The Best Time

One of the things I get to do in Nashville is play with one of the top 15 wedding and corporate bands in the world. It’s a wonderful gig, mostly because the people I work with are incredible musicians and amazing human beings.

There’s also perks like staying in 5 star hotels in Mexico, or flying to Hawaii for gigs that includes lots of paid time relaxing on the beach. It’s hard work, and a lot is expected musically and physically. But I feel very spoiled at a lot of the shows.

A friend asked how to get a gig like that. So here’s how to land a consistent spot (without having a current member step down, which is rare for obvious reasons):

• Find a small cover band that’s playing some weddings occasionally, who also has good management and a good band culture.

• Ride in a van and trailer around the country for about 6 years with all of them.

• Invest in each other’s lives to the point where you feel like you’re playing shows with your family.

• Help with load in and load out. Troubleshoot the sound system. Stay in kinda sub-par hotels. Deal with strange/difficult gigs for not a ton of money for a long, long time.

• Get lucky and have the leaders in the group start pursuing high end wedding and corporate work, and help build a team around that goal.

• Spend 4-5 years going through the stress and work of transitioning to luxury entertainment.

I never planned on joining a cover band. I did it because I needed money, something to fill the gaps in my touring schedule, and because I wanted to work with other amazing musicians. Along the way I’ve found some of my best friends and had some of the best musical experiences of my career.

The best time to join the right cover band (or any other band) is 10 years ago. The second best time is today.