artisan Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) my band "the growlers" just never seem to do anything.we've been going for 14 years & whilst we used to play on a regular bassis the vocalist & the drummer just don't seem to give a damn any more.we practice once a blue moon & as for gigs we've only played 4 this year. when the band play we are a damn good band, but it's just extremely hard work getting it to happen. my brother is the lead guitarist & him & me are always keen to play + modesty aside,we're both accomplished musicians,where as the drummer & vocalist just don't want to put any effort into it & neither of them are very musicaly giffted to be honest.but as a whole when it gels it really gels. if we sack both of them the band just won't be the same so i feel it would be the end of "the growlers" for good-which would be a shame,but its so damn frustrating i'm thinking of throwing in the towel & sod 'em. which brings me to my dilema- do i bin it & start again or try to keep it going (its been crap for 4-5 years so it won't change)& hope for a miracle. sorry for rambling (not to mention my bad grammar & spelling) art' Edited June 19, 2008 by artisan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Sounds like hell! Join a new band with people who are as keen as you to get out and play gigs. No point in wasting any more time IMO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I'd suggest you keep it going but advertise and start another band with your brother on the side - initially to see what happens - it sounds like the Growlers isn't taking up much of your time at the mo. You'll probably find you gel with other people, and it will either kick your vocalist and drummer up the @rse or completely kill off the Growlers as they don't like what you've done, or wanted to finish anyway. At least you'll know for sure, and you could end up with 2 bands worth of musicians that you can pick a "supergroup" from if two gets to be too much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Don't jack it in, just start or join a new band as a "side-project" with the guitarist if necessary. There are no laws against being in more than one band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I can't bear to be in bands with 'passivists'. It does my nut in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 +1 to starting another band as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s_u_y_* Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 If you aren't enjoying it at all anymore, don't continue with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 You sound like a monkey with his hand is a sweet jar, afraid to let go of what you have even though you can' t enjoy it. If The Growlers have a local rep, you may be able to poach a singer and drummer from someone else and get your mojo back. Ambivalence is difficult to counter and life's probably too short to try. Ditch the deadweights and start again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Let it slip (ever so casually) that you and your brother are talking to others about another band. Watch the attitudes change ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrunci Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Nothing more frustrating than being in a band where the other members don't have the same level of commitment as yourself. It's happened to me numerous times over the years and I have always found honesty to be the best policy. If I was in your position I would tell them exactly what I wanted to do and what I expected from them in terms of commitment. Then if they disagree you have a choice to either compromise or stick to your guns and search out players who will commit as much as yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 I'd move on, or in your case, replace the guys who aren't interested. Everyone involved in a band has to be pulling in the same way,IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingforaday Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 wow! i've been in virtually the same situation for what seems like forever, but in reality its way less time than you've been putting up with it (6 years or so). major pain in the ass isn't it?! me and my lead guitarist brother have now decided to forget the idea of getting a singer and just do what we can ourselves. which just leaves a drummer... funny what you say about it wouldn't be the same band without the other two, cuz i've always felt like that about our drummer (singers have come and gone) but now that i think about it, it makes sense to continue the band and get someone new cuz we were always the driving force behind it anyway and as good as our drummer was/is i'd have swapped him in a second for a little effort and enthusiasm! i vote replace them but keep the band name etc if you think its worth keeping hold of the reputation you've built over the years, chucking it all away for the sake of it not being the same when in fact it might be, or might be way better seems a real hassle. well thats the angle i'm trying this time anyways! good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassninja Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Similar deal with my former main gig. The main gig got less and less attention after one of us went 'pro'. Everybody kind of slipped into other projects through deps/contacts eventually. I was really bitter for a while (particularly since the 'pro' gig was a lazy-arsed MOR guitareoke setup with backing tapes and almost zero musical effort needed). *thinks* [i]Do I still sound bitter[/i]?. It felt that 15 years of tight musicianship and equally tight friendship was dissolving before my very eyes. As with splitting up any relationship, it gets better with time, and I now really look forward to and enjoy our occasional reunions (about once every 3 months). I also enjoy the stuff I mainly do now, which I couldn't have done without the former gig and its attendant hassles. So I'd stick with it and think about where you need to focus your mojo now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 thanks for all the replies guys much appreciated. i'm going for a pint with my brov' this evening to have chat about it,i'll let you know the out come. i reckon we'll probably take all of your advice i.e. new band on the side & see how it goes. thanks a million guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted June 19, 2008 Author Share Posted June 19, 2008 [quote name='bilbo230763' post='222293' date='Jun 19 2008, 04:35 PM']You sound like a monkey with his hand is a sweet jar, afraid to let go of what you have even though you can' t enjoy it.