We were playing at an outdoor classic car show. A guy walked up during a break and introduced himself as an Elvis impersonator. He had driven his 1957 Chevy to the gig, dressed in his Elvis outfit, so he definitely had the look, right down to wig and shades. As it happened, we had "Burnin' Love" on our set list, so our girl singers took second mic for backups and we started the new set with "Elvis" up front. The guy was great! He was indeed a "hunka-hunka burnin' love". Unlike the usual singin'-in-the-shower types that stagger up from the bar.
Our instrumental surf music band was starting its second set. For those unfamiliar with the genre, we don't sing. Not even Beach Boys...so just one mic on stage. Essentially we are a Ventures type band. After a couple of songs a nice young lady approached us and requested we play some Bee Gees. The bass player and I knew a couple of songs and were willing to give it a try but got out voted.
Post by oldfartbassplayrwalt on Jan 7, 2020 20:01:16 GMT -5
My buddy, an incredible guitarist, and I were doing a 'background dinner party' music gig for an Italian-American Club dinner. We told them up front that we weren't a band (Hot Tuna, Scott Joplin, Leo Kotke), but the drunken partyers kept yelling for something they could dance to (including a 90 year old Sicilian woman who kept cursing us out in Italian).
So we did a loud version of 'Take Five'. Kind of hilarious watching them enthusiastically dancing, but falling over themselves on the fifth beat...
I was in a classic hits dance band whose members were all men in their late 50’s. We did Credence, Elvis, Stones, etc and we got a request for an ABBA song. We were dumbstruck
Many years ago the band was on a break during a bar gig and a guy wearing a very expensive suit (he looked like a big-city wiseguy) came over to the table and offered us a house-band gig at a strip club. At the time it seemed like a not-so-good idea.
NOW, however, I'd probably have waymore interesting stories if we had bitten on that.
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My buddy, an incredible guitarist, and I were doing a 'background dinner party' music gig for an Italian-American Club dinner. We told them up front that we weren't a band (Hot Tuna, Scott Joplin, Leo Kotke), but the drunken partyers kept yelling for something they could dance to (including a 90 year old Sicilian woman who kept cursing us out in Italian).
So we did a loud version of 'Take Five'. Kind of hilarious watching them enthusiastically dancing, but falling over themselves on the fifth beat...
Playing in my classical trio at an upscale black-tie wedding in Newport, RI when, between songs, a middle-aged guy approaches us and asks for our business card. As I am handing him our card he says: "your group will be perfect for my son's wedding next year....do you play any Kenny G"?
my response: "sir, people hire us because they do not want to hear any Kenny G..."
Years ago, playing in a band that hosted a Wednesday night jam. At the bar, during break, woman next to me says, do you want to go home with me and use the hottub. I said, hmmm, no thanks. I have to go to the bathroom now. She says, so do I, but you go first so I can watch your butt. Helloooo.
Get back the bar and she has moved to the next guy in line. I got a kick out of her Walkin' on down the Line!
Many years ago the band was on a break during a bar gig and a guy wearing a very expensive suit (he looked like a big-city wiseguy) came over to the table and offered us a house-band gig at a strip club. At the time it seemed like a not-so-good idea.
NOW, however, I'd probably have waymore interesting stories if we had bitten on that.
That’s awesome.
When I was in college, one of my professors set me up with an audition/interview to do sessions for background music for films. Turned out to be adult films.
I left with a check for $1,000 as an advance, and a contract which was basically a porn actor’s contract with a handwritten “* Musical services only” written at the top. I lost the contract years ago, which still upsets me because it was funny.
The company then went out of business, I never made any porn music, and I got $1,000 for nothing.
"The company then went out of business, I never made any porn music, and I got $1,000 for nothing."
You are a God Among Men if you can honestly state you made $$$$ working in the porn bidniz ) Seriously though, the music in those films is really terrible. In many cases it's all computer generated with tools like Band In a Box.
Any rebroadcast, reproduction, or other use of the pictures and accounts of this post without the express written consent of Major League Goofball is encouraged.
"The company then went out of business, I never made any porn music, and I got $1,000 for nothing."
You are a God Among Men if you can honestly state you made $$$$ working in the porn bidniz ) Seriously though, the music in those films is really terrible. In many cases it's all computer generated with tools like Band In a Box.
And how do you know these things Peeg? ;<)
Philly! where else? Hammond B-3 Capital of The World
We played a wedding once when the bride asked us to play this anthem from a little known Caribbean island a few mins before the event. It was in an unwritten creole language the islanders only knew.
Needless to say we played the recorded version from a CD for them !
The Top 40/Disco band I was in during the mid-late '70s were walking into the Christmas party for GE in Ravenna in 1977, and one of the people standing by the doors yelled out, "The POLSKA BAND is here! We (the band members) looked at each other and laughed, then told the guy what kind of band we were. Turned out the crowd/employees were thrilled to not have to listen through another Polka band, finally!
At another gig, I was asked me by one of the better looking women who came to see us and dance, for something that I cannot mention on this forum, but I can say that the request was completed to both of our satisfaction (we didn't play that song, sadly).
In the mid '70s a friend of mine and I did an acoustic/electric folk music duo at bars in the NEOhio area. Someone called out the usual, "Play Freebird!" We looked up and said, "Come back next week." (this was a regular weekly gig for us at this one bar in Chagrin Falls) The following week we did "Freebird" and the solo section at the end, we morphed that into "Würm" by Yes (the last section of "Starship Trooper", a great segue, actually).
Last Edit: Jan 12, 2020 2:47:56 GMT -5 by jeffscott
Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 13, 2020 14:41:56 GMT -5
Along the same lines as others above, all male band called "Shindig", already through 3 sets of Motown, Stax, etc., and Britnee asks me if we play any Madonna. I couldn't resist and turned to the bass player who looked remarkably like Higgins from Magnum PI and asked "Hey man, did you bring your cones?".
Post by Bbendfender on Jan 13, 2020 16:57:57 GMT -5
This is true. Late 1970's at a cowboy dance club in East Texas. Our lead guitar player and his friends were all sauced and acting out with the crowd. Not sure what caused him to do it but the lead guitar player dropped his pants and mooned someone in the audience. We were up on a 4 foot stage. He did it several times. Just a little later there was a commotion in front of one of our big PA speakers and I stepped out to the edge of the stage to take a look. Well, one of our lead guitar player's friends was standing on top of a table. His pants were down, around his ankles and he was flapping the front of his western shirt and spinning around and around. I swear this is true. These boys were really "tore up" than night. Years and years later, the lead guitar player (cowboy) had spent several years in prison for drug use and drug dealing. Didn't surprise me. Sad because he was a hell of an entertainer when he was not so drunk. By the way, the crowd loved this activity.
A girl who said "Well, can you try anyway?" when I told her I'd never heard of the song she requested.
Oh, that is a fabulous framing of some of the dim bulbs I've encountered. Lemme guess, she approached you with this important request in the middle of singing a song? I love those scenarios. You stop the band and announce "wait, wait wait...what is your name? Brittnee, with two E's? Ladies and gentlemen, Britnee has something important to ask that couldn't wait". *turns mic to Britnee*.
Middle of a gig last year, drunk lady walks through the packed dance floor, gets up on the stage and asks our keyboard player, while we are playing, if we can play something she can dance to. She didn't request a specific song, apparently just didn't find our song choices danceable. Keyboard player told her "we're doing the dance songs next". Note: her and her hubby were the last ones to leave the dance floor. Guess they figured out how to dance after all.