ShhSleep
(Audenshaw)
Saturday 5 Aug 2023, 10:07pm
I'm a 44 year old guitarist and have been playing since I was 11 years old.
My Dad was a successful guitarist so tuition was there 24/7 and learning was easy.
I went to music college, I even got accepted at Berklee (even though I was UK student) but didn't follow it through. The loan was approved but I chickened out. I was 18 and talk of going into so much debt so early in my life just totally frightened me (the debt was more than my first mortgage). (I did eventually go to Uni and graduated in Maths.)
I've got a really good career that I love, and a family, so this can never be a career option for me, but, I've kept playing over the years and do still do love it.
If I had to present my guitar playing pathway it would be something like:
Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi, Ugly Kid Joe.
Extreme, Dream Theater, Mr Big.
Steve Vai, Joe Satriani.
Polyphia.
(Tons and tons of others but they're the main examples).
I'm not looking for people who are hoping to make careers out of it, however I do see a great opportunity in the industry for people like myself to fill up:
Supporting main acts, with a 30 min set.
We've all been to the Manchester Appollo and the MEN and saw how 'not great' the warm up acts are, we could take that role quite easily. I think this would be a really easy venture to pursue, but all the hard work would be all up-front in learning the tracks to do so. We'd need to learn 30 mins of incredible material, (but get to gig it again and again in top venues).
And, I'm also sure that all current tribute acts would also love this kind of warm up act to their headlining act. So we'd likely have lots of smaller gigs offered too.
So yes, I suppose I am suggesting forming a top-level warm-up act, but considerring the openings, venues, and opportunities this could create, surely that's a good thing. And if opportuinites arise to headline, then so be it!
So if you're not sure what I'm on about:
Polyphia Live, full set.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ynHVGCehoM&t=160s
I can cover almost all of the guitar lines (all of Tim Henson's lines for sure), but would love another guitarist to cover Scott LePage's parts, and even better; Jason Richardson / Steve Vai's parts.
Then of course we'd need drums and bass (and optional keys).
So if this is something that interests you, please get in touch.
I appreciate that this is something we most likely can't deliver really quickly, but it shouldn't take too long with the right people onboard.
So please, get in touch if this interest you.
Cheers.