Caithness Map :: Links to Site Map Paying too much for broadband? Move to PlusNet broadband and save£££s. Free setup now available - terms apply. PlusNet broadband.  
Page 1 of 6 12345 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 115

Thread: Howlin' Gaels

  1. #1

    Default Howlin' Gaels

    After a rip roarer of a weekend the Gaels are all set to have a great night this coming Sat. (31st March) at the Y- Knot Bar n' Grill previously known as the Redwood. We are looking forward to hearing The Dead Greartful too who will be supporting us, hope to see you all there. Oh by the way entry is only £6.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    thurso
    Posts
    701

    Angry

    Only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    The last house
    Posts
    2,785

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by K dragon View Post
    Only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    £7or £8 for a disco in Skinnandi's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! £6 is not a lot for two live bands after all, musicians have to eat just like publicans.
    In the image of God? You must be joking!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    thurso
    Posts
    701

    Default

    aye but i didnt see you chargin that much.

    fair enough the bar pays the fee but the public? i thought the drinks were enough.

    its not like its a major event.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    1,107

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by K dragon View Post
    aye but i didnt see you chargin that much.

    fair enough the bar pays the fee but the public? i thought the drinks were enough.

    its not like its a major event.
    Hey, u can always get a return bus ticket to Wick (£3 approx) and come see Duress that night! lol sorry to be hi-jacking the thread, couldnt resist!

  6. #6

    Default

    As Frank Zappa said many moons ago: "What musicians tend to eat is usually brown and lumpy." What he meant by this is that musicians don't get paid enough for what they do and can only afford to eat crud. And he was right. Musicians make the music industry billions and billions of pounds - and in the end, often owe the industry money back. Wrong? You betcha.

    On a base level, however, it's businessmen running pubs who are renowned for ripping off musicians (in the Scottish capital anyway), underpaying them, and in some cases, making them pay for the privilege of paying. Therefore £6 to see two reputable live bands is, not to put too much of a pun on it, small beer. That's about the price of two pints. I'm sure those who 'appreciate' live music would be willing to sacrifice two ales in order to enjoy some fine music. No? K Dragon?

    Furthermore, it's also the bands who are part of the problem. They do themselves no favours when it comes to getting paid. As I said, (in Edinburgh at least) bands are all too willing to play gigs for next to nothing. Some even pay-to-play. Fools. Publicans like this attitude, though. If bands refuse to take what's offered to them, they know there's another 100 bands waiting to take their place. So we, the musicians, need to start charging what we believe we're worth.

    And K - regards Gleber2 not having an entry charge to his gigs. Maybe the Gaels get the door money, whereas Gleber2 maybe gets paid a fee? Either way, both are worth their weight am sure.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    1,107

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by The Pepsi Challenge View Post
    As Frank Zappa said many moons ago: "What musicians tend to eat is usually brown and lumpy." What he meant by this is that musicians don't get paid enough for what they do and can only afford to eat crud. And he was right. Musicians make the music industry billions and billions of pounds - and in the end, often owe the industry money back. Wrong? You betcha.

    On a base level, however, it's businessmen running pubs who are renowned for ripping off musicians (in the Scottish capital anyway), underpaying them, and in some cases, making them pay for the privilege of paying. Therefore £6 to see two reputable live bands is, not to put too much of a pun on it, small beer. That's about the price of two pints. I'm sure those who 'appreciate' live music would be willing to sacrifice two ales in order to enjoy some fine music. No? K Dragon?

    Furthermore, it's also the bands who are part of the problem. They do themselves no favours when it comes to getting paid. As I said, (in Edinburgh at least) bands are all too willing to play gigs for next to nothing. Some even pay-to-play. Fools. Publicans like this attitude, though. If bands refuse to take what's offered to them, they know there's another 100 bands waiting to take their place. So we, the musicians, need to start charging what we believe we're worth.

    And K - regards Gleber2 not having an entry charge to his gigs. Maybe the Gaels get the door money, whereas Gleber2 maybe gets paid a fee? Either way, both are worth their weight am sure.
    Totally agree with Pepsi. As everyone who plays in a band with me knows, Im the tight one when it comes to playing. First thing i do when arranging gigs is arrange the fee (and throw a strop if some-one else arranges it and doesnt find out what we're getting paid!). I personnaly would rather have the security of just getting paid a fee by the landlord than run the risk of charging £x.xx to get in and have no-one turn up.

