 The Doublers BBoard
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Author: clarinets1
Date: 2007-04-19 16:39
Hmmm..
how does one get a gig at the Branson theatres? just go in and audition? know people? any idea how to break in?
just wondering....
JK
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Author: anonrob
Date: 2007-04-20 01:18
Last I heard, there were few opportunities for ww players in Branson. I think most players got their gigs through word of mouth and recommendations from players already there.
Rob
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2007-05-02 15:01
Branson is located in the relative "middle of nowhere", and was not (until the last twenty years or so) a significant reservoir of musical talent outside of the "C & W" school. While many of these folks have been in the union for years, there were also many who were not.
The only folks who I have known who have played Branson (outside of any solo talents) got their work exclusively through word of mouth. I've never seen anything in International Musician announcing any vacancies in the area. I would imagine, based upon location, that they are out of the Kansas City local, but you could check that on the AFM website to be sure. (By way of an example, our Houston local also has a couple of the coastal counties over in Louisiana.)
While the opportunities in traditional C & W stuff for horns is quite limited (the Grand Ole Opry had an unwritten rule for many, many years that horns were not to appear on their stage, these day Branson is a lot more about general entertainment than it is about tooled leather guitar straps and bouffant hair. Think old style Las Vegas, only with more of a country bent.
While you won't normally see a 5444 instrumentation show there on a regular basis, most of the "pop" folks (Yoshi, Andy Williams, the Mandrells, any Elvis tribute stuff) will at least have a "horn line" with a sax or two. Listen to any of the couple hundred tunes on the two Elvis collection CDs and you will hear a lot more saxophone playing that you would believe ever took place anywhere near The King. Tribute shows are more likely to do the "big" Elvis stuff (like the patriotic tribute), so that would increase the need for wind players - but only up to a point.
Let's be generous and say that there are some twenty "name acts" in the area, and that ten of those (i.e., not including the Shepherd of The Hills theater) will include an average of two saxophone/woodwind players apiece. Jumping into a pool of twenty such players, all of whom have been getting the job done for years, is a daunting prospect indeed.
The trick is not to have the skills (I have upwards of sixty competent sax players listed in my electronic "little black book" but rather to break into such a market in the first place. We musicians, by our very nature, tend to move in groups, and you would start out as an outsider to all of those local groups.
Right now, if someone came to me looking for a guy who can play alto, clarinet and flute and was capable of hacking pro charts, I could give him five names off the top of my head, any one of which was capable of filling the slot. And, these are folks who I know (from my past experience) can hack the parts, not just folks who play alto and happen to own a clarinet and can borrow a flute.
I know if I say Dr. Bob or crazy JD or "that Baytown kid" can do the job that they will show up on time, not make trouble, play the part well, and not drink themselves blind at the cash bar. These are all important considerations for a contractor, and there are some folks that I would not recommend because of their lacking one or more of these abilities/talents. Hell, sometimes the musician-ship is not even the top one on the list.
Similarly, I know of any number of folks who I can go to with the same sort of request and have the same sort of referral list handed to me. And, while I might never have heard any of the names on the list play before, I can rely on the guys and gals doing the referrals to give me a candid evaluation of what their referrals can do.
Out of all of those in those two scenarios, I'd almost guarantee that none of the names will currently be resident in the upper half of the US, much less in Iowa, and much much less in Washington IA. And, I only gained this ability through some fifteen years of experience and gigging in a town that I was "new" to at the beginning of my residence here.
So, the likelihood of anyone from that far away being able to waltz (do people still waltz?) in and grab a job down in Branson without either a) having an "in" who is already there, or b) spending a lot of time there first are slim to none. Too many factors working against you, the major one of which is that you are unknown to the people doing the hiring.
(And, please don't take this as a bad reflection on your residence in the Buckeye State. I would have the same trouble trying to enter the Cedar Rapids music market as would you jumping into the Branson MO or Houston TX pool.)
Absent an open call for auditions (and while such an animal may exist in Branson, I've never heard hide nor hair of it (and I have had musical friends in the area for many, many years)), the best way to establish yourself in that market would be to work in the area (Springfield is the only "city" worthy of the name in the state outside of Kansas City MO and Saint Louis) for a while, get to know some musical friends who do professional work, and then angle for any openings that occur.
