We’ve had incredibly varied few gigs in the last couple of days. We played to a packed pub last night and got a tremendous response. Same thing this afternoon, we had slot from 12-3pm in a pub just out of the main part of the festival so I expected it to be very quiet, but once we started the place filled up with passers by, sold $300 worth of merch and got offered more gigs for next years festival. We even got a tip – tipping just doesn’t happen in Australia. The same guy that tipped us has offered us a couple of shows in tropical north Queensland (that’s the north east tip of Oz) for an exorbitant amount of money and offered to freight all our stuff up there for nothing. Then tonight we were set to play a ticketed show organised by another musician friend – I am loathe to do ticketed shows not only because we had a bad experience last year where we had a very small turn out and barely covered the cost of the sound guy, but because there’s so much stuff going on for free. This one was even worse. There was only ONE ticket sold, and that was purchased by a friend of ours who we’ve since taken on board as our “merch-bi#ch”. The venue didn’t tell us this until half an hour before doors opened so we called it off. Nobody on the bill has a big enough name let alone a following to get away with this. It’s a classic case of egos leading to taking ridiculous chances. Still, only lost the cost of the sound guy for the hour he was there, and split 5 ways it amounts to practically nothing. Since the gig was cancelled I used the opportunity to catch some music with a friend and had a great night. And my fingers could really use a break anyway – my left hand is fine but the middle and ring fingers on my right hand are pretty raw. I play with a hybrid picking style and two 3 hour gigs in stifling heat and high humidity has really softened them up.
Have you ever had a total blow-out disaster gig? Or attended one?
No G&L question but I will ask a gear one. I’ve seen some frankly ridiculous rigs here. I’m using my Classic S, 4 pedals and a Peavey Encore (40W, 1x10" speaker) I got for $40. There was a guy in the band on after us wheeling in a Two-Rock amp, 4 guitars and a pedal board the size of a door in a flight case (why do you need a flight case for things esigned to be stepped on?
) on this tiny stage. Another guy had a massive road case with an amp head and a power conditioner and effects rack in it and a pedal board the size of the door. I find it funny is that whenever I see a pro’s rig its cheap as chips and beat to hell, yet so many amatuers have top-of-the-line, shiny stuff that IMO is totally superfluous. I like good stuff as much as the next gear nerd, but these places are, as you Americans would say, “dive bars” that hold 200 people at a push and have small stages. I know that the sound guys HATE it because they always say to us that they’re grateful we brought more venue appropriate equipment and thus could get a better sound. This goes on… Many bands complain that coming to this festival here costs too much. There are other bands who have come from up Melbourne and each member has driven up separately so they can take their best stuff. No wonder they can’t break even! We pooled our stuff together, packed conservatively and considerately and by doing so have covered car hire and fuel costs already despite having done only two shows. By staying on a friend’s floor we have saved $1600. There are bands renting houses for this much for ONE WEEK! Its ridiculous.
What would you REALLY do - show your stuff off or take something sensible?
I’ve still not seen a single G&L except my own, but someone did ask me today if my guitar was a Tomkins (I don't think he couldn't read as he was looking right at the headstock from half a foot away). He hadn’t heard of G&L at all. I had a strong urge today to order a solid body Bluesboy with a Bigsby, and I’ve learned that I want a vibe/vibrato pedal too after using the other guitarists' one at a rehearsal.
I'll add that I've been on about 4 hours sleep each night and am beginning to think that Thatcher may have been on to something... I find this worrying
) 