    Usually with the Red-Y-Wood-Not Bar and Grille the bands take the door money, the landlord gets the bar takings.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Indianapolis
    Posts
    1,482

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by K dragon View Post
    aye but i didnt see you chargin that much.

    fair enough the bar pays the fee but the public? i thought the drinks were enough.

    its not like its a major event.
    it is a major event, its probably the Gaels first public gig in Thurso in around 4 years and Joe paterson's local debut with the Gaels. Plus if I am right there will be 4 sets, two from each band. Some people will pay that much for a taxi to get to Skinandi's and then have to pay to get in and then drink 40 quid. I guess if you don't want to pay you don't have to go? I'd pay a tenner, but I am biased, I know how good they are

    Nobody likes cover charges, but don't blame the band, if the establishment says thats how its going to be, what else can they do except make it an extremely worthwhile 6 pound for everyone who comes along.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    wick
    Posts
    47

    Default

    im with k dragon on this 1 £6 to get into a public bar when you could go watch duress on the same night for free (ok extra for thurso folk) but still ive never seen a band charge to get in to watch them in a public bar

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    thurso
    Posts
    701

    Talking

    i totally agree with pepsi about the whole money thing, he made excellent points about the music business and how bars rip off the bands, and i did mention that i assumed the fee was the bands not the pubs.

    now my counter attack lol (very ill thought out)

    the y not bar isnt a record label, its not a charity event, its two bands playing where others, example astronot, charge 3 pound for three bands. i remember the gaels on the caithness music arts index book that came through my door three year ago, i belive it was 1500-1700 pound for one gig, and drinks were on the house for the band. now for concert conditions im all for that, but a local bar....in a small town? i dont think its unreasonable and please dont think im majorly attacking anyone im not, i have a huge amount of respect for the gaels and there craft. and my opinion is a tiny small insignificant one. my voice is not the majority, i just thought that it was a bit much, but obviously many fans of the gaels will pay that to enter. just a bit much for my wallet.....especially with my drinks tab lol but im sure it will be a excellent night out.

    feel free to pummel me into dust now lol
    Last edited by K dragon; 26-Mar-07 at 18:02. Reason: made a boo boo

  11. #11

    Default

    Have to say i kind of agree with K dragon here. Dont get me wrong Im sure the Howlin Gaels are very good musicians, but being from Wick, I've never heard them and I wont be tempted to go and hear them for £7 when I can go and check out Duress for free. Im just saying I dont think its going to attract people who, like myself, haven't heard them before. They may well be very popular in Thurso, im sure they are, but we've played at gigs with two other bands in Wick who are very popular there and absolutely nothing was charged and I am pretty sure that people would've been willing to pay. As i said, im not slagging the band, maybe its not up to them, but i dont think its fair to charge people to pay £6 to see a local band.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Indianapolis
    Posts
    1,482

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by K dragon View Post
    i totally agree with pepsi about the whole money thing, he made excellent points about the music business and how bars rip off the bands, and i did mention that i assumed the fee was the bands not the pubs.

    now my counter attack lol (very ill thought out)

    the y not bar isnt a record label, its not a charity event, its two bands playing where others, example astronot, charge 3 pound for three bands. i remember the gaels on the caithness music arts index book that came through my door three year ago, i belive it was 1500-1700 pound for one gig, and drinks were on the house for the band. now for concert conditions im all for that, but a local bar....in a small town? i dont think its unreasonable and please dont think im majorly attacking anyone im not, i have a huge amount of respect for the Gaels and there craft. and my opinion is a tiny small insignificant one. my voice is not the majority, i just thought that it was a bit much, but obviously many fans of the gaels will pay that to enter. just a bit much for my wallet.....especially with my drinks tab lol but im sure it will be a excellent night out.

    feel free to pummel me into dust now lol
    See what your saying, but when your coming back after a long break you just can't demand 1500 quid, and the other problem is the other band have to be paid also and they have to travel north from Tain. Also Duress were going to be the support act, and it still woudl have been 6 quid, but obviously due to them gigging elsewhere they cannot make it to this one.

  13. #13

    Default

    OK. First thing's first. Bands deserve to get paid for supplying entertainment. Everyone agreed with that? Cool. If not, I suggest you carry on with the charity work. If a band wants to play for free, forever, good on them. In the long run, though, it will cheapen your appeal, and you will get ripped off. After you've played a great set, the last thing you should have to do is buy your own pint from the publican or venue manager who booked you to play. A little, guys and gals, goes a long way to making you feel welcome and appreciated. If I owned a venue and the bands agreed to play for free, I wouldn't have much respect for them. But hey-ho...

