When I was young, stupid and literally emailing venues (cough bars), asking if my shitty band could play their fine establishment, I was struck by a hard dose of truth by a certain venue, which shall remain unnamed. On top of being short—damn near rude—to my inquiry, the lynchpin question was if anyone one in the band was under the age of twenty-one. As it were, all of the members of my dumb band at the time were under twenty-one. Boy, did that upset the booker of the venue (cough bar). I was told to not waste the time of the bar (cough venue)’s booker, that we can’t get X’s drawn on our hands, how we can’t "hang out in the kitchen until it’s time to play" and we should probably just play our "mom’s basement," where we can invite all our "high school friends." Only the drummer was in high school, by the way—the rest of us were in college.
Really, I should have taken this booker’s advice. These classy venues are actually bars in disguise and bars mainly make money one way—by selling booze. The term "bar band" exists for a reason. These dad-rock aficionados play to other alcoholic dads, who enjoy listening to music that reminds them of a time when they weren’t fat and had a chance of getting laid. The point of this music is to inspire the clientele to keep ordering pitchers and pitchers of Coors Light—trying their damndest to pretend it’s the ’70s again.
At the time, I was mad as hell and tried even harder to break into the Pacific Northwest rock scene, relentlessly networking and trying to get gigs at what I considered "real" venues, to work my way up from the bottom to a successful music career. Good Christ, if I had a time machine, I would go back just to bitch slap my younger self.
The booker was right. We should have just played house shows. Had I put more effort into convincing high schoolers to let me play in their basement, while they drank beer their older siblings bought them and smoked oregano pretending it was cannabis, I wouldn’t be stuck bitching about the music scene in a local nudie mag (just kidding, please don’t fire me).
All kidding aside, the booker was right and house shows are really the only way to cultivate a following from the ground up. But, for the sake of comedy and filling a page or two of this fine publication, I shall lay out the pros and cons of playing house shows, versus established musical venues (cough bars), amongst these three factors.
So, as much as I like to hate on the local music scene, this is one area where playing a show in a brick-and-mortar building that sells alcohol will offer a distinct advantage. A stage is important and I’m not just saying this as a narcissistic musician who thinks they’re better than the audience members. A stage literally provides safety—it keeps the pedal board out of harms way, safe from drunken stompers and spilled beer. Also, from a populist stance, a stage helps you see the goddamned band. Playing in the corner of a living room might make for a fun, borderless experience between the producer and consumer of the art of live music, but if you’re wandering in late and just wanna hang back to catch a few tunes, you’ll see fuck all and hear less.
That’s another advantage that playing bars have over house shows. Unless they’re just cheap inconsiderate pricks, they’ll have a working P.A. system. There is NO such guarantee at a house show. I’ve seen people sing through a widdle bass amp.
All that technical hogwash aside, there is something to be said for getting to see a band giving it their all in the corner of a basement floor. There is something magical about that fever pitch of energy as the band and the audience melt into one amalgamous, sweaty monster devoid of any individual ego, id or superego. Sometimes you have far more vivid memories of the show where the singer had to sing through a megaphone (and accidentally headbutted you) than the ones where they sounded perfect and you could see them, but after you spent $40 on drinks alone.
And, on that note...
Here is where house shows have a distinct advantage over gigs in bars. There is usually a keg and often you just have to pay a flat rate to drink all night. Or, you can be an asshole and just bring your own cup (and drink all night). More likely than not, people have brought their own cubes of PBR or racks of Rolling Rock and you can either ask politely for one or just swipe one from an unattended box sitting in the corner. If you’re especially wily, you can just raid the liquor cabinet. That’s only if this is one of those house shows in some loser’s rich parent’s house, while they’re on vacation trying to save their marriage. Much better than racking up a $40 tab on drinks alone.
Now, if you’re performing at a bar (cough venue), the host is usually nice enough to provide TWO WHOLE DRINK TICKETS per band member. But, unless you’re performing at a particularly persnickety house show, it should be a rule of thumb that you can just drink for free all night.
This one’s pretty telling about how douchey the people running the show are. All and all, for the audience, a house show is always going to be better for the wallet. Usually, there isn’t a cover, and if there is, don’t go to that house party—who the fuck do they think they are? It’s usually B.Y.O.B., or as described above, there are ways to drink for free. I’ve even been to some house shows that put out snacks. Better than over-priced pub food.
For the band, this could go either way. You’re not going to get paid dick at a bar for reasons I’ve covered over the last year, BUT depending on their greedy system, there is a chance you can get a cut of the bar sales or the door, and you are guaranteed those coveted two free drinks.
There is a chance you play one of those house shows where there is a cover and you’ll probably get a bigger cut of that. Plus, a tip jar at a house show is more likely to get filled up than one at the end of a stage or by a merch booth.
If it’s a packed house and you put on a good show, there is money to be made—and, if the person running the show isn’t some greedy, Machiavellian, trust-fund dick smear, you can make a good percentage of that money. Merch sales are always going to be better at a house show, because people are more likely going to want a memento from the time they got headbutted by megaphone guy than the time they maxed out their credit card.
If it sounds like I’m being biased here, it’s ’cause I am. Until the Portland music scene gets its shit together, starts paying musicians and promoting shows, fuck ‘em. House shows get a bad rap for being seedy and dangerous. I’ve heard from multiple musicians that they prefer to play bars and other "legit" venues, because they think their equipment will be safer there. So, this is anecdotal, but still legitimate—still, the only time I’ve personally experienced instrument theft is at legit "venues." One of the first shows I played, at a very established bar in Eugene, ended on a somber note, when the other band got all of their equipment stolen out of their van, when it was sitting in the bar’s parking lot (which the venue said was "safe").
Also, J. Mascis got his signature Fender Jazzmaster STOLEN at a show at Wow Hall (also Eugene.) Look up Wow Hall—it’s as "legit" as they come in Eugene.
Your pedal board is in danger of getting some beer spilled on it at a house show, but all in all, people at a house party are just looking to get drunk and laid, not make off with a guitar they don’t even know how to sell.
To those who have houses or live in houses where there is a space to throw shows, I encourage you to do so at your own risk. You have to want to do it and you have to not see it as a money generator, because it isn’t. But, if you’re willing to put in the time and money, this is the arena where a local music scene can be cultivated.
Make house shows, not war.
