Recently, I played a jazz gig in midtown. Off to a great start already, I know. Fairly easy gig, couple of hours, good players, shitty pay, the usual. Towards the end, a fellow bassist sat in on a couple of tunes. I decided to get a beer, chill out, and watch a few tunes. After the gig we all chatted for a bit, exchanged pleasantries, packed up, and went on our merry way. But not before I was handed a bill for $7.78, with with my gear in hand. The next day I was in the west village and spent the best $20 I've spent in recent memory.
The Flask Gig should be fairly self explanatory. This is a gig where you are either not allowed to drink, are charged full price for drinks, are limited to 1 free drink, or are graced with half price drinks (which are still about 3 times the price of what they would be in a store - and you don't have to leave a tip in a store). You bring a flask. It fits in a pocket, guitar case, backpack, rear ported speaker cab (as you have on most guitar amps and some bass amps). It is to be filled with cheap whiskey, so that each 6 oz fill costs about the same as one half priced bar drink. It's an acquired taste mind you, but well worth training your palate. The bar equivalent costs you about $30. Tastes a hell of a lot better now, right?
Don't play a gig, enjoy a beer and walk home with $42 (and that is assuming you actually walk, which you don't). Or, obviously based on my experiences, don't play a gig and walk home with $992. Make it a flask gig. Jim Beam will never taste so good.
A place I have played, has a policy: (1/2 off food, full price drinks.) Luckily, the first drink I ordered kept ringing up as $0.00, and rather than spend my whole break waiting to pay, I said "That actually sounds right", left $1 and walked away. Since then, the "Cheeseburger in Paradise" has become a 'flask gig' for me!
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