My first gig

[kaleb]

Hi Gibson. These are some videos of my first gig. I live in Butte, MT, so I am about 80 miles away from Gibson Acoustic. This is at the outside section of a little bar called the Scoop. I'm just a 13 yr old. They were kind enough to let me play. I am playing with my 60 year old grandpa, Dave Lopez on bass and lead vocals ( although I will take over vocals at our next gigs ), and Joe McCdonald on the drums. My rig at this gig is a 2009 Gibson SG Special Faded ( stock), through a 1993 Peavey Prowler amp ( a 45 watt single 12 with an Emminence Tonespotter and Electro Harmonix tubes ). All through second channel, plugged into the low gain imput, w. volume on like 3, gain on 5, booster is off, bass on 7, mid between 6-10 ( can't remember my own settings ), and treble on 10. All vol controls and tone controls on my SG are all the way up. First two songs are both pickups on togethor, the rest is all on the bridge humbucker. On the last song at the end, the wah like effect is actually me rolling the tone pot up and down. Songs are Hideaway ( Freddie King/John Mayall w. Eric Clapton ), Susie Q ( CCR ), our own version of Red House Blues ( Hendrix ), La Grange ( ZZ Top ), and our rendition of Voodoo Chile ( Hendrix ). What do you think of the playing AND guitar tone? NO PEDALS. We got more shows coming up so if theres any Gibson reps or people in Montana, give em' the news. Contact the people at Gibson Acoustic also, as they are in MT, and they probably make a lot of trips to Butte. Maybee in a few years if I get going I can endorse Gibson. Tell Henry about this because I have no idea how to post on his fourm. I will most likely be playing Gibson for every tune of all shows. I will give you more news. Keep in mind I am not on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter and I don't plan on it, so you will have to talk me through this or my email ( which I suppose you know because I used it to sign up ).

[Artie Owl]

You'll forgive an old fogey like me, but I don't see any video, or links to any video on this post. We'd all like to see up and coming young artists here though so update soon!

[kaleb]

Sorry, I forgot to atatch the file. Hey Gibson, like I said, either thru this or my email, tell me what you think, and like I said, I will do anything to be a Gibson endorsee, so if you like it and want to pursue me as an artist, email me and we can talk, or if you want to settle a deal in person, send a rep, or somebody like that, up to Butte. I am not a BIG HEAD, so if you give me a deal I wont brag about it, I will cherish the fact that I have a friendship w. Gibson Guitars! Remember, tell Henry, and Gibson Acoustic ( because they are very close to me ) Cheers, KB.

[Nick Beach]

Hey man, not to sound like a *** hole or anything but your reaching way over your head. Trust me, from experience I can tell you that Gibson will not give you the time of day as an endorsed artist. I've toured a ton of time played hundreds of shows, maybe even thousands, I probably played for well over a million people in the past couple of years and Gibson wouldn't even give me the time of day when I contacted their Artist Relation department, which is who you'll have to contact for an endorsement.

 

They will want to know a few things including, 1)how many records have you sold, 2)how many shows have you played, 3)what's the average turn out at one of your shows, 4)are you on an indie label or a major label, 5)do you have any other endorsements?

 

In order for you to get a deal your answers to the questions will typically have to be 1) At least 20,000, 2) At least 300, 3)at least 500, 4)Major labels or a large indie label with a good reputation 5) You better have at least one other endorsement.

 

Gibson is one of the largest guitar companies in the world, they don't hand out endorsements to just anyone. I've got friends who are endorsed by Gibson, these are guys with platinum records, and all Gibson gives them is a 5% discount on guitars.

 

My advice is to not worry about any endorsements as they are typically hard to get, just focus on the music for now. Put on a good show, build a fan base, learn to use the internet to it's fullest extent i.e. Myspace, Reverbnation, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, ect. Then once some people know who you are you'll eventually get an endorsement with someone. The first endorsement I ever got was for picks, and it was VERY hard to get, but once I got that one others came with ease. So just focus on the music, that's why your in the business right?

 

By the way there is still no video up. I think now would be a good time to start utilizing Youtube.

 

I hoped I helped and didn't come off mean, I just don't want you to waste time on something that isn't going to happen right now. Instead focus on what is happening, and everything else will fall into place.

[Dr. Rock]

Hey man, not to sound like a *** hole or anything but your reaching way over your head. Trust me, from experience I can tell you that Gibson will not give you the time of day as an endorsed artist. I've toured a ton of time played hundreds of shows, maybe even thousands, I probably played for well over a million people in the past couple of years and Gibson wouldn't even give me the time of day when I contacted their Artist Relation department, which is who you'll have to contact for an endorsement.