    Now. Cover prices to get in to see a band: this is an entirely different matter altogether. Any pub, club or venue that charges you money to see a band, will, 99 times out of 100, give a percentage of that money to the band. What that cover charge is, on the other hand, can be debated - and will - for eons to come. So feel free to argue about it. Just don't give the bands a hard time for it.

    From what I can see, Y-Not are doing something I fully applaud and commend - making competition. And for that they should be congratulated. A 'new' venue, they've invested good money to compete with Them Along The Road, are promoting live music (you know, real people and stuff), providing quality, and possess that other thing publicans in Caithness are not too familiar with... vision. Tell me this is not a good thing for the town?

    So I put this question to you all: Would you rather pay £8 to get into a nightclub where the only entertainment is a DJ spinning chart hits? Or would you rather pay a few £ less to see a live band in a creative environment that brings people together through a shared love and appreciation of live music as opposed to trying to score with some farmer's second cousin? I know what I'd prefer, and it certainly doesn't involve webbed toes.

    p.s In my experience, live music venues do a darn sight more to make their patrons feel welcome and safe than nightclubs do. So before any Skinandis sympathisers point accusing fingers at me (in case they felt I was making a sweeping insinuation), I say this as someone who frequents live music venues and nightclubs more often than Gordon Ramsay has hot dinners.
    Last edited by The Pepsi Challenge; 26-Mar-07 at 19:16.

  14. #14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeemag_USA View Post
    See what your saying, but when your coming back after a long break you just can't demand 1500 quid, and the other problem is the other band have to be paid also and they have to travel north from Tain. Also Duress were going to be the support act, and it still woudl have been 6 quid, but obviously due to them gigging elsewhere they cannot make it to this one.
    Jeemag, you don't have to apologise for rock and roll. Charging £1500 a gig is entirely up to the band; don't feel you have to justify it for them.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    The last house
    Posts
    2,785

    Default

    When I opened Y Not I was paid a fee by the management and they obviously took the bar take. The Gaels are hiring the venue and are not paid by the Bar. It costs a lot to import reputable bands from the south and a fee will have to be charged if you want new good music. If one is content to watch local music for free then fair enough but Caithness compared to, for instance, Orkney, is starved of new music because no-one wants to pay for the privilige. If people don't want to pay for live music, then the disco at a higher price is for them. The public will pay for the right to drink for an extra hour but not for live music. Is it so surprising , therefore, that all the bigger names bypass us and go on to Orkney.
    In the image of God? You must be joking!

  16. #16

    Default

    It's no surprise whatsoever. I meet and speak with bands on a daily basis (both commercial mainstream acts and local jobbing acts) and they always talk about how it's good to play the highlands - yet never mention gigging in Caithness. Why, I ask them? Because, they say, there are no decent promoters there, no venues with live music as a priority, and as we've already pointed out, 'cause no-one wants to pay for it, either. In fact, the only reason they come to Thurso, you'll not be surprised to hear, folks, is to get the Ferry to Orkney, where, apparently, they appreciate and look after bands better.

    Saying that, the likes of the Newmarket and The Blackstairs do their best to put on bands from the local area and from 'doon sooth'. May this long continue. And the bands who come on here are, I think, doing their best, too.

    But as Gleber2 rightly says, the majority of people in Caithness who want to spend a night out on the town, are, sadly, more interested in drinking for as long as they can than where the live music is. The more thing's change...

  17. #17

    Thumbs up

    Well said Gleber2! And by the way your band was rocking on Friday night.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    thurso
    Posts
    701

    Default

    its not that a lot of venues "dont" want to pay for it.

    its a case of they "cant"

    but like i said im not getting into economics and politics, its not my game nor do i really care for it.

    in the end i think its too much, and im not going for that price. my loss i guess.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Indianapolis
    Posts
    1,482

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gleber2 View Post
    When I opened Y Not I was paid a fee by the management and they obviously took the bar take. The Gaels are hiring the venue and are not paid by the Bar. It costs a lot to import reputable bands from the south and a fee will have to be charged if you want new good music. If one is content to watch local music for free then fair enough but Caithness compared to, for instance, Orkney, is starved of new music because no-one wants to pay for the privilige. If people don't want to pay for live music, then the disco at a higher price is for them. The public will pay for the right to drink for an extra hour but not for live music. Is it so surprising , therefore, that all the bigger names bypass us and go on to Orkney.
    Couldn't have said it better... clap clap clap

  20. #20

    Default

    ye they can.t pay for bands how much have a few hotels in town forked out to get done up just in this year alone ps the redwood had free bands on before so whats change the name and the price o drink

Page 1 of 6 12345 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •