Discussion, What Is The Right Band for Me?

[Bluewine]

Not a new topic but usually a good one.

Whether your band breaks up, you quit or get fired, or your a newbie looking for your first band, finding the right band might be challenging.

I'll throw this out there, you might not want to start your search until you have carefully defined what your looking for.

Consider;

1.What kind of people do I want to work with..

2.Travel, commute, where does the band rehearse.

3.Genre

4.How is the band organized

Share what you look for in a band and how you approach your search.

Blue

 

[BrunoBass]

This question is very prescient to my current position, as I find myself increasingly frustrated with the way my band operates (I have a thread on this elsewhere, which goes into details). So, as I ponder my predicament I draw ever closer to the conclusion that it might be time to move on. I’m keen to avoid any repeat of the issues I currently face, therefore my next band should (ideally) tick the following boxes:

1. Location: ideally the band or band members should be fairly close to me. I already spend all day in a car wearing a groove in the M40, doing the same at night doesn’t much appeal.

2. I might have to try and recruit members to form a band, but having done this several times before I know what a pain it can be, so joining an existing band or nucleus of an existing band would be preferable. 

3. Gigging or nearly gigging. I don’t want to spend months trying to get to a gigable standard. Something that I can just slot into would be amazing. Also, as much as I love gigging I don’t want to do it every weekend. Once a month is satisfactory for me.

4. I’m not interested in playing someone’s songs about how his missus left him and how he really misses her, I want to play covers. Floorfilling, crowd pleasing covers. Even if it’s not necessarily music I’d chose to listen to at home I want to play Saturday night songs that people want to jump about and get drunk to. Entertaininment is the name of the game.

5. No jamming. I hate jamming. Mind numbing nonsense. Rehearsal time is rehearsal time. Do your practising at home and turn up to rehearsal with the song learned, at the right tempo, in the right key.

6. Money split equally after every gig, after any necessary expenses have been deducted.

7. Lastly, I want an excellent drummer. 

There you go. I’m tired of all the BS, the egos and the politics. That’s what I want. Don’t want much, do I?

Edited May 2, 2018 by BrunoBass

[mrtcat]

1. They must have a plan

2. No "classic rock"

3. All gigs are paid

4. Gig at least 4 x as often as they rehearse. 

5. Bloody good drummer 

6. No divas

7. Everyone pitches in with set up and tear down.

8. Whole band continually aims to improve. 

[Lozz196]

Difficult one, as the current band I`m in is my ideal band, and I wouldn`t want to try and re-create it, so I`d just go for:

1 - All band members have their own gear & transport.

2 - Ideally located pretty near to each other, to make rehearsals as easy as possible.

3 - The band must be a gigging band.

4 - I`m pretty sure my next band will more than likely be covers, so whatever style of music, well known & popular ones in that genre, nothing obscure.

5 - The most difficult bit, I`m not interested in running things, so need a focused band leader to arrange gigs etc.

I think finding out about egos would more than likely come later, as most with the ego issue don`t realise it, so aren`t likely to say first off that they`re a nightmare to work with.

[Bluewine]

1 hour ago, BrunoBass said:

This question is very prescient to my current position, as I find myself increasingly frustrated with the way my band operates (I have a thread on this elsewhere, which goes into details). So, as I ponder my predicament I draw ever closer to the conclusion that it might be time to move on. I’m keen to avoid any repeat of the issues I currently face, therefore my next band should (ideally) tick the following boxes:

There you go. I’m tired of all the BS, the egos and the politics. That’s what I want. Don’t want much, do I?

Thanks for sharing your story Bruno. You know what your looking for.

Best of luck.

Blue

Edited May 1, 2018 by Bluewine

[Bluewine]

For me;

 

The band must be established with a decent book of business, gigging at least once a week.

I need to know specifics on the pay structure. How am I paid , how much am I paid and when am I paid. I have bills.

Where are the gigs, how much travel is involved.

I prefer working in a band where the band leader makes the crucial decisions.

A dedicated sound tech would be preferable.

I'm comfortable in most of the rock genres

Fun and good people. Not the best players the best people.

Blue

[Bluewine]

1 hour ago, Lozz196 said:

Difficult one, as the current band I`m in is my ideal band, and I wouldn`t want to try and re-create it, so I`d just go for:

1 - All band members have their own gear & transport.

2 - Ideally located pretty near to each other, to make rehearsals as easy as possible.

3 - The band must be a gigging band.

4 - I`m pretty sure my next band will more than likely be covers, so whatever style of music, well known & popular ones in that genre, nothing obscure.

5 - The most difficult bit, I`m not interested in running things, so need a focused band leader to arrange gigs etc.

I think finding out about egos would more than likely come later, as most with the ego issue don`t realise it, so aren`t likely to say first off that they`re a nightmare to work with.

Lozz, I'm also a member of the ideal band for me.

To be honest when the band folds finding a new band in my area with my requirements will be close to impossible.

