Dave

[This message was edited by Dave Robbins on 02 July 2001 at 08:40 PM.]

I never heard of anyone calling the local for a picker. Someone got into a road band because they were recommended by another picker.

I believe that many of the producers in Nashville should bear the guilt for being unskilled and lazy.
They simply hire players that can walk in and repeat their last performance. That way they can sit in the lounge and brag and tell jokes and posture themselves in front of their new artist.

Another note: How many of you, if in the shoes of the guys getting the master work, would say to a producer when he called, "Hey man, you know, I think people are getting tired of seeing my name on records and besides I think that some of the other guys should have a chance. So why don't you call someone else."

Wasn't Pete Drake the subject of the same trashing from a segment of the steel playing community not to long ago ?

What is the driving force that compels a person to pursue a career as a session steel player?

I understand the pride and sense of accomplishment when you see your name on a hit record and hear your playing on the radio.

But, for lack of a better phrase... "Where's the Beef?!"

Is there a retirement plan?
Stock options?
Medical/Dental for you and your family?
What are the general perks?
What kind of raises are standard?
Any end of year bonus?
Is there such a thing as getting a promotion?
What about general job security (ie: can you put the kids through college playing sessions?)
Who do you actually work for?
Do you need to have a day job in addition to being a session player?
What are your normal hours?

If there were more than a few guys doing the session work, would there be enough to keep everybody "in the black" financially?

Has steel session playing made anyone a millionaire?

What is the "brass ring" that folks are reaching for when they say they want to break-in to the session steeler scene?

(and BTW, who do they use on steel in the video?... session player or road player?).

I ask these questions with the utmost respect (and curiosity) to those who are willing to share their expierience.

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this career choice.
-pb

Many guys do 2-3 sessions per day. If they're in demand enough to request "leader" scale, the bucks double. Do the math.

I can think of quite a few session players (though not all steel players) who have been conservative in their demeanors and lifestyles and have probably become millionaires through successful investing... mutual funds, real estate, etc. Just like many middle-class folk of all professions have done during the 80's and 90's.

I believe the main attraction of having a successful studio career is that, after you've seen the country a few thousand times through the windows of a bus, and have partied with all the road women you wanted to, and drank all the liquor you felt like consuming, that life looks rather dim compared to coming home to a nice house, a loving wife/partner, family, and the pleasure of your own bed, with your clothes in a closet and chest of drawer... not a suitcase.

I quit "the road" at the age of 33, 20 years ago. I realized that I was not getting any younger and that the most valuable resource I had was my time. When I toured, 90% of my time was as a prisoner... of the bus, the motel, the restaurant, etc.... When at home I'm in command of my time and my destiny. So, if I were to go on another road gig, it would have to pay enough that I could justify the discomfort and emotional loneliness involved.

BTW, I don't consider going out with Johnny Bush for 2-3 days around TX to be a "road gig," though even those trips don't have the allure that sleeping in my own bed does. funny what age does to a guy!

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

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  ~ ~
  ©¿©          ars longa,
  mm         vita brevis 
-=�sr€=-

[This message was edited by Smiley Roberts on 03 July 2001 at 02:56 PM.]

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

1.Man, that's the best song I've ever heard! (while all the time you're thinking "this is the worse written piece of crap I've ever heard!")
2."Let's get together" ( in a pig's eye!)
3."Man, this is the best studio I've ever played in, and beleive me I've played in them all!)
4. "You sure have a beautiful voice, I know you're going to go far in this business!"
5. " You're so good.I sure hope you'll call me again, 'cause I just love pickin' with ya!"
6. "Hey, give me a call, I'll do all the overdubs for nothin'!)
7. "Hey ol' buddy, use me on that session you got comin' up and I'll use you on this thing I got coming up real soon"
8."Hey, just keep this between us, but I'll do that for ??? if you'll use me."
9." I'll bring along my, banjo, Dobro, guitar, too"
10.Do you play golf?
11. "oh, did I tell ya I play steel, too?"

And, on and on and on! I'm sure you have heard them too!
Shmooze... kiss A**...politically correct..."Politics!" What's the difference?
Anything that get's you there and keeps you there whether you can play or not. "Horse hockey or bull puckey", it's all the same!

