Well, my most recent gig was yet another fiasco. The owner of the cafe expected me to magically bring in tons of business after engaging me for three weekends at $50/night+two meals. The final night, there were nine people in total, two of whom came specifically to see me, and I made $10 in tips. I was, I learned, competing with the high school Christmas pageant (small town). The owner lit out just as I started my last song, leaving the staff to stiff me on one of the meals and the chef to tell me he didn't want me to come back. What's great is that I gave him several opportunities to let me know, since I was expecting this after getting an idea of his unrealistic expectations (I was to bring a crowd of "family and friends" - family is 2,500 miles away and friends are mostly working musicians with gigs) every single night. Instead of telling me, he avoided me the entire night and left the chef to do his dirty work. At least I got the $50, though. And the customers who were there all seemed to enjoy themselves.

So, I've been reading with interest other people's experiences in bars and pubs - what kinds of setlists do you guys do, and in what kinds of venues? I have a weird repertoire, and obviously I haven't found the right kind of place for it.