have you ever up sticks, and moved for the music?

[bubinga5]

Have you ever up sticks and gone to another part of the country...im a single guy with no ties apart from my family..i just cant find the music around where i live that i want to get involved in.. im also temping work wise, so have no ties there either... im thinking of moving to either Bristol or London.. just me, my bass and my gear.. with obvious furniture etc..has anyone done this...

it seems the music i really want to play is just not common around these parts...music is a very important part of my life so i have a bit of a dream...i think im accomplished enough as a bassist...im learning how to read also... i do recognise the music i love is not that common around my area...and there is nothing exciting music wise happening around where i live..

dont think i will ever be happy in my life if im not playing bass with a band that i dig..

any thoughts..

[Bassman Sam]

I left Glasgow in 1975 for the bright lights of London. We were very green, thinking that we would be the next best thing. It didn't happen but we had a blast, met some wonderful people and got me a wife. I wouldn't have done half what I did if I stayed on in Glasgow. The grass is always greener etc but if you don't try you'll never know.

[Mykesbass]

Only one way to find out - do it! I seem to recall from some of your earlier posts you are a bit of a fish out of water where you are at the moment. Bristol seems to have a lot going for it.

Whatever the outcome I wish you well

[EBS_freak]

Give it a whirl. You'll only think *what if* if you don't.

[bubinga5]

well im not wanting to be the next best thing..im really not interested in fame or money...i just want to get involved in something im passionate about with others who feel the same.... there arent many people who feel the same around here..

[Cat Burrito]

In September 1995 following the split of my college band, I upped sticks from Bath and moved to Watford. An early introduction was from the bank who said "why did you move [b]here[/b] from Bath?" when I changed my details in the Watford branch!

I'd hasten to add that I moved to work with a musician I'd regularly gigged with. We'd been in different bands but had a mutual respect. Watford made more sense than Bath as it was closer to London, or at least that was the rational at the time.

Coincidentally my ex-singer moved to Nottingham shortly after, purely on the thinking that our former band had gone down well there so he'd do well there. In 15yrs he has done absolutely nothing at all.

My thoughts are that you should get things lined up before you move. I spent 6yrs in Watford and in that time I recorded, toured and had a blast. I've got some friends for life and I look back on that time fondly. No regrets. In fairness I could have gone to London or somewhere else but I moved for the band, not the place. My advice is do it, but think really carefully and make sure you have things lined up. If it doesn't work out, your new home can be a pretty lonely place.

[nick]

Back in '95 I left a secure job in lovely Cambridge to join a band in not quite as lovely Birkenhead.
Great band - like a gang , good tunes, lot of label interest & some good contacts in the industry. Had a great time, even though I was beyond skint. Played everywhere, in one year alone think we did around 150 gigs.
Unfortunately, as things sometimes go (in Creme Brulee fashion ), we were nearly signed & then discarded by a big label. By this time, I'd had enough of living on beans & toast for two years, electricity & gas turned off..... and by some other weird twist of fate jettisoned off to Hollywood & left them.

Anyway, even with all the above - no regrets. Was in my early twenties at the time, so no committments whatsoever. A brilliant experience!

Edited December 18, 2010 by nick

[nick]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1062946' date='Dec 18 2010, 08:57 PM']well im not wanting to be the next best thing..im really not interested in fame or money...i just want to get involved in something im passionate about with others who feel the same.... there arent many people who feel the same around here..[/quote]

TBH don't know the Cheltenham scene, but not entirely sure Bristol's is that much more kicking(?), but another Bristol based BCer may correct me.
You're only half an hour up the motorway from here anyway.

[chris_b]

When I left school I moved to Brussels to join a 10 piece soul and pop band which did quite well. I bought my Fender Precision in that band.

Several years later I spent time playing the US bases in Germany. It was fun and good experience. We played 5 sets a night with 6 sets on Friday and Saturday. After that you can play anything. Most of the soldiers were drafted, fed up and homesick. The bands were the only non army people they met so we were all treated like royalty.

[Vibrating G String]

I left Los Angeles, which had a ton of musicians all wanting to be superstars, to San Francisco where music seemed to matter more. Since I wanted to play for fun and not fame it was a great move. I also like the city better and wouldn't have moved to a place I didn't like just for the music. I wanted to move for years but it was a drummer inviting me to play with her that triggered the move and I'm glad I did it.

