Finding bands to join?

[jezzaboy]

A wee tip if using Join my band. If you see an advert you like the look of, below their message is a box called "profile"

If they have advertised before and haven`t deleted their previous ads you can see them in this section. It can save you a lot of time.

For example: there is a band in the Scotland area looking for a rock singer. Looking back last Sunday, they were looking for a rock/metal singer who has "the ability to distort vocals well" whatever the heck that means but in January this year, they wanted someone who could sing indie, rock, jazz and blues! Make their bloomin mind up!

So if you have a peeky boo you can hopefully filter out the time wasters and frankly care in the community cases.

Edited July 9, 2019 by jezzaboy

[BreadBin]

3 hours ago, operative451 said:

Ok, well i've taken the plunge and posted an ad on JMB... Waiting for the abuse to roll in..!

Post a link! 😉

[Phil Starr]

If you live in the West country then it's always worth keeping an eye on Lemonrock. Most of the people who advertise for band members there are cover bands. I've also found bands and band members on JMB. The tricks are to learn to read between the lines a little. A list of 'influences' especially a long one means they know that many songs, one by each of the people mentioned. A mention of genre means they are going to be inflexible. Any mention of timewasters means 'my way or no way' and so on.

Any band who have gigged regularly will be able to tell you where and will probably have recordings and video and a website or active Facebook page as a minimum. I've asked every time if people have any recordings and it cuts out most of the dreamers. 

The thing is to be clear about what you are looking for and what you can offer. Be clear about what is essential and what you are prepared to compromise on. Then you know exactly what to ask when people make contact.

For example I'm completely unclear about what you are seeking, a gigging band? They are probably going to need someone who will learn all their songs in a few weeks, they'll have set lists if they are covers bands and recordings with chord sheets if they play originals, if not you know they aren't well organised. The next step down is a start up band, they should be at least at the rehearsal stage and have the other musicians in place. Most start ups never leave the rehearsal room unless at least some of them have gigged regularly in the past. 

[Maude]

Join the Facebook groups, Musician Finder (Devon) and Musician Finder (Cornwall) as you're on the boarder, when you search for those two a couple of other groups similar come up which may also be worth a look, but may just be repeats of the ads in the first two. A quick look at the Devon one shows a couple of ads for bassists. 

What sort of music are you looking to play, or are you not worried as long as you're out gigging? I don't really do the 'music scene' thing but the singer and guitarist in one of my bands live in Plymouth so I'll ask them tonight if they know of anything. 

Another thought is searching rehearsal rooms in Plymouth and go and see if they have any noticeboards, and to put the word around if there's anyone there. 

Good luck 👍

[lozkerr]

On 08/07/2019 at 18:49, missis sumner said:

Once past the alcoholic (read no driving licence) drummers, and drug addled singers, I was in a band for a steady year, through JMB.

And I have some tales to tell...

Don't keep us in suspense! 🙂

[operative451]

15 hours ago, BreadBin said:

Post a link! 😉

No.. ;D If you look, you'll probably find it.. I've also been quite specific as i fancy doing something properly gothy (Nephilim/Cure, gothy, not Manson/Evanensence metalgoth) so i've pitched it that way.

If i found something more randomly i'd be for doing lots of other different types of stuff though. I have to admit i am still slightly scarred by my one previous JMB experience with Mr 'I don't like modern music' when asked 'so what about grunge?' 😨

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, operative451 said:

No.. ;D If you look, you'll probably find it.. I've also been quite specific as i fancy doing something properly gothy (Nephilim/Cure, gothy, not Manson/Evanensence metalgoth) so i've pitched it that way.

If you haven't already done so you may want to add the words "post-punk" to your goth band ad. As someone who plays in two "goth influenced" bands has discovered, a lot of musicians while playing music that most definitely falls into the goth genre don't much care for the label.

[PatrickJ]

3 hours ago, operative451 said:

No.. ;D If you look, you'll probably find it.. I've also been quite specific as i fancy doing something properly gothy (Nephilim/Cure, gothy, not Manson/Evanensence metalgoth) so i've pitched it that way.

Any responses thus far?

Edited July 10, 2019 by PJ-Bassist

[operative451]

Yes! I got one! Woohoo!

[Happy Jack]

Do you actually need a woohoo player in your band?

[Woodinblack]

41 minutes ago, operative451 said:

Yes! I got one! Woohoo!

The trick now is to get a conversation without them just randomly stopping talking and never hearing from them again!

[steantval]

51 minutes ago, operative451 said:

Yes! I got one! Woohoo!

Only one.

My norm used to three or four of the crazies after a day or two.🤪

[operative451]

I think I may be the crazy...

[Stub Mandrel]

On 08/07/2019 at 18:28, Bobthedog said:

I signed up to a six week “get to play in a band” course: basically you  are mixed in with a group of musicians to form a band with the result being a gig in front of the public at the end. I mention this because the rhythm guitarist in this “band” subsequently asked me to join his own established band. Others went on to form bands as a team and even one couple ended up getting married!

