New bands/ projects how are they going at the moment?

[uk_lefty]

Hi everyone. 

How has anyone's new bands, or new projects, been going at the moment? Anyone started anything new or joined a going concern? 

I love my band, great guys, but we aren't doing enough for my liking. I need another project, something very different... I've looked in the usual places and the "established" bands that are looking for bassists are not my cup of tea either from description or from recorded songs. I have thought of contacting singer song writer types and saying "hey! Want a bass player?" but I'd rather have a bit more say in everything. 

Is anyone managing to form something new or get good slots in interesting bands? Where is best to look these days? 

While I look I might write some songs and record the guitar, bass and vocal parts, and hope i can attract a drummist and guitarer who would buy in to it...

[oldslapper]

Been doing loads of remote recording for people since April/May. Some quite interesting stuff, some more “straightforward”.

Been rehearsing with a drummer and pianist for past 4 Monday mornings. Pianist penned Weather Report/Metheny jazz type stuff. Completely new genre to me, but I wanted to stretch myself, so it’s certainly doing that. Think the idea is to record an EP. 
Band I normally play with has had new album delayed by 12 months so far, but I believe that there are some percussion tracks to be recorded in September then mixing and mastering. Probably won’t be released until there are some live dates to promote it at? Looking forward to hearing it as it’s got some fabulous players on it. 

[T-Bay]

The saxophone is going well, whether I will use it in anger I don’t know yet. It will never replace my bass but it’s been a nice distraction.

[Lozz196]

Just before the world turned upside down I left my originals punk band and started jamming with some old mates, doing classic rock. Fast forward to now and we’ve started rehearsing again - no singer so no raised voices or greater spread of air from our lungs etc. All going great, really good to be playing again and I’ve both learned some great songs and become a fair bit better on the bass, and finally found a band that I can use a Jazz bass in (this for some reason makes me think I’ve progressed).

[stewblack]

I was listening to Let There Be Rock and it occurred to me that it is one of the rarest of things. The perfect album. 

Each successive track sounded like the best song on the album. So I contacted a guy I know who plays like Angus and sings like Bon and said how about it? 

I have recruited an unfussy drummer and a guitarist who is strictly rhythm - he doesn't want to make it cry or sing. 

We're learning (separately) all of LTBR and Powerage (the high points in their career for me) and are going to put on a gig when the bug passes. 

Just for fun, like. 

[grumpyguts]

Powerage - no better set of hard rock n roll ever in the history of all mankind. Riff Raff & Gone Shootin - epic.

[Dazm66]

Is Powerage the one with sin city on? The only AC/DC song I remember having a bit of a bass led break. 

[BillyBass]

I answered an ad on Bandonkers during lockdown and have joined a drummer and guitarist/singer.  Well, sort of joined; the drummer and me meet up once a week at a rehearsal studio for a 3 hour session but the guitarist only wants to meet online as he has some vulnerable family members.

The drummer and myself have been going through a set of covers and we are adding to this each week.  In some ways not having the guitarist there isn't a bad thing as it is giving the rhythm section a chance to gel, but it would better to have us all there.

The guitarist and me were going to meet in a park with acoustic instruments but the weather took a turn for the worse a couple of weeks ago and so this hasn't worked out.

 

[Marvin]

I've been toying with the idea of just getting together with some others, if for nothing else, just to play some tunes in a practice room. However, the last gig I played was over 2 years ago and I haven't mixed with the local musical fraternity since, so I'm a bit out of the loop.

I'd have to get an amp first though  

[Woodwind]

19 hours ago, T-Bay said:

The saxophone is going well, whether I will use it in anger I don’t know yet. It will never replace my bass but it’s been a nice distraction.

Get a bari and definitely replace the bass 😎

 

[Skybone]

Difficult just now...

Our rehearsal room has only just re-opened, as the owner's had to get some alterations done, in order for him to get permission / insurance to re-open (that's what he's told us anyway).

Our old singer left in April, so we're looking for a new singer.

Thankfully, there's a few people interested in the role, we had the first audition (and first rehearsal since March) last Friday. Good singer, decent range, confident etc., will he want to be in a band with a bunch of guys old enough to be his Dad?

 

Next audition / rehearsal is around 3 weeks away (weekends away booked etc.).

[T-Bay]

5 minutes ago, Woodwind said:

Get a bari and definitely replace the bass 😎

 

I would love a baritone, or bass or contra bass but they are serious money! ‘Cheap ones’ seem to start around £2k

[stewblack]

14 hours ago, Dazm66 said:

Is Powerage the one with sin city on? The only AC/DC song I remember having a bit of a bass led break. 

Yes! 

[stewblack]

14 hours ago, grumpyguts said:

Powerage - no better set of hard rock n roll ever in the history of all mankind. Riff Raff & Gone Shootin - epic.

I can't ever decide between LTBR and Powerage, then I realise I don't have to! I can just like both. 

[DaytonaRik]

Just before the lockdown started myself, one of the guitarist and the singer in our rock cover band started rehearsing as an acoustic trio with a view to getting some extra gigs, playing different tracks/material etc.  It's a wide and varied setlist - from The Foo Fighters through to The Cure but we're all having an absolute blast and looking forward to getting out there in the wild world as soon as we can.

We've rehearsed exclusively remotely via JamKazam which has proved to be invaluable but hopefully we'll manage to get some socially distanced rehearsal time in before too long to tighten everything up - sometimes you just need those little visual cues.

[adamg67]

I'm in touch with a couple of different people about new projects - I put some of my own stuff up on Bandmix to see if anyone wanted to collaborate on it and ended up with a couple of different songwriters roping me in to work on their stuff - that's fine with me, a bit easier really. What I've found is that with there being more reluctance to get together (and local lockdown for one of the guys who's in Calderdale as well) it's all moving very slowly so far. Both are enthusiastic about bits I've sent them, but in both cases we've probably done as much as we can remotely (given their lack of even simple recording setups - more could be done if they were geared up, or up for online jamming). I'm just doing my own thing in the meantime, and we'll see where it goes - I'm not pushing either of them, but I am thinking that if they really wanted stuff to happen they would make it happen. We'll see.