[Bassman Sam]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1063009' date='Dec 18 2010, 09:51 PM']When I left school I moved to Brussels to join a 10 piece soul and pop band which did quite well. I bought my Fender Precision in that band.

Several years later I spent time playing the US bases in Germany. It was fun and good experience. We played 5 sets a night with 6 sets on Friday and Saturday. After that you can play anything. Most of the soldiers were drafted, fed up and homesick. The bands were the only non army people they met so we were all treated like royalty.[/quote]

I can relate to that. Used to play in Dunoon Queens Halls in the 70's for the American navy guys that were stationed there. They would have just come back from sea to their base and wanted to let their hair down. Met many great guys with stories to tell. They would bring bottles of JD and bags of weed for the band as thanks for entertaining them. Good old days.

[Gunsfreddy2003]

The Cheltenham scene is non-existent!! Bristol is quite a bit better but still not the best.

I am involved in a Bristol based band and just make the trip up and down the motorway for gigs and rehearsals as needed which suite me fine these days.

Going back to your original question I would say that you have the chance to try this now and should take it whilst you can - otherwise before you know it you wil have far too many reasons why you can't go such as girlfriend/wife, good job, house mortgage etc etc!

I had some good opportunities to go to London or Leeds to study music and opted to stay here as I was in a good band at the time and my brother had a recording studio too and I felt that I had everything at that time that a big city could offer me. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision and how different things might have turned out for me if I had followed the music "dream" properly.

I still dream of world tours and playing music for a living (who doesn't) but I met my wife at one of our gigs at Cheltenham University and have gone on to become a Director of my own media company and to be fair have a pretty decent lifestyle and way of life that I feel I am lucky to have.

Like others have said go and see what you can find and if it doesn't work out then you can always come home again but at least you can say you gave it a go and who knows you may find exactly what you are looking for!


[quote name='nick' post='1062984' date='Dec 18 2010, 09:23 PM']TBH don't know the Cheltenham scene, but not entirely sure Bristol's is that much more kicking(?), but another Bristol based BCer may correct me.
You're only half an hour up the motorway from here anyway.[/quote]

[EdwardHimself]

One of the reasons I went to manchester to uni was because I thought (stupidly) that I might get involved in a lot more music. How wrong I was...

[bubinga5]

Maybe things are turning to the internet for recording... but where is the live stuff..?

[Chris2112]

You'd be very brave to make the move based solely on migrating to a new music scene. I'd concentrate on sorting out a job in London or Bristol and then up sticks, at least then you've got some security while you find your feet and build your contacts on the music scene.

As it seems that now it's harder than ever to make it in music, especially if you have any real talent, it pays to be realistic and focus on the real world first! Let the hobby come later.

[skej21]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1062946' date='Dec 18 2010, 08:57 PM']well im not wanting to be the next best thing..im really not interested in fame or money...i just want to get involved in something im passionate about with others who feel the same.... there arent many people who feel the same around here..[/quote]

So you want to move to one of the most expensive areas of the country with it's highly competitive/saturated music scene, just to play music you're passionate about for little money?!

Sounds like a CRAZY idea to me... So crazy it might just work?

Edited December 19, 2010 by skej21

[flyfisher]

I'm facing the same sort of issue but from the opposite direction. I'm currently playing in two bands - nothing special but gigging every 4-6 weeks and making progress in our own small way and generally enjoying things.

But, for a variety of reasons, I'm likely to be moving about 70 miles away next year and am a bit concerned about how easy it will be to get into a new music scene in the depths of rural Norfolk. I guess time will tell!

[Chris2112]

I'm sure you'll find a folk scene!

[BigRedX]

Yes,

I changed my university course so I could be somewhere more happening than Swansea in 1980.

I've also turned down a better job with better pay that would have meant moving away and leaving the band that I was in at the time that was just starting to do interesting things.

I think that it comes down to your life priorities. For me the music always comes first. Everything else comes second. My work while interesting is simply something that allows me to live and fund my musical activities.

YMMV as they say...

[Dood]

If the right band came up (or an existing band doing very well) then I would quite happily move if need be - but hey, it'd *have* to be the right band and be worthwhile!