I have no idea if such a thing exists locally for you but a perhaps a good way to meet other musos, especially if you are shy. You all put your own band set list together and get tips from the pros. A business like the rock project does something similar all over the UK but that tends to attract real beginners. In Milton Keynes places like The Stables, a music venue owned by Cleo Lane  runs a local scheme. 

+1 for this. I did one and now the 'Grizzly Beers' are presently engaged in expanding our set list up to about 2 hours from the 40 minutes we originally did 🙂

The discipline of learning about 15 songs (e.n. route to whittling down to 9) was incredibly good for getting me back into playing properly.

[PaulWarning]

On 08/07/2019 at 14:16, fleabag said:

Dont ever bother with Musicians In Your City.  Utterly awful site

https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/musicians-in-your-city.co.uk

just got an email from them introducing a guitarist that looked promising (we're looking for one) well what a performance, well done to anybody that gets through their registration process. I suspect they just want you to pay and not use the free service

[Nicko]

Arriving late at this post, if you have no luck with JMB its worth trawling around local rehearsal spaces who often have a notice board for bands seeking people.

BTW now you've posted on JMB I'm awaiting @Bluewine to critique your ad.

Oh, and I've managed to find my last four bands though JMB.  Two have got to gigging, the others faded out for various reasons.  I've also auditioned some truly awful people through JMB (bad musicias, egomaniacs, etc).

Edited September 4, 2019 by Nicko

[Bluewine]

On 04/09/2019 at 09:35, Nicko said:

Arriving late at this post, if you have no luck with JMB its worth trawling around local rehearsal spaces who often have a notice board for bands seeking people.

BTW now you've posted on JMB I'm awaiting @Bluewine to critique your ad.

Oh, and I've managed to find my last four bands though JMB.  Two have got to gigging, the others faded out for various reasons.  I've also auditioned some truly awful people through JMB (bad musicias, egomaniacs, etc).

I don't think we've critiqued and bass player looking for a band ads here on BC only bass player wanted.

Blue

[FinnDave]

When I moved back to the Uk  a few years ago, I joined two bands through JMB. One was hopeless, a blues band run by someone who thought he was a guitarist but quite plainly wasn't, the other was one I stayed with for five years and am depping with in a couple of weeks  - and looking forward to it!

My band now I was asked to join, and have had the best couple of years playing and gigging I've ever had - and next year is looking even better.

JMB is a good starting point, I reckon.

Edited December 5, 2019 by FinnDave

[lownote]

Personally, I have yet to see daylight through either BM or JMB.  The latest guy coming on to me was a recovering alcoholic ('I like to be straight about these things') electronic music fan who 'isn't actually a very good musician', and his studio is 'actually my living room, haven't had a chance to sound treat it yet', but he does have access to a 'playfully creative' singer called Zia La Zinger Zua.  

Edited December 4, 2019 by lownote12

[BigRedX]

2 hours ago, lownote12 said:

electronic music fan who 'isn't actually a very good musician', and his studio is 'actually my living room, haven't had a chance to sound treat it yet', but he does have access to a 'playfully creative' singer called Zia La Zinger Zua.  

TBH very little of this matters if the electronic music fan has some decent musical ideas that you can turn into great songs, any serious recording will be done at least in part in a proper studio, and the singer might just be the person required to make the band stick out.

[operative451]

On 04/12/2019 at 07:43, lownote12 said:

Personally, I have yet to see daylight through either BM or JMB.  The latest guy coming on to me was a recovering alcoholic ('I like to be straight about these things') electronic music fan who 'isn't actually a very good musician', and his studio is 'actually my living room, haven't had a chance to sound treat it yet', but he does have access to a 'playfully creative' singer called Zia La Zinger Zua.  

I want Zia La Zinger Zua to be my friend.

[lownote]

On 04/12/2019 at 10:34, BigRedX said:

TBH very little of this matters if the electronic music fan has some decent musical ideas that you can turn into great songs, any serious recording will be done at least in part in a proper studio, and the singer might just be the person required to make the band stick out.

Possibly, I very much doubt it. I’ve given JMB people the benefit of the doubt too many times now. I won’t tell you about the last two- I don’t want to appear negative. 

[BigRedX]

15 minutes ago, lownote12 said:

Possibly, I very much doubt it. I’ve given JMB people the benefit of the doubt too many times now. I won’t tell you about the last two- I don’t want to appear negative. 

Fair enough, but to me the setup sounded intriguing enough for me to at least want to meet the other members.

I've used JMB once. I was very specific about what I was looking for both musically and in terms of organisation and ambitions, and the one band who answered my ad were as a consequence exactly what I was looking for. I'm still with them now.

[Woodinblack]

I got two bands through JMB

[Happy Jack]

On 10/07/2019 at 17:41, operative451 said:

Yes! I got one! Woohoo!

So where did this all end up? I think we should be told ...