Blue

[peteb]

I think that you have to judge each potential opportunity on its own merits. My only two essential criteria is that it is going to gig and that I can stand to be in the same room as everybody in the band. Realistically it is going to be a rock or blues gig of some description, otherwise they probably wouldn't look to me to play for them. 

Beyond that it depends on what the band has to offer. I do some gigs for the money, some for the music, some for the kudos of playing with musicians who are well regarded and some just for the craic...!

[Bluewine]

8 hours ago, peteb said:

I think that you have to judge each potential opportunity on its own merits. My only two essential criteria is that it is going to gig and that I can stand to be in the same room as everybody in the band. Realistically it is going to be a rock or blues gig of some description, otherwise they probably wouldn't look to me to play for them. 

Beyond that it depends on what the band has to offer. I do some gigs for the money, some for the music, some for the kudos of playing with musicians who are well regarded and some just for the craic...!

Good people covers a lot of bases in bands.

Yeah, if the opportunity to play with a local "heavy hitter" came along I'd play.

Blue

Edited May 2, 2018 by Bluewine

[Barking Spiders]

Many peeps will think me fussy but bands are like women. I'd rather be without than with wrong 'uns.

The first filter is demographic;  they need to be relatively local to me and similar age group

Next, is there any existing band or other peeps who play or want to play my kinda stuff but only on a fun basis. This is my sticking point as I'm only interested in playing dance based stuff, - mostly covers -  mashing up 70s funk, 90s House,  80s hip hop , bits of drum n bass etc

Then it's the big one. Are they good, fun , easy going people. Any sign of egos and that's it.

Finally, if I did strike lucky then we'd decide on what gigs to do. I'm more inclined to sticking to once or twice a month and not travelling too far to gigs, an hour's drive or so.

[Twigman]

When my current band call it a day I suspect I will too.

 

Nothing will ever match it.

[Trueno]

Too true, Barking Spiders... no band is better than a bad band... as you say, the same principle applied to my first two marriages (in my case).

I've said this before, but I don't believe there is such a thing as the perfect band... just a perfect band at a particular moment in time... things change. One of the consistent problems I have encountered in bands is excessive drinking... I just don't drink when gigging and got sick of watching all that careful rehearsing turn to sh*t when certain band members start quaffing.

[police squad]

13 hours ago, BrunoBass said:

 

3. Gigging or nearly gigging. I don’t want to spend months trying to get to a gigable standard. Something that I can just slot into would be amazing. Also, as much as I love gigging I don’t want to do it every weekend. Once a month is satisfactory for me.

4. I’m not interested in playing someone’s songs about how his missus left him and how he really misses her, I want to play covers. Floorfilling, crowd pleasing covers. Even if it’s not necessarily music I’d chose to listen to at home I want to play Saturday night songs that people want to jump about and get drunk to. Entertaininment is the name of the game.

5. No jamming. I hate jamming. Mind numbing nonsense. Rehearsal time is rehearsal time. Do your practising at home and turn up to rehearsal with the song learned, at the right tempo, in the right key.

6. Money split equally after every gig, after any necessary expenses have been deducted.

7. Lastly, I want an excellent drummer. 

There you go. I’m tired of all the BS, the egos and the politics. That’s what I want. Don’t want much, do I?

Pretty much this for me. The band I've inherited are very good but I'm sick of one of the 'personalilties' and am thinking of chucking in the towel.

For me, it is about entertaining the audience. I play a lot of songs that I wouldn't really listen too because they go down REALLY well.

But it's difficult getting like minded people together

[christhammer666]

for me its

1. location. (rehearsals for me normally mean me going straight from work so I don't want to have a 2 hour journey and then have to get home again)

2.age ( nothing against age at all im 38 but I cant see me having much in common with people in their early 20s when your sitting around waiting at gigs,travelling etc)

3.Travel ( I share a car with the wife so id like people that have ways and means of getting about comfitably)

to add to 3. I don't mind giving people lifts, its just with some people it becomes known that YOU drive them everywhere.

[peteb]

9 hours ago, Bluewine said:

Yeah, if the opportunity to play with a local "heavy hitter" came along I'd play.

Blue

But sometimes you may have to compromise on the money you get to take the opportunity! Also, I am very happy to travel for the right band and the right gigs. 

The other thing from your OP is that sometimes I can take the band leader (or at least MD) role and sometimes I can just be a sideman and turn up and play what I'm told. If you want to work it helps to be adaptable! 

[Leonard Smalls]

For me it's about playing music I want to play with people I want to play it with.

So I have to get on well with them - at least be able to not throttle them after a few hours in their company.

And I have to enjoy both the way, and what, they play; imagination is more important to me than outright ability though I prefer someone who can play a bit!

Not really worried about money - it's primarily about the music for me. Which means very few, if any, covers, and then they're done as an interpretation rather than outright copy. I was speaking to a free-improvisational jazz drummer the other day about pleasing the audience and he said "f*%* 'em! It's about the music - It's inside of me and has to come out! If the audience enjoys it, great, but if not they know what they can do." I sort of think that too - for him it's possibly easier as he's seriously good and has played with all sorts of jazz luminaries - jazzers actually want what's inside of him!

