How to get a booking in a pub? Well the easiest answer is to have a set of songs albeit on a specific genre or variety. Then look for a pub that caters or like the kinds of music you love playing and send them a demo CD or during my time, we booked for a live audition.
Well, this was our scenario during my time. We rehearsed songs that we love playing and/or listen to. After having like one set list which consist of 10-20 songs, the band decided to look for a pub to play. Our genre of music during that time was a little bit of everything from acoustic rock to pop rock and it was all cover songs from Alanis to Cranberries, even up to Shania Twain and Chumbawamba.
There was a recently opened pub nearby my place in Roxas City, Capiz which was owned and managed by Jojo Lao and I think would be a potential venue for our band, however, they're doing mostly DISCO evenings but not bands and the pub was already grooming that time a band that would have been a regular house band, but they were not ready yet in terms of songs or setlist and lacking band members, I think a lead guitarist because they only got a sessionist that time and they also needed a female vocalist and their keyboardist that time was a bit newbie or needed some more exposure and experience.
I took my band there in that pub and it was called Mariano's Grill and Restaurant and there's a cinema upstairs which was called Cinemars. The pub owner accommodated us even though we didn't have any prior booking for audition because he knew or heard our band locally because we have performed quite a lot already from frontact with Yano, The Youth, Introvoys, etc. then school concerts, and other small gigs in city plaza. The owner said to us he just wanted to hear the keyboardist and the vocalists. I was the keyboardist, so I was asked to come to his music room upstairs along with my vocalists. So, I went there with Ruby and Rommelle and he asked me to play something on the keyboards. His keyboards was Korg X5 plugged to a Marshall keyboard amp, then a PA system which was JBL 15" active speaker, Shure PG48 microphone for vocals already plugged in. I can't remember what I played exactly when he asked me to play something, then he asked Rommelle, our male vocalist to sing something ballad or mellow, he sang "It Might Be You" by Stephen Bishop and I did the accompaniment using the Korg X5, and Jojo was impressed. We didn't even finished the song. Then, he asked for the female vocalist to sing a mellow song as well, and Ruby sang "Foolish Games" by Jewel.... and that's how we made it and got in and became a regular band in his pub.
He polished the band, like suggesting songs or genre to play and even suggested what to wear like for myself being the keyboardist, he always wants me to wear long sleeves. Then, he also suggested that the vocalists should have some sort of gimmick or choreography when they are performing or singing. Even teaching the vocalists some spiels that's guaranteed will work with the crowd and for the crowd to join with us either singing, clapping or dancing in front of the stage and there was not one night that the crowd did not stand and dance with us.
Here are the gear and/or instruments we used from his pub. I was using Korg X5 and a Marshall Keyboard Amp, it was perfect combination these two and the sound is so clear, loud and superb. Our bassist was using Precision bass but I forgot what brand, plugged into Carlsbro bass amp. Not so much impressive but for a small pub, it does the job. Our lead guitarist was using Lyon sunburst strat by Washburn plugged into Zoom 1010 and into a Fender Super Champ amp, not sure how many watt. All microphones were Shure PG48, two for the lead vocalists and two for backing vocals. Drum kit was Pearl, Gibraltar hardware, Zildjan set of cymbals and a Paste splash cymbals, Vic Firth drum sticks. PA system was JBL two 15" active speakers, Peavey mixer, not sure if it's a 20-channel mixer. We enjoyed playing there and rehearsing once a week for new stuff.
Our songs or setlist were mix of 80s like Build Me Up Buttercup...., 90s Savage Garden's "Truly, Madly, Deeply", a little bit of disco like Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and the hits during that time were "Hey" by Fatima Rainey, "Never Knew Love Like This Before" by Sonia and "Love You Down" by INOJ. Also Cher's "Believe" and "Crush" by Jennifer Paige. We always play Jewel's "Foolish Games," Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" and Shania Twain's "You're Still The One." We had like 40 songs then later reached to like more than 60 songs. Songs from Hall & Oats, Mike Francis, Anita Baker, Basia, Fra Lippo Lippi, Lighthouse Family, and many more to mention plus I can't remember them all now.
We played in Mariano's Grill and Restaurant every Saturday then later on became twice a week, I think Fridays and Saturdays but Im not really sure.... may be Wednesdays and Saturdays and then a lot of the bands auditioned and got their gigs or became regular in that pub. We played there for a year or more, then was disbanded because a lot of us pursued with our degree or other career, like myself being a nurse, I went to Manila and worked in St. Lukes Medical Center and other members went abroad like Ruby, vocalist, also a nurse, pursued her career in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a Nurse. Our drummer, John2x, also a nurse, pursued his career in Florida. The rest of the guys continued and created their own group or band like Jingle, our lead guitarist, and Shoti, our bassist, and Rommelle our vocalist joined another band and got their gigs in that pub as well as other places or town nearby. The rest is history.
