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Posted by: Staffy Mar 6 2010, 09:53 AM

Yesterday I was on another one of my point-less one-man-band gigs. I have rehearsed for almost the whole week - and for what???
Of course I ended up playing "peoples choice" -typ of songs instead of some really cool Zeppelin, Purple & ZZ Top stuff. As always the audience was unconscious beyond imagination, but at least THEY were happy.... Also I had this gorgeous looking girl with THAT body in front of me, flirting for almost 5 songs, but then she smiled - showing that the teeth was rotten or something like that, anyway, they were almost brown and on top of that some of them was missing as well.

The place were really crowded, and I could barely hear myself when playing - even that I nearly maxed out my 400 W power-amp. So for the first 5 songs I played with the wah-wah in treble position without recognizing it, even though I thought that the guitar sound was terrible....

On top of all this I played like a sack of potatoes or something like that (trying not to write something really ugly). Suddenly I realized what made me stop playing this type of gigs for 12 years ago. For now on I'm gonna quit these solo-acts and stick to my basement-blues instead while putting my own band togerther. How can I be so stupid, that I thought people may have changed? They still wanna hear those silly, infantile songs written by some drunk everyday-poet (swedish people knows what we are talking bout here) and sing along to the worst songs ever written. As You may notice, I'm a little bit frustrated here, but I just must get this out of my head....

//Staffay

Posted by: maharzan Mar 6 2010, 10:07 AM

Aikes!! I still hear the same songs on the bars.. It hasn't changed for 15 years now. Same old songs... just new bands.

Posted by: Bondy Mar 6 2010, 10:08 AM

I feel your pain Staffy

Posted by: Marek Rojewski Mar 6 2010, 10:13 AM

Staffy, are You talking about the one and only Gessle? (my Swedish teacher is a fan for life of Per:P)

Posted by: Staffy Mar 6 2010, 10:32 AM

Nah, Gessle is a quite intelligent man - eg. he knows what sells, and steals a good portion of what was succesful before and making his own version of famous songs. And he's never been abusing anything. I respect him in many ways. I'm talking bout artists like Ulf Lundell (who is a carbon-copy of Springsteen, but 10 times worser, he also writes books-which is even more junk than his music) Also we have a local hero named Kal.P.Dal that died from a heart-attack due to his heavy abuse of drugs & alcohol. He didn't write ONE single song by himself, just stole all the Stones songs and put Swedish text on them. And the silly people here in my area still believes that he wrote them... Oh my god!!!



Hehe, and sometimes even the same bands.....

Posted by: Keilnoth Mar 6 2010, 12:20 PM

I think, you can be an artist for yourself or an artist for others. But being an artist for your public means you have to play things your public like. It's like being a DJ. People always ask you to put those YMCA like songs we have now heard during almost 2 or 3 decades.

Or you can play for yourself alone in your basement or with some friends who like you and perhaps your music.

I personally will make the same choice than you.

Posted by: sted Mar 6 2010, 12:21 PM

Its funny actually, I had exactly the same thing. I had a setlist for a small solo spot that I did that consisted of some Jimi, SRV, BB king, Floyd, Gary Moore etc I showed it to some people before going and they screwed their faces up saying "who are they? Nobody knows them!" to which my reply was something along the lines of "Who gives a crap? I'm playing it!" and do you know, it went down very well!
every band round here plays the current popular stuff and have been for years, so whats the point in trying to compete? i plan on doing classic rock covers with the band and doing some kind of one man blues "Education" set on my own.
nobody really cares when theyre drunk out of their minds anyway!

Posted by: Fran Mar 6 2010, 01:33 PM

I think the problem was the rotten teeth, had they been white and shiny you'd be playing there every Friday night

Posted by: MickeM Mar 6 2010, 02:01 PM

Great body and rotten teeth or great teeth and a rotten body, you can't win them all


I envy musicians like Kalle Pedal, Peps, Nysse, Dag Vag, KennyHåkansson and Jerry Williams for that matter who had the fortune to be in the game during the 70's. It seems everything was more fun at that time.

Yeah, skip the covers. Own songs are so much more reqarding. If I was forced to go back to playing covers I'd rather drop the whole thing. Performing ones own stuff is creative ART, repeating what others made their fame and fortune from is a JOB.



I wonder. Does stand up comedians make covers of other comedians? I know they borrow stuff and so but do they make covers of a complete act, or joke?

Posted by: Staffy Mar 6 2010, 02:16 PM

Aoow, why do You have to remind of THOSE songs....



Yeah, I do as well, bit the problem appears when You're alone - in a band You can just doin' Your own thing, and people are not so eager to request songs... And then of course, its totally different to play where I live than abroad. In Denmark for instance, You can play whatever as long as You do it well, and its appreciated. Here its farmers music that rules - and if they not knowing the songs, You're out... at least as a single performer...

