Some ranting....

[degenaro]

So..I've been working my ass off recently.
Done 6 shows in 5 days, 8 if we're counting this weekend's guitar show booth demos.
While doing them a few things in my way of thinking changed.
My money gig is getting decent gigs, we opened for Kenny Loggins at a 3000 seat amphitheater and Pat Green at a 1500 seater that's always been a fave of mine since playing there with Kimock a few years back.
Anyways, so I keep meeting all these guys I've never heard of. Imagine a Pete Thorn but less known, and not quite as high profile.
Every one of them kills. I'm there waiting for my sound check and the ego hang isn't there. It's all guys working and doing what they dig.
But I digress, Kenny Loggins band, to get you an idea had Tom Brechtlein on drums (Ford/EJ), so you knwo what kinda lievel we're talking here.
His guitar player Chris Rodrigues (a Nashville guy of course) was killing it. Fantastic tone, huge chops, and played picture perfect.
D/13 and a Bad Cat, 1x12 cabs, delay in a rack, some pedals. Paul, Tele, strat

Pat Green's guitar players (don't know the names) AC30 and Feender with massive pedal boards...Teles, Pauls....

Fly Leaf...PRS, the one guy with a Diezel rig with some Line 6 rackmount delay, etc...
Sameer, the other guy hollow body PRS, THD BiValve/THD Flexi, big pedal board...

All I know is I love meeting guys that kill on the instrument I wasn't aware of. That IS what it's all about.
I've known for a long timee that I'm no "unique snow flake"
But I gotta say being able to hang there puts all the on-line bickering in perspective.
As in no matter how hot you think that youtube video of you jamming in your living room may be, working this is a different story.

And yes, my fingers right now feel like minced meat.

 

[yngzaklynch]

Cool. Man I can't even play well for my youtube videos let alone letting it all hang out infront of a crowd. Hell I clam up at ampfests lol. But yeah seeing other players that can throw down and obviously have talent and dedication is always cool. Bill Staley comes to mind. Glad you're finding success and hapiness in your music career.

 

[bill]

My gig is electric lead guitar at my local church 2 times a week with a solo acoustic with vocals every other Friday night for our version of AA. I'm totally into the gig and very satisfied with what I sound like and what I do. There will always be better and always be worse than yourself, its just reality. Being happy with your work and meeting cool people is a big plus. Some of the very best musicians I ever met or saw we in country bands. From your posts it sounds like you are a hard working musician and a professional which is something most of us are not and in our dreams might want to be. For me I never take money and always do it for free, my job is cool and pays the bills.

 

[GRK]

Well not everyone has to do it for a job though right? Not arguing it's a whole different story/perspective, but I'd rather watch some bedroom wanker on youtube instead of lots of assholes who get on stage. It's great that it's been working out for you though. I think you deserve it!

 

[degenaro]

Well not everyone has to do it for a job though right? Not arguing it's a whole different story/perspective, but I'd rather watch some bedroom wanker on youtube instead of lots of assholes who get on stage. It's great that it's been working out for you though. I think you deserve it!

Kinda wasn't my point.
Let me try a different way, once upon a time I had a hell of an ego, once the 80s and work dried up I kinda changed my views.
But every once in a while I get this notion that I'm "specia" some how, and seeing that I come across "my kind" my the boat load only better, is, well...a reality bitch slap I wanted to share.

 

[Digital Jams]

What you are talking about is what I dug about NAMM the most, seeing these guys I have not seen before and being BLOWN AWAY.

Godin playing on the Laney stage then at TM was the fucking bomb and it was cool I was with cats that also were being blown away.

Some dude that teaches at Chubtone's shop at the Eventide booth, great jazz metal type dude.

Some guy playing a bazillion string bass just bringing the pain.



Yup, I am a HUGE fan of watching guys just lay the wood and I know I feel much better after casting away my personnel demons. If the guy looks like he is having a great time the better imo.....just a big fan of good playing.

 

[degenaro]

What you are talking about is what I dug about NAMM the most, seeing these guys I have not seen before and being BLOWN AWAY.

Godin playing on the Laney stage then at TM was the fucking bomb and it was cool I was with cats that also were being blown away.

Some dude that teaches at Chubtone's shop at the Eventide booth, great jazz metal type dude.

