It’s good to be a working musician

I feel really blessed to be able to play the gigs that I play and to be as busy with my music as I was (and am) in 2009. This past Saturday, Oct. 3, was a very busy day of gigs for me as I performed with my group Rogue River Grass, and I had a good time. You might think that a banjo player in Michigan would be relegated to playing the pizza joint sing-along, or a bar-mitzvah, or the 8 year old’s birthday party. Not this weekend! I gigged out at 2 very respectable gigs. (But you should hear me play Havah-Nagilah on my banjo.)

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This was a bit of an unusual day because we had a 4-hour gig and a 3-hour gig, back to back. It’s not often that we get back-to-back gigs, let alone 3 and 4 hour gigs. The performance day started at the Double JJ Ranch  in Rothbury, Mi., where we were hired to play for the Banjos ‘N Beer event that they threw. Originally slated to be an outside event, it ended up being moved inside due to winter arriving early in Michigan. This is a great venue and it looks to be a popular event that I hope they’ll continue to hold. I don’t know if the weather played a factor, or if the early time slot mattered (we were there from 3 until 7) but we ended up mostly playing for the staff. The turnout for the event during our time slot was very low. Hmmm….one might think that naming the event “Banjos ‘N Beer” might have been a deterrent to having people come; the beer of course is a big draw but the banjo is often looked on as a repellent. However, in the final hour of our portion of the show, the audience finally started arriving, due in large part to the later hour, and to the fact that the act that followed us on the bill was Schlitz Creek. By the time we left, there was close to full capacity in the place, showing that the banjo didn’t actually end up being much of a deterrent. (They have a great banjo player named Nick Deaton.) Maybe it was just me that deterred everyone.  Coincidentally, Schlitz Creek is a phenomenal band and well worth seeing, and it’s no wonder they had a good crowd.

Giddy-up and ride!

So we finished up that gig, then had to hit the road and hot-foot it to our next gig, a full 1-1/2 hours away on the other side of the world. Well, o.k., maybe not the other side of the world, but time was a bit tight. We finished off the night playing at The Victory Club in Ada, Mi. This is a sports bar that has recently been rebuilt, and what a great place! We rolled in and got set up, only to find, once again, that the crowds had stayed home. Hmmm…a banjo player could start to build up a complex after a day like this…

The Victory Club started out in life as Lena Lou’s, but they tore that down and rebuilt. This is a really hip, attractive sports bar that I’m sure does brisk business on a regular basis. The management was aplogetic that there just weren’t hardly any customers in the joint that night, and they were quite excited to have us back with a promise to promote the gig better next time.

In spite of the low turnout at each event, the show must go on, and we played our hearts out. I’m reminded of the story that Lester Flatt told about arriving at a gig only to find one little ol’ guy sitting in the audience. Lester told the man that in spite of the fact that there was only one audience member present, they intended to play their hearts out and give him the same show that they would have given to 1,000 people. The man in the audience simply looked at his watch and then said “well, I wish you’d hurry up…I have to sweep this place!”

It’s all good

All kidding aside, both of these events were fairly high profile, and I really am a fortunate, working banjo player. I happen to be affiliated with two great groups of musicians: Black Canyon Bluegrass Band, and Rogue River Grass. Usually, at least in Michigan, acoustic music gets the cold shoulder and it’s tough to get into many venues; most often the Friday night and Saturday night gigs are the domain of electrified country, rock, or blues. I’m involved with two group of guys who are helping to show that acoustic music, be it bluegrass (like Black Canyon plays) or a fusion blend of many styles done acoustically and including a banjo (like Rogue River plays) can be a viable and actually entertaining alternative to the usual. And the crowds love it!

I consider myself to be a semi-professional musician, which is exciting to think about because I have come so far from where I started in music. I’ve heard that the definition of being a professional musician is that you earn the majority of your living playing music, so if that’s true, I’m semi-professional because I gig a lot and earn a fair chunk of money playing music, although it doesn’t completely support me. All the hours of practice, all of the jam sessions, all of the funny looks from my classmates when I was young…it has all paid off nicely. God has blessed me and I’ve had some truly neat experiences with this here banjo draped around my neck. I’ve done stand up comedy with it at a birthday party, I’ve been on stage with IIIrd Tyme Out, I’ve taken the banjo into community theater and helped win second place at the A.A.C.T. (America Academy of Community Theater) regional competition, I’ve played some prominent bluegrass festivals, I’ve been on T.V. and radio…the list goes on. Not bad for a no-account wannabe banjo player who self-taught himself how to play the banjo.

If you are a new picker, keep at it

It seems that every person who is above average or is just really good at something often says: “I’m nothing special. If I can do it, you can do it”. In my case, it’s really true that I am no Jimmy Mills or Earl Scruggs or Tony Trischka, but I do have skills and abilities. Having said that, believe you me: if I can do it, you can do it. You’ll have to pay your dues and practice and spend the man hours necessary in the jams and playing in front of people, but if you work at this thing called banjo, you’ll get it. Keep at it, ask questions, seek out reference material, but most of all, have fun. My path to achieving some prominence on my instrument (prominence in my area at least) was through having fun. I had no illusions of being a Nashville pro (and still don’t because I won’t ever be) so I mostly just had fun and played my heart out. The skill and success just naturally followed.

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I’m always available for advice, instruction, and pointers, so be sure and check in with me if need be. Thanks for reading, and as I always say: pick ‘em if ya got ‘em!

Banjo Paul
“Wunse, I coodn’t even spel bango pikker…now I are one!”
www.banjosrule.com (main site)
www.mybanjolife.com (blog)