throwoff Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Hey Everyone, My most recent band seems to of fallen apart before it properly got going which seems to of been the regular way of things the last few years. I cant remember the last time I played live in fact! I have come to the somewhat drastic decision to get into a band who are taking it seriously (well as seriously as can be expected for musicians!) by May or sell all my stuff, it actually depresses me to see thousands worth of instruments and accessories sitting in my lounge not being used and I really have no enjoyment sitting playing on my own. So before I get to the 'bass suicide' can anyone reccomend ways to find band members I mgiht not of tried? I have tried - Open mic nights facebook sites like 'find a band' small ads in papers. I dotn want to play indie or anything too complicated but to be honest other than those 2 things I will pretty much play ANYTHING! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibody Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [url="http://www.joinmyband.com"]www.joinmyband.com[/url] [url="http://www.starnow.com"]www.starnow.com[/url] Take it from one who knows. DO NOT stop playing. You WILL regrett it. I stopped playing for 10 years and I curse the wasted time I could have spent improving my bass playing. I also curse selling my gear, because when the "itch" returned I ended up having to buy it all again. Or at least keep a working set-up (Couple of basses and you're amp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pietruszka Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Thats a shame you've got to that stage, but I know exactly what you mean and how you feel. Have you tried starting your own band at all? It's hard work but it may well pay off. Open mic nights initially sound like a good place but they're essentially buskers nights with limited if no room for movement I find. Unless theres a particular one round your area that has a proper musicians following. You could try club bands, the material is generally easy, they gig regularly and it pays! Where are you based to? I've used joinmyband.co.uk before and starnow.com with reasonable success. Stick with it, something will come up. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='Nibody' timestamp='1330447055' post='1557634'] [url="http://www.joinmyband.com"]www.joinmyband.com[/url] [url="http://www.starnow.com"]www.starnow.com[/url] Take it from one who knows. DO NOT stop playing. You WILL regrett it. I stopped playing for 10 years and I curse the wasted time I could have spent improving my bass playing. I also curse selling my gear, because when the "itch" returned I ended up having to buy it all again. Or at least keep a working set-up (Couple of basses and you're amp). [/quote] Who is amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibody Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1330447214' post='1557640'] Who is amp? [/quote] He's a personal friend of Sir Casm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Why sell your gear? You're fed up with musicians not playing bass. Take time off, practice, take lessons and come back bigger and better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Don't give up unless you don't get anything from it. Most of us can probably relate to your experiences. Sometimes living in a small/rural town can restrict your opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throwoff Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 Thanks for all the advice so far but like I said in the first post I have NO enjoyment from playing/practicing alone. Sounds silly to some I know but I like to play with other people (even just an acoustic guitar or keys or god knows what!) I cannot despite all my best effort 'practice' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1330447298' post='1557645'] Sometimes living in a small/rural town can restrict your opportunities. [/quote] Examples include: finding a wife outside of the family; avoiding certain genetic characteristics; etc You have come, as you say, to a 'somewhat drastic decision' - I don't think you mean it, but just need a gee up. I don't think there's any miracle source for finding new opportunities - you try the band forums, the music forums; etc, and eventually something will come along and catch your eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 You must know guys who play and who are out there gigging. Tap them up and see if they want to do another band. No one needs to stick with one band and most good players have more than that on the go. If you see someone whose playing you like..and you think your playing would fit in..talk to them at their gig and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1330448022' post='1557671'] You must know guys who play and who are out there gigging. Tap them up and see if they want to do another band. No one needs to stick with one band and most good players have more than that on the go. If you see someone whose playing you like..and you think your playing would fit in..talk to them at their gig and go from there. [/quote] Bingo. You could just go and have a jam and take it from there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='throwoff' timestamp='1330446764' post='1557629'] I dotn want to play indie or anything too complicated but to be honest other than those 2 things I will pretty much play ANYTHING! [/quote] Well just being open to playing anything give you far more scope. I've been remarkably lucky insofar as I've never had to look for a band but something that just occured to me is that we have a 'Bass Players Available\Wanted' section here - are there similar sections on guitarist and drummer forums? Something I have noticed (probably because I'm getting older) is that bands with older members seem to have a degree of longevity about them that the younger ones don't but those older bands get a new lease of life when they recruit a 'youngster'. I've been doing some work with a band who had a record deal back in the 60's and they're certainly not behaving like 70 year olds. It's not you that's at fault here so it seems a bit ar*e about face punishing yourself for other peoples inabilities. Hang in there mate, it'll work itself