Time was..

Time was- back in the sixties/seventies/eighties you'd put a band together, ring up an agent who would send you off on tour to get tight. The Beatles were packed off to Germany, and many a band followed them, some believing that the same fame and adulation would be theirs by right. Some friends of mine didn't travel that far- just to the North East where it was possible to play every night of the week and never travel more that 30 miles in any direction. After a month of playing every night, you were rehearsed and tight and ready to try your luck in the wide world.

It was also possible to make a living, even at this lowly level. Diesel was a fraction of the price and people went out to see live music every night of the week. When I lived in London back in the late 60s/ early 70s we'd go out most nights to the Greyhound in Fulham Palace Road and watch a professional band. I've no idea how many pro bands were on the road back then. There must have been hundreds if not thousands. Some would go on to greater things, others would fall by the wayside.

As I write this I'm thinking about my own band, now a year old and just starting to get into its stride. We're beginning to play more regularly now- compare that to my band Conspiracy. We played over 500 shows in the five years we were together- and we held down day jobs. We didn't have time or energy to play in other bands, but today my bass player is a member of two other bands and does the occasional dep.
My son Chris has his own band as well as playing with me and guitarist Vince plays in another folk group.I struggled with this a lot because I was only ever in one band at a time throughout my career.

The fact remains that there isn't the work to keep a band playing full time in the UK. There isn't the money. The fees are low to non-existent while the expenses get ever higher. When I played the Patsy Cline theatre tour in 2009 I made money. Last year's Nicki Gillis tour cost me money. I didn't earn enough to make the mortgage payment for that month.

Meanwhile my band makes slow progress. I'm enjoying and grateful that I have a bunch of players who want to play with me, and an audience that likes the songs. But we won't be heading off to the North East or Germany to get into shape. Those days are over. We will get better by staying local. We will build a following by staying local. We will play local shows.

I'm still ambitious. I still have things I want to achieve. I just want to achive them in a different way, in a different pace.