Book Excerpts

Grind

This is when I started developing my technique for landing restaurant gigs. I live 20 minutes from Atlantic City, NJ. Back in 2000, the music scene was still pretty good for musicians but starting to die off. I wanted to get into the casinos so bad but I just couldn’t seem to find the right fit. Some friends suggested I go through a talent agency because they had most of the work locked up. I finally did a few gigs with some guys that I had become acquainted with from jam sessions. I discovered I was making more money in the restaurants than guys were making at the casinos! Not to mention it was such a hassle parking and lugging stuff through the casino floor. Once I realized I could do better on my own I put in more effort to find gigs. In 2003 I auditioned at as many places that would let me in the door. I did this from January to April of that year. By June I had lined up gigs Wednesday through Sunday! Every gig except one came from me giving the owner a free night of music. I’m not as hungry and determined as I used to be because now I have a full-time remote day job. I’m very selective now but I still have one steady weekly gig. The rest of my gigs are private parties and weddings. Like anything else worth doing, developing weekly gigs is a grind but it’s worth it. To achieve this goal, here’s my list of what works. (IMHO)

Don’t be greedy

 I mentioned in the previous paragraph that if you have a weekly gig, you should be cutting them a break. Your weekly gig is your steady money. Your private gigs are where you can make the big bucks. My philosophy on this is simple. A restaurant or bar is doing you a big favor by giving you a weekly gig. They don’t have to do this. They can survive without you. Restaurants have good months and bad months. An owner who is willing to have live music is like the goose who lays golden eggs. They should be cherished and appreciated. When I started out in 2000, I believe I was getting $100 for a night at my regular gigs. When I was doing 5 nights a week that was at least $500 a week not counting tips. It may not seem like a lot of money to some of you but to me it was life changing. I was doing what I loved and still had tons of free time because I was only working 3 hours a night! At that time and in the present there are many musicians that make more than me on a nightly basis. There are also many musicians that get let go in the slow months because they charge a premium to the owners. My Saturday night gig that I had years ago was at a restaurant that had live music 5 nights a week. They hired a new act that lasted only a month because they charged a high fee. When the manager told them they were being let go, the band leader asked the manager, “How much is Jacob getting?” She told them it was none of their business! They lasted a month and I lasted 6 years.

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