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Obviously I was not commenting on whether or not you should stay in a relationship. But the way you described your ex-wives is probably why your attitude toward women was described as disgraceful.
Last edited by JohnJohnJohn; 01/08/17 03:27 PM.
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Great story Tony! As we say in sunny Ohio, keep on rock'n!
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@Eddie - Eddie, I've seen and heard The Easy Street Band on youtube - what a great band! Covers and originals! Westside Steve is a fabulous vocalist and he and Keirsten have a heavenly blend on their duets. The musicians are top notch. And so many players - live horns - gotta love it! You were certainly blessed to be a part of that one. I hope you're still playing the reunions. If I lived closer I'd be there and enjoying every minute of all that talent together. And I'm not from and never even lived in Ohio! 
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This certainly has become an interesting thread
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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This certainly has become an interesting thread It is indeed Herb. And there is still loads more to glean from it. I would love to hear from all sorts of different people. How about all those who contributed towards the Xtra Styles competition?
Last edited by JoanneCooper; 01/09/17 07:17 AM.
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I do understand one thing Eddie talks about and that is the lack of professionalism when doing local casual gigs. Everybody is older now and most of the bands I get called for don't rehearse. It's a case of yes everybody knows a lot of the tunes but we all know how many versions of these tunes there are. The original radio version? The album version? The famous concert version? Another artists version? This gets all mashed up on stage sometimes and used to drive me nuts because when I was doing this as a career I was in a Vegas show group that was rehearsed down to the nano second. Smooth, polished, perfect.
I simply had to get past that or I would stop gigging which is what Eddie has done. That's fine for him but it's not fine for me. I like gigging and will continue gigging until I can't do it any more and that's all there is to it.
One thing I will disagree with Eddie about is the simplicity of some 3 chord tunes. If all you do is listen with one ear and don't pay attention to what's really happening there you think a 10 year old can do it. Not so at all. Listen carefully to EXACTLY what those players are doing, how it's mixed and how it all fits together. Those so called simple, basic, "anyone can to it" tunes were recorded by the best players in the world. That's why so many cover bands doing that stuff suck so bad. Yes, they can get through those tunes but they're all lacking that polish that amateurs have no clue about.
Bob
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@Eddie - Eddie, I've seen and heard The Easy Street Band on youtube - what a great band! Covers and originals! Westside Steve is a fabulous vocalist and he and Keirsten have a heavenly blend on their duets. The musicians are top notch. And so many players - live horns - gotta love it! You were certainly blessed to be a part of that one. I hope you're still playing the reunions. If I lived closer I'd be there and enjoying every minute of all that talent together. And I'm not from and never even lived in Ohio! High praise. Thank you. Steve taught me much about entertaining during my few years with the band as it was waving goodbye. This past year was a rewarding experience because of some of the songs we did. Anything For Love was a lot of work but I loved playing it. If you look back in the history to when we did Livin' In America, complete with the Rocky intro, that was the most fun moment I ever had with that band. Playing only sax then. Since they I also play supporting keyboards. Thanks again.
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I do understand one thing Eddie talks about and that is the lack of professionalism when doing local casual gigs. Everybody is older now and most of the bands I get called for don't rehearse. VERY true! I won't tell any specifics because you never know who might stumble across this thread some day... but I've been burned by this. I was involved in a gig last summer for which I prepared like it was my job... for 2 months beforehand I woke up, ate breakfast, then rehearsed all day long in preparation for a gig. At the last minute, some other guys got added to the mix, and they showed up totally unprepared, even though we had agreed in advance what they needed to be prepared for. My name was on the program, so I didn't appreciate the fact that their lack of preparation reflected on me as the entertainment provider. One thing I will disagree with Eddie about is the simplicity of some 3 chord tunes. If all you do is listen with one ear and don't pay attention to what's really happening there you think a 10 year old can do it. Not so at all. Listen carefully to EXACTLY what those players are doing, how it's mixed and how it all fits together. Those so called simple, basic, "anyone can to it" tunes were recorded by the best players in the world. That's why so many cover bands doing that stuff suck so bad. Yes, they can get through those tunes but they're all lacking that polish that amateurs have no clue about.
Bob again, I totally agree. Listen to just about any local band playing STATESBORO BLUES, then listen to the Allman Brothers playing it. The difference between the pros and everybody else is their ability to make simplicity sound awesome.