Well, this was our scenario during my time. We rehearsed songs that we love playing and/or listen to. After having like one set list which consist of 10-20 songs, the band decided to look for a pub to play. Our genre of music during that time was a little bit of everything from acoustic rock to pop rock and it was all cover songs from Alanis to Cranberries, even up to Shania Twain and Chumbawamba.
There was a recently opened pub nearby my place in Roxas City, Capiz which was owned and managed by Jojo Lao and I think would be a potential venue for our band, however, they're doing mostly DISCO evenings but not bands and the pub was already grooming that time a band that would have been a regular house band, but they were not ready yet in terms of songs or setlist and lacking band members, I think a lead guitarist because they only got a sessionist that time and they also needed a female vocalist and their keyboardist that time was a bit newbie or needed some more exposure and experience.
I took my band there in that pub and it was called Mariano's Grill and Restaurant and there's a cinema upstairs which was called Cinemars. The pub owner accommodated us even though we didn't have any prior booking for audition because he knew or heard our band locally because we have performed quite a lot already from frontact with Yano, The Youth, Introvoys, etc. then school concerts, and other small gigs in city plaza. The owner said to us he just wanted to hear the keyboardist and the vocalists. I was the keyboardist, so I was asked to come to his music room upstairs along with my vocalists. So, I went there with Ruby and Rommelle and he asked me to play something on the keyboards. His keyboards was Korg X5 plugged to a Marshall keyboard amp, then a PA system which was JBL 15" active speaker, Shure PG48 microphone for vocals already plugged in. I can't remember what I played exactly when he asked me to play something, then he asked Rommelle, our male vocalist to sing something ballad or mellow, he sang "It Might Be You" by Stephen Bishop and I did the accompaniment using the Korg X5, and Jojo was impressed. We didn't even finished the song. Then, he asked for the female vocalist to sing a mellow song as well, and Ruby sang "Foolish Games" by Jewel.... and that's how we made it and got in and became a regular band in his pub.
He polished the band, like suggesting songs or genre to play and even suggested what to wear like for myself being the keyboardist, he always wants me to wear long sleeves. Then, he also suggested that the vocalists should have some sort of gimmick or choreography when they are performing or singing. Even teaching the vocalists some spiels that's guaranteed will work with the crowd and for the crowd to join with us either singing, clapping or dancing in front of the stage and there was not one night that the crowd did not stand and dance with us.
Here are the gear and/or instruments we used from his pub. I was using Korg X5 and a Marshall Keyboard Amp, it was perfect combination these two and the sound is so clear, loud and superb. Our bassist was using Precision bass but I forgot what brand, plugged into Carlsbro bass amp. Not so much impressive but for a small pub, it does the job. Our lead guitarist was using Lyon sunburst strat by Washburn plugged into Zoom 1010 and into a Fender Super Champ amp, not sure how many watt. All microphones were Shure PG48, two for the lead vocalists and two for backing vocals. Drum kit was Pearl, Gibraltar hardware, Zildjan set of cymbals and a Paste splash cymbals, Vic Firth drum sticks. PA system was JBL two 15" active speakers, Peavey mixer, not sure if it's a 20-channel mixer. We enjoyed playing there and rehearsing once a week for new stuff.
Our songs or setlist were mix of 80s like Build Me Up Buttercup...., 90s Savage Garden's "Truly, Madly, Deeply", a little bit of disco like Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and the hits during that time were "Hey" by Fatima Rainey, "Never Knew Love Like This Before" by Sonia and "Love You Down" by INOJ. Also Cher's "Believe" and "Crush" by Jennifer Paige. We always play Jewel's "Foolish Games," Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" and Shania Twain's "You're Still The One." We had like 40 songs then later reached to like more than 60 songs. Songs from Hall & Oats, Mike Francis, Anita Baker, Basia, Fra Lippo Lippi, Lighthouse Family, and many more to mention plus I can't remember them all now.
We played in Mariano's Grill and Restaurant every Saturday then later on became twice a week, I think Fridays and Saturdays but Im not really sure.... may be Wednesdays and Saturdays and then a lot of the bands auditioned and got their gigs or became regular in that pub. We played there for a year or more, then was disbanded because a lot of us pursued with our degree or other career, like myself being a nurse, I went to Manila and worked in St. Lukes Medical Center and other members went abroad like Ruby, vocalist, also a nurse, pursued her career in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a Nurse. Our drummer, John2x, also a nurse, pursued his career in Florida. The rest of the guys continued and created their own group or band like Jingle, our lead guitarist, and Shoti, our bassist, and Rommelle our vocalist joined another band and got their gigs in that pub as well as other places or town nearby. The rest is history.
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