Gigs

I recently received this question from another bassist:

“Hello!

I am a professional bassist based in New Orleans.  I am, for the first time, playing with 3 groups, an original funk band, a blues-band, and a serious cover band.  This is in addition to teaching.  My question to you, if you don’t mind taking time out of your busy schedule, is how you juggle so many band without getting double-bookings?  Do you give certain bands priority?  Do you simply fill you calender until it is full and then nothing more?  Thanks in advance!”

As a freelancer, this is always a tricky subject to maneuver.  In brief, I do prioritize around my main acts and accept work with other groups as as sub to fill in my calendar as needed. I always check with my main acts as far in advance as possible to get our schedule, and I keep multiple subs for those acts as well. Fortunately, everyone I work for is flexible in that if I can’t make a new gig they have booked that they have other bassists or don’t expect me to cancel a previous commitment I might have made. That being said, I want to keep them happy first and foremost and will juggle gig depending on who needs me most and what work for all of us the best!