dmccombe7 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I've used Join My Band, Bandmix, Gumtree and local rehearsal studios will have a notice board with ads for musicians, Jam sessions in local pubs, Basschat wanted section a good place to start.. Sometimes its just people you know or friends on Facebook looking for someone. Good luck and hope you find the right people. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Ever since I was a teen and 30 years down the line I've still not found a really good bunch of people who wanna play the kind of stuff I do i.e. a mashup of funk, hip hop, world music and electronica with a major emphasis on the party vibe. So I've mostly just depped on and off. Not wholly satisfying but it helps stop you from rusting away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 I found the majority of "musicians" I contacted through Join My Band were dreamers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aDx Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 well.... I got an audition on Saturday!!! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) Local Gumtee, loca Facebook musicians pages, adverts in local Music Shops. Oh, and lots of perserverance. Edited January 22, 2017 by Skybone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 I think it's probably a bit of a battle to find good, committed people to do "a mix of originals and covers, just for fun for now". The really driven, serious guys will be out throwing themselves in to regularly gigging bands with a clear plan - it's harder to find good people who are happy to do something that is pretty laid back and done for fun but still be reliable/organised/talented enough to do it 'properly'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) It's not easy to find people to play with and it depends on what your looking for. I've been lucky enough to be in a gigging bar band for the past 5 years. We play between 60-65 shows a year. If I was looking for guys to play with it would be extremely tough as I am only interested in playing for $$$.But, I have done a few charities. Blue Edited January 23, 2017 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 [quote name='aDx' timestamp='1484488133' post='3215800'] Been trying for ages to find others to play with but no luck!! Where do other peeps here find others? [/quote] It's mostly about networking, a little about music and a lot about you. I can't tell anything about you from this post. I don't know where you live, how old you are or what sort of music you want to play. If I wanted to play with you I don't know what your level of commitment would be or how good and experienced a musician you are. My point is that if you are serious about finding people you need to share as much as possible. It might be that someone on here knows someone who lives near you looking for a bassist. Start by thinking what level of commitment you can offer. That needs to go into any ads you put out and any conversations with potential band members. If the only music you are interested in is metal/folk/reggae or whatever then you need to realise that whatever your choice it is very specialist and you need to say so, and accept that opportunities will be more limited. If you just want to play with other people and genuinely don't mind at this stage what you play then just saying that will open up possibilities. You say you've done the semi pro thing before, and it is hard work. I'm involved at starting up a new covers band and I'm looking at least at three months or weekly rehearsals to get a 30 song list together along with an hour or two of personal practice every day. Once we get going it's going to be 8hrs out of every weekend per gig, plus continued rehearsal and practice. There are plenty of people though who can't give that time but just love playing with other people. You know where to find them, they are hanging round music shops suffering from GAS and probably scanning small ads on the board, they go to watch mates playing the pubs, do a few songs at the open mics and probably have profiles on Bandmix that they've put up at idle moments. Seek them out in those places. Decide what you want from this, the clearer you are in your own head the more likely you are to find a fellow traveller. Then put it about that you are looking. Talk to the guy/girl running the open mic, the person running the guitar shop, the musicians in local bands, because they are the people who know most of the local talent, it's going to be a small community and you need to be part of it. If you go along to open mic/jam sessions then you'll soon realise they play the same songs every week, it isn't too much effort to learn a few and to join in. If you are any good people will want you to play with them. The internet is great for small ads and tracking down the missing part of your band but there is no substitute for talking to people especially at the early stages of getting something together. There are plenty of people out there IME who want to be in a band but don't have the time for a regularly gigging band. Why not try to set that up yourself? Start by looking for one person to work with, as a bassist that's probably a singer/guitarist. Most bands don't come together as a whole, they tend to coalesce around a couple of people who are already making music, but if you come across a band who need a bassist be open to that too. I've always looked for the singer first, without a singer there are no songs. It's amazing how quickly after you start something other people come along who will want to join in. I've often played in a duo and as someone has said you have to beat musicians off with a rolled up newspaper once you start performing. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1484577683' post='3216436'] Finding actual musicians can be a realllly hard & slow process. Finding wazzicks with guitars & karaoke singers, easy. [/quote] This... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aDx Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 thanks for all the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 [quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1485162326' post='3221541'] I'm involved at starting up a new covers band and I'm looking at least at three months or weekly rehearsals to get a 30 song list together along with an hour or two of personal practice every day. [/quote] Three months of rehearsing? Seems a lot to me. I've played in bands where we have rehearsed once then started gigging, in fact we didn't rehearse whole songs, just intros and outros, and the gigs went fine. My main band still gets together once a week to work on new stuff and just play for the fun of playing, but again we started gigging after a couple of short rehearsals. Any band who expected me to rehearse for months before gigging would be looking for a new bass player! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 [quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1485167456' post='3221624'] Three months of rehearsing? Seems a lot to me. I've played in bands where we have rehearsed once then started gigging, in fact we didn't rehearse whole songs, just intros and outros, and the gigs went fine. My main band still gets together once a week to work on new stuff and just play for the fun of playing, but again we started gigging after a couple of short rehearsals. Any band who expected me to rehearse for months before gigging would be looking for a new bass player! [/quote] It's more than possible you are better than I am I'd probably place a small wager on that. It's also possible that you are playing with more experienced musicians. Playing within a genre also helps, if you are all lifelong blues men then you are going to have a lot of shared experience to draw on. The current start up don't have any shared songs we want to be in the final set list, that's pretty much true of my last two bands also. I reckon learning three or four entirely new songs a week is par for people who work full time, but it depends entirely upon the song, some you can jam out straight away, some take longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 That's a very generous answer, and better than I deserve! The Wirebirds were pretty rough when we started, and I knew only one song they knew, but we managed to get something giggable pretty fast. I think the deadline of an approaching gig does a lot to focus a band's attention! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) You may be lucky with Gumtree and Join my Band etc I wasn't . The few responses I had were from people you'd run a mile from if it was a dating agency. If you like music which lends itself to jams and open mics, like blues and jazz, go, get yourself known and offers will come. They can't not really. The other thing that worked for me was going to see bands and looking out for those with a sound and vibe I liked. Then if they had a bassist I'd offer myself as a potential dep (taking care not to upset the incumbent), or if they didn't have a bassist, then ask for a try out. They may be looking for someone just like you! Edited January 24, 2017 by lownote12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 [quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1485178507' post='3221775'] That's a very generous answer, and better than I deserve! The Wirebirds were pretty rough when we started, and I knew only one song they knew, but we managed to get something giggable pretty fast. I think the deadline of an approaching gig does a lot to focus a band's attention! [/quote]Oh God, I hope that I didn't come across as being sarcastic, I apologise if it did. It's just my recent experience has all been in start ups, I've found you can only go at the pace of the slowest, it has frustrated the life out of me when someone says let's learn 10 songs and then you turn up having sweated blood to find no-one else has them all nailed. In fact I've got a first meet up with my latest start up venture in a couple of hours fortunately we've got a fair few songs in common this time. I've listened to the Wirebirds in the past when you had Jenny singing for you, I wanted to get across to see you live but life intervened hopefully if you are playing anywhere near Reading next time I'm up there I can get across to see you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Not at all, Phil, I thought my initial reply was a bit snooty (was having a bad weekend, no gigs!) but my second answer was sincere. Thank you for your comments on the Wirebirds, I certainly miss Jenny's voice on songs like 'Move Over' and 'White Rabbit' but she didn't really get on with the bulk of our set. Most people who saw us in the Jenny era and more recently say we are more fun now. She has turned up at a gig or two if she is in the are and guested on a couple of songs, which is great, and we have jammed with her and Stephe Honde (Hollywood Monsters) which was a blast. Our gigs are all listed on Lemonrock, this time of the year I hope to adding a few more soon. The only times we have played around Reading so far has been our annual trip to the St Helena Association sports day (August bank holiday), as we have strong connections with that island - guitarist and drummer are both from there, and the firebird is their national bird! I'm off to play somewhere north of Swindon this afternoon, supposedly a rehearsal but usually mostly tea and chat, but they're a lot of fun and it's worth it for that. Plus the pleasure of playing with a guitarist who did a stint with Van Morrison, and a drummer who I just clicked with the moment we first played together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) I usually drive around London in the van until I see someone carrying a guitar, bass drum etc. Then I just bundle them in the back... ...I use a similar strategy for meeting women... Edited January 24, 2017 by CamdenRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1485259622' post='3222511'] I usually drive around London in the van until I see someone carrying a guitar, bass drum etc. Then I just bundle them in the back... ...I use a similar strategy for meeting women... [/quote] Good plan. you could also place large quantities of beer and curry on a table and suspend a large net above it. When they pile in to the goodies, pull a rope to drop the net over them and there you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 [quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1485247087' post='3222359'] ........ It's just my recent experience has all been in start ups, I've found you can only go at the pace of the slowest, it has frustrated the life out of me when someone says let's learn 10 songs and then you turn up having sweated blood to find no-one else has them all nailed........... [/quote] Having this right now. Auditioned/tried out for an indie/post punk/some more general stuff type band and they asked me to join. Gave me a "set list" which I duly learnt some of, then some more, then started running into the "Oh you've learnt those have you, we haven't played those for ages (ever? - slight hint of sarcasm there) supposed to have the first gig in a month. Fingers well and truly crossed. Annoyingly I had a call just after I'd started rehearsing with them from someone who has what seems to be a much more together band that has just lost their bass player, but turned it down as felt I had to give these guys a fair chance (two bands is OK but three is not, for me anyhow).I'm having a bit of a sinking feeling at the moment. Slightly off topic. Apologies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I currently play in four working bands, of which two are my own. When I want to form a new band I just phone or approach the people I have chosen to be in it. If you're new to the scene then open mics and jam nights, and scan the notice boards in music shops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubbersoul Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Sheepdogs! Round the f***ers up and put each one to the test. It'd be like a Monty Python sketch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 [quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1485281984' post='3222785'] Having this right now. Auditioned/tried out for an indie/post punk/some more general stuff type band and they asked me to join. Gave me a "set list" which I duly learnt some of, then some more, then started running into the "Oh you've learnt those have you, we haven't played those for ages (ever? - slight hint of sarcasm there) supposed to have the first gig in a month. Fingers well and truly crossed. Annoyingly I had a call just after I'd started rehearsing with them from someone who has what seems to be a much more together band that has just lost their bass player, but turned it down as felt I had to give these guys a fair chance (two bands is OK but three is not, for me anyhow).I'm having a bit of a sinking feeling at the moment. Slightly off topic. Apologies. [/quote]Hope it works out for you. My long layoff happened when I fell out with my band over their disorganisation.The guitarist and I had agreed we would give them a few months to improve and would leave together, or at least tell each other when we'd had enough. I didn't feel I should let him down and turned down an audition with a band I'd wanted to play with for a while. The band broke up after a big row a week later. I'm big on loyalty but now think I'd have been better off auditioning for the new band and then telling the old band giving them time to get someone else in to replace me.I think in your situation I'd go and see the other band and if it looks a better bet for you to just be honest and let the other band down as gently as you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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