Dave

[This message was edited by Dave Robbins on 04 July 2001 at 02:01 AM.]

The recording biz is like every other type of business. People advance for a number of reasons, some objective (e.g. sales figures for a sales guy), but there are always subjective factors.

There are a number of factors that aren't directly related to playing that I know influence getting called back. For instance, showing up on time well rested. Having equipment ready to go with a minimum of tweaking. Having everything available and ready to go that might possibly be used on the date(e.g. a lap steel, dobro, effect or amp).Tuning up quickly and acurately. And then there are the factors that can be lumped under the umbrella of 'attitude'. Don't whine about anything (but especially studio politics). If the producer or artist makes a stupid, brain dead suggestion, try to find the motivation for why they are suggesting something dumb. After all, it's your problem: you aren't playing what they want to hear. And it's their gig, they have been given the responsibility to do what they want. Get behind the vision of what the producer/artist/leader hears for the song (even if you have a better idea). Don't get too serious about it (it's just music). If the producer/artist/leader jumps up and down about a take that you think is mediocre, just smile and accept the compliment. Often you can go back later and try something better, if you have a good relationship with the producer/engineer. Don't whine. Don't try to prove anything. The producer isn't looking for you to knock him out with the best steel part he has ever heard, he just wants you to do the job. He'd rather you come up with something that moves the song a fraction up in some direction rather than a totally hip steel part that doesn't particularly move the song. Touch base with the producer and leader after the work. You can call that shmoozing or 'politics', but I know when I was contracting software development, I tended to use people with those sorts of followup skills.

Did I mention that nobody want's to hire somebody who whines (especially about studio politics).

I haven't spent a lot of time around Nashville, but very few of the top players around here do the sort of over the top 'politics' that people have been describing. And let's face it, the people who don't get called to a session have no idea why somebody else got called. They weren't there. I know that it's easy to blame politics, but I'd be willing to bet it was a combination of playing, track record, and the sort of 'business' skills I described above.

Dave

[This message was edited by Dave Robbins on 04 July 2001 at 01:59 AM.]

Please note I am asking this in all sincerity after having read the thread and thought about it. But I am a part time player with no Nashville aspiration or experience, which is a good thing given my capability.

It has been stated that its politics that prevent a great road player from winning the gig of the A-team studio players who are providing excellent product for their producer clients.

Now consider, a hot new gun shows up in town and trys unsuccessfully to take the road gig of some of the great players who are contributing to this thread, then that must be politics. Or is that the product being provided is doing the job and there's no reason to change?

Thanks.

Bill

quote:

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Johan, Nick, and Dan,
I see you don't know anything about Nashville!

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Earl,
as soon as you find a copy, would you locate one for me too? Oh yeah, are there different versions for different "regions?" Just wondering, My original copy ddn't seem to work!

Mike,
I'm with ya 100%!

Dave

[This message was edited by Dave Robbins on 04 July 2001 at 03:48 PM.]

But I do have a number of friends in Nashville who are current or past A team players, and from what I have heard it really isn't a lot different from LA or Seattle. Attitude does matter. I'm not saying there aren't session players who blatantly and explicitly play the political game, but I doubt the majority of them do. Sure you have to scrap to get your foot through the door (in the music biz like any other biz), but I just don't believe that many A team players stay in the game because of who they play golf with or who they fish with. Think about it. If you are doing a dozen masters a week, how much time do you have to play golf?

The major label game is major league. A minimum of a half million for production and promotion of a large release. The producers want to go with the safe choice up and down the line, in terms of the choice of studios, engineers, arrangers, and yes the choice of musicians. Why would a producer want to take a chance on somebody who has never played on a top 10 record (or hasn't played on one in more than a decade) when he could just as easily choose a guy who played on 10 or 30 last year. Or who played on the last top 10 record they produced.

Back in the day, a record was produced for a few thousand bucks (ok maybe $20K in todays dollars), and if the record sold more than 20K copies, it made money. If an artist like Bill Anderson or Ray Price wanted to use road players it was no big deal. Now a major release needs in the ballpark of 500K copies to even break even.