Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: PPPMAT on April 03, 2009, 04:47:38 PM
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I love drinking - but the problem is I don't play so well :P I generally have a nor more than 2 pint rule before a gig - just wondered if anyone else had a similar outlook.
Also I have a gig tonight that is part of a local weekend warriors scheme (not with my usual band) and the drummer in the band is beyond aweful. So bad in fact that I am quite literally bricking it because I *know* he's going to screw up and I'm going to look a tit in front of 300 people. Normally I'd havea stiff few to calm my nerves but if I do I will be terrible.
You just can't win :?
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I rarely drink at all before a gig. Granted that's because I always drive to them. :) I sometimes wish some else in the band would drink less before playing as they mess up quite often.
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The only thing I would drink (if I ever did perform) is water. 10% consumed. 90% over me as I'd probably sweat like hell.
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1 pint because I always have to drive to/from gigs.
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It's a delicate balance for me. I make more mistakes when I drink, but I actually perform better overall, including stage presence, posing etc.
It's still a max of 3 pints until I've finished the playing though.
When I used to play sax with a motown/blues brothers type band I could drink as much as I wanted and still play fine. I find guitar technically more challenging though, hence the difference.
I think it takes a bit of trial and error to find out what's the best balance for each person.
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I play better the more I drink! Or at least I think I do.
Bit of luck I usually drive to gigs, so don't drink anything at all. :)
Roo
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I can imagine the scene from Family Guy with Peter and Lois performing except it's alcohol rather than drugs.
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Totally sober for me - I can't play drunk, plus I drive to gigs.
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Depends on what kind of music I'm gigging.
Wedding/function bands, I'd have one beforehand and probably one at the break. More because I'd not want to have to speak to a client or take their money whilst I smelt of drink than for fear of mistakes.
Otherwise, I'll have a few before hand and a few throughout the gig. I tend to find that my playing barely changes until I' properly drunk and even then, some of my best gigs have been when I've been smashed.
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When I was gigging ; a quick 3 - 4 units of alcohol to take the edge off of pre- gig nerves , and therefore be better able to launch into the first song truly enjoying the song and the sensation of hearing / feeling the band around me . I always liked to play like I was on stage, but listen as if I was in the audience.
Being more of a music lover than an entertainer ; I just wanted to let someone else take the limelight - and me just enjoy trying to working out creative and tasteful ways to work around them.
In rough terms, in spirit I'm more a Steve Cropper than a Keith Richards, more Snowy White than Gary Moore - But of course with far less talent than all four ... :lol:
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A pint can't hurt but lots do. I went to see a friends band one night and there were a few on that night. My friends band were delayed so they decided to get on the 1664. When they opened they were all playing different songs as they were slaughtered. :o That was the only bad gig they had to be fair.
Most don't drink beforehand, I wouldn't its like drinking and driving. You think your ok but your all over the place.
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I don't really drink at all so it's no prob to me but I would never drink before a show and nor would I want anyone in the band doing so.
I rarely drink at all before a gig. Granted that's because I always drive to them. :) I sometimes wish some else in the band would drink less before playing as they mess up quite often.
Could you post a larger image of whatever is going on your display pic? Is that a permanent light going up as a binding?
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None of my band drink, so all problems averted there! Don't really get bothered by nerves, and our set opener is simple, loud and rocking. All tension leaves when we all play that big C#5 chord.
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Haven't gigged for a while, but when I did it was no more than 1 pint before going on, if I wasn't driving. If I'm driving, I won't drink anything.
I've heard recordings of me playing when pissed at a jam session at friend's house, and listening back when sober I could hear the standard of my playing (which ain't that high to start with) deteriorate the more I had to drink.
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I do allow myself a pint if I am not driving but that is my lot. I am there to do a job and therefore consider it my responsibility to do it as well as I can. I try to encourage the others not to drink but one of the lads does get carried away on rare occasions but fortunately it doesn't affect his playing too much.
