Being A Member Of More than One Band.

[blue]

[size=4][font=Arial]It's an old topic, but remains a mystery to me.[/font]

[font=Arial]So many guys have written about how easy it is to be in more than one band. And I'm talking about being a member of a band not the independent that subs or deps as you guys call it.[/font]

[font=Arial]I think it can work with originals bands because over here originals bands don't gig very often so schedule conflicts are rare.[/font]

[font=Arial]But being in 2 busy cover bands. I say it can't work.[/font]

[font=Arial]What do you think?[/font]

[font=Arial]Blue[/font][/size]

Edited October 13, 2015 by blue

[JamesBass]

I'm currently working in/with 5+ projects on a full time basis. Gigs are every few nights if it's a busy patch, or they're only a few a month.

What is it that you struggle to understand Blue? Is it the knowing multiple set lists?

[lojo]

Done it for years , though Ive just exited the less serious band I will be looking for a new venture with similar schedule

But each band only does a handful of gigs each year

First in the dairy secures the slot , everyone knows the score

There has also been over recent years crossover as the drummer and keys player have also been in both at one point other

[colgraff]

I'm in a band that plays twice a month on Fridays and Saturdays and I wouldn't join a second band because that would mean declining bookings and thus holding them back.

[CamdenRob]

I have two bands on the go at the moment, both new start-ups so neither is gigging yet (probably both be ready around christmas time) I have a more serious project on bass and I have a shouty metal band on the side in which I'm playing guitar. I do all the organising for the latter so it's easy to avoid any schedule conflict.

[Phil Starr]

There's nothing mysterious about this at all. 90% of bands are in a roughly semi-pro situation. You get paid but people play for love more than the money and most have full time jobs and often a family. There are also more bands than venues so most bands can only get limited work. So out of choice or necessity many bands will only gig part time. Usually one or two band members want to do a bit more and will have other projects. So long as you honour any bookings you get there is no tension usually. If both bands take off and start getting multiple bookings then you have to make a choice but that becomes obvious fairly quickly.

I've usually been in two bands, I like it because when a band folds you aren't left without the opportunity to play. Musically it is more interesting because there is different repertoire. Currently my band is gigging as often as I like and is getting multiple bookings each time we play so I've stopped looking for a second band, though I sometimes perform with an old friend from university days. I miss the extended repertoire but a successful band is good too.

Your experience is different but that's all, it isn't better or worse just different.

[Lozz196]

I was in 3 bands at one point, one was a main gigging band, one was an occaisonal covers band, and the other was my current band which was just starting out so no gigs at that point. With regards to gigs my committment was to whoever got my time first, be it rehearsals, meetings, gigs, whatever.

But then it all started to get a bit too much, found I didn`t have enough "me time" so left the first two.

[Happy Jack]

Blue, the clue is in your use of the word "busy".

My main band likes to gig 2/3 times a month. We're too old to want to do a Fri & Sat double-header so that means we gig 2/3 weekends each month.

There just isn't room for another band with the same level of gigging.

But there is room (for me) to be in a bunch of other, less busy side projects. I'm currently in three which do maybe a dozen gigs a year between them, including midweek stuff and daytime festivals at weekends.

I wouldn't have it any other way. Much as I love playing in the Junkyard Dogs, I couldn't face a future of playing Brown Sugar and Spirit In The Sky every Saturday for the next year ... and nothing else.

[chaypup]

I'm in (and run) 3 main bands and dep for others.
It just takes careful management.
1 of the bands is jazz/swing and we only play during the week, which helps.

Edited October 13, 2015 by chaypup

[JTUK]

I agree it is largely about 'full commitment' and you have to assume you are going to get diary clashes.

The balance is the full time guys need as much work as they can get but they also need some of that work to be fluid
as a better gig will likely present itself. 'Better' as in simply more money or 'better' as in more prestigious and career shaping
and you have to accept that.

With the best will in the world, these guys have to try and honour a diary but chances are you wont even get them unless you
accept your pecking order as regards their priorities.
If the guys have a tour come in..then they'll do it..and need to cancel their book. They'll find dates and deps as they know what goes
around comes around, but you will not be able to hold them to your gig at the Dog and Duck. It just isn't reasonable to even think to try
as they'll do the gig they have to do anyway and you'll either end up looking like a dick or you fall out.

You know this when you book them... but it does make some gigs fraught...but that is the nature of the game and you make a choice.
I would expect a guy with a tour/great dates to ring me up and say, bla bla, and feel a little guilty and try and make the next one.

It is a two way street..I want them on the gig as these a great fun and they are very good players... and they want me to still have them in mind for a sweet gig as I get them money and find them gigs that they don't have to hussle themselves. I wouldn't take a saturday booking as that is the easiest date to fill and clash with...
You have to understand and accept both sides.
If I could earn what I earn in my day job doing what they do...I'd consider it as well... maybe, but that isn't happening so I accept what it takes to get them to play.

