Glamorous and Grueling: All About Party Bands, with special guest, Mollie Weaver
Mollie Weaver is a recording artist and vocalist who has performed at the Grammys, Carnegie Hall, and on The Voice to name just a few or her amazing credits. She has also performed for - and with - some of the biggest singers, celebrities, and politicians on the planet in a different context - as a part of the most sought-after Party Bands in both LA and NYC. Mollie has agreed to dish some of her exciting experiences just for us here at Your Online Singing Coach! Could this be the singing career for you? Read on and decide for yourself.
Some readers will have no idea what a Party Band is. Can you tell us about this career option for singers?
A party band is a live band that is hired to play for events of any kind. It’s usually famous/popular songs (cover songs) that are being performed. The events can be anything you can think of…weddings, Emmy or Grammy after-parties, art installations, corporate events, brand launches, super bowl parties, birthdays, tea parties with Martha Stewart, dinners with Oprah - you name it, if you want a live band singing your favorite songs, a party band is for you!
The band is usually contracted through an agency and the agency books the musicians and takes a percentage of the money. You don’t have to work for just one agency, in fact most musicians I know work for several different agencies at a time. I started working almost 20 years ago for party bands/cover bands/casuals. In NYC I worked for Starlight Orchestras and Marianne Bennett (now Element Music) and currently I work for West Coast Music here in LA.
Can you give us a ballpark range of how much money you might make in one night as a singer in a party band, from the very low end to the very high end?
The rate really depends on the agency’s popularity and your experience. If the company is one that gets all the best gigs in town, they can charge the client a higher price and, in turn, can offer you a higher rate. However, those agencies are typically harder to get in with. There are smaller companies that typically get smaller gigs, don’t charge the client as much, and in turn don’t pay the musicians as high, but will likely take a chance on hiring someone new to the field.
Rates may have changed a bit since I started two decades back. Typically, if you are starting fresh and are not coming with a resume packed with experience or cred, you will be given a chance but at a starting rate. I think the starting rate is probably somewhere between $300-450 for a 4-hour gig. If, however, you are coming with experience and a huge knowledge of songs that you can perform lead on, you have some weight to negotiate higher. If you are in a band that is consistently booking a lot of gigs (and making the agency a lot of money) and have been proving your “worth” over time, it’s possible to negotiate a raise up to as much as $800-$1000/gig. Typically, someone making $1000 per gig is a band leader or someone providing more responsibility than just being in the front line – and that high of a rate is pretty rare. Somewhere between $500-700 / gig seems to be the going rate for singers who are seasoned, and/or have a lot to offer an agency.
I really appreciate this type of work because it became a way for me to support myself without leaving home for months on end. The older I’ve gotten the more important it has become for me to stay home and not put stress on my relationships and those that need me. This career option is a stable one if you can land the right company and band. It can be a great way to have consistent work and a consistent paycheck while also having the freedom to take other opportunities that arise because typically there are several singers that can fill in for your spot. If you can get yourself a permanent position in one of their bands with a good agency, you will have yourself a good job, singing for a living.
Self-employed musicians have to be good at budgeting. One month could be packed with work and the next one could have nothing. It’s a feast-or-famine life that calls for a lot of hustling to book tours and land enough session work to keep the cash flowing. Singing in a Party Band can be more consistent and a career you can rely and count on…a luxury not too many full-time touring and session singers have.
What are the most glamorous and fun aspects of Party Gigs? Let’s hear about some of your most memorable events, drop some names, baby!
The most glamorous and fun aspects are certainly the gigs when you get to sing with or for some of the biggest and most recognized names in entertainment, and subsequently add it to your resume. You also get to go to some of the most amazing places and homes in the world.
I have been a part of several private events for Oprah, sung with President Barack and Michelle Obama at Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s wedding anniversary… at that same party we played for Bruce Springsteen and Steven Spielberg and a whole slew of famous actors, directors and musicians. We were the band backing them up for whatever songs they wanted to sing. Like a live, very expensive karaoke band LOL. I have sung for a person who was knighted and at that event, got to sing with Ringo Starr, Carol King, Tom Jones, and late-night host James Corden. One of my favorites was when I got to sing backing vocals for Neil Young and Mick Jagger. The home and grounds were so big I got lost going to the restroom and barely made it back on stage - just in time to sing “Sugar Mountain.” One time I got to sing at an Egyptian princess’s home that she was renting here in LA. She wanted the song “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” as a special request. She asked for it 5 times during the night!! HA! The list goes on and on but those are some fun ones.
Another perk is getting to travel to places that are in magazines. Just last week I sang for a wedding in Mexico on a private estate on 30,000 acres of protected land…with zebras and crocodiles and a baby turtle release. Each casita had its own chef and pool. I’ve performed in a wine cave (sound nightmare), I’ve performed on a boat where I got to sing with David Foster, I’ve performed at parties in Antigua, the Bahamas and Hong Kong (where we traded sets with Lionel Richie and performances by Dita Von Teese) to name a few.