Some guy playing a bazillion string bass just bringing the pain.



Yup, I am a HUGE fan of watching guys just lay the wood and I know I feel much better after casting away my personnel demons. If the guy looks like he is having a great time the better imo.....just a big fan of good playing.

Agreed, but we've come to expect from NAMM stuff. Shit I did a trio thing with Trip this afternoon and he soooo killed.
What I'm talking about is the guys we aren't talking about on forums that make their bread as side guys behind singers.

 

[Digital Jams]

What you are talking about is what I dug about NAMM the most, seeing these guys I have not seen before and being BLOWN AWAY.

Godin playing on the Laney stage then at TM was the fucking bomb and it was cool I was with cats that also were being blown away.

Some dude that teaches at Chubtone's shop at the Eventide booth, great jazz metal type dude.

Some guy playing a bazillion string bass just bringing the pain.



Yup, I am a HUGE fan of watching guys just lay the wood and I know I feel much better after casting away my personnel demons. If the guy looks like he is having a great time the better imo.....just a big fan of good playing.

Agreed, but we've come to expect from NAMM stuff. Shit I did a trio thing with Trip this afternoon and he soooo killed.
What I'm talking about is the guys we aren't talking about on forums that make their bread as side guys behind singers.

Yeah I knew about Godin but the bass player I have no idea who he was, for all I know I should be bitch slapped for not knowing. Huge fan of Trip, total musician for sure

Congrats on the Loggins gig, I know he is 80s early 90s fluff but I have heard his band is always top notch. Has to be a huge rush playing in front of that amount of people.

 

[degenaro]

What you are talking about is what I dug about NAMM the most, seeing these guys I have not seen before and being BLOWN AWAY.

Godin playing on the Laney stage then at TM was the fucking bomb and it was cool I was with cats that also were being blown away.

Some dude that teaches at Chubtone's shop at the Eventide booth, great jazz metal type dude.

Some guy playing a bazillion string bass just bringing the pain.



Yup, I am a HUGE fan of watching guys just lay the wood and I know I feel much better after casting away my personnel demons. If the guy looks like he is having a great time the better imo.....just a big fan of good playing.

Agreed, but we've come to expect from NAMM stuff. Shit I did a trio thing with Trip this afternoon and he soooo killed.
What I'm talking about is the guys we aren't talking about on forums that make their bread as side guys behind singers.

Yeah I knew about Godin but the bass player I have no idea who he was, for all I know I should be bitch slapped for not knowing. Huge fan of Trip, total musician for sure

Congrats on the Loggins gig, I know he is 80s early 90s fluff but I have heard his band is always top notch. Has to be a huge rush playing in front of that amount of people.

That's just it, it was your first NAMM, and there mos def some guys you'll know that you weren't aware before. Trip is one, the guy you're talking about at Eventide is JMR, etc...
couple of weeks ago a guitar player from oregon hit me up, I met him at the guitar show this weekend. fuck me he played great lines.
I'm kinda reverting back to how I was when I first started and found all these guys that just floored me.

 

[GRK]

Well not everyone has to do it for a job though right? Not arguing it's a whole different story/perspective, but I'd rather watch some bedroom wanker on youtube instead of lots of assholes who get on stage. It's great that it's been working out for you though. I think you deserve it!

Kinda wasn't my point.
Let me try a different way, once upon a time I had a hell of an ego, once the 80s and work dried up I kinda changed my views.
But every once in a while I get this notion that I'm "specia" some how, and seeing that I come across "my kind" my the boat load only better, is, well...a reality bitch slap I wanted to share.

I c what you're saying. I never really see any one like that around these days. Maybe I just don't know enough people. But these forums are full of people with great talent and no big ego's. I'd say you aren't one either so I guess you did change for the good if you did have a huge ego at one point.
Either way, keep kicking ass man

 

[bill]

Playing out takes an ego and it feeds the ego. The hard part is the control of the ego without backing down. Its a fine line dance and a hard thing to get balanced in. Chet Atkins seemed like a guy who had 1st class talent but was humble about it yet still was world class and well respected in the business.

 

[generalgrievous]

Honestly love nothing more than watching great musicians in any style on any instrument throw down! There's nothing quite like watching an effortlessly talented player with great tone bringing it. Always inspiring.

