No, doesn't matter at all. The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach is very famous as in "The Lighthouse All Stars recorded live blah, blah". It's one of the iconic jazz places in the history of jazz since WW2. They don't do jazz there anymore except for Sunday mornings and even then I'm not sure if it's every Sunday. I used to do a few of those Sunday gigs but not lately. Their budget has been $250 for at least 15 years. It's the same $250 a 7 piece horn band I used to work with got for playing there on a Friday night in around 1988. Now on the weekends they have different bands every Fri and Sat all kinds of styles. I don't go in there all the time any more like I used to but I know it's still the same $250. Doesn't matter how many people in the band. Four doors down the street from the Lighthouse is Sangrias, the Italian restaurant I used to play once a month on a Friday doing jazz. Same $250 but at least we also got a pretty good dinner. They just sold a 49% interest to three new partners and they fired all the bands effective Dec 1 and they don't have any live music any more. I even stopped in twice last month to check and it's true, no live music. Not that $250 is such a big loss, we had a 5 piece so again $50 each. It's not the money, it's the playing.

In the same area is a nice bar called Suzy's. Nice stage, lights and a sound system. It seats maybe 30 people, they have something happening there every night from open mic to different performers. Nobody gets paid anything, just tips. I used to do a few "gigs" there too if you can call that a gig. Just fun.

I'm not saying there's no live venues for bands there are, just very few and this thread is talking about LA. They're mostly out in Orange County around Disnyland. Lots of hotel lounges and bars that have entertainment. Those gigs are the kind of thing I used to do many years ago. They're all booked through agents and if I really wanted to work I could probably beat the bushes with some of them, acts are always looking for good keyboard players. But then suddenly I would have to commit to 5 or 6 nights a week and I'm not going to do that plus they're not making enough to be worth my while.

The only success story I know is a guy who has a Journey tribute band, killer singer, sounds just like Steve Perry and in addition he plays keys and horns. When he's not gigging with his Journey band he does a single on Fri and Sat at a very upscale place in Newport Beach. Makes $500 by himself but he's a total pro, a live wire when he's performing. Occasionaly they'll have a special thing happening there and he will bring in a couple of guys to play with him. He pays them $75 each, maybe 100 but that's it. He has a book full of good solid players he can call, no problem getting someone to play for that. He books the Journey band for $2-3,000 and does a few things in Vegas so he keeps busy enough. I've subbed for his keyboard player a few times and I hold out for $100. Thing is I was getting $100 in 1978...

There's another guy who has a big band and I make $200 with him but he only gigs maybe 5 times a year. Like my Journey friend when he works it's around $3,000, strictly high brow stuff like a Christmas party at the LA Country Club I did last month. The problem with all these gigs is they're few and far between. I'll bet there's still at least 10 good solid well rehearsed big bands around here going after those gigs. I'm lucky to work with him because for years I was the second call, but lately their regular guy doesn't seem to be available. It's not because I'm better than him, I've heard him, he's solid. Who knows what the deal is maybe it's a health issue, whatever it is I'm happy to work with them, it's a killer band.

Bob

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