Another meeting with restaurant owner tomorrow.

Bill my top concern was what we were going to make first before we get to thing about security. That would mean if we were to get the money at the door we need enough people to come to the place to make it worth our while.

Now trust me I know other DJ's that are friends of mine that have rented out a space to have a party they were promoting. They normally would get a place at a discount and once the owners would see how many people they could get to come to their parties, the owners would then give them the spot for free.

I' talking where they could get 150 or more people to come to their party. With at least that many people in their place drinking they wouldn't have a problem with letting them get the place for free to keep them coming back.

I'm a damn good DJ. I'm just not that famous to do that. My name isn't a household name. That's a big reason I backed down. My ego said go do it because I'm a great DJ. The practical man in me don't do it. I've done it before with bad results. So I'm not going there. As Dennis would say have a nice day.

SoftJock Rick said:

Biker bars are easy (at least for me). They're pretty decent folks, for the most part. I recall a gig, where this devastating looking dude came up to me, and asked me to play Fall of the Peacemaker. Brought me a pitcher of beer and a shot of JD.

Mix is mixing it up in the low life gang banger bars, best I can tell -- different world.

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Sorry but you missed this one big time. You've got me mixed up with someone else. I've mentioned the security issue because some owners who are not cheap realize that today it is needed in a lot of places around here to keep out certain element from coming in their place and keeps the doors open when a DJ plays in a place. Without it that means anybody can walk in a place and that can spell disaster. I've know places where they will have a DJ playing on a certain night with no security and a lot of under age customers will come in drinking.

The bar where I first met my now partner at was like that. One of the barmaids that worked there said she wasn't carding all those jokers that came in there because there were so many. So you had anything liable to come in that bar. He told me one time there was guy standing right by where he was playing at that had a gun on him. He ran out when the police came in the place or something like that. That bar got closed down and someone tried to open it back up under a different name with a nice decor. It lasted I guess about a year and it's doors got closed.

Now just so you'll know I was telling this guy I was getting back into DJing again. I would come by the bar and rap with him. He got to see that I knew what I was talking about when it came to DJing. So I bought the first piece of equipment from GC and my best friend let me store it in his basement at the time. I went to go hook everything up and realized I forgot how to hook the gear up. I got a hold of that DJ that day and I picked him up. When he saw what I had bought his jaw almost dropped to the floor.

Simply put he got it hooked up. We became very good friends and later on business partners.

Now so you'll also know he was the one who didn't have a regular job. I did. So I didn't have to depend on DJing to pay my bills. Since he didn't have a regular job and needed money he would go to such bars like that who needed a DJ. He would go in and play just so he could make him some money to pay his bills. The problem is that most of those places were rough dives. I would try to tell him to stay away from those places but he was desperate to make him some money so he would play in those places. I wasn't that desperate because of my day job.

Now about the restaurant in question. I had never been in that place before. I knew where it was at and that's all I knew. The owner had us to come in and do that party. He loved what we did and wanted us to come back. After careful consideration meaning weighing out the pros and the cons. The cons out weighed the pros. So we decided to leave that place alone.

Me personally before I go to play in a place, I like to check it out first. See what kind of customers are going into the place. See if the owner/manager cares about who they let come in a place. Then if it doesn't feel comfortable to me no matter how much they are willing to pay I'll pass. Even if the place has security. I've known places that even though they had security still get closed down because of them allowing anybody to come in the place. Some owners are too cheap to hire real security. Some will get the neighborhood jokers to come be security in their place because they could get away with paying them next to little of nothing. Now that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Even with me just recently retiring and not seeing my first pension check I'm still not desperate to get some money and run into some hole in the wall so I can get some. 99% of the time I'll survey a place before I'll agree to play in a place.

Sorry for the long post but I just had to state my case.

SoftJock Rick said:

Bob, no racism there -- that would imply that I think my race is better than any other race, and I don't.

Now, if you came down to Newbugh, NY here, you will find the bikers hanging out at the riverfront clubs and bars. Lunch and a couple beers will cost you about $30. Go 3 blocks up the street, and you will find the gang banger bars. Haitians, Jamaicans, and whatever. They like to shoot each other on a regular basis -- I can hear the gunshots from my house.

My point was simply, that Mix is hanging out on the wrong side of the tracks, if he is so concerned about security.

And yes -- a pitcher of beer, and a shot of JD is what I consider the "high life". Go drink your champagne if you choose to accept that mission.