If you play in more than one band it is about good diary keeping....

Edited October 13, 2015 by JTUK

[Cato]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1444707664' post='2885197']
[size=4][font=Arial]It's an old topic, but remains a mystery to me.[/font]

[font=Arial]So many guys have written about how easy it is to be in more than one band. And I'm talking about being a member of a band not the independent that subs or deps as you guys call it.[/font]

[font=Arial]I think it can work with originals bands because over here originals bands don't gig very often so schedule conflicts are rare.[/font]

[font=Arial]But being in 2 busy cover bands. I say it can't work.[/font]

[font=Arial]What do you think?[/font]

[font=Arial]Blue[/font][/size]
[/quote]

From what I've read from your previous posts the situation in the US is a bit different in that you've spoken about getting bookings on consecutive Fridays,Saturday's & Sunday's on what seems like almost a weekly basis. That's not really going to give you much of an opportunity to comit to other projects.

In the UK that rarely happens for non touring bands, certainly not outside of the big cities.

Also different band members tend to have different obligations and commitments. For me,personally,apart from a lack of demand for my skills,as long as I remember to feed the cat there's no reason why I couldn't be out gigging seven days a week with different bands (although I suspect eventually the day job would suffer), whereas my mates with young families feel guilty if they commit to more than one gig every couple of weeks.

[Les]

At the beginning of this year I was in 3 and had a lot of gigs in the diary.

It didn't work out, mainly because what was agreed by all parties eventually ended up being stretched to fit circumstances and no matter how good I was at
diary keeping dates got moved and then clashed.

[Marc S]

I'm in several bands, plus helping out open mics, recordings and the odd gig with a couple of acoustic guitarist/singer/songwriters
It's probably too many projects, if I'm honest. However, we are all in the same situation;
i.e. we all have full time jobs, and play the music for enjoyment, and not just for money.

The most "serious" of the bands rarely gigs, and I couldn't live with just playing in that band alone - it's just not busy enough
There will be times when other bands clash - but we are all in a few projects, and so far, have been understanding about other commitments.

One problem I found with being in only one band - you rehearse for a good while, get it all as best you can
then someone leaves and the band falls apart, or someone gets disinterested....
I find, having several projects on the go keeps you motivated, as there's always more stuff to learn
A pal of mine was bassist in the same cover band for years, doing the same songs every gig
They were all bored of it for ages before they decided to pack it in

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1444707664' post='2885197']

[font=Arial] busy [/font]
[/quote]

You've answered your own question Blue!

[RockfordStone]

i guess it depends on your availability and commitments. if you are only available weekends and you already have gigs on friday saturday and sunday then there is no space for anything else.

i am available 7 days a week, and around here i could get a gig or practice on any night of those weeks. my wifes work schedule is such that i don't see much of her in the week, and as such if i wanted i could probably play in multiple bands using the full week.

i don't however because i find getting people committed to one band is a mission in itself, let alone more than one

[blue]

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1444711885' post='2885200']
I'm currently working in/with 5+ projects on a full time basis. Gigs are every few nights if it's a busy patch, or they're only a few a month.

What is it that you struggle to understand Blue? Is it the knowing multiple set lists?
[/quote]

I don't know, I've never done it. However it would be an interesting challenge .

My problem is there as 're only so many Friday & Saturday nights.If you are 2 busy bands, of those bands would have to (and I've seen it) cancel some of they're gigs.

Blue

Edited October 13, 2015 by blue

[chris_b]

I've been in at least 2 bands for most of my playing life. Everyone I know is in multiple bands and no one gets upset if you dep the gig. We know a pool of players who can step in and do a good job. I dep as much as possible as well.

You have to have a hierarchy of commitment. A main band and the others. Keep a diary, let everyone know as soon as possible if you can't do a gig, don't leave anyone in the lurch and don't make any last minute changes, unless there is no other alternative.

Make sure you're a good enough player so that people still want to use you and know good deps. But not that good!

I'm currently in a cover band, a Blues/Americana band and occasional Blues/Rock band. Times are getting tough. This is my lowest number of bands for 10 years.

[FinnDave]

I've never played in more than one band at a time. For me, playing in a band is committment that can't be shared out without losing what makes the band special.

[BigRedX]

It's all down to the type of bands you play with and how busy they all are.

To be brutally honest if you are in a covers band none of the audience really care who is on the stage so long as they are performing their parts adequately. You can even replace the singer - I know from experience in the covers band I used to play with who normally had a girl singer, but on a couple of occasions when she was unable to do the gig, the previous (male) singer stood in for her (with an appropriately altered set list) and I never heard any complaints from either the venue or the audience.

