And Now...For Your Dining and Dancing Pleasure

As some of you know, I spent last week cruising around the Gulf of Mexico with my wife Barb.  It was our fifth cruise, but our first time on Princess Cruise Lines.  Even though I was on vacation, I was hoping to get a little inspiration for an article while we were on the ship.  

Right after boarding the Crown Princess, we got to hear a rather good cover band playing on the Lido deck.  I had a chance to visit with them after their set, and got to see them perform (and sit in once) during the week.  The band was Goodtimes, Inc. from Brighton, England.  After watching them for the duration of the cruise, I gained a great deal of respect for what these guys and gals do.

First and foremost, playing on a ship is basically up to a 10 month tour, but playing the same venue the entire time.  It's funny when you think about it...you don't travel to the audience, they travel to you.  That's a long time to be out and away from your family and home.  And oh yeah, plan on working seven days a week.  Musicians and entertainers can usually get off the ship (the crew calls it "going outside") at most ports, but any time the ship is sailing you could be working.

Yes, room and board are included in the contract.  But I've seen the rooms...and there ain't much room in the there.  Take a typical college dorm room and cut it in half.  Now put 2 people in there.  Cozy, ain't it?

Oh yeah, forget about any creative freedom.  Depending on the cruise line either your playlist is dictated by the home office and/or what you want to play has to be approved.  And every band on the high seas has to be able to play "The Electric Slide".  Seriously.

On the plus side, the money can be pretty good (salaries for musicians rage from $450 to over $1000 per week), you're covered by insurance, and it's pretty cheap to live on the ship. And if you love to play, you definitely get to do that a lot.

But what really struck me was the harsh realities of playing to an audience that's not really there to see the band. There's nothing that will suck the life out of a performance quicker than an appathetic audience that sits on their hands.

So, why do they do it?  Most will tell you that it's a steady income and it gives the chance to travel that they wouldn't ordinarily have.  There are a few delusioned individuals out there that think they're going to get "discovered" on the ship.  I'm sure it's happened somewhere at sometime, but it's not going to be great odds.

I guess where I'm going with all of this is to say appreciate any gig you get.  If you're getting to play music in front of people, regardless of the pay, you're getting to do something that the vast majority of the populus never gets to realize.  Enjoy yourselves!

Oh, one last thing....to all the white folks out there, please clap on the "2" and "4" counts...not the "1" and "3".  Thank you.

Next week, we'll get back to the technical side and talk about monitor mixes.  What you want in your mix may not necessarily be what you need.

Until then, put some money in the tip jar for the band.

Ken

Ken Carver has been a musician and performer since the early 70's, and involved with live music production since the mid 70's. He worked for 15 years as a broadcast engineer, building numerous studios and transmitter sites around Texas. He's also worked in Critical Care Communications for the medical industry, R&D for an automated lighting manufacturer, and owned Project Lighting & Sound in the 80's. He currently heads up an R&D Hardware Technician Team at National Instruments in Austin, and still performs on the weekends in the Central Texas area. You can reach Ken at itsjustlogistics@gmail.com