Your big break?

[Professor Riffs]

Let's get some first gig stories up in this piece.

Mine was about 14 years ago, I'd been playing for all of like 6 months. Battle of the bands for this yearly local summer fest type thing. We took 3rd place, though I have no idea how. We played Holy Wars...The Punishment Due by Megadeth, Smells Like Teen Spirit (I'd like to see the count on how many people have played that at their first gig), and some original we worked up the night before. I have the video somewhere................It really pains my soul to watch it. It must be kept hidden, nobody shall ever know my horrible secret!

[Bellringer]

Just your average terrible high school cover band that played at school dances. Of course we moved on to doing 50/50 originals and covers at the local VFW's. Nothing to be proud of. I guess we made the kids at the dances happy.

[mikegee]

i was siting round the house like 5-6 years ago listening to the radio. local dj kevin matthews invited any musicians to come down and sing a song on the radio show, so i called his producer and caught the train downtown... got to sing an original live on the radio, all the while singin and playin, him and his morning zoo crew were interjecting their wacky brand of humor on the air! got to go home with a tape of the performance, pretty damn cool...

also, another last minute thingee, saw an ad in the paper for local cable access tv cable show dedicated to aspiring songwriters... ran down to the studio the same day, and the show aired the next weekend...

gotta start somewhere, be a local yokel!

[smopo24]

i had a gig with a band at a coffee house; they replaced me the week before the show; i put together a band and did a joke song with some friends. they broke up after that performance; but so did we! they had no vocals, no bass, and 3 guitars...it realy sucked!

[drewsifer]

We raised money for our middle school to buy new spotlights for the auditorium. We were playing immigrant song, we went a little over time and they turned the lights on. I have never seen a 6th grader tossed so far in all my life. he was chucked from the back row to the center of the pit that formed. they had nurse betty take a look at him. ahhhhhhhhh those were the days!

[Chaorta]

I was invited to play an abstract noise festival at the Velvet Lounge in Washington DC. I agreed to do on the following conditions:

1 pack of marlboro reds
3 bottles of heineken
$43.00 to cover the cost of meat

The idea for the show was me, a Sequential Prophet VS, a Yamaha CS2x, and a 3 foot tall pinata in the shape of a matador, and a large knife. I was to dissect the matador, which i filled with around 30 pounds of raw meat...ground chuck, fajita cuts, flank, etc, and do an improved set based around some evolving noise drones i made on the VS.

So i show up at the venue, and the promoter kinda screwed up, booking 9 bands total into a space smaller than a Volkswagon. There was so much gear on the stage there was no room for anyone. So set up in the middle of the dance floor on milk crates, and had an argument with the promoter because i was angry and wanted to go on first so i could leave.

He agreed, and i proceeded to start my set with a nervous ball sitting in my stomach. I got through the first song fine, and began the second, proud of myself. "I did it, i'm here, i'm playing a show." As i was tweaking filters, the 2nd band started doing soundcheck.

Over the house speakers.

During my set.

I turned around and looked at the guy tuning his guitar, and he shrugged.

So i took the pinata and smashed it into a wall, sending raw animal flesh soaring into the crowd. I stepped on the Cs2X causing a horribe squelching to pummel the audience's ear, and began flinging the meat around into the crowd, smacking the guy tuning his guitar in the face.

So i packed up my stuff and left.

Subsequently, i was banned from the Velvet Lounge.

[johnS]

Gotta love gig stories that involve the unlogistical aerial distribution of meat.

[Professor Riffs]

My old band Cannibal Horse (total joke band of like 10 dudes making 100% noise, with the sole purpose of being annoying.....it worked!) played a Halloween show where we also filled a pinata with raw beef & Hershey's miniatures. As we were playing, the pinata was hanging from a moving ceiling fan. We busted it open, meat flew everywhere, band members (myself included) were slipping in it and falling. Then this kid says "hey if I get mace will you mace me during your set?" Of course we would! So on top of this there's a bunch of mace in the air, in this not too large room. A night to remember, indeed.

[plishous]

My big break came about 4 years ago when 12 RODS came to town and i was back stage with the band, Joke'n around with the singer when i asked him if he would produce my band's demo HE SAID YES! we went down to ST PAUL MN and layed down the best music of my life.Later we went back on tour to play and show when my bass player met a girl a got her pregnant DAMM my band is done he quit good times....

[smopo24]

Originally Posted by Professor Riffs

My old band Cannibal Horse (total joke band of like 10 dudes making 100% noise, with the sole purpose of being annoying.....it worked!) played a Halloween show where we also filled a pinata with raw beef & Hershey's miniatures. As we were playing, the pinata was hanging from a moving ceiling fan. We busted it open, meat flew everywhere, band members (myself included) were slipping in it and falling. Then this kid says "hey if I get mace will you mace me during your set?" Of course we would! So on top of this there's a bunch of mace in the air, in this not too large room. A night to remember, indeed.

your meat story rocks.....i used to stay up for days, and then go to my friend paul's house and think up similar crazy stuff to do onstage; most of it would be totally illegal, and none of them made any sense...i'll post a few if i can find the notebook where i wrote them all in.