 

They will want to know a few things including, 1)how many records have you sold, 2)how many shows have you played, 3)what's the average turn out at one of your shows, 4)are you on an indie label or a major label, 5)do you have any other endorsements?

 

In order for you to get a deal your answers to the questions will typically have to be 1) At least 20,000, 2) At least 300, 3)at least 500, 4)Major labels or a large indie label with a good reputation 5) You better have at least one other endorsement.

 

Gibson is one of the largest guitar companies in the world, they don't hand out endorsements to just anyone. I've got friends who are endorsed by Gibson, these are guys with platinum records, and all Gibson gives them is a 5% discount on guitars.

 

My advice is to not worry about any endorsements as they are typically hard to get, just focus on the music for now. Put on a good show, build a fan base, learn to use the internet to it's fullest extent i.e. Myspace, Reverbnation, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, ect. Then once some people know who you are you'll eventually get an endorsement with someone. The first endorsement I ever got was for picks, and it was VERY hard to get, but once I got that one others came with ease. So just focus on the music, that's why your in the business right?

 

By the way there is still no video up. I think now would be a good time to start utilizing Youtube.

 

I hoped I helped and didn't come off mean, I just don't want you to waste time on something that isn't going to happen right now. Instead focus on what is happening, and everything else will fall into place.

 

Sorry Kaleb, but it's true...

[GIANTRobOT42O]

Are you lookin for free guitars? Good luck with that Skippy.

[kaleb]

Are you lookin for free guitars? Good luck with that Skippy.

 

 

No, for me it's not about getting free guitars. You see, I don't fit in very well at school ( apparently "cool" kids arent supposed to listen to CCR and ZZ Top, not to mention THE BLUES ) and I don't have alot of friends.

The reason I want this is so I can be a part of something. That is Gibson. To have something really special. Something that I have that I can call my own. I've went through crap in middle school. I've asked a girl out. What do you think her reply was? I've had to sit with weirdos at a lunch table only to have them try to do weird stuff to me. My dog got ran over. Where do you think Emmett is now? And plus, I've always wanted to support a guitar brand. Not for free stuff, just to be a part of something. Riddle me that. Oh, and you guys could be a little nicer about this. State what you wanna state. But state in in a NICE WAY. I think I'm about done with this fourm. I just might have to buy a Strat and be a part of FENDER.

[Nick Beach]

No, for me it's not about getting free guitars. You see, I don't fit in very well at school ( apparently "cool" kids arent supposed to listen to CCR and ZZ Top, not to mention THE BLUES ) and I don't have alot of friends.

The reason I want this is so I can be a part of something. That is Gibson. To have something really special. Something that I have that I can call my own. I've went through crap in middle school. I've asked a girl out. What do you think her reply was? I've had to sit with weirdos at a lunch table only to have them try to do weird stuff to me. My dog got ran over. Where do you think Emmett is now? And plus, I've always wanted to support a guitar brand. Not for free stuff, just to be a part of something. Riddle me that. Oh, and you guys could be a little nicer about this. State what you wanna state. But state in in a NICE WAY. I think I'm about done with this fourm. I just might have to buy a Strat and be a part of FENDER.

 

I'm sorry if you got hurt bro, but honestly guitar companies could care less about who you ate with at lunch or that a girl turned you down in middle school, and I wouldn't put it past a lot of CEO's in this business to run your dog over personally if they thought they'd make money doing it. Gibson guitars is owned by 'Gibson Corp' as in Corporation, although we all here love Gibson guitars, the bottom line is money. Will Gibson make money if they offer a deal to you? No. That's just the way things are, and all you can do is work hard and try to make a name for yourself in the music biz so that they will recognize you. At the end of the day Henry has choices, and being the smart business man that he is, he will choose to make money and keep his business a float over making a middle schooler feel all warm and fuzzy inside every day of the week.

 

BTW, Gibson is the second largest guitar company in the world, only to be preceded by Fender. So buy a Strat if you wish, as they are very nice guitars, but don't go thinking Fender will give you a deal. They'll tell you the same thing's I've told you. It's a harsh world out there, especially in the music biz, everyone wants to screw you over, and no one is going to hold your hand, welcome to the real world.

 

Again sorry if that sounds harsh or like I'm being a ****, but YOU REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON MAKING A NAME FOR YOURSELF, if you want companies to recognize you.

[mjlewis22]

Kaleb,

 

As far as the endorsement you are looking for, I'd say shred_bringer is about dead on with he said. But give it a shot, you'll learn something from the experience.

 

As far as whats going on in your life, you're just at a hard age right now. I'm sure you are probably tired of hearing that but you when you get knocked down you just gotta get right back up and keep going.