 

[blackba]

Honestly love nothing more than watching great musicians in any style on any instrument throw down! There's nothing quite like watching an effortlessly talented player with great tone bringing it. Always inspiring.

It is cool to see a really good musician who can play his or her ass off. I disagree that it is always inspiring. Sometimes seeing someone who is much better than your is discouraging. For me it depends on how I am doing at the time, ie am I in a band, how I am playing at the time, how my recordings are going. If my music is going poorly, I will often get discouraged by a great player, rather than encouraged....

 

[degenaro]

Playing out takes an ego and it feeds the ego. The hard part is the control of the ego without backing down. Its a fine line dance and a hard thing to get balanced in. Chet Atkins seemed like a guy who had 1st class talent but was humble about it yet still was world class and well respected in the business.

Yes and no.
It is a huge reason my many get into this, and it does take a certain mind set to be a muso. But the guys I was talking about have benn feeding their families with that.

Also as I said I'm not talking about the obvious super amazing guys, but the guys where the insane ability is there but not being displayerd every 2 beats.

 

[amiller]

Sort of like big frog in small pond suddenly average frog in big pond. I've recently been going to a small club that has an open mic thing on Wednesdays. I went 'cause the guy that works on my guitars was in the backup band. I thought I was going to hear a couple of so so singers. Man, I was totally off base. There were at least 3 KILLER guitar players that sat in not to mention a couple of killer bass players and drummers. I've lived in this area all my life and never seen or heard these guys before. We're talking great guitar lines and technique everywhere...really cool, really humbling.

Now, I go there most Wednesdays...never know what monsters lurk in the dark.

 

[degenaro]

Sort of like big frog in small pond suddenly average frog in big pond. I've recently been going to a small club that has an open mic thing on Wednesdays. I went 'cause the guy that works on my guitars was in the backup band. I thought I was going to hear a couple of so so singers. Man, I was totally off base. There were at least 3 KILLER guitar players that sat in not to mention a couple of killer bass players and drummers. I've lived in this area all my life and never seen or heard these guys before. We're talking great guitar lines and technique everywhere...really cool, really humbling.

Now, I go there most Wednesdays...never know what monsters lurk in the dark.

Exactly, and I'm loving being the pee-on!
I had the same happening when I moved from Germany to the US in 87, except back then my ego was large enough for me not to enjoy it. Ah, the beauty of youth.

 

[chunktone]

Playing out takes an ego and it feeds the ego. The hard part is the control of the ego without backing down. Its a fine line dance and a hard thing to get balanced in. Chet Atkins seemed like a guy who had 1st class talent but was humble about it yet still was world class and well respected in the business.

Yes and no.
It is a huge reason my many get into this, and it does take a certain mind set to be a muso. But the guys I was talking about have benn feeding their families with that.

Also as I said I'm not talking about the obvious super amazing guys, but the guys where the insane ability is there but not being displayerd every 2 beats.

I've seen many players like you're talkin' about. Chris Rodriguez,(not only a great guitar player, but is also an a list Bg vocalist), and others like him here in Nashville get alot of work because they don't bring alot of ego baggage. It's the ability to give the artist and producer what they want and what the song needs that make them the go to studio guys.

 

[Bob Savage]

Considering that I'm of the opinion that "band" is a four letter word, I'm fortunate in that i believe I have a pretty good idea of where I stand as a player so ego isn't a problem.

 

[1big1]

i know sort of how you feel ed. i am fortunate that as a hand i get to help set up some of those folks gear from time to time. some of those people are just plain killer players.. but aren't necessarily household names. i just try to know my place and do the job i'm hired to do. you need that snake to go to foh? o.k.
as far as my own playing? i don't even attempt to compare my limited abilities to what some of those cats do.. we are in different zip codes.

 

[jesserides2005]

Great Topic!

I've been fortunate enough to make a living as a "side-man" for quite some time regardless of the market, trends, etc. etc. Personally, I think the key to whatever success I've achieved is due to my focus on being a decent person rather than worrying about whether or not I'm the "best" player.

As far as ego's go, I've supported numerous "Nashville Star Wannabee" lead singers, & they usually have enough ego for all of us!