HOW hard is it to find a decent band to play in these days?

[Lfalex v1.1]

Or am I just being fussy?

 

I've been looking for quite a while. 

I'll concede that there are work- related availability issues on my side, but that's about all. 

 

Band 1- Initially interested, material was OK. Then saw their promo vid and was a little unnerved. Found some YT live footage, then decided to give it a miss. Clearly a vanity project,  with two of the four members acting as a revolving door for the other half of their unstable line-up. The bassist that took the role left again PDQ.

 

Band 2- Actually auditioned this time.

The bassist who auditioned before me looked visibly shaken as he left. 

 Wasn't the best,  but the drummer dropped it mid- song, and I caught it. Hit it off with the drummer. He was complimentary about my playing (which was nice) 

Bags of attitude in a small, hot room from the singer.  Guitarist was head down. No eye-contact . Only the drummer and I were actually working together. 

You could cut the tension in the room. 

It came to nothing. Last I saw they were still looking for a bassist.

 

Band 3- acoustic duo. Got sent 16 tunes. Learned 12. Some I really liked.  Some I already knew. 

Got there. Lovely chap. Didn't know or couldn't remember ¾ of the songs he'd sent me...

 

The search continues. 

Rant over. 

Any similar experiences?

[chris_b]

"Decent" bands don't advertise.

 

It's all done by word of mouth, recommendation, friends of friends etc.

 

Get into a band (or several) and meet as many musicians as you can. If your face fits you'll meet people who will be interested in working with you.

[nilorius]

25 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

Or am I just being fussy?

 

I've been looking for quite a while. 

I'll concede that there are work- related availability issues on my side, but that's about all. 

 

Band 1- Initially interested, material was OK. Then saw their promo vid and was a little unnerved. Found some YT live footage, then decided to give it a miss. Clearly a vanity project,  with two of the four members acting as a revolving door for the other half of their unstable line-up. The bassist that took the role left again PDQ.

 

Band 2- Actually auditioned this time.

The bassist who auditioned before me looked visibly shaken as he left. 

 Wasn't the best,  but the drummer dropped it mid- song, and I caught it. Hit it off with the drummer. He was complimentary about my playing (which was nice) 

Bags of attitude in a small, hot room from the singer.  Guitarist was head down. No eye-contact . Only the drummer and I were actually working together. 

You could cut the tension in the room. 

It came to nothing. Last I saw they were still looking for a bassist.

 

Band 3- acoustic duo. Got sent 16 tunes. Learned 12. Some I really liked.  Some I already knew. 

Got there. Lovely chap. Didn't know or couldn't remember ¾ of the songs he'd sent me...

 

The search continues. 

Rant over. 

Any similar experiences?

I think a good way is to start a band where, let's say, good vocal has a vision to make up a band for exact project. 7 people - we came together at 2 mounth and after that had a normal gig - 80th rock covers. Now we continue with our own songs. I think this quite a good way to gain.

[Woodinblack]

Just now, chris_b said:

Get into a band (or several) and meet as many musicians as you can. 

 

Literally his post is about trying to get into a band

[chris_b]

1 minute ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Literally his post is about trying to get into a band

 

. . . . and it's about meeting losers and being picky at the same time. He's had 3 attempts. That's not even scratching the surface. When he's had 33 attempts then talk about the problems finding good bands.

 

Unless you are well connected, very talented or just lucky, you have to start at the bottom, maybe in less than ideal bands and work your way up to better bands from there.

[Woodinblack]

10 minutes ago, chris_b said:

When he's had 33 attempts then talk about the problems finding good bands.

Unless you are well connected, very talented or just lucky, you have to start at the bottom, maybe in less than ideal bands and work your way up to better bands from there.

 

There are loads of great bands - we are not talking about top of the line main stage at glastonbury bands, just functional bands that actually gig, there are loads of those  I have been in a few, and they advertise for people. At the moment we have trouble getting a new guitarist again. There are loads of bands round here, I have been in them in this area over a decade, but we dont' do multiband gigs often, and don't really hang out with other bands, don't really get to see other bands so they don't know us, we don't know them, apart from the drummer who goes to the pub every night and sees bands. There are a few bands with younger people that break up and form every few months, with the same people in different bands, but the majority of working bands round here have the same lineup for years. 

So yes, I know guitarists in other bands and they are in other bands. If I was looking for another band, I would advertise as the chance of those needing a bass player at the same time as me wanting to join a new band are slight. i have had offers in that time but not looking to move.

 

I guess the scene in London or other major cities are very different than scenes in the rest of the country, so your experience might be different.