//Staffay



I also like guys like Peps (who I actually are a little aquainted with), Dag Vag is cool, Kenny Håkansson & Jerry are icons that did their own stuff back in the 70's. I have no problem with that, it was a great time!!! But Kal.P.Dal is just such a disaster of a musicians, he couldn't sing, the band was bad and he stole all his music. And now he's even got his own street in memorium.... I can't really stand that, and the lyrics are so stupid, that even my kids would have wrote better ones........




Nah, I havent, I wouldn't probably been playing anything at all, busy doin other stuff...

Posted by: MickeM Mar 6 2010, 02:28 PM

I have to give him credit for pulling it off, making a career for himself. In his case I think it's simple, he could speak for himself, had charisma and way way way too much energy. So rather he had his personality than musical skills working for him.

Does he even got a street named after him???? hohoho that's a bit steep. Hope you get one named after Ulf Lundell too

Posted by: Adrian Figallo Mar 6 2010, 02:51 PM

this breaks my heart staffy... i don't know why all choose to be musicians, the "market" is just not there anymore.

Posted by: Staffy Mar 7 2010, 12:19 AM

Yeps, he's very own street! No kidding! Btw. I think Lundell also has one, I think the "Road to Hell" is his.....



Nah, but on the other hand, it never was... hmmm, maybe in the end of the 70's, early 80's before MTV it was a little bit better, but not much imo. But I don't care that much anyway, I will be playing what I like from now on and I don't care if I get paid, or what people think. from now on I'm gonna have fun!!!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Mar 8 2010, 12:04 AM

No point in being dissapointed man, it's just the way it is. Lots of people earn their money and feeding families exactly the same way, nothing wrong with that. But that is job, not rock and roll. If you want to rock, prepare to give a last dime, and don't expect anything back for a long time.

Posted by: Staffy Mar 8 2010, 12:55 AM

Yeah, I know that, since I've worked in this way for years earlier in my life. I was not planning to do any solo gigs, but when some friends asked me to, it was hard to say no. Further on I will only play with my band, and I don't bother if I have to play for free, since I'm not playing for the money anyway....

//Staffay

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Mar 8 2010, 03:17 AM

In that case, there was some misunderstanding with the song repertoire between you and whoever organized the night. That reminds me on the "blues brothers" when they are going into the club, playing like the "Good Ol' Boys"

Posted by: jstcrsn Mar 8 2010, 04:31 AM

just stop being funny and you won't have to worry about the teeth

Posted by: Staffy Mar 8 2010, 07:27 AM

Hmmm, I wish I had that bird-cage at least, people were falling into my pedal-board like three-four times as well as into the microphone.
Nah, there was no misunderstanding, I guess I'm that kind type of guy who wants to make people happy, so when they ask for some songs - I play them. I could have sticked to what I had planned instead, but then probably some of them had been disappointed. It's not really a joint where people listens to music - rather a place where they trying to damage their brains by soaking them deeply into substances, both alcohol and other one's. There are a lot of better places to play at, but as a solo performer You'll never get into those, since they prefer to have bands instead.

//Staffay

Posted by: Emir Hot Mar 11 2010, 03:59 AM

Come on man, she can't be as ugly as much as you can drink hahah

Posted by: Staffy Mar 11 2010, 07:44 AM

Oh well, if fact tjat have might been true in the old day's, but I stopped drinking 4 years ago, so it WASN'T any illusion... which in turn reminds me of the good ole day's when I met a girl in Denmark with a little cute basker on top of her head. I didn't think so much of that, but in the morning when I woke up I saw my face mirrored in the back of her head - since she had no hair!!! Man, that was a nightmare, and I was looking like a piece of garbage as well, cause of the night before.

Me and a friend use to laugh at this story, but in fact he was worse, since he met a girl with a wooden leg, and didn't recognize that either until the day after.....

//Staffay

Posted by: Shime Mar 11 2010, 10:29 AM

ROFL !

Posted by: sted Mar 11 2010, 11:20 AM

LMAO!

Posted by: Staffy Mar 11 2010, 11:40 AM

So now when I discovered what alcohol does to my brain, I stay with colombian coffee and cigarettes, btw. I have some stories that are a lot worser (they won't simply fit in this forum), but let's take them by the pool in the GMC coffee lovers society when Ivan got the economy rolling !!!!

//Staffay

Posted by: blindwillie Mar 11 2010, 01:56 PM

Stay away from the colombian stuff!
Now I'm curious to hear the REAL stories

"Spela Creedence!"

Posted by: Emir Hot Mar 11 2010, 04:31 PM

Oh man that must have been a terrible feeling.

Posted by: Daniel Realpe Mar 13 2010, 06:07 PM

I think this is common in the whole world!

That's like a curse among us musicians, we expect people to apreciate music as we do,

wooden leg??? hahaha

Posted by: Staffy Mar 13 2010, 10:53 PM

Nah, Im saving those stories for the retirement home in order to kill some old witches.....

//Staffay

"Creedence? Vad tror du jag har spelat de senaste 25 åren ??? Jag kan spela Bad Moon Rising hängande i ett träd upp och ned indränkt i honung över en myrstack..."