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The difference between the pros and everybody else is their ability to make simplicity sound awesome. Love that Pat! KKJZ here in LA has been playing a lot of classic Ramsey Lewis lately, The In Crowd, Wade On The Water, Hang On Sloopy, etc. I tried to do those years ago and just couldn't make it work because they're so "simple" it was totally boring to me. Listening to them again now I really hear what he's doing. Basically it's standard R&B piano licks but every single time through those changes he does something just a little bit different and it grooves it's butt off. He throws in little licks at just the perfect time too. That takes an absolute master player to pull that off on those very simple tunes. I saw him do all those tunes live around 1969 and he tore up the place. Simple stuff, not particularly jazzy, not too technical. Too simple. It fools regular players like me into thinking that we can pull that off too. Yeah, good luck with that. In fact, here's The In Crowd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c40gly7OG20Listen to this carefully, hear how he builds it up, takes it down, messes with the crowd all on one stinkin chord then finally comes back to the bridge then does it again but builds it to a bigger climax before taking it out. Bob
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[quote=Pat Marr]
VERY true! I won't tell any specifics because you never know who might stumble across this thread some day... but I've been burned by this. I was involved in a gig last summer for which I prepared like it was my job... for 2 months beforehand I woke up, ate breakfast, then rehearsed all day long in preparation for a gig. At the last minute, some other guys got added to the mix, and they showed up totally unprepared, even though we had agreed in advance what they needed to be prepared for. My name was on the program, so I didn't appreciate the fact that their lack of preparation reflected on me as the entertainment provider.
[quote]
Pat, I had a very similar experience. I was pulled out of music playing retirement by a dear friend. She wanted to put a band together for her church's social. Myself and another friend agreed. We practiced twice a week for about a month and got down enough songs for the gig. At the gig another church member saw that we didn't have a bass player and volunteered for the job. My friend said that would be great. It wasn't! All he knew was a Johnny Cash tonic fifth bass line in the key of A. We didn't do any songs in the key of A. We had three part harmony in Hotel California in the key of E with him playing tonic fifth in A. Talk about awful. I will never play out again............for anybody!
Dad, how will I know when I've become an adult.
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Simplicity can be deceptive.
It's sometimes more difficult to get a simple tune to sound great than a complex one.
And I do know a number of jam bands that don't rehearse - and they sound like it.
Even if you are doing group improvisation, you need to have the groundwork done, and that takes rehearsal. You also need to learn to feel the other players in your band, so when doing group improv you support each other instead of just fight with each other.
I'm lucky that I'm in a duo with my wife.
When I met her, she was playing in a different band. Both our bands broke up and we ended up in a 5 piece band together. Plenty of personnel problems, much like the ones described in this thread. Leilani and I have very intense work ethics, so after the proverbial straw broke the camel's back, we decided to go duo. I bought an Atari/ST computer and some synths and started making my own backing tracks.
Thankfully I studied arranging in school.
Now we have no personnel problems, we work hard, and on stage we play hard, and we have fewer people to split the money up with.
There are disadvantages of course, but I think the advantages far outweigh them.
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Interesting stories!
I'm on a facebook musician group populated by the old musician crowd that was active in my hometown in the 70s. A while back somebody started a thread called WAR STORIES, and everybody told their gigging nightmare stories... it was one of the most entertaining threads I've ever been involved in on any forum.
Rather than hijacking this thread, I'm going to start a WAR STORIES thread... everybody is cordially invited to participate!
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After a brief try at coffee shops and book stores, it was apparent that few people wanted to be bothered by live music so my wife and I sat down and asked ourselves what do we want to say.
We both enjoy writing music but realized that Gospel allowed us to share the love of Christ through our songs. We only work with our local church but that still a great way to share and sometime you see a few folks that "Get It" and that's what it's all about for us. It's better to have one person understand the Gospel than a 1'000 that ignore you in another setting
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Back to original question (sort of) - I don't "make music" I do play music or at least what might be called music if you are generous. Also remember I play guitar (I just have a lot of other toys because I was in the 5% for a long time and could - now reduced to the 10%) so:
As a young man (OK, TEEN) it was for the obvious reasons but since this is a family site I'll let that be (plus back then I had hair and was not fat).
But now that I am older (OK OLD, balding, and fat), and also had been away from playing at all the middle ~25% of my life and away from all performing to this day - I do it now purely for the "zen" of playing (I'm great in my own mind).
However, when I get in "the groove" (which isn’t always) I get that same endorphin rush I use to get running (I was not always fat) so I play to chase that rush - just like a junkie.
That is the truth no more - no less.
Larry
Last edited by Larry Kehl; 01/10/17 05:43 PM. Reason: typos's and probably still have soem due to dsylxeia
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Larry,
I've had that same rush with both people that can read and those otherwise ..
including some who thought they could.
Having fun is indeed the best part.
Last edited by rharv; 01/10/17 01:46 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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I love music...said that before... but I got started playing live because it was a more fun way to make money than working a 9-5.
Money for nothing and your chicks for free.... isn't that what someone else said about it?
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Thanks for the interesting responses everyone. It seems that everyone here does it for the joy of producing by their art. It is inside them and they have to. Notes also makes a living out of it and John draws a salary.
