Frequently Asked Questions
General
Do you perform for Charity Events?
How far do you travel / In which areas of the Palouse Region do you perform?
How long do you play for?
Money Quotes & Contracts
How much do you charge?
How is your fee calculated?
Our fee depends upon:
Do you need a deposit?
Generally speaking yes, especially for private parties. To guarantee The ColdRail Blues Band for your event, we ask for a non-refundable deposit of between $100 and $200, depending on type of performance, which accompanies the signed contract.
Do you use a booking contract?
Yes. This is so that both parties know what to expect and so that 'what would happen if' scenarios are easily dealt with. Nothing fancy - just straight forward stuff like:
However, we completely understand if you would rather pay us on the day.
Hospitality
Will the band need a hot meal and what about drinks?
If we're playing in the evening, then yes please - a Hot and Healthy meal either before we play or during a break will mean that your musicians will be able to pour 100% of their talents into your event!
Performing takes a lot of physical and mental effort, so a well fed band means a happy band which means a great performance, happy guests and a top event!
Performing is also thirsty work, and contrary to popular belief, most professional musicians are very light alcohol drinkers. After all, we have to be sharp in our performances and drive home at the end of the night. If you are able to provide bottled water or arrange a small bar tab for the band (even if it's just for soft drinks) that would be greatly appreciated.
What about parking?
It always makes life easier if we can park and unload fairly close to where we're playing. However, if parking is a problem, we'll unload our equipment and then park in a better place - we'd be grateful if you could let us know either way, thanks!
Do Contact Us with any other questions you may have - thanks!
Do you perform for Charity Events?
- Part of the joy of music is being able to play for good causes. The ColdRail Blues Band is always willing to lower their fee to play for a charity fundraiser or school event throughout the year. The best thing to do is to Contact Us and we can discuss the possibilities!
How far do you travel / In which areas of the Palouse Region do you perform?
- Generally, we prefer to play within 70-ish miles of the Moscow, ID/Pullman, WA area so that the journey home in the wee small hours is do-able! We occasionally do go further out than that for festivals and what not , but we will have to factor in the extra cost of accommodation, mileage etc.
How long do you play for?
- Our standard playing times are either three sets of 45 minutes (most popular) or two sets at roughly an hour each, with short breaks in-between and ending before midnight. If you would like us to play for more or less time, or beyond midnight, then we will adjust our quoted fee accordingly.
Money Quotes & Contracts
How much do you charge?
- Ah, the one million dollar question! Do Contact Us and we will send you an exact quote for suitable band options for your event.
Please remember that The ColdRail Blues Band is a professional band comprised of skilled and talented musicians. Our quoted fee may include extra expenses of travel, instrument costs, PA equipment and lighting, previous rehearsal time, arranging music, admin management and advertising costs, equipment repair/renew and so on... not forgetting the years of training and study that was needed to attain our musicians' qualifications and professional standard of musicianship.
In other words, there is a lot of hidden work behind the scenes of a good quality professional band's typical gig! As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. We are an experienced professional band who pride ourselves on delivering high quality music entertainment, time after time.
How is your fee calculated?
Our fee depends upon:
- The number of sets or performance
- Traveling distance to the gig (and if any accommodation is required)
- The size of lighting rig required (if any required - e.g. you may have your own lighting organized)
- Whether the event is in the Summer Peak Season (10% off for winter months)
- If the event is a Public or Private Event.
- New Year's Eve and Mardi Gras are premium-rate dates, however, we're pretty competitive compared to other good bands.
- If you would like us to play significantly more or less than our standard set times.
Do you need a deposit?
Generally speaking yes, especially for private parties. To guarantee The ColdRail Blues Band for your event, we ask for a non-refundable deposit of between $100 and $200, depending on type of performance, which accompanies the signed contract.
Do you use a booking contract?
Yes. This is so that both parties know what to expect and so that 'what would happen if' scenarios are easily dealt with. Nothing fancy - just straight forward stuff like:
- Agreed fee and whether the band gets fed & watered (a hot meal is surprisingly important to bands!)
- What would happen in the event of cancellation or if the world ends.
- Performance times, setting up times, location at venue
- Contact details for the day etc.
However, we completely understand if you would rather pay us on the day.
Hospitality
If we're playing in the evening, then yes please - a Hot and Healthy meal either before we play or during a break will mean that your musicians will be able to pour 100% of their talents into your event!
Performing takes a lot of physical and mental effort, so a well fed band means a happy band which means a great performance, happy guests and a top event!
Performing is also thirsty work, and contrary to popular belief, most professional musicians are very light alcohol drinkers. After all, we have to be sharp in our performances and drive home at the end of the night. If you are able to provide bottled water or arrange a small bar tab for the band (even if it's just for soft drinks) that would be greatly appreciated.
It always makes life easier if we can park and unload fairly close to where we're playing. However, if parking is a problem, we'll unload our equipment and then park in a better place - we'd be grateful if you could let us know either way, thanks!
Do Contact Us with any other questions you may have - thanks!