out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueslemac Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 There are quite a few dating-type websites - such as [url="http://www.bandmix.co.uk/?gclid=CJyX6raSwa4CFQ1lfAodgRwoIQ?gclid=CJyX6raSwa4CFQ1lfAodgRwoIQ"]Bandmix[/url] and [url="http://www.find-a-musician.com/Musicians-Wanted.php"]Find-a-Musican[/url], [url="http://www.musicians-in-your-city.co.uk/?ggid=1"]Musicians-in-your-City[/url] and so on. Try those too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT40Graham Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) I have found that [url="http://www.partysounds.co.uk/"]Partysounds[/url] works very well.I know how you feel though. I've been setting up a band for the last few months and it's been a case of "one step forwards, five backwards". Stick with it. Edited February 28, 2012 by GT40Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musophilr Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1330447298' post='1557645'] Don't give up unless you don't get anything from it. Most of us can probably relate to your experiences. Sometimes living in a small/rural town can restrict your opportunities. [/quote] I'm beginning to realise that if I want to play, and if I want to hear the sounds in my head coming out of speakers, then recording myself on a multitracker is the most likely way it's going to happen. It has meant getting instruments other than my "first" instrument and learning to play them - or at least use them as a credible backing to my "first" instrument. The exercise has over a few years helped my understanding of music - writing it, recording it, mixing it etc. That's a good reason not to give up. Alternatively if you live in Suffolk and have similar interests to me - I need a bass player! Check out [url="http://www.dasbarockorchester.co.,uk"]www.dasbarockorchester.co.,uk[/url] and [url="http://www.musica-electrica.co.uk"]www.musica-electrica.co.uk[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Don't forget gumtree and lemonrock! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl1rRxG251s"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl1rRxG251s[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Just make sure you turn up at the Lefty Bass Bash matey. We'll sort you out! Seriously, I've been looking at starting to get out there again myself. I've just started to put out a few feelers and I'll wait awhile to see if anything turns up. Sometimes you just need to be patient (easier said than done I know...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Where are you? I know a few folk looking for bassists up here (I keep getting offers & knocking them back). I do know how you feel though. I get to practice with my band once every 2-3 months, the rest of the time is p!ssing about cause the Mrs has a moan every time I mention "band". Seriously thinking about packing it in myself as I can't be bothered with the grief anymore. Last week I managed to arrange a band practice for tonight & checked with the Mrs & she was happy with it, then tonight when I get back she gives it "I'm not happy about you going tonight, there's a pantry needing finished". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Local rehearsal rooms nearly always have bassist wanted ads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 every band ive ever been in is from GumTree.. i highly recommend it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 +1 for Starnow. There just aren't enough hours in the day!* [size=1]*Because too many of them are spent wasting time on BassChat.[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Hey you! I know you are also probably under a lot of stress with certain events (positive!) coming up but... What gives you the right to deny the world your musical input?!!!! Quit moping, believe the right gig will turn up, get oh so enthusiastic about it...............and it will (according to Quantum Physics LIke life in general, music has to have highs and lows. See it through. My band going through turmoil right now. Half expecting it to fold very soon. Ah well, if it's not meant to be, something else is. Come on man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 [quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1330455109' post='1557833'] Quit moping, believe the right gig will turn up, get oh so enthusiastic about it...............and it will (according to Quantum Physics [/quote] Well quantum physics used to predict that everything would happen an infinite number of times. Now they're saying that time will actually end at some point, so that doesn't happen. Sad but true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) I've been playing Bass now, without a band, for 18 years. I loved playing in bands, and did so for about 6 years, but things got all topsy-turvy and I lost contact with everyone I knew in the music scene. I would love to find someone to play with, even if it was just a bloke who could play guitar, sing and program a drum machine, though a proper band would be ace. Unfortunately there are so many things stacked against it ever happening, some of them my fault, some that are my fault but can't be helped, and things that aren't my fault. Where I live I don't personally know one single person that plays any instrument. I wouldn't really care what I played either, I just want to play. I don't care if it never left the rehearsal room/garage or whatever, maybe just concentrate on home recording, the important thing for me is to enjoy it. And I don't need to play with amazing musicians, merely competent would be good enough, as long as they're having fun too. But I will keep plugging away on my own and not getting anywhere, I get far too much out of it to give it up. But I have enough gear to be able to drop straight into a band situation, just in-case. What I would dearly love to do is something along the lines of The Vision Bleak. But I would happily play Country, Blues, 60/70's type Psychedelic Hippy stuff, almost any kind of hard rock/metal. I just wish I could figure out how to record at home without spending a fortune. I play Guitar a bit but I can't get my head around drum machines and I really, really can't sing. Edited February 28, 2012 by KingBollock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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