DRUMMER CAFE

I've been in the LA/Hollywood area for the past 20 years. It has been a learning experience, watching how the music industry and the local scene has evolved over the late 80s, 90s and deep into the 2000s.

One thing I see over and over again is great bands / musicians playing to an empty club. It happens for a variety of reasons. LA is really spread out, it takes at least an hour to get anywhere, and there are a multitude of entertainment options that don't require $15 for parking and a 2 drink minimum. At best, these bands don't get paid anything to perform. At worst, they pay up to $500 for the privilege of doing a 30-minute set.

What it comes down to is a combination of having your chops down and just getting lucky enough to find the right gig. Some find it and others do not. I have been in several situations where it was just this close to getting there. The various ways these projects fell apart showed me just how fragile it all can be.

My son keeps me in LA. He's only 12 and his mother won't ever leave here. That, and I happened to get a great day job that I actually enjoy. But he'll be 18 in 6 years, and I'll be free to move about as I please.

It is something that I'm glad I did, but I'm looking at a new experience that is probably about as practical as it can get.

I have been going to Vegas just about every other month lately, meeting musicians, networking, hanging out, and getting my toes wet. Moving is always a big decision. One person I consistently hang with and talk to is a guy named Tommy Rocker. He owns a few clubs out there and has been performing since the early 80s (at least). He says that Vegas is like LA because it's all about who you know.

That is where I believe the similarities end.

With LA, I have found that the further away you get from LA, the more things change. More people come to the shows and you actually make money. But in Vegas there seem to be lots of gigs for musicians who are willing to work. Sure, some of them are casino jobs, and nobody really pays attention to what you're doing. But I'm beyond the need of having my ego stroked by a stranger who is listening to me play a song. I'm also beyond the need to play originals.

In short, I'd just like to make a living drumming. It's a joy to me, even if I'm alone. I don't care if people like it, hate it, or are indifferent. I don't care to try becoming a famous rock star, and haven't for a long time. The boss must be happy and the check must clear.

My questions are:

Is anyone playing Vegas right now? Any words of wisdom?

Repeat after me…”Hi! Welcome to Vegas.  Where are you from?”  You’ll need to say this about a million times. And you should know that VKG means Vegas Kinda Guy.

But seriously it’s been awhile since I played Vegas but if I were looking to play full time it’s where I’d go.  It’s a place for musicians who, like you said don’t need their ego stroked and have already learned their skills.  I left because the recording scene there was almost non existent and that’s what I wanted to peruse.
My suggestion is go for it.  LA will still be there if it doesn’t work out

I have a lengthy professional resume, but it's still a stressful experience moving town.
As Bart say's, you will most likely find yourself at the bottom of the pile again.
I'm two years in at my current location and haven't found the local music community exactly hammering down my door.
There are no openings for drummers in most towns. Each town has too many drummers as a rule.
So whether a town has twenty clubs or two, you're still going to need a lucky break, or a sudden plague of carpal tunnel to hit the local drummers.
My advice for younger drummers is, go to the cities where you have the best chance of working the kind of gigs you wanna work.
For older drummers, I guess I'd advise, go to the places you want to live, then worry about the gigs.
I'm not a Vegas guy, so even if there were a ton of gigs for me, I doubt I'd be happy......longterm.

WOW MP very impressive - a SEAL! - I think your story is very relevant.  Ya gotta try or you'll end up wondering for the rest of your life . . .

You need to contact Mark Atkinson. He does the Wayne Newton gig and he's a very friendly gent. He can give you the lay of the land, or at least direct you to people who do. I had his info at one point. If I can find it among my unpacked moving boxes, I'll IM you.

Is this possible?? That's less than you pay an electrician/plumber/mechanic in LA. 

Believe it or not. Doesn't matter. The singer I worked for a while back hired Steve Caton and Bobby Birch for $50/hour each. As studio musicians, artists and performers go, they're at the top.

If Vinnie had to FLY in, then certainly it wouldn't be worth it. But if he were here for an extended period of time, it makes sense.

I'll be in Vegas next weekend meeting with the contacts I've made so far, and hopefully a few new ones. Hit me up if you're in the area.

Smoggy, your comment about older musicians from NY landing in Vegas reminded me of one of the things that makes Nevada popular with musicians: It's a very strong union state without a history of squabbles. Most of the states around Nevada (except for California) are right-to-work states.

Well, I can give you non-musician examples of the difference in pay wages. Arizona is a right-to-work state, meaning all employment is at-will and unions are pretty much busted by law. You don't have to join a union to work union jobs. Nevada is also a right-to-work state, but the unions are so strong there it's almost an unenforced law. Arizona, Utah, and Idaho ... the wages just don't compare to those in Nevada, California or Oregon, where unionization is forced. I'm not so certain about other states.

I had a friend who was a Scottsdale Culinary grad and took an apprentice baker's job in nearby Tempe for $10 to $12.50 an hour. She moved to Vegas 3 months later for the same position, and union wages guaranteed her at least $18 plus certain health care perqs (by no means standard in Arizona).

I had a friend who was an experienced steelworker for film crews in Arizona. He made ~ $16 an hour here on highway construction, $18 to $20 on film crews. He took a film job in Nevada for $30 an hour and never came back!

The cost of living is only slightly higher in Las Vegas than Phoenix (both are fairly inexpensive compared to other big cities in America) and the quality of life is very similar (fairly high).

HA! after a rotten day at my job I sometimes think of doing this - but I don't have my VW bus any longer and I've lost too much hair and I'm just too used to being "comfortable" in my own bed at night.  Sort of like running away and joining a commune. 

After reading Gaddabout's posts I went on the Craig list to search for jobs in LV (I know it won't be the best source) - looks like you could find playing jobs if you're a bass player.