Last night we drove a bit to find  Crockmeir’s Pub to hear my old buddy Stan Foster and his friend Mark Custer play a few sets.  They played together in a very successful duo (Custer’s Last Stand) in the mid-1980s but due to careers, family responsibilities, etc… they each followed different paths. This is the first time in 10 years that they’ve done a gig together and they’re doing it out of their home territory, so none of their regular (old) fans are there (except for me and my wife).  Stan’s wife, Donna Hall, joins them for several numbers;  she’s got a good voice with lots of range and control. 

In the opening of the video, you hear Stan say “I’m not sure about this one…” but they were fine. They had a few fakebooks lying around and didn’t hesitate to take requests. It’s good to see them back together!

Think just a moment about how much economic sense a duo makes;   –plus no lugging a drum set back to the van!  They used hand-held percussion or a rhythm machine to good effect (–just dialed up a beat and faded it in and out).   Mark had a pedal rig for his acoustic that gave him a nice variety of tone.  Stan used the extended range of his 5 string bass to its fullest advantage. Good sound, happy customers, and at the end of the night, you divide the pay in half and head to the house.

I believe that duos deserve special respect;  –it requires a special amount of musical give and take to pull off everyone’s favorite cover tune.  I rarely see solo acts that can (or will) do covers any more.  But in terms of profitability,  it seems a bit strange.  Venues that handle large bands often pay more than smaller venues, so unless you’re a solo act playing a large venue, the money is not much different. 

What is your experience?