One-Man Bands?

Jason Paris

Hi folks,

I'm an Aussie fella, living out here with my Irish wife. We're considering a return to Ireland next year; I was hoping do a one-man band act a few nights a week.

I don't mean a Dylanesque, one-bloke-and-his-guitar thing. More a guy who plays piano/guitar/sings, and has his backings on DAT or CD.

My wife tells me I'm off my rocker......that sort of thing's just not done in Ireland. And she may be right, but it's very popular out here.

Was hoping someone could confirm that I *am* off my rocker.....or not?

Many thanks in advance.

Jason Paris

SpittingImage

I know Simple Kid does a thing like that. I saw him play supporting someone and he was quite impressive so you're not necessarily off your rocker. What type of music do you play?

lodgepole

If it's traditional music using backing tracks then i'd say you are certainly off your rocker. Although you may get hotel work, something that relies on tourists. If it's the kind of trad that's common place in Irish pubs outside of Ireland give it a miss while you're here. If you have guitar skills just scrap the backing tracks. It's a tough living though you'll be lucky to find something that pays your way. Is it your primary employment?

Jason Paris

Lodgepole wrote:

It's a tough living though you'll be lucky to find something that pays your way. Is it your primary employment?

Nah, I've worked in IT for 15 years....including a couple in Dublin. I also compose for film, tutor music students and wouldn't mind working as a session musician too.

But here, even a "poor" solo act would earn AU$400 a night. That's around E255, which isn't bad.

Cheers,

Jason

Jason Paris

SpittingImage wrote:

I know Simple Kid does a thing like that. I saw him play supporting someone and he was quite impressive so you're not necessarily off your rocker. What type of music do you play?

If I had to pick one thing that you could say my stuff is like, I'd say "Ben Folds". So in the act would primarily be piano/vocals, but I'd be switching betwen drums, guitar & bass too.

The backings aren't those cheesy MIDI backings. Their full, high-quality audio productions, featuring backing vocals, guitars, horns, strings.....the works! So hopefully it'd be almost as entertaining as actually seeing a band.

It's kinda popular out here in Oz, but I wonder if a career could be made of it in Ireland. I don't wanna go back to working in IT if it can be avoided!!

Cheers,

Jason

SpittingImage

Jason Paris wrote:

If I had to pick one thing that you could say my stuff is like, I'd say "Ben Folds". So in the act would primarily be piano/vocals, but I'd be switching betwen drums, guitar & bass too.

The backings aren't those cheesy MIDI backings. Their full, high-quality audio productions, featuring backing vocals, guitars, horns, strings.....the works! So hopefully it'd be almost as entertaining as actually seeing a band.

It's kinda popular out here in Oz, but I wonder if a career could be made of it in Ireland. I don't wanna go back to working in IT if it can be avoided!!

Cheers,

Jason

Do you do it over there, what kinda venues do you play? to big audiences?

lodgepole

If it's as you describe then good luck to you... There's definitely a market for interesting musical acts, but don't expect the kind of cash you described you could get in Oz. We have a pretty vibrant music scene but it's not a very commercial one. A place worth taking a look is www.thumped.com. Their message boards are populated by a lot of the people getting work around the country.

DadaKopf

It depends if your music is any good, really.