We are a duo playing in keywest fl 5-6 nights a week for the past 8 years appx 16 months ago we purchased a pas .Thursday eve our system developed a problem we were on the first of a six night stand needless to say we panicked made calls to borrow or rent gear .Then we called bose our tech guy was greg without any big deal just point blank we need to help you attitude and we are sorry you have a problem bose sent us a replacement unit .we called friday 8:30 am on sat 9:30 am we had the unit Our livelyhood depends on this gear.I have been playing for living for many years and the customer support from bose is the best couple that with having the best pa we have ever used cosidering the size punch clarity and quality this need sto be said bose rules i wish they made boat engines i would buy one
Good to hear they backed you up Russ. BTW, where do you play in Key West? Me, my boat, my RV and my PAS/Guitar are going to end up there one day to stay "for a while". We were just there in April and I loved the place. If you're a solo or duo it seems to me to be the best spot on the planet to do all the gigging you want.
Also, we're going on a cruise in August and will be in Key West on the 9th or 10th... Let me know where you are and we'll drop by to support a fellow PAS man. Can't wait to hear you.
Owen, you are right that Key West is a fun place to gig. I lived there 2 years (some years ago) and worked as a single and a duo. I have been back for some short gigs since. There are lots of great places to play, and I love to play to tourists. They haven't heard the same old jokes and between songs patter/BS. The downside is that many entertainers come to town to try their luck, and there is a lot of competition. After you establish your reliability etc., it gets easier to get gigs. Another downside is the HIGH cost of living there. Wish I had had my PAS back then. Respect Col. Andy
Hey Capt... great to hear good things about KW. I know what you mean about being expensive to live there. To offset the cost of living I plan to utilize an RV or my boat... my wife prefers the plan that has us in an RV instead of the boat. I've actually done some shows on the ICW where I travel to the marina town in my boat, unload and play, then put everything back in my boat, sleep in the boat in the marina (part of the pay negotiated)... get up the next morning and travel to next town and do it all over again. Cell phones keep me connected and I'd love to be able to do that for more than a week or two at a time. I'm fortunate in that I should be able to retire within in the next 2 to 3 years and that's when I plan to really hit this hard... figure if I ever make it to Key West in the boat then I'll just stay there if things work out... might not make it that far south though. You know now that I say that all out loud I remember something my grandfather told me about dreams being like terds... everybody has several but only you are really, really interested in them and it's the hard ones that you enjoy accomplishing more. :-)
As for playing to tourists I know what you mean... it's like they know they need to bring something back with them and they are there just to have a good time so it's easier to get them to that spot... and like you said they don't know my banter the way my regular crowds do... right now I play the same place on Wednesday night and then another place every Friday night... those guys know me better than I know myself...
Hey speaking of Key West... I met one of the old timers down there (won't mention the name here) that has been playing the same bar from noon until 5 every day for 11 years... this year with tee shirt sales, cd sales, tips and pay he topped 200K for a job that he laughs about having to get out of bed everyday at the crack of eleven for. I also learned while I was there that drag racing doesn't quite mean the same thing there as it does here in NC.
just wondering if this is the russ with long red hair(rusty) that i had met when i lived down there. you lived in new town in the apartments by publix, if this is you then drop me a line man!!! marty, i worked at the pier house and played guitar. hmmmm, would be cool if it was you
