Where Do You Fit In?

[bazzbass]

I'm in two originals bands which fulfills my creative needs.

 

But I also wanted to find a covers band that would be with fun people, style of music doesn't matter too much, I could play the blues, Led Zep covers, even country without stressing.

 

Last night at a gig, there at the table in front of me were the drummer and guitarist from a one gig only Rocky Horror band we formed around 1990 to play at a Miss Australia quest fundraiser that two entrants asked us to do . We had Brad and Janet singing, Brad in his Y fronts, how brave. Sax, and keys. Great band ,we learnt the whole songlist, played that after showing the movie. Easily the best bunch of musos I had the pleasure to play with. Hadn't seen these 2 guys since then. Anyhow, they sked me to join their band :). That fills my covers needs for now.I didn't even ask what songs they do, they have 2 female singers so no doubt it will be stuff I haven't played before, perfect

 

So, I'm in three bands now hehe

Edited December 30, 2017 by bazzbass

[Bluewine]

Sounds like you know who you are and where your at in life to me.

33 with a family does not sound like prime years for committing a lot of time to a band.

Blue

[Bluewine]

8 minutes ago, bazzbass said:

I'm in two originals bands which fulfills my creative needs.

 

But I also wanted to find a covers band that would be with fun people, style of music doesn't matter too much, I could play the blues, Led Zep covers, even country without stressing.

 

Last night at a gig, there at the table in front of me were the drummer and guitarist from a one gig only Rocky Horror band we formed around 1990 to play at a Miss Australia quest fundraiser that two entrants asked us to do . We had Brad and Janet singing, Brad in his Y fronts, how brave. Sax, and keys. Great band ,we learnt the whole songlist, played that after showing the movie. Easily the best bunch of musos I had the pleasure to play with. Hadn't seen these 2 guys since then. Anyhow, they sked me to join their band :). That fills my covers needs for now.I didn't even ask what songs they do, they have 2 female singers so no doubt it will be stuff I haven't played before, perfect

 

So, I'm in three bands now hehe

I'm a "one band guy" always have been.One band with consistent bookings. 

It works for some, I don't know how I could be in 2 working bands without a lot of gigs conflicting with each other.

I guess my needs are good people and bookings. Creativity and fun come naturally to me regardless of what genre I'm playing.

Blue

Edited December 30, 2017 by Bluewine

[bazzbass]

we play originals in a dead live music scene, there won't be any clashes of bookings, besides, I'll be booking  for both bands lol. 

 

[discreet]

13 hours ago, mikel said:

...late, ill prepared, egotistical, too loud, argumentative, have no transport, no spares for instrument, a noodler, have no sense of humor or people skills, arrogant, drunk or stoned...

Have we met?

[gjones]

13 hours ago, Bluewine said:

A few have mentioned "time wasters" Anyone have any suggestions on how to avoid them?

Unfortunately your going to keep a Keen eye on start up bands. It's where you find these guys that think anyone can just go out and start up a band. When they realize how hard it is they usually let everything fall apart.

 

That's just one thing to look out for there are others.

A lot of you guys won't like this, but I'm going to say it.

"We don't care about money"  That very noble fine and good. But in some instances if they don't care about money it might mean they don't care about a lot of other things that might be important to you .

 

Blue

The phrase, 'I don' t care about money', is a danger signal as far as commitment is concerned. Luckily, my main band do care about money and are very commited (we're playing 4 gigs this weekend). We're in our 50s too, so we're no spring chickens.

[FinnDave]

Based on recent experience, I'd recommend avoiding people without transport of their own (for some reason I've been involved with three such people this year, two of them drummers!), people who booze at gigs and can't hold their drink, people who lose their temper at gigs (especially when drunk) and chuck their kit around, swear at staff, etc (that's another venue we won't get asked back to!).

I think the most fun I've had this year is the couple of depping gigs I've done, no responsibility, just show up on time, play your parts, get paid and go home. 

