Where Do You Play Free?

I know many of the good folks here volunteer their musical skills.
So, where do you play or who do you help?

Hospice Austin Christopher House and the Trinity Care Center (a nursing home) are mine. Every time I play, I get more than I give. Some truly moving experiences have happened and keep me goig back.

I've played at the Roswell Cancer Institute. Great experience.

I play for my church, for the last 2 years; that's how I got my Guild; it was time for a Good guitar again, with playing every week, 3 - 4 hymns per service plus specials.

Been playing at church for the last... 17 years? Started in high school and never stopped.

Although, for the last 9 months I've been on staff full-time, so I am "paid" by the church. Don't know if that changes things a bit.

jcwu said:

Don't know if that changes things a bit.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you're sure playing for the same purpose, paid or no. I am jealous of that whole pay idea, though!

Totally agree with the comment about getting more than you give when playing at a nursing home. My former church had a ministry at a local nursing home, my whole family would go over once a month, help wheel the folks to the chapel, and do several songs. Then we would go to the Alzheimer's unit and repeat everything for them. It was amazing to see people who were otherwise unresponsive start to sing along when we started to play. Even gave my 12 string to one of the Alzheimers patients one day, and he proceeded to pick the daylights out of it!!

Well let's see Rustifier, I guess I've played 3 area nursing homes and at the hospital.....all for free I guess, but then again, you really do get back more than money. But who in their right mind would pay to hear what I do? I haven't played any of those places in quite a while and sure do miss it, but I haven't even played at home much in the past several months. I've always gone through these ruts where I don't pick it up for long periods of time, then go nuts with it.

West

I think my band's entirely too loud for nursing homes! We have played a number of prisons, and we'll play the odd benefit show if we get asked for what we think is a worthy cause.

I play at church when they need me. (We have a more traditional music program and the current organist is a "world class talent"). I play at Wednesday night "gatherings" when a guitarist is available. My nursing home activity seems to be limited to bringing my kittens to visit. Bass players (with my lack of talent, anyway) don't usually go out solo.

My bands through the years have done a few benefits. We just wanna play out so the money isn't the main driving factor.

Let's see, we played a gig to help raise money for a girl whose parents where killed in a car accident so she could go to Orlando with her cheer squad.

We played for a PBA benefit that raised money for Police Officers killed in the line of duty. (Well we did get paid in PBA cards for that one.)

Probably the biggest free gig was playing for the 2008 L'Oreal "Because your dog is worth it too day". It's a benefit for the "Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure" breast cancer program. There were about 5000 people with their dogs there that day!

Here's some video of our first set from that day
(It's the old band, changed the name and lead guitarist since then!)

It's really cool to see how my fellow Guilders are out there getting the job done You guys play for some pretty awesome causes.

I play at Alzheimer's units, Hospice, and the Michigan Veterans Home, as well as at church.

Interesting thread.

We have a rule in my band, everybody gets to book us for 'one free gig' a year, if they want to.

So, I'm 'playing free' for the Alzheimer's Association meeting in my town this month. I don't know that we'll be playing for patients (more likely their families and treaters), but I'll be happy if we do.

Free gigs this year besides that? Played for a homeless coalition meet in the spring, Also, just literally got home from playing a 'free set' at the 'second stage' slot at a Blues Festival in a local town here in Texas (Buddy Guy was the headliner).

So far, at every free gig I've learned something.

At the Homeless gig, I learned that the Politicians left when the Flash Bulbs Stopped Popping.

At the Blues Festival gig, I learned a lot about getting along with a 'newbie sound crew', but I think I'll save that whole story for another post (wouldn't want to Veer, would I?).

The only problem with a 'free gig' is that I've never been to a gig where something didn't break, or where money wasn't spent for 'something'. So in a way, 'free gig' is a misnomer, because There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Gig.

If you're talking about 'practically free gigs', we play a lot of those. Habitat for the Humanities, various charitable & governmental organizations; stuff like that. We like doing it and they, in turn, like us!

gilded