 

When you ask a girl out and she says "No" that's nothing to get discouraged about, thats just the way it works. You gotta ask again, and again (not to the point of stalking, though) because no self-respecting girl is gonna go out with you just because you asked her nicely. Girls want to be made to feel special, which means you have to put some real effort into it--but even if you do that you might still get turned down. So you go and ask somebody else. But most importantly, dont even worry too much about going out with girls right now, and if you do end up going out with a girl, just focus on being friends and having a good time. Learn how to treat girls with respect and show them a good time, and that will go a long way later on in life.

 

Everyone--even the cool kids, and I was--feels like an outcast at your age. The people I ate lunch with in middle school, who claimed to be my friends, made fun of me every day for about two months and I couldnt do anything about it because we had assigned seats, and I would've gotten suspended in football for fighting in school. I did let that boy have it at practice one day...so I guess I got even and he never said another word to me. But anyway I still remember how bad that made me feel even after all these years but I'm telling you, everybody goes through it. And everybody gets made fun of, you just gotta have a thick skin about it.

 

I'm sorry about your dog. Nothing I can really say there.

 

What you gotta realize is that what you got goin is unique to you, and as long as you are staying positive and making good decisions then everything is gonna work out. If what you want is an endorsement from Gibson, or Fender, or Ibanez, or Joe Blow's guitar shop, then you gotta put your mind to that and go get it. What you'll find out along the way is that everything worth having takes a lot of hard work and you have to start at the bottom--and sometimes you dont make it. However, all the small successes you have and goals that you reach along the way develop your character and give you the tools (confidence, discipline, perseverance) that you need to get the big fish later on in life.

 

Another thing that's important, is that by playing music you are part of something that always has and always will be there. You can make it your very own, with your particular style, your sound, your lyrics, etc. And you dont need a Gibson or a Fender or a Marshall, because if you keep playing you will develop your ability to the point that you can play a beat up guitar with high action and dead strings through a 10 watt practice amp and it will still sound great, and people will think you're great.

 

I'm sure you probably wanted an answer instead of a sermon, but the end goals that youre after are not gonna happen tomorrow, and it will take a lot of your time and effort to get there. But it will pay off.

 

BTW--dont use tabs. That will set you back years. Just put on the song and keep beating around until you find what sounds right. Then the play the hell out of it.

[Artie Owl]

Couple of things Kid;

 

As a famous comedian once mused "Do you know who cares less about your problems than you? Everybody."

 

It's true to an extent;

 

We'd love to hear about how much you like your Gibson guitar and love to have you as a community member if you're willing to play nice.

 

BUT, don't try to play tough business musician only to get mad at everyone else for not playing nice, if you can't take it don't deal it.

 

Also, I'd still like to see your playing, I still don't see a link.

 

Finally, you know what happens to kids your age who strike it big early on without having to work for it?

 

They turn into this;

 

[kaleb]

Couple of things Kid;

 

As a famous comedian once mused "Do you know who cares less about your problems than you? Everybody."

 

It's true to an extent;

 

We'd love to hear about how much you like your Gibson guitar and love to have you as a community member if you're willing to play nice.

 

BUT, don't try to play tough business musician only to get mad at everyone else for not playing nice, if you can't take it don't deal it.

 

Also, I'd still like to see your playing, I still don't see a link.

 

Finally, you know what happens to kids your age who strike it big early on without having to work for it?

 

They turn into this;

 

 

God that was disturbing. I'll NEVER end up like that. Guitarists like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa, and Jonny Lang got going real young and they're alright. Thanks for da advice.

[kaleb]

I will post links soon. My recordings are too large ( the max level is 500, I have over 1,000 ).

[kaleb]

 

I tried to post, but the site won't allow me to post this kind of file. I am not putting it on youtube.

 

 

[Artie Owl]

There are tons of image and video hosting websites out there that are not youtube, like Flickr, just host it to one of those and then post the link here. Easy.

[Jef]

You are already a part of something - you play a Gibson guitar!

 

It can really be tough growing up with a bunch of backwards mf's around you, but I hope you make the best of it because you are only young once. I guarantee, if you feel hurt inside, play guitar. Then play some more.

 

Never ever lose your spirit, and never let the bastards grind ya' down!!!

[Onlyme]

If you keep playing long enough and get good enough, eventually the chicks will start to notice you!

 

God plays a fender. The Devil plays an SG! Hot chicks dig bad boys. You figure it out!

[lockbody]

God plays a fender. The Devil plays an SG! Hot chicks dig bad boys. You figure it out!

 

I don't know, some of the most wicked chicks ever in the sack for me were "church" girls.

[Onlyme]

they may have been church girls but I bet you were a bad boy though werent you!