What Happened to Built-in Crowds?

music business, music venues

When you approach a venue for a gig, they ask, “how many people can you bring?” Some follow that up with, “we don’t have a built-in crowd here”. Usually even a small venue wants you to bring 20 people, which is dang near impossible for someone just starting out, and just beginning to build a fan base. But how can you get fans if you can’t get gigs? It’s a chicken and egg dilemna.

I was talking to Dan, my drummer, about this recently. He reminded me that, in the past, clubs had a built-in crowd, and people went to the same one or two clubs/bars all the time, regardless of who was playing. I remember that era. I remember I had a few places I liked to go, where bands played original music, and always enjoyed the thrill of hearing a good band (or singer-songwriter) who I had never heard of before. I still do this.

So what happened? How did we get from the venues with built-in crowds to venues where you have to bring your own crowd? Another negative with this is that, how can you reach new people if you always play for the same people you bring? I guess you can reach the fans of the other band playing, but that’s it.

Of course, the other side of this is, with a built-in crowd, the band (or singer-songwriter) has to get a reaction. As Dan said, you had to be *good* to be invited back. Without a built-in crowd, whether or not you’re invited back has nothing to do with how good you are, it’s how many people you bring.

Rob

Live Life Like a 3-Legged Dog

Uncategorized

I had just finished jogging today at my neighborhood park, when I encountered a woman walking a 3-legged dog. The left front leg had been amputated. I petted the dog– she was very friendly and lovable– and asked her master about it. The woman didn’t know how it happened; the dog was that way when she got her. They walked off, and it struck me how happy the dog was. It occured to me that dogs handle tragedies better than we do. They don’t whine and bitch and moan about their misfortunes. Now this dog won’t be the fastest dog chasing a tennis ball, but she was happy. She was just happy to be outside with her master, going for a walk, smelling all the interesting smells, and seeing all the other people and dogs. I’ve seen a few other 3-legged dogs, and they all have the same attitude. They don’t sulk, they’re happy.

So my new mantra is: Live Life Like a 3-legged Dog!

-Rob

Gabriela

songwriting

I moved from Tucson to Denver 10 years ago. I finally wrote a a song about Tucson.

Gabriela
by Rob Roper 1st draft Feb 16, 2010

Gabriela was pretty
though she always looked down
She was like the city
a grown-up little town
I should have left them
ten years ago
But she and the Catalinas
just won’t let me go.

On 4th Avenue
College girls drink
Spending daddy’s money
with fake I.D.’s
And the Sand Rubies play
while I sip my beer
Wondering what the hell
I’m doing here

Out in the desert
Snowbirds play golf
The winter’s too nice here
It’s making me soft
Oh give me four seasons
Winter snow and all
Where the trees
are pretty in the fall

Gabriela, my dear
Summer’s almost here
The Palo Verde trees
have lost their yellow leaves
Oh you’ll probably call me
sometime in June
Then you’ll disappear
like a summer monsoon.

I should rent a truck
and pack up my stuff
Goodbye Santa Ritas
Goodbye Catalinas
But the sun is too hot
in Tucson today
so I’m
just looking for some shade.

Oh, the sun is too hot
in Tucson today
and I’m
just looking for
some shade.

Sea of Hope

"Rob Roper", songwriting

When I was at the Lyons, Colorado Song School last August, I was at my camp, noodling around on my guitar in a tuning I learned from Beth Wood. It’s DADGCE. I came up with a rhythm and riff in the key of C that I liked, and The Muse sent me this line, “Sailing on a Sea of Hope”. But C wasn’t good for my voice, G was better, so as much as I loved the tuning, I decided I had to ditch it and go back to standard tuning. But here’s a lesson I’ve learned: sometimes using a new tuning can give you a song idea that you never would have gotten otherwise, even if you go back to another tuning to finish it.

I wrote the chorus first, and then pillaged an unfinished song from 2005 for some verse lyrics. Another lesson learned: don’t be upset about unfinished songs. Maybe they weren’t meant to be finished. Put them in the song junkyard and use them for spare parts for other songs.

I don’t know if it’s done yet. It’s a first draft. I’ll probably tweak the melody and chords a little more, maybe some of the lyrics. I’ll record a rough version and put it up on myspace.com/robroperdemos. Here’s the lyrics as they stand now.

Sea of Hope
by Rob Roper 1st Draft December 31, 2009

Mistakes are necessary
so I’m gonna make some
This life of comfort is
a life of boredom
The radio plays
the same old songs
I’ve got to do something
even if it’s wrong

Chorus
Sailing on a sea of hope
Bailing out this leaky boat
Set the sail, catch the wind
Won’t be coming back here again
Won’t be back here again

Tired of living
in the slow lane
Tired of saying
another wasted day
Everybody says
“You’ve got it made”
But even the best zoo is
still a cage

Chorus

Bridge:
I don’t know
what I’m searching for
But I don’t care if I
ever make it to the shore

Chorus