[/quote] perfect hammer--nail--head you described me to a tee cheers Bilbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Legoheads Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Got to know when to call it a day... if it's not fun then it's time to move on. Good times and new inspiration lie elsewhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadLove Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Sounds exactly like my band, its really annoying. Problem is this band is potentionally amazing so I keep sticking with it. I could go on about them for pages but it will just p*** me off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kubickiboy Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'd sack it for the time being and give a reason. Isn't playing music all about having fun and tapping into the creative side of your lives?. We all - at different stages in our lives - have bad times and good times to put up with. And we all need a release. Music. Songwriting. Playing bass. Buying basses. Changing effects. Looking at other people's gear. Making contact. Making contacts.... All these things are why we do what we do. Whether they're a hobby or pay the mortgage. The beauty of being able to play an instrument is that you will always have a connection with someone. But never let it ruin your relationships - personal or otherwise - because of it. I've been through countless bands with countless musicians. Some good. Some bad. Some terrible. Yet the relationships have remained. Have a short break. Be nice and tell them why. Then come back to it when you're ready. That's my 2p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Tell me about it. Grrrrr. We only do the occasional gig, so when we get one we need plenty of practise to knock everything into shape. We were due to be playing the 5th July in the local pub, and consequently were due to be rehearsing last night and this afternoon (this would have been the last practise before the gig). Last night rang the drummer and the singer up at about 7.30 asking where they were. Apparently they were in the local pub (1/2 mile away, but 'Didn't feel in the mood'. Guitarist tried to ring the drummer this morning about todays practise to be told that he'd gone out and it wasn't known when he'd back! Tis complicated by the fact that the drummer is the guitarists brother, but even the guitarist has had enough of it. This isn't the first time he's messed us about, but I'm determined that it will be the last. Anyway I'm hoping that myself the keys/sax and the guitarists can find another drummer (we have someone in mind), and another singer from somewhere, and get a new band together. It rather hinges on whether the guitarist is up for it, obviously a more difficult decision for him as it's his brother. The sad thing is that I quite like both the drummer and the singer, and they are both very good at what they do, but as band members they are just a pain. So, my thoughts for you would be knock it on the head and move on! However I'm very pissed off at the moment, so I wouldn't take any notice of me. I jus wanted to vent my speen a bit and this thread seemed a good place to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Legoheads Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 I'm always bitching about our drummer and guitarist for one reason or another... Our drummer just lacks commitment and everything else in his life comes before the band. And he lacks imagination and a good ear when it comes to original material. We're trying to find a suitable replacement... Our guitarist in naturally talented but lacks any musical knowledge. This means that he's always trying to reinvent the wheel and being a bit bolshi he always wants it his way which make life hard for everyone else. When recording he always wants to lay his track down first and insists that's the way it's done despite never having been in another band, let alone recorded anything. The rest of us know better and after trying it his way to prove him wrong and why it doesn't work we end up doing it the right way. However, he forgets all to easy and next time the script is the same. In addition he's always trying to be clever when composing... sometimes different and unusual is good but sometimes keeping something simple sounds better... He's trying to be unpredictable but if you do it every time then that in itself becomes predictable... Artistic differences always cause problems and it's just a matter of chossing your battles and making compromise... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Our band has 2 people with talent and 2 people without talent i'm in the latter but when we get together we make good noise and we have fun, they are my best friends an it's very you get that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Phillips Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Easy! Start a new band with your brother. You can easily fit in the four gigs a year with 'The Growlers'. It's a shame to split the band up after all these years. A new project beckons Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I have to agree with those who's mentioned forming a side project with the guitarist. Or even just joining another band but running the 2 simultaniously as it doesn't sound like your current band requires all that much effort.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 thanks for all the replies,seems i'm not the only one in this situation. after much thought & pints of Tetleys we've decided to do what most of you kind people suggested i.e. form another band & keep the growlers ticking over for the occasional gig. hope those of you in similar bands get sorted too. cheers guys & gals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 just a little update, "the growlers" has now ceased to exist. we haven't played together for 6 weeks & are supposed to be playing "the blues bar" in harrogate next friday. our singer has just told me he can't practice with us as he's too busy with his scout group ! enough is enough. so sod it me & my brother will form a new band & start again. "the growlers" r.i.p. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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