How to Book Solo Acoustic Gigs

Music can be a challenging business, but it is "portable wealth," or rather, something that you can always subsist on if you have talent, charm and, above all else, drive. Even in tough economic times, the solo guitar player/singer can find regular work in all but the most isolated, rural hamlet (and even those usually have a watering hole that would LOVE to host a rousing sing-along!). There are simple steps you can take to make booking easy and relatively painless when promoting your solo act.

A great song list!

A great song list goes a long way when booking a band. While tempting to indulge in performing the material that you most enjoy regardless of its commercial appeal, audiences in restaurants and bars have an expectation of certain songs. A good place to start assembling an acoustic bar base list is at askmen.com (search "best bar songs") or at VH1.com (search "33 best bar songs of all time"). While it may be tempting to submit all of your original songs to the world through your performance, unless you are working a room that is oriented towards the original musician, you are going to have to present a solid list of standards in order to book most rooms as an acoustic solo performer. There is always a way to squeeze your own song in between "Shook Me All Night Long," and "Blister in the Sun".

A great promotional package!

There is nothing that can keep a great musician from a much deserved gig like an unprofessional promotional package. A promotional package for a solo acoustic act is simple to make and can be done with minimal expense. The key is to have a myspace website complete with song samples to refer potential clients to. Any Microsoft Word program can be used to create a 2 sided sheet that features a photo, biography and contact information (with a mention of audio samples available at myspace) on one side, and a songlist on the other. These can be copied at an office supply store (I like Office Max) as double-sided copies, and laminated for about $2.00 each. They are easy to make, look professional and stand out from the more traditional (and considerably less "green") folder packages of the past.

Friends!

Let everyone you know in on your new project, and do not hesitate to ask for referrals. Also, check the myspace pages of popular solo acoustic artists in your area and be sure to friend them and their friends. Looking popular may mean more sometimes than actually being popular when club owners look at your site. Don't be shy in enlisting friends and other local musicians to help you fill your calendar!