[fretmeister]

Every band I've been in I have been one of the founding members or started it completely.

The guys that audition had to fit with me.

 

It wasn't planned like that, it just happened.

I actually really like the idea of being given a set list to learn and then just having to turn up. I'd be very happy to never do the organisation again.

 

I'm not really gigging at the moment (apart from an educational trust orchestra), but in a couple of years my eldest daughter will be old enough to be allowed to play in the jazz clubs. She is turning into a great clarinettist and (at the moment anyway) wants me and a drummer friend to play with her. If we can find a good pianist then we'll have a great little jazz quartet.

Really looking forward to that! 

[Sean]

I've played in bands for 30+ years and I started at 14. My most recent regular gigging band did its last gig in August. The singer moved away (job relocation) ~150 miles and consequently the logistics of gigging and rehearsals just became impractical for him.  We decided to call it a day and the one guitarist took the opportunity to get out because he had health issues that made playing painful for him. Following the last gig, the other guitarist and I took the opportunity to set up an Aerosmith tribute band and we were lucky enough to find a fabulous drummer and second guitarist but just couldn't find a Steven Tyler. Auditions were interesting and we met some excellent singers, just no one to fill the role to the level needed for a good working tribute act.

It's been frustrating and I've missed gigging a lot. Gigging for me has always been the payoff for the effort put in, it's the drug that just hasn't been there and at the moment doesn't look like it's coming back soon.

In a couple of weeks I'm going to a rehearsal with the (healthy) guitarist and drummer from the band that broke up in August and we're adding a female vocalist that is fantastic.  This will be a four piece (bass/drums/guitar/vocal) cover band of classic pop/rock songs but we've not yet worked out a theme or what our schtick is yet. We had a brief run through four songs a couple of months ago and it all came together quickly. The chemistry between me, the drummer and guitarist was still there and evident and the singer fitted in. 

There were no transport, noodling, boozing, attitude or lateness issues.

If this band gets to gigging, which I have no doubts it will, it'll be a few months before we get there but it'll come as relief to get some normality back and to carry on doing what I've always done.

[thepurpleblob]

I've been in a few bands and (for the ones that actually played some gigs!) my "commitment" eventually became an issue. I have a demanding job and regularly playing multiple gigs at the weekend has never been an option. The late nights are just too tiring. While people are happy with that starting out they can change their opinion as the band becomes more successful. I got sacked from a band I started on the basis of "rule no 1. no more than one gig a week" even :-D

I'm am now in a band with a bunch of very experienced older guys - for the first time, I am the youngest in the band in my mid 50s. Some of the music choices are a little "old fashioned" for my tastes but I'm working on it. 

It's never been about the money for me but it's always nice to make a dent in the expenses. I also believe that it cements a professional relationship between the band and the venue to charge a fair price. 

[Bluewine]

4 hours ago, gjones said:

The phrase, 'I don' t care about money', is a danger signal as far as commitment is concerned. Luckily, my main band do care about money and are very commited (we're playing 4 gigs this weekend). We're in our 50s too, so we're no spring chickens.

I wish we had some 3 and 4 gig weekends booked.

My band has been on the scene for 12 years. We're a bar band and we get our share of major fairs and festivals, however were trying to up the profile of our gigs as well as our fee. 

We want to be consistent as a $200.00 a man act.

Blue

Edited December 30, 2017 by Bluewine

[Bluewine]

1 hour ago, thepurpleblob said:

I've been in a few bands and (for the ones that actually played some gigs!) my "commitment" eventually became an issue. I have a demanding job and regularly playing multiple gigs at the weekend has never been an option. The late nights are just too tiring. While people are happy with that starting out they can change their opinion as the band becomes more successful. I got sacked from a band I started on the basis of "rule no 1. no more than one gig a week" even :-D

I'm am now in a band with a bunch of very experienced older guys - for the first time, I am the youngest in the band in my mid 50s. Some of the music choices are a little "old fashioned" for my tastes but I'm working on it. 

