Calling all Singers: Any SF Bay Area Geddy's out there?

[wbelhaven]

We've got a couple dozens Rush songs worked up but desperately need a singer.

 

Bonus points if you can play keys. PM me if you're interested or know of someone.

 

Oh, "we" are a lead guitar player, bass player, and drummer, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

Here's an instrumental recording of us doing Anthem. If you can sing along with this, you're hired! :)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlWPS4l5pg8

 

Thanks,

WB

[Narps]

I tried. I sang along but it sounded really sh*tty. I am also probably a bit old for the gig. Best of luck with this my friend. You have my admiration either way.... :cheers:

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Booking a Rush tribute band in the Bay Area is extremely difficult. I speak from experience. We played all over from near Santa Cruz to Sacramento from 2004-09. The person who books for Bay Area Tributes doesn't like Rush and never returned a phone call or email even with persistent attempts. We had some good shoes and played quite a few venues but ultimately the benefits did not outweigh the effort and expense, despite having an actual Neil kit and being a 3 piece. We had a fair following but you can only got to the well so many times. There is a band in Sac called Rash that has a friend of mine in it formerly of a now also defunct Yes tribute that we played with a few times. They are a 4 piece and have an ok time booking up there but they don't play very often.

 

The biggest issues for us were stage foot print and control of the bill. Rush has the luxury of their own stage that is the same every night. Playing clubs does not. The stage must be wide enough to be able to accommodate the large kit and backline and also deep enough for room to move and place keyboards. We both had pedal keys so depth was crucial. We played one gig with two other bands set up behind us so we had a whopping square foot of space. Which brings up issue number two. Playing with two other bands limits how long a set can be. For most bands an hour is ideal, but for a tribute band, especially Rush, an hour is just getting into the meat. Clubs want more bands on a bill with the theory that each band brings more people to drink. Why have two bands when you can have 4? Especially when they tell you while booking it will be will be you and another band then call a week later to tell you it will be 3: you and two others. Then you show up and there is a band name you don't recognize from the second conversation then you realize you are playing with 3 other bands instead. Yes this actually happened to us. Twice. The other option is a rental club where you have to put up money to rent a room. We had the benefit of a room available to us through our guitar player because he was a guitar teacher. Special case and we could play two 1 1/2 hr sets there. The down side was the room wasn't great. Unfortunately that place is a rental otherwise and you would have to put up $300-$500 to book it. Also when you play on a multiple bill they give you anywhere from 10-20 minutes to set up between bands. Good luck setting up the equivalent of a Rush stage in 20 minutes. 45 minutes for us was quick. An hour and a half including sound check was ideal.

 

Not trying to harsh your mellow, just a word of caution/experience from another traveler who's been down that road. :)

Edited March 9, 2014 by CygnusX-1Bk2

[wbelhaven]

Hi CygnusX-1Bk2, I really appreciate you taking the time to relate your valuable experience.

 

In our case, playing out is more of a side benefit than it is the real objective, by which I mean, if we play out once or even twice a month, it will be enough for us. We all have day jobs and other lives, and just like playing these tunes. But we really need someone better than me -- who makes Chewbacca sound smooth and refined -- singing. :)

 

While I've got you on the line, so to speak ... is the dude who sang in YOUR Rush tribute band available?

 

WB

 

P.S. Thanks for giving it a shot, Narpski. :)

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

No I'm not available nor am I interested in doing this anymore. :)

 

Playing once or twice per month is a bit over reaching. We managed one every three months or so playing to crowds of around 60-100 people, depending. We had a core group of 25 or more that were at every show with a fringe of around 50-75 that would ebb and flow. Most people came to see Neil's drums in person up close. That was our attraction. A good chunk of those ended up as return customers. We had a website with videos and an email list and a YouTube channel, fliered all music & record stores and still couldn't manage to get a big crowd to show up. We tried to do more shows but like I said it was tough to book. We did play two nights in a row once with Larger Than Life, a KISS band. We opened for them on a Friday show in Concord that had radio advertising. The crowd was over 250 and more than half came to see us (according to the door receipts and what we got vs the other 2 bands) then left after our set. After the show LTL asked us to play with them the next night in San Rafael which ended up being for about 15 people. We played a different set the second night because we'd been doing it for a few years at that point. There was another local 4 piece band called the Rush Project that ended up doing Van Halen once we hit the scene. We went to 2 of their shows (of about 15-20 people per) after we had rehearsed for about a year before deciding we could play out. We saw them at a few of our shows then they started adding other music to their set then did the Van Halen with some Satriani mixed in then they stopped playing together because their singer moved away.

 

Also do NOT underestimate the amount of ridicule hoist upon those of us who do this. We just wanted to play their music. We started in '99 when we thought we would never see Rush again. We were accused of wanting to BE them which is utter crap. When they returned to performing we felt less of a need to do it. We even started playing things they didn't or wouldn't and then they started to play that stuff too. :)

 

But for us the effort and expense does not outweigh the return. Which is why we haven't played for 5 years.

[Distant Signals]

Good luck in finding a singer. It's tough. My Rush tribute has been around for 5 years and gone through much of what Cygnus mentioned. Non-existent crowds, dual band gigs, crappy pay, non-interested venues. It's been an uphill climb for sure, but we are FINALLY breaking out. Maybe it depends on the market area????

 

We are forutuate to be next to Ohio (Cleveland) where Rush "broke in" to the US market back in 1974 with the debut of Working Man. Ever since then, Ohio seems like a good place where lots of Rush fans live. We just played a show in Cleveland on Jan 11 to over 200 rush fans. some of whom came from Kentucky, Chicago, and other cities. We have a good diverse fan base.

 

All the best