How far will you travel to play/sing?

Subject: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 12:56 AM

We have a weekly Thursday night session at what passes for an "Irish Pub" down here in Bubba-land. Most of the dozen or so regulars live in town, but a couple of us have to drive for an hour or so - no big deal. So, at last night's session, a guy shows up from a town 250 miles away. He's not on vacation or visiting relatives or anything like that. He had heard about the session and just drove over to pick.

Now, I have driven a lot further than 250 mi. for a paying gig, or a festival, or a weekend-long camping-and-picking-party - but not for four hours of playing for free in a bar, turn around and drive home. If I had to put a number on it, I would say 125 mi. (2 hrs) would be the maximum I would travel just to play for a few hours.

I understand that, to some extent, distance is relative. 250 mi. might get you from one small city to another in Montana, while only 200 mi. will get you from Washington, DC to New York City and take you through Baltimore and Philadelphia to boot. And, of course, in some European countries you can't even drive 250 mi. and still be in the country at all.

Anyway, how far would you be willing to travel just to play or sing for a few hours with a bunch of amateurs? No money involved, no overnight accommodations - play some tunes, get in the car and drive home.

Bruce

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Genie
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 01:15 AM

Well, Bruce, it would depend on whom I was gonna be able to jam with! *G*

Our dear Mudcat brother Amos travelled all the way from San Diego to Ellensburg, WA this summmer to jam with the folks at JenEllen's "Camp Runamuck." (Of course, he stopped in Colorado to party with his sis Deda and her son Bull Am.)

But the NW Folklife Festival in Seattle draws performers from all over the world, and no one gets paid (though they can sell their CD's).

I might fly to Hawaii to do a free gig, but I'm not sure I'd travel 100 miles to do a free performance in a place like Bismarck, ND.

Genie

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: kendall
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 08:21 AM

30 miles for free. Any distance for a fee.

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: folk1234
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 10:37 AM

I drove 1700 miles each way from Ada, OK to Anna's 2nd mudcat gathering. Three days of music and new friends made it well worth while. Each month I drive 90 miles each way for several hours of music and fun at the Oklahoma City Tradition Music Asociation, www.octma.org.

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 02:04 PM

I know someone who has driven down to Nashville, from Bridgeport, Connecticut... must be a three or four hundred mile drive just to sing a song at the open mic night at the Bluebird Cafe. Garth Brooks was discoevered there. That doesn't mean that everyone is going to have the same career as Garth Brooks. But, the guy didn't seem to minf the drive... drive down, wait a couple of hours to do one song, get in the car and drive home. And never get discovered. To each his own. I'll go as far as anyone wants me to as long as I can at least come close to breaking even. The Gosepl Messengers played in Boonville, Missouri a year ago... a drive of over 1,000 miles...

Jerry

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 02:21 PM

As Genie mentions, it would depend on who the folk were there.

I have gone as far as 2000 miles for pay. I have gone only about 25 miles for free (MD. Sea Shanty sing at the Royal Mile Pub).

For me, going to the MD Sea Shanty sing is not really about *me* singing. I'll get up and do 1 (maybe 2), but what I am really there for is to hear others sing and to be social. So, at least from my personal POV, they (paid gig vs. no pay jam) don't equate.

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Micca
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 06:23 PM

Well, last year I went from London UK to MD to the Royal Mile,the Getaway, and then to Portsmouth NH. Just to sing a bit and help in a coupla workshops(and meet other Mudcatters)does that count??.

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 07:00 AM

Lessee . . . (and keep in mind, my friends claim I consider it a local drive if I don't cross any borders)

Oakville, Ontario (near Toronto) to somewhere outside of Lockport, New York with friend Scott Cameron Smith to play at his friend's church. 'bout a 2-hour trip.

Oakville to Don's Coffee House near Midland, Ontario for an open stage with my group, Spooky Moon. Round trip for me was 400 km.

Weekly drive for rehearsal with above-mentioned SM, 160 km (100 mi.)

Oakville to Austin (drove 'cause I wanted to take my Glen Reid acoustic bass guitar with me), and got to jam with Jed Marum in a Mexican restaurant for an hour & 1/2. High point of the trip and well worth the 3000 frikkin' km!

How far would I drive to play? Dunno, I may not have found my limit yet! :-)

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: kendall
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 08:12 AM

From Maine to Yorkshire, Hampshire, and London for free. Also, the Getaway in Maryland; But, those performances gave me something more important than money; who wouldn't sing at the Cicil Sharpe Fok club, given the chance? At the Getaway, I was surrounded by wonderful people and great music; what's that worth?

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Cappuccino
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 05:27 PM

Since I discovered the delights of home recording, I now object to going any farther than the back room!

- Ian B

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 05:28 PM

I used to average about 50miles round trip to get to one folk club.... every week!

Manitas has been known to do a couple of hundred for just one dance set with various morris sides, and as I've been along for the ride quite often I suppose that might count?

The record for me has been 250miles for one performance at a festival!

LTS

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: MudGuard
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 05:31 PM

Longest distance to "perform": Munich - Brussels

Longest distance just to go to a MudGathering to listen: Munich - Llanfair Caereinion

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 06:41 PM

I have travelled all over Europe with orchestra's to perform, don't really know the distance but they were journey's that had to be taken by plane!!!

cat

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 06:41 PM

I have travelled all over Europe with orchestra's to perform, don't really know the distance but they were journey's that had to be taken by plane!!!

cat

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Sorcha
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 06:51 PM

Generally, to perform for pay, 45 miles. For fun and friends, who knows? Look what Bill Sables and AllanC did........

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 07:18 PM

I suppose the longest I managed was many years ago. It was from London to Shetland for one folk party singaround but not sure how many miles that is.

Also been over to Flanders for a folk weekend.

Rhiannon

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Mudjack
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 11:51 PM

At the expense of sounding stupid, I find festival gigs that pay from 0 to $50. Today for example, I drove 3 1/2 hours to Francie's Toledo OR festival, sang and played for 40 minutes and home again.Seven hours of driving and 40 min of playing.It was a great little festival and a chance to visit Frank and Nancy and hear them sing and play.
Seattle is four hours away and usually do a 40 min spot there. Yakima is 3 to 4 hrs away and the list goes on. I am really beginning to wear down, I love doing the festivals because they fulfill that feeling of being involved and contributing to the community but I am starting to re-think the process and do less festivals. Maybe do more music camps and gatherings.
Mudjack

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler at the public library
Date: 05 Aug 02 - 05:08 AM

Well,I have to go as far as Greece before I can "perform" with impunity!
RtS ("I've emptied bigger islands than this")

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: Hrothgar
Date: 05 Aug 02 - 07:39 AM

70 miles each way to Rich-joy's folk club every month. I'm getting too old for more than that!

800 miles each way for the National Folk Festival each year. There are others who travel a couple of thousand miles (each way).

Subject: RE: How far will you travel to play/sing?
From: GUEST,John Hernandez
Date: 05 Aug 02 - 08:32 AM

I've traveled from West Falls Church, Virginia, to Cienfuegos, Cuba. That distance is quite a lot farther than it would seem by looking at a map. Believe me!