It's never been about the money for me but it's always nice to make a dent in the expenses. I also believe that it cements a professional relationship between the band and the venue to charge a fair price. 

The demanding day job has to first for most guys.

I remember my days of leaving the office at 5:00 ducking into the bathroom to change into gig atire then driving straight to an 8:00- 12:00 gig.

That's makes it an 8:00am- 12:00 midnight day. At 25 not at big deal. I was in my late 50s at that time.

Blue

[Bluewine]

One of my bullet points was " Who Am I"

For some of you guys playing in a band is something you do. And for some of us playing in a band is who we are.

Blue

[Bluewine]

3 hours ago, Sean said:

I've played in bands for 30+ years and I started at 

If this band gets to gigging, which I have no doubts it will, it'll be a few months before we get there but it'll come as relief to get some normality back and to carry on doing what I've always done.

 

If you started at 14 your like many of us. It's in your blood.

I like where your head's at. A 4 peice sounds ideal.

I hope your up and running with a full gig schedule sooner than you think.

Blue

[Bluewine]

4 hours ago, FinnDave said:

Based on recent experience, I'd recommend avoiding people without transport of their own (for some reason I've been involved with three such people this year, two of them drummers!), people who booze at gigs and can't hold their drink, people who lose their temper at gigs (especially when drunk) and chuck their kit around, swear at staff, etc (that's another venue we won't get asked back to!).

I think the most fun I've had this year is the couple of depping gigs I've done, no responsibility, just show up on time, play your parts, get paid and go home. 

To me  over-boozing and drama at gigs is very dated.

I like being in control, that's one of the things that drew me to the stage at an early age.

Many of you know I don't drink alcohol haven't for many decades. For me if ,if you drink or are in any altered state, your really no longer in control.

If you don't have  your own reliable transportation in the States you really can't be in a working band.

Blue

Edited December 30, 2017 by Bluewine

[Bluewine]

What Am I Looking For?

Is this easy to define for most of you. For those looking for a band do you realistically & specifically know what your looking for?

Blue

[Sean]

1 hour ago, Bluewine said:

What Am I Looking For?

Is this easy to define for most of you. For those looking for a band do you realistically & specifically know what your looking for?

Blue

I do.

It’s a BIG list of tick boxes but ultimately it adds up to satisfaction and a feeling that you’ve made some good music. 

The tick box list is a lot of what we’ve covered already, good people, good gigs, productive rehearsals etc.

There’s compromise in every band but what I’ve found as I’ve got older is that every band is better than the last one because I keep learning from mistakes and short-comings. 

Over the past few months of not gigging I’ve had time to reflect on what I want the next band to be and I have a very solid vision. The guitarist and drummer are the pick of the litter in all ways and the singer is a professional actress/singer and seems very promising.

I even have a vision of us playing at the Kings Head Theatre Pub in Islington. I’ve never played there but it’s a great venue with a great atmosphere. 

Q. What did I learn from the last band? 

A1. 4kW PA is way too much for a pub/bar band. We were too loud. It was the singer’s and he sorted the sound. My bass was DI’d everywhere even though I have Big valve amps through 6x10 or 8x10!! 

A2. Be choosy with venues and don’t be afraid to stand your ground for the few you want. Most of the time it earns you respect especially if you’re a damn good band and the punters love you.

A3. The Fleece in Bristol is a fantastic venue when full and delivers a massive buzz when you get it right.

[Bluewine]

3 hours ago, Sean said:

Over the past few months of not gigging I’ve had time to reflect on what I want the next band to be and I have a very solid vision. The guitarist and drummer are the pick of the litter in all ways and the singer is a professional actress/singer and seems very promising.

 

I'd say you know what you want too.

Sounds like a winning configuration to me.

Blue

[Bluewine]

Who Are You?