I suppose for me, I am a little like Charlie in that I don't need the money (but a little bit of fame might be nice :D). I am probably just letting everything bubble out of me (as Keith said) and who knows one day I might just win the lottery. And I guess all the things I am doing is just buying more lottery tickets.
When Don McLean was asked what the song "American Pie" meant he apparently replied that it meant that he never has to work again.
Yea, the love of the music is it for me from as far back as I can remember. It's certainly never been about money, although I have made some reasonably good money when I was doing pro gigs. I also love the technical aspects of recording; arranging, playing, tracking, mixing, and mastering. I was the only kid in my HS with a sound on sound reel-to-reel recorder back in the late 60's. These days if you're in it for the money, I'm afraid that part of it is pretty much over. The digital era makes it easy to record, but also easy to steal. When a band like Lady Antebellum gets 62 million plays on the web of "Need You Now" and only earns $1,200 in royalties, what chance do the rest of us have? I guess my "lotto ticket" goal now is to get someone "famous" to "cover" one of my songs. No money, but a lot of bragging rights, eh? 
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These days if you're in it for the money, I'm afraid that part of it is pretty much over. The digital era makes it easy to record, but also easy to steal. When a band like Lady Antebellum gets 62 million plays on the web of "Need You Now" and only earns $1,200 in royalties, what chance do the rest of us have? If any band should not complain about stealing, that band would be Lady Antebellum. Listen to this mashup. Lady A's stolen song As far as the $1200, everybody knows going in that they will make like .0004 cents per play on the web. I don't agree, but when you sign a contract for .0004 cents per play, you sign away any right to complain about the money. Pandora and all those services pay a ridiculous amount for plays. I think Matt Finley has his music on Pandora and may have input here. At the end of the day though, Pandora plays for a major touring act is just loose change found in the couch cushions. This has been here before, but you may not have seen it. Proof that there is not much new under the sun. 6 identical country song mashup
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These days if you're in it for the money, I'm afraid that part of it is pretty much over. The digital era makes it easy to record, but also easy to steal. When a band like Lady Antebellum gets 62 million plays on the web of "Need You Now" and only earns $1,200 in royalties, what chance do the rest of us have? If any band should not complain about stealing, that band would be Lady Antebellum. Listen to this mashup. Lady A's stolen song As far as the $1200, everybody knows going in that they will make like .0004 cents per play on the web. I don't agree, but when you sign a contract for .0004 cents per play, you sign away any right to complain about the money. Pandora and all those services pay a ridiculous amount for plays. I think Matt Finley has his music on Pandora and may have input here. At the end of the day though, Pandora plays for a major touring act is just loose change found in the couch cushions. This has been here before, but you may not have seen it. Proof that there is not much new under the sun. 6 identical country song mashup I didn't say Lady Antebellum was complaining about stealing, my point is that digital music is easily stolen however you define "stolen". The drop in overall music industry revenue testifies to that point. Kids particularly, IF they buy an album, share it with anyone who wants it. Thanks, Napster, for kicking that off for us. There's a whole generation of people who think music should be FREE. Anyway, I quit fighting that battle long ago. People steal music in one way or another, whether by outright copying or streaming rates so low that it might as well be free. And just because you KNOW they're screwing you doesn't justify the act. So basically I'm saying if you're in it for the money, good luck with that. As for the "mashup" reference, I had a friend who used to tell me, "Why do you bother, Bob? It's all been written!" Pretty much true in every genre. But we trudge on. I'd love to get a song covered, but I don't expect to be paid anything substantial IF it ever happens. Man, I hate the term (and the reality) but "It's a labor of love." Back in my entrepreneurial days when I owned a music store, and had just completed my first album, a lady walked in with her husband and announced "I love your new album so much I made eighteen copies for my family and friends." Her husband just stared out the window nervously. That album cost me $20k back when that was a lot of money. I'd NEVER do that again. I wanted to tell her "Well, it's people like you that insure that I'll probably never be able to afford to do another one." But I didn't. I just said "Thank you." and wrote it off to the general public's complete ignorance of the concept of intellectual property. I'm always reminded of a quote I once read regarding the music industry: "It's a great business, but a sad profession." Anyone who's been in the "biz" for any length of time has experienced a least a little of that. Carry on.
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"I love your new album so much I made eighteen copies for my family and friends." AND, as a bonus, she thought she was paying you a compliment. I don't think I would have had the restraint. I would have probably said "Well thanks. While you are here, why don't you steal 18 sets of guitar strings like you stole 18 CD sales?" The inclusion of the word "stolen" addresses that no while claim of theft was made by the band, stealing is hardly the word here. If anybody stole anything, Mr. Kelly stole that song from Alan Parsons. I can't believe there was not a lawsuit with the chord changes and most of the melody being a direct rip. But my point was that nobody stole anything. That's what online traffic pays.
Last edited by eddie1261; 01/11/17 09:11 AM.
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Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.
Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
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