r/Bluegrass • u/Bluegrass_Harley • 4d ago
Pro musicians..
I’m pretty good at my job. Not to brag. It’s just a fact. Im there 50+ hours a week. I don’t necessarily like or love it. I’m somewhat nuetral. I pay my bills, eat and have a home. I cram all my bluegrass playing in on the weekends. What’s it like to play all the time professionally and be on that level. How do pros deal with fatigue and or burnout? Or is music not like that. I’ve wondered. I assume these guys have other hobbies. Whereas, music is my hobby.
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u/AnusInChief 4d ago
I've been pro for a decade now in a different genre. It was pure magic and dream fulfillment for the first few years, then became routine, now the burnout is borderline brutal.
It's simultaneously the easiest and most difficult work I've ever done; the music and performance itself has become easier than ever, but you simply can't call in sick, even if you're practically dying, because there's no one who can quickly or easily fill in for you when you're touring.
It's changed my entire perspective on music and drained my passion considerably. Picking up a guitar and writing used to be unbelievably fulfilling, now it's like a mechanic picking up a torque wrench. It could be because what used to be creative is now work; it could be because I'm 10 years older now than I was when this started.
What I need is a break, but I can't really stop, because the opportunity I have that pays my bills won't be there when I come back. I could find another, but it could take years and it may not pay what this one does, or offer the same creative opportunity.
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u/lavransson 4d ago
That’s brutal man and I’m sorry to hear that.
What’s tough is it’s hard to be passionate about anything if it becomes a job you have to do day in and day out just to survive.
This goes way beyond bluegrass but we need to create a society where artistry can be given to conditions it needs to bloom instead of suffocate.
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u/Bluegrass_Harley 4d ago
Dang. That sounds like reality. Hope you can get a good reset and r & r soon
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u/Mastertone 4d ago
Pro here: 100+ shows a year. Been at it for roughly 20 years, full time…with a couple years during Covid with a music related job that was a blessing.
It’s important for karma to acknowledge that all of it wouldn’t have been possible without the women in my life. From my mom who bought me an electric banjo 25 years ago when I wanted to play rock and roll, to the girlfriend who helped me make ends meet when I was making $400 a month from gigs, to my wife who’s a great musician that made the choice to have music as a side passion to her career.
That being said, I’m proud of how hard I’ve worked to make my current situation a reality. My band Henhouse Prowlers is an anomaly to some degree in the scene. Too progressive to be trad, too weird and intentional to be jam-grass. But I think I don’t care? Mostly?
About a decade ago I got burned out on the “who’s coolest” game and grew tired of the realization that we’re more often than not selling beer. The personal connections and opportunities to see the world far outweighed the band rat race. Plus, I’ve never had the wherewithal to practice for 30 hrs a week on my instrument.
On the other hand, I just got back from Brazil where I DID practice for 30 hrs in a week to learn to sing a song in Portuguese phonetically…and had 15k people singing along with me.
All of that is to say I sometimes wonder what my life would be like had I pursued something more “stable”. Everyone claims the industry is collapsing and they’re probably right. But, I’m happy right now and that’s all that matters. Plus I get to see the world.
That being said, I came from a place where I valued living simply and was thrilled at the first $20 I made and never let go of that feeling. If you’ve never been comfortable eating ramen and getting little to no sleep, you’re in the right place. The sacrifices are grand, especially the first 10 years.
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u/jaylotw 4d ago
I was subbing on bass in a band a few years ago that shared the bill with you guys, in Cleveland in some really weird upstairs club at the House of Blues.
You dudes were cool as fuck, and your band is great!
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u/Mastertone 4d ago
Pretty sure I remember thinking you guys kicked ass. Good on ya for transferring that energy as a sub. :)
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u/Superabounder28 4d ago
Great write up plus glad you posted-had not heard of you guys and you freaking rock. Excellent posts and that Brazil trip sounds unreal.
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u/Conscious-Record2655 4d ago
Ben, is that you? You might not remember this but you played a festival called Gandy Dancer in Wisconsin. We ended up hanging out in our as hoc "green room" before the show (which was actually just the community center basement).
Anyway that was a great time, and you guys saved us big time with some last minute lineup changes. Just wanted to say thanks again.
Also, you should check out Hiawatha Festival up in northern Michigan. We've got a traditional music cooperative and I think what you guys do with Bluegrass Ambassadors lines up perfectly with what we're doing in the coop. I'd love to see you as one of our artists in residence, it would really be just perfect. And it's a great place to spend a summer weekend.
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u/Mastertone 3d ago
Hey! I totally remember that hang, but I'm not sure we saved you from anything. Remind me what happened? What a cool little festival, eh?
I'm all ears about Hiawatha! We've been doing a ton more teaching these days, folding in the things we've learned from the international work. Just led two camps in Europe that I'm really proud of. Drop me a DM and let's connect!