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Sorry to let you in on something. I remember when I first got started in 1981 there was no such thing as security needed in a bar when a DJ was playing. That was only needed when it came to big clubs like Zanzabar,Paradise Garage and Club 88 which eventually changed the name to Brokers. Things have changed in this world if you haven't noticed. I understand there are some very nice places where you don't have to worry about security as much but it is a thing of today. One of the clubs where I used to play at that has been in business for 35 years has 3 people for security on Friday and Saturday when they are open.

Not a bad place at all but the owner knows it's needed to keep the place somewhere people will want to come to. Some people don't even go out any more because they worry about what may happen. Some refuse to go to a place where there is no security. Now you mentioned a place or places where lunch and a couple of beers will cost $30.00. Places like that are setup that way to scare off the gang bangers from coming to such a place. Ususally those other places will have very cheap drinks. Sometimes just enough to only get by with helping to pay the bills for the place.

A friend of mine does a thing in this restaurant in Montclair, NJ every first Friday. I came by there to wish him happy holidays. I bought him a glass of wine and me and my partner a bottle of water. That cost $13.00. Trust me that's a lot and the water was nasty. They were in a fancy bottle. Big deal. The point I'm making is that some places are classy yet even in there they had security by the front door.

Also like I said I know certain places where they didn't or don't have security while a DJ is playing and in most cases they don't last.

B-Sharp said:

So far, this thread has gone on longer than any nightclub gig Mix has ever been able to land. Nice work.

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Once again Tonto you wrong. I said it earlier I played a club for at least 6 months before I left. Now this place was very nice and they didn't have any security. Only once did the police have to come in to escort someone outside the place. To end it all like I said we're not going in the place to play. Case closed. Never mind why but we're not doing it.

SoftJock Rick said:

Again -- wrong side of the tracks Mix.

There are 3 places I generally hang out in -- NY, VA and FL. There's no need for security -- maybe somebody to check IDs at the door, but that's about it. In FL, they usually don't have bouncers -- the bartender will card you if you look underage (I no longer have that problem).

Do they have bouncers at weddings? No. So, if you are so concerned about security, start doing weddings.

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If someone is at the door carding you then that is security. They may not have a tee shirt on saying security but that is security. Another big thing you mentioned and that is places that you buy lunch and 2 beers that cost you $30.00. Is there a DJ playing at that time. I'll say no.

My reason for mentioning that is it makes a difference when there is a DJ playing music in a place and when there is not. Now some owners like I said don't care who comes in their place. Just so long as they come and are spending money. One big thing is the age factor. When a owner allows a bunch of youngsters to come in their place that can spell disaster. Please hear me out about this.

Now think of those who are 21 which is the legal age around here to enter a bar and drink. Now I guarantee you that you're going to have some that will come to the door with a fake ID. So they get in. Now how many of them know anything about such artist like the Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Beatles or some stuff like that. I mention those artist even though they may not be for a DJ to play at a bar for people to go crazy and start dancing up a storm but check this out. What do most people 21 like to listen to. They will either listen to the new hip hop and r & b or Techno. Things like that.

Now with that said if a owner allows a certain element to come in their place, they will eventually get bored with the clean stuff and want the DJ to play the hardcore gangsta rap stuff. Now all some owners see is that the place is packed and their making money. They don't see the down side of the type of customers that attracts. Your job as the DJ is to play what the customers want to hear or you're fired and they will get another DJ to take your place. Some owners are smart enough not to let such things happen in their place.

The bar in Orange, NJ where I get to cover the DJ's sometimes when they can't be there won't allow that to happen. If you're the DJ playing there they won't allow you to play any songs with curse words in them and nobody is allowed to get on the mic and swear. I had it happen to me once there. I gave someone the mic and they begun to swear. I quickly got the mic back. They didn't know what kind of place it was because that was their first time there. They do have someone standing by the door on Friday and Saturday nights while the DJ is playing. They had to do that a few years ago because they started to notice certain customers coming there on Friday and Saturday nights that they didn't want coming into the place.

Any other nights they don't have to do that. On Thursday nights while my friend is play they don't have to do that because that's classic soul night. So that gets mostly an older crowd coming in that night. So no need to worry about the drama people coming in that night. Some owners are smart to chase after smart money and not just anybody who has money wanting to come into their place. Some aren't and that why the police are visiting their place regularly. Either something has happened or they stay around the place trying to keep something from happening.

That bar in Orange is a place that the police don't have to come and visit. They know they don't worry about something jumping off in there. I seen them come i once while I was playing there and that was because customers were taking too long to leave the bar and they gave them a verbal warning.

Just check this out sometimes sir. Check out what some of the stuff those young guys and girls listen to while driving a vehicle. It's certainly not stuff that can get played on the radio. Those are the ones if an owner is smart that they will want to keep out of their place.