Here's a little test. I'll start with myself.

Let's say I made the news in some fashion. Which headline would I choose.

"Blue, 65 year old bass player for rock band Maple Road was given the Good Humanitarian Award for his work with the homeless."

" Blue, 65 year old Claims Adjuster for Southwestern Mutual was given the Good Samaritan Award  for his work with the homeless."

Me, I'd go with bass player. That's who I am.

How about you, would you identify with your career/ job title or that your a bass player?

Blue

[Sean]

10 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

Who Are You?

Here's a little test. I'll start with myself.

Let's say I made the news in some fashion. Which headline would I choose.

"Blue, 65 year old bass player for rock band Maple Road was given the Good Humanitarian Award for his work with the homeless."

" Blue, 65 year old Claims Adjuster for Southwestern Mutual was given the Good Samaritan Award  for his work with the homeless."

Me, I'd go with bass player. That's who I am.

How about you, would you identify with your career/ job title or that your a bass player?

Blue

I totally get this.

I’ve been a bassist/guitarist/singer longer than I’ve been an engineer, Product Manager or anything else (other than the biological stuff obviously).

 

[Painy]

My current band will have been going for 22 years this coming summer so I don't have any real plans to change band anytime soon but we have been looking for a new singer for nearly 6 months now and have been gigging with a couple of dep vocalists since the start of November.

We did think we had found the right guy a few months ago but that all fell through (fantastic singer from Belgium who had only been in the UK a couple of months but turns out he was in breach of some of the rules of his sabbatical from his job in Belgium and was forced to go back or repay a load of money).

Anyway, it's all been a bit disheartening to be honest and we've seen so many people that weren't a fit or were one of the aforementioned time wasters that I was all but ready to pack it in. A couple of weeks ago though I was contacted by an old friend (who is a really great singer and also an excellent guitarist) who saw our advert on join my Band and is interested as his current band will be calling it a day after New Year's eve.

We've sorted out an audition with him in the new year so fingers crossed but if that doesn't work out then I think I may just have to start looking for something new.

[discreet]

1 hour ago, Bluewine said:

Which headline would I choose?

"Blue, 65 year old bass player for rock band Maple Road was given the Good Humanitarian Award for his work with the homeless."

"Blue, 65 year old Claims Adjuster for Southwestern Mutual was given the Good Samaritan Award  for his work with the homeless."

Me, I'd go with bass player. That's who I am.

Yes! But I'm sure I don't deserve any awards for helping the homeless, though. I would choose: 'Discreet, a bass player.' Er... that's it. I've done various different things to make a living, but I've been playing bass for forty-odd years.

[Bluewine]

2 hours ago, discreet said:

Yes! But I'm sure I don't deserve any awards for helping the homeless, though. I would choose: 'Discreet, a bass player.' Er... that's it. I've done various different things to make a living, but I've been playing bass for forty-odd years.

Yeah, I'm a retired insurance guy, but that's far from my identity.

Blue

[Dad3353]

10 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

Yeah, I'm a retired insurance guy, but that's far from my identity.

Blue

Oh, but it is part of your identity; you just don't want to think of it that way, that's all. May I recommend this (short...) read, about 'fantasy' personalities and their place in life..?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - The New Yorker

You can thank James Thurber for that; he's well worth exploring further, too. 

[peteb]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

Oh, but it is part of your identity; you just don't want to think of it that way, that's all. May I recommend this (short...) read, about 'fantasy' personalities and their place in life..?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - The New Yorker

You can thank James Thurber for that; he's well worth exploring further, too. 

No it's not, it might be how certain other people may see him but it's not how he sees himself, ie. his identity. 

Until 10 years or so ago, I would have said that the job I did was completely irrelevant to my identity. I have been lucky to fall into a day job that I actually give a f*** about in the last few years, but my identity ie. how I see myself and how most people who know me has always been as a musician. 

Edited December 31, 2017 by peteb