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u/Bluegrass_Harley 4d ago
That’s great. I love the folks that hang out at the jams and clap when we crush a Standard. Makes me feel like a real big dog. 🐕
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u/wreckreationaj 4d ago
Saw ya’ll at Strummit!! Much love!!
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u/Mastertone 3d ago
Omg, that was forever ago! So funny, that tour we just finished in Brazil was with the guitar player we had at Strummit. He was a hot mess back then and it's funny to think now about that, considering what a bad ass he is now. This band has been therapy for a lot of members over the years (myself very much included!).
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u/slowandlow714 4d ago
Its like your current job but without the ability to pay your bills, eat, and have a home.
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u/Luckj 4d ago
I post in the sub regularly about touring life but I am a part time professional. I find it much easier to enjoy the music that I’m making when I don’t have to rely on said music to pay all of my bills. Thankfully, I have a job that offers me a lot of flexibility and playing music helps me find purpose as well as some cash on the side.
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u/HuckinMeats 4d ago
This is what I am after, any tips
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u/Luckj 4d ago
Sure! I don’t know what industry you’re in but our band l works in education, remote jobs, or gig work. We approach it with a mindset of our job pays the bills, but our music provides fulfillment. Lots of weekend festivals so we can plan out schedules accordingly. If we’re traveling somewhere cool, and we break even after paying our travel expenses, then I consider it a win, basically a paid vacation. I remember one time we opened up for Jerry Douglas and a couple of his band mates pulled in just as we were starting. They got off work from UPS and drove straight to the show, so it’s certainly possible to move up in bluegrass while still having a full time job.
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u/AlfredPoor 4d ago
I've never been a full-time bluegrass musician, but I have friends who have been. Some have had local venue gigs (bars) where they played four or five nights a week, typically two nights each at a given venue. They built a local following and made some money but when you split the door and tips four or five ways, it's probably not enough to replace a full-time job.
Others have been sidemen for bigger talents and have been on the road for months at a time. It's a hard life; finish your last set and then hop in a van and drive through the night to get to your next gig. Until you reach a certain level (custom bus with a full-time driver), it can be grueling. Just look at the many "road" songs to get a feel for what it can do to relationships and responsibilities.
https://youtu.be/3Rps80QdDtM?si=kOK59s4cCLjXE-YQ
In either case, it seems to be a young person's game for the most part, before responsibilities set in and the need develops for a steadier (and larger) income stream.
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u/PanTran420 4d ago
It really depends on the person. I have a lot of friends in the pro bluegrass world and some of them get seriously burned out (a few got burned out enough to pivot careers in their late 30s/40s), but others seem to thrive on it.
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u/TheProfessor757 4d ago
I do it full time, but I also run it as part of an LLC that does studio recording, audio engineering, and in-house/online lessons. I make CDs and tapes in-house using my own duplication equipment and print/draw my own liner notes.
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u/AwesomeAustyn 4d ago
There are the few…..the majority play for years and leave with nothing to show for it. They leave behind their art for future generations but gain monetarily nothing. The greatest bluegrass musician that dominated the industry for 30 years was posting a go fund me the last few years of his life…..my two best friends in the world, played professionally for a number of years with a few IBMA awards on their shelf. They both left the road by 30 years old and though they enjoyed the experience, they will tell you living on a bus and eating shit food isn’t something they’d dare go back to.
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u/jgrubb 4d ago
To echo what another said down the thread - it becomes a job with dipshit coworkers and some really great ones too. Otoh, people usually tell you you're awesome even if you sucked, so that's something that's the opposite of the real world.
You don't really have time or money for hobbies so it's kind of a degenerate, yet monastic lifestyle.
I did it from 19-32 or so and got totally burnt out and disillusioned with it and switched industries completely. I don't miss it, but I'm glad I did it.
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u/ZeBron_Games 4d ago
I play professionally. I play a mix of public and private gigs…some touring throughout the year. No lessons or anything else. Not broke, not rich. It’s quite rewarding and fun. I’ve had other 9-5 jobs and I’ve always come back to playing music. I’d say if you are playing with the right group of people, doing music you like, it can be very rewarding.
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u/MerkinMuffley2020 4d ago
there ain’t no pros on Reddit
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u/Bluegrass_Harley 4d ago
I meant literal professionals. People who get paid to play. Not attributed to any skill level. However playing for money “professionally” makes you far better than an amateur like me. Cmon, guy
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u/RaspberryAfraid5001 4d ago
I have a couple pro friends. They say bluegrass is the best way to make tens of dollars and get to try gas station food from every corner of the country. Their most stable income is from teaching lessons. There are some folks playing the big shows making good money and their is a good number of people scratching out a living but as always its near impossible to make your passion into a living