I've been in two bands at the same time on 2 occasions. The first time it was reasonably easy. Both bands had different set rehearsal days and only gigged about once a month. On the second occasion it went less well. Both bands (quite rightly IMO) assumed that they were the most important and although one of the only did a handful of gigs a year, inevitably there came a time when both had a gig on the same evening. That one experience made me realise that being in more than one band was unfair to both of them, and therefore I quit the less busy one to concentrate on the other.

The rule in the Terrortones is that if you also want to play in another band, we come first. Gigs are always the problem. Realistically unless you are on the bill with a band who are guaranteed to pull a good sized audience to a midweek date, there is little point playing on any day other than Friday or Saturday. That pretty much limits to gigging opportunities when you have musicians who play in multiple bands. Any band that is any good should be able to fill both of those days nearly every week without problem. We've had problems with guitarists being in multiple bands in the past. One ended up being dropped from most of his other bands because he was so busy with us he no longer had adequate time for them, and the other we had to let go because his other musical projects were meaning that we had to turn down too many good gigs.

These days I really don't have time to play in more than one band. I'm far too busy the one I'm in and TBH if I was able to find the time to do something else musically it mean that there was something seriously wrong with my current band.

[neepheid]

I was in 2 bands at the same time for a couple of years, in the end I felt I had to slim it down because I wanted to focus on the band I was writing songs with. One less rehearsal a week, one less dose of money going to rehearsal rooms was a side consideration.

[cheddatom]

I've got one busy originals bands (about 8 gigs a month) and 3 less busy originals bands, a full time job, and a fledgling recording studio. I like to be busy though! Using the calendar on my phone and keeping good communications with everyone makes it all pretty easy.

[TimR]

Yes. It's impossible to be in more than one band if that band is playing 2/3 days each weekend. Unless one is a Sunday lunchtime Jazz band and both bands only play local gigs.

I was in 3 bands at one point. However none were 'busy', I wasn't even playing once a month at one point although I was 'rehearsing' three times a week - don't even go there.

Each time I found a band's drive for gigs starting to wain, I'd go find another band, but not jump ship until I was sure that the new band were right.

I did get a bit of jealousy from one member of one band who claimed I wasn't committed, I just told him that I had been available for every single gig the band had ever been offered, unlike he had been, and questioned what exactly he thought committed was.

Actually I was in 4 but the 4th was as a dep (and I did more gigs with them - go figure )

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1444731913' post='2885369']
It's all down to the type of bands you play with and how busy they all are.

To be brutally honest if you are in a covers band none of the audience really care who is on the stage so long as they are performing their parts adequately.
[/quote]

You know, when I posted my reply it never even occurred to me to wonder what the audience would think!

No matter how much lip service I may pay to focusing on the crowd and giving punters what they want, in truth I'm playing in these bands for ME, not them.

Hope that doesn't read as though I'm having a pop - I'm not.

[roceci]

Probably not too difficult if you've not got too many commitments outside of music. I'd love to but kids & the 9 to 5 on top of current gigs make it impossible atm. If I was to stumble upon a bunch of guys who wanted to do something really casual on the side of our respective bands & interested me I'd be all over it. But that perfect storm hasn't happened yet

[JTUK]

[quote name='Cato' timestamp='1444725766' post='2885287']
From what I've read from your previous posts the situation in the US is a bit different in that you've spoken about getting bookings on consecutive Fridays,Saturday's & Sunday's on what seems like almost a weekly basis. That's not really going to give you much of an opportunity to comit to other projects.

[b]In the UK that rarely happens for non touring bands, certainly not outside of the big cities.[/b]

Also different band members tend to have different obligations and commitments. For me,personally,apart from a lack of demand for my skills,as long as I remember to feed the cat there's no reason why I couldn't be out gigging seven days a week with different bands (although I suspect eventually the day job would suffer), whereas my mates with young families feel guilty if they commit to more than one gig every couple of weeks.
[/quote]


I know plenty of bands that will and do fill friday to sundays with gigs as these are the 'pay days'.
I doubt they can make too much unless they are all 3 pieces earning £100 a gig..which is towards
the top end a pub can/will pay.

What else the do to earn money, I'm not too sure but teaching and deps etc might help out.
This model is tough for £20k a year tho, I'd say.


I'm hearing a certain brewery wants to Invoice bands... and that can go two ways..
Bands stop doing that gig..and if Breweries follow suit, you have basically killed
the pub music gig.. IMO. or bands go more legit and charge accordingly to take account
the extra exepense/tax ..so these gigs cost the LL about 30% more..

And I doubt that will happen. I blame the bankers as take take is the chase now and
they will go after the rabbit they can catch..??