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Well I stuck to the 2 pint rule and trusted my luck - the drummer only made one large mistake which was a bonus so I got away with it.
You can carry a bad guitarist and a bad bass layer but get a bad drummer and you are fecked - never again
BTW I had a load of wines when I got home :D (rock n roll)
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A pint before, and whatever "adjustment" necessary during.
At one point, one of our mates came down to all our gigs to act as go-between to the bar.
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I used to get pretty pissed at most of my old bands gigs, and to be fair i could somehow still play in that state! Now I dont drink at all until after we've played and I enjoy it so much more. :lol:
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no! extremely bad idea. i never indulge before a gig any longer, and rarely afterwards
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Oh yes :drink:
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i find that even a few drinks completely erases my ability to play! i've played some real mourneful blues while hungover though :)
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I preferred no alcohol at all (especially beer/pint-type alcohol) when I was gigging, but that was mainly because I was the lead singer.
I found that almost any beer impaired my hearing, or at least my ability to "focus" my hearing, and it seriously affected my stamina and the amount of breath I had at my command... Also, I wasn't such an effective front-man entertainer when I was feeling "woolly-headed".
I had to take liquid on board though - during the course of two one-hour sets I would usually drink about 4 pints of water. Virtually all of this must have been sweated out (I never needed a pee after gigs!)
The only exception to this was if I had throat problems. An old folk singer let me in on the "half a guiness with a port in it" secret to get/keep your voice going when you can hardly sing a note... This really does work :lol:
However, you can overdose on it and end up with the aformentioned "beer" problems... so I found out that for me "Port & Brandy" has the same effect on the throat, but didn't get me so p1ssed.
On a "bad-throat" night I would have the pints of water on stage, with a glass of Port & Brandy (4 measures of each) beside them for sipping all the way through the night. If there was much left, I'd down it in one as we started the encore... Obviously, someone else had to drive on "bad throat" nights :lol: (I felt sober as a judge, but I suspect a breath-test might have said otherwise...)
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I used to have a double JD before going on, about 15 mins usually. Loosened me up and for some reason made my vocals far easier to sing. But I don't drink anymore, which sucks because that was always handy before getting on the stage.
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Never tried drinking before a gig and I doubt I ever will now. My 'gigging' career lasted for about 5 gigs before I left the band.
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The temptation is always there, considering you get free beer usually when you are playing a gig. If you get nervous too it's a good way to settle nerves. But i drank 5 bottled beers on Friday before our Bristol gig and i didn't play so well, forgot some of the stops in the songs haha. I drank nothing before the London gig on Thursday and was nervous as hell (though in all fairness it was our very first gig). I drank 3 cans of Fosters before our Worcester gig on Saturday and it was the best show so far, everyone loved it who i spoke too and i made about 1 mistake in a 17 song set.
Depends how well you can handle your drink, and if you get nervous in my opinion. I found a good balance of 3 beers which i will now stick to.
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I've always had a 1-pint rule and since I always end up being the band-leader, it's my way or the highway. Might sound harsh, but there's nothing worse than pissed bandmates forgotting what they're supposed to be playing and missing cues.
My last vocalist got it in his head that a sherry before going onstage loosened up his vocal chords. I let it slide as he was always spot on and it made him perform better, whatever works.
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We as a band have a nice theory: get pissed at practises, and you'll be able to handle yourself fine when you've had a few onstage .. Unfortunately we don't really excercise it, it's mostly 1 or 2 pints for us ;)
Oh and related: never give a drummer 3 Red Bulls right before the gig .. we actually ran out of songs in about 3/4 of the time haha. No problem though, we do long funkjams too :) which turned into a funkmetaljam :lol:.
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Oh and related: never give a drummer 3 Red Bulls right before the gig .. we actually ran out of songs in about 3/4 of the time haha. No problem though, we do long funkjams too :) which turned into a funkmetaljam :lol:.
LOL :lol: