It can certainly be frustrating. I play regularly in 2 bands. In one we rehearse regularly but there's always someone who can't make a gig. Sometimes really trivial reasons. So much work and expense for very little in return. The other band, we've never rehearsed once. We get plenty of local gigs and make reasonable money, but it's very difficult to add anything into the setlist and it's getting a bit boring and stale. I'm also getting old and have back and shoulder problems so that doesn't help. I don't want to throw the towel in because a gig nearly always gives me a bit of a lift, even if I suffer a bit for it. It's the only time in my life that anyone applauds something I do. I'm hopefully moving house soon so that might be a catalyst for change, one way or another. I have problems imagining being surrounded by all the lovely stuff I own with no use real for any of it.