Joining the union wouldn't hurt, either. I don't recall if Missouri is a closed shop state or not as most of my "work life" up there was spent in southern IL (which was) - if it is then you will need to belong to the union to work a union shop. Even if they are non-union, you will be in the directory, available for one of those last minute, "OhmyGawd, the sax player just ran off with one of the backup singers and what do we do now?" sort of opportunities.
(Over my entire "working in music" life, I've hired out of the directory a total of three times. Two were just fine, and the part was done in a yeoman-like manner, the guys stayed sober, and all went well. The other one, a drummer, was an unmitigated disaster (she only could play a waltz rhythm and a back beat rhythm, and was totally at sea with 5/4 time). So, I'd take word of mouth over the directory in almost every case. Still, it's there for the true emergencies.)
All of that having been said, I would advise against making a move there with the notion that you were going to "break into" the Branson music scene. Remember, the music there is mostly stringed instrument based (guitar, electric bass, banjo, "fiddle", steel guitar and the like), and few shows would have more than a couple of woodwind players. Those who are already there are going to be wanting to retain their positions, will have a well established network of referral sources and friends, and will be on the inside looking out. As an outsider looking in, that's a pretty daunting prospect.
Regarding the Springfield music scene, back in the 1960's the talent there was paltry enough that I was the Second Clarinet/Bass Clarinet in the Springfield Symphony. With that little call for live woodwind music then, it is unlikely that it has gotten better in the interval. There are four or five universities in the town, and enough players already established that "breaking in" there is going to be about as difficult as it would be in Branson.
Push comes to shove, if I was looking to work for "a living" at music in these United States, I would limit my "playing the odds" decisions to two or perhaps three locations: New York (and mighty 802), Los Angeles (with the film industry and the opportunities that it affords(, and just possibly Chicago (but with a big "just possibly"). To this might be added the cruise ship market, although that is not as good as it used to be, and involves living out of a suitcase in the bargain.
Elsewhere, there is some money to be made, but the opportunities are few and far between. Try to "make it" anywhere else, and you will be squeezing into a phone booth already well crammed with local talent...
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: clarinets1
Date: 2007-05-03 18:47
wow Terry.
that was thorough, thanks. i'd figured as much though, as i have not seen an sort of open audition call for that part of the world.
(technically, i am in Davenport, IA, but the ISP router must go through Washington-or something, i'm not really that technically savvy)
i am looking into the cruise ship thing. i have a few connections already at Carnival and an audition set up for June 20. yikes!!
this will come across as whining, but i sometimes wish that i only played one instrument, like piano players or trombonists. i wish that more when i need to schlep every horn i own all over the Quad Cities to go to three different rehearsals in one day, and then need to practice endlessly to keep my chops up on said horns.
on the other hand, i love that i can play so many instruments well enough to get jobs on them. and the clarinet is just about the perfect instrument...
catch-22 i guess...
woodwinder for life,
JK
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2007-05-08 19:42
On a cruise ship gig, the wider your talents the the better you will be suited for the work. Just like in a show, they are trying to do more with less, and doubling ensured that they have a variety of solo "textures" to keep the music interesting.
Just as a church group, wedded as many are to the "easy guitar keys" can sound monotonous, so too can a week's worth of nights dancing to the same musical group on a ship. Varying the instruments around make the group sound "fresher", for want of a word. It won't readily be perceived as better for a reason, but it will still make a better impression.
If you are lucky, you'll have a player who also does arranging. Under those circumstances, you could have a solo turn written just for you that showcases your best talents (and hides your horrible flute playing skills, naming no names here...) It's also an opportunity to pick up another horn, since you'll have a lot of time to practice (on your own and with the group).
A wind player back in the days that I played had to (at a minimum) be able to double clarinet, bass clarinet, two of the saxes (at least tenor and alto, but being able to handle another sax/baritone was a real plus) and flute. You didn't need to be A-1 on every horn, but at least needed to carry off harmony parts without embarrassing the group.
With the smaller groups that are currently playing the lines, the day of a whole sax line is long past. It will be more like three woodwind players, two trumpets (with flugelhorn doubles) and a trombonist for comic relief. You would be even more desirable if you could sing bit, and you'll learn to pick up the odd percussion duty slot when required.
Good luck on your audition, and I hope you get the gig. For a young, single guy or gal, time on a cruise ship is an excellent way to perfect your skills while getting paid for it all the while.
And, on the line I worked, you got to browse the midnight buffet line after you were done for the night! A long term diet of lobster and crab might not be good for you, but it sure was tasty at the time.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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