or North Dakota are just a depression. Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City are still the best places to have the blues.
The following colors do not belong in the blues:
violet
beige
mauvre
You can't have the blues in an office or a shopping mall, the lighting is wrong.
Good places for the Blues:
the highway
the jailhouse
the empty bed
Bad places:
Ashrams
Gallery openings
weekend in the Hamptons
No one will believe it's the blues if you wear a suit, unless you happen to be an old black man.
Do you have the right to sing the blues?
Yes, if:
your first name is a southern state--like Georgia
you're blind
you shot a man in Memphis.
you can't be satisfied.
No, if:
you were once blind but now can see.
you're deaf
you have a trust fund.
Neither Julio Iglesias nor Barbra Streisand can sing the blues.
If you ask for water and baby gives you gasoline, it's the blues.
Other blues beverages are:
wine
Irish whiskey
muddy water
Blues beverages are NOT:
Any mixed drink
Any wine kosher for Passover
Yoo Hoo (all flavors)
If it occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is a blues way to die. So is the electric chair, substance abuse, or being denied treatment in an emergency room. It is not a blues death, if you die during a liposuction treatment.
Some Blues names for Women
Sadie
Big Mama
Bessie
Some Blues Names for Men
Joe
Willie
Little Willie
Lightning
Persons with names like Sierra or Sequoia will not be permitted to sing the blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.
Other Blues Names (Starter Kit)
Name of Physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Asthmatic)
First name (see above) or name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi)
Last Name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.)
Mix and Match
(Borrowed from the fingerstyle forum) |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by Damon67:
uplifting or blue? The uplifting oldies that bring back pleasant memories of 'pre-wage earning' carefree youth! The customers will get more depressed, drink more, thus making the owner happy and you get more gigs. Or they get really happy and celebrate their joyous bygone youth thereby accomplishing the above! Win - win... 
Dr. Iffy has left the office... Call for appointments. :D |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 777
Location: East Wenatchee, WA | In a round about way it is costing me a lot. My bank is re-aligning my department, so my "region" is changing. I will be selling my house, and moving to Kennewick/Richland (SE Washington) soon.
When that happens, I still plan on keeping up the worship duties at our start-up church in Hermiston, so it means I will be commuting to church on Sunday mornings and not getting to practice during the week with the group, so it may negatively impact our ministry in that way.
On the other hand, Washington doesn't have income tax, so hopefully that will benefit me more than the cost of sales tax. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Just got th'call today that my regular monthly solo "restaurant" gig has been cancelled . . .
. . . restaurant's been sold. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | and boom goes the dynamite. |
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Joined:
October 2008
Posts: 489
| Originally posted by cliff:
Just got th'call today that my regular monthly solo "restaurant" gig has been cancelled . . .
. . . restaurant's been sold. Wow! They CALLED you? Sweet. On more than one occasion I have shown up at the venue to find it locked and some sheriff's paper glued to the door. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by Capo Guy:
Other blues beverages are:
wine
Irish whiskey
muddy water
Blues beverages are NOT:
Any mixed drink
Any wine kosher for Passover
I beg to differ... MadDog 20/20 is Kosher and it is Definitely a Blues Beverage! :cool: | |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | OMA,
With a brand name like MadDog 20/20, it should be in a blues song. :D | |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | JefferyD, sorry to hear about the forced move. I will continue to promise to visit you someday. It might be more likely after the move. The Tri-cities area is our jumping off point for an annual winery tour. It's on the weekend before Memorial Day. I'll be there unless we have the Factory Tour that weekend. Al will let us know which it will be. | |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | Just heard an NPR segment on mom-and-pop (brick n' mortar) record shops... Very sad. Everyone was shocked when the mighty Tower toppled. But the corner music store and record store is a deep and significant part of our childhood and youth. So sad to see them obliterated!
I religiously try to buy CDs and guitar strings at two little shops here that are still standing. | |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | Between October and December I was gigging about 6 nights a week with both my own band, and filling in with other peoples bands. Also some solo or duo acoustic work too. That was GREAT for helping out with Christmas!
Alas, those gigs are all played out and I'm back down to one regular Tuesday night open jam that I host every week. I'm out there now, trying to hustle more work, and it's not real hopeful out there now.
I'm thinking seriously about:
1. Playing some nursing home gigs.
2. Playing solo for tips at the local, small town watering hole.
3. Look for work in the next county over (which isn't quite as economically depressed).
5. Get back in to teaching guitar.
Gotta do SOMEthin'! | |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | So much for the theory that people will seek out music and entertainment to escape the blues! | |
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How's the Economy Affecting (your) Music?