Gig-wise - no more than 1, possibly 2, a month (though my current band have broken that already!). I'd prefer to do 3 or 4 gigs then do some heavy rehearsing/jamming to make existing songs better and produce more new material. I gave up thinking I could make a living out of music 20 years ago...

[Barking Spiders]

1 hour ago, christhammer666 said:

for me its

1. location. (rehearsals for me normally mean me going straight from work so I don't want to have a 2 hour journey and then have to get home again)

2.age ( nothing against age at all im 38 but I cant see me having much in common with people in their early 20s when your sitting around waiting at gigs,travelling etc)

3.Travel ( I share a car with the wife so id like people that have ways and means of getting about comfitably)

to add to 3. I don't mind giving people lifts, its just with some people it becomes known that YOU drive them everywhere.

+ 1 for #2. For me the age thing is not so much a demographic issue as having same music reference points. I wouldn't be interested in playing funk with younger geezers who think Uptown Funk is where it's at but who've never heard of Parliament or Sly Stone

[Bluewine]

10 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

Many peeps will think me fussy but bands are like women. I'd rather be without than with wrong 'uns.

The first filter is demographic;  they need to be relatively local to me and similar age group

Next, is there any existing band or other peeps who play or want to play my kinda stuff but only on a fun basis. This is my sticking point as I'm only interested in playing dance based stuff, - mostly covers -  mashing up 70s funk, 90s House,  80s hip hop , bits of drum n bass etc

Then it's the big one. Are they good, fun , easy going people. Any sign of egos and that's it.

Finally, if I did strike lucky then we'd decide on what gigs to do. I'm more inclined to sticking to once or twice a month and not travelling too far to gigs, an hour's drive or so.

I have a handful of gigs that are close to an hour one way. I don't like that, I prefer the half hour commute.

Egos, at the bar band level there is no need for egos. 

Blue

[Bluewine]

7 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

+ 1 for #2. For me the age thing is not so much a demographic issue as having same music reference points. I wouldn't be interested in playing funk with younger geezers who think Uptown Funk is where it's at but who've never heard of Parliament or Sly Stone

Excellent point.

I, being a product of the 60s would have a hard time with youngsters who's funk reference is Bruno Mars.

Our band leader is half my age and we play several vintage 60s rock songs. These songs are a part of my history. When I perform them ,I know and feel these songs different from some born 40 years after the song.

BTW, I'm a huge Sly Stone fan. If I mentioned the song "Dance To The Music" and the band response was " what's that?" It would be a deal breaker.

On the other side of the coin, I wouldn't fit in with youngsters that want to play Ed Sheeran. The point, a significant age difference can be an issue and something we might want to think about. 

Blue

[Bluewine]

8 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

For me it's about playing music I want to play with people I want to play it with.

 

 

 

Playing the music you like as a primary requirement could be tricky. I had to compromise on that one a bit.

Most guys that I know that will only play music they like are not in bands.

Blue

[Bluewine]

9 hours ago, peteb said:

But sometimes you may have to compromise on the money you get to take the opportunity! Also, I am very happy to travel for the right band and the right gigs. 

The other thing from your OP is that sometimes I can take the band leader (or at least MD) role and sometimes I can just be a sideman and turn up and play what I'm told. If you want to work it helps to be adaptable! 

Pete, If I had the opportunity to play with Daryl from Genesis or Greg Koch, I'd do it for free.

Blue

[Bluewine]

10 hours ago, police squad said:

Pretty much this for me. The band I've inherited are very good but I'm sick of one of the 'personalilties' and am thinking of chucking in the towel.

For me, it is about entertaining the audience. I play a lot of songs that I wouldn't really listen too because they go down REALLY well.

But it's difficult getting like minded people together

Personality conflicts, nightmares usually.

We're not around each other enough for those things to fester. We only see each other at gigs and we all know we're there to have fun and play music. And nothing but have fun and play music 

Blue

Edited May 2, 2018 by Bluewine

[Bluewine]

10 hours ago, Trueno said:

Too true, Barking Spiders... no band is better than a bad band... as you say, the same principle applied to my first two marriages (in my case).

I've said this before, but I don't believe there is such a thing as the perfect band... just a perfect band at a particular moment in time... things change. One of the consistent problems I have encountered in bands is excessive drinking... I just don't drink when gigging and got sick of watching all that careful rehearsing turn to sh*t when certain band members start quaffing.

Drinking on the job, something I don't do and frown on. However, Musicians are going to drink, a battle I don't want to take on.

Blue

[Bluewine]

11 hours ago, Twigman said:

When my current band call it a day I suspect I will too.

 

Nothing will ever match it.

I know how you feel. I play with great people. From day 1, which was 7 years ago, they're easy to get along with, very organized and more than fair regarding pay.

In my area, I doubt I could find another band like this.

Blue