On occasion you can meet someone at an event that can lead to other work. I was asked to sing at the Grammys after working on a gig with a vocal contractor who had been Michael Jackson’s MD. I have booked some session work from people I’ve worked with. Just recently I sang with an owner of a record label who subsequently offered to help me with any advice I needed for releasing and getting my own music out. So sometimes doors get opened from these types of gigs and being around so many influential people.
Wow that sounds amazing!!! Are there any down sides?
Yes, there are down sides. The wear and tear on your body and voice is one. If you don’t have a company who really invests in good sound, you can over-sing and damage your voice. I can say this as someone coming from a place of conservatory schooling and a degree in Vocal Performance. This work is demanding. It’s 4+ hours of singing - some lead singing, some backgrounds - but always singing… And on your feet, for women that means in heels! Not only do you need vocal stamina and energy but a lot of bands require you to create a similar sound to the artists you are covering. You aren’t being hired to “make it your own” at these types of events. Trying to emulate someone else’s voice, tone, vibrato and style can put a lot of strain on your vocal cords.
To really succeed at this type of gig, you can never phone in your performance. You have to belt, project, and deliver with every song. A breathy voice won’t cut it, this isn’t recording. It’s being the voice of Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Rihanna or Pink – it requires a LOT of diversity. That can be exciting because you can grow a lot vocally but if you do it without conscious technique or training like you can get from YOUR ONLINE VOCAL COACH (thanks for the plug, Mollie!), you are putting yourself in a place of potential vocal injury. The flip side is that it’s a great way to keep your chops up, strengthen your weaknesses and build vocal stamina. Which can, in turn, help you with all the other singing work you do, not to mention it’s a fantastic way to build a solid repertoire, learning the songs that have and will stand the test of time.
Sometimes you do have to sing songs you actually hate, and you have to make people believe that it’s the most fun song ever to sing LOL. Sometimes we get gourmet food and sometimes we are given cold “band-wiches” for our dinner. That’s never exciting. The most fun I have on gigs are the ones where whoever hires us recognizes what we bring to the event and are thankful, treating us as they would famous artists. Sometimes people have just stopped dancing on the dance floor to stand and watch us like a concert. That feels great.
This is a very competitive field to get into - especially with the big gun companies like West Coast. What does it take to get into a Party Band, what are they looking for as singers and performers? Do you have to have a lot of experience and credits, or is it all about talent?
Choosing the right agency is probably key to success. If you are brand-new to this type of thing, I’d try starting somewhere smaller and build a foundation for a few years. Then start auditioning for bigger agencies. Ask fellow musicians for recommendations of agencies they work for and ones that treat them well. Some companies will want you to audition, some will just put you on a job and see how you do. The latter is how I got in. Essentially I got paid to audition, but it required being good under pressure – that’s a 4 hour audition - in front of an audience.
There are politics in this type of work and so it it’s important to know how to share the stage/spotlight and be supportive of others. As a sub, you have to know how to fit in where you are needed. Maybe you are used to singing soprano in your regular band but in this new band the middle notes are often missing, so that is what you sing. You have to have a great ear for harmonies and blending. If you joined our band for a night and I leaned over to you and said, “There are three parts on this song, you take the low note below the lead,” or, “you take the 5th above,” I would expect you to know what I mean by that and where to fit in. Come prepared, and always have your song list handy. Do your homework if there are special requests on the setlist. You have to be able to learn songs and harmonies quickly – we’re often given new songs to learn just two days before the gig. Lastly, you are often playing for events where the guests attending are very affluent. So you have to look the part as well. Your look matters. Looking classy is a job requirement.
You do not necessarily need a lot of experience or credits but if that is the case, it’s better you pick a smaller company that you can grow with. You will need to prove yourself in the first few gigs – so be prepared with the songs that you say you know. Be ready to work hard, be focused, be friendly and be a team player. Some bands are more interested in the dance/performance and how you “sell” a song, some care more about fantastic singing more than anything else. Find a band that fits you and your strengths.
As Kendrick says, be humble. No matter what your background/pedigree is and what you have done in the past, it’s always nice to work with someone who is positive, friendly, open to learn, take direction, and be supportive of others in the band.
One last thing - it’s important to know how to make mistakes and then let them go. Making mistakes and knowing how to adjust in the moment is a HUGE part of live performing. You can’t go back and tune or fix things so do your best, have fun and let it go. If you are good at ad-libbing, this quality could help in times like these. If you are in the right band, they will support you and help you get through anything.
We know you have had to sign NDAs and only gave us a very small peek into some of the celebrities you’ve performed for. But who haven’t you performed for, or with, yet that you would love to?
Hmmm, well, being in LA with some of the most influential directors around here, I would love to sing for some filmmakers like David Lynch, Sophia Coppola, Ridley Scott, and Wong Kar-Wai, and composers like Max Richter. I would have loved to sing for the late Ennio Morricone, he is one of my favorites for sure. To sing with Renee Fleming or Andrea Bocelli would be super exciting. Maybe some 90’s rockers would be fun too, like U2! I would love to sing for Dolly Parton again. I worked with her once a long time ago and she was one of my favorite people I learned from.
Thank you, Juliet, and YOSC for having me, I hope someone out there finds this helpful!
Mollie Weaver fronts the indie alternative band, Mihi Nihil, check out their music on Spotify and follow them on IG.