 

The guitarist we are talking to know was a bit wary, having been to 3 bands with equal stories to here, including a blues band that changed their entire list they advertised to grunge, a group that had a major argument when he was there and split up and a few other questionables!

 

So my advice is to just keep looking and don't get disheartened by it, they are out there.

 

 

[Lfalex v1.1]

Just for context, I wandered seamlessly from band to band for the first 6 or 7 bands. 

After a decade out due to work/ family commitments and issues,  I have no connections,  and the old ones are incommunicado.

[BigRedX]

What is it you want out of being in a band?

 

An outlet for your artistic expression? An extra £50 a week? Simply the chance to get out of the house for an evening?

 

Where do you live? In a large town or city with a vibrant music scene, or somewhere out in the sticks, miles from any venues and rehearsal rooms?

 

What kind of music do you want to play - originals or covers? and what genre(s)? and if it's originals do you need to have a major creative input?

 

What can you bring to the band other than a bass guitar and (hopefully) the ability to play it?

 

Only once you have answered all those questions can you start to look for the right band for you. 

 

Interestingly in the descriptions of the bands in the OP, absolutely nothing was said about the music each was playing. Reading between the lines I'll assume that the first was originals and the third covers but I still don't know what genres. But that says to me that the OP is lacking in musical direction. As someone from the other side of the audition process, a lack of musical direction is nearly always a massive problem, because the musician won't be sufficiently focused on the specific music the band want to play. For me the music always comes first and I'll worry about the other things afterwards - that's what the audition is for you are auditioning the band as much as the band is auditioning you.

 

From my own perspective, I've never had a problem either finding a suitable band or finding suitable musicians to form one. While I live in a decent sized city, it's not really on a par with others for well-known musical talent, I'm quite picky about the sort of music I want to play and I'm at best of very average technical ability, but none of these things have been a obstacle for me. However IME as a musician you need to be aware of the music scene in your locality and in particular amongst the kinds of bands that you would like to be the bassist for. It is my experience that most bands like to stick with people they know, but that can just as easily be the bloke who come to all their gigs as well as the bassist that one of the band has worked with in the past. 

 

For the two bands I currently play in, I knew one of them from having shared a couple of gigs with them in my Terrortone days, and having enjoyed their set was following them on Facebook so I saw when they advertised for a bass player. I probably wasn't the most technically proficient bassist they auditioned, but the band knew who I was, and in turn I knew about the kind of music they were playing the direction they were talking about taking the band. The other band I found by placing an ad on JMB where I was very specific about the kind of music I wanted to play and the level of commitment I was looking for in a band. It took almost a year before anyone got in touch, but they were exactly the sort of band I wanted to join, and unsurprisingly I was exactly the sort of band member they wanted.

 

[Marvin]

Being in a similar situation to the OP, I understand completely 

[Rich]

11 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Interestingly in the descriptions of the bands in the OP, absolutely nothing was said about the music each was playing. ...

that says to me that the OP is lacking in musical direction. As someone from the other side of the audition process, a lack of musical direction is nearly always a massive problem, because the musician won't be sufficiently focused on the specific music the band want to play.

 

Christ, you must be a mind reader. Either that or you're making unfair and unwarranted sweeping assumptions based on what you yourself say is a lack of information.

TBH, given the OP description of the 3 experiences (vanity project, unpleasant atmosphere, unprepared braindead duo partner), the type of music is totally and utterly irrelevant. They could be playing the best songs in my favourite genre and I still would run a mile.

Edited June 10, 2023 by Rich

[BigRedX]

6 minutes ago, Rich said:

Christ, you must be a mind reader. Either that or you're making unfair and unwarranted sweeping assumptions based on what you yourself say is a lack of information.

TBH, given the OP description of the 3 experiences (vanity project, unpleasant atmosphere, unprepared braindead duo partner), the type of music is totally and utterly irrelevant. They could be playing the best songs in my favourite genre and I still would run a mile.

 

No. I disagree completely.

 

We're musicians. As I said the music should be the most important thing. The fact that it was never even mentioned in the OP is enough for me to be worried.

 

If you think the music is utterly irrelevant I wouldn't want to have you in my band either.

[Lfalex v1.1]

There is a reason that I neither named the bands nor made them identifiable by virtue of genre;

 

Other bassists on here may wish to audition/ play in said outfits.

It's not my place to discourage them, so it's my attempt at being fair to those who have no "right to reply". 

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

Interestingly in the descriptions of the bands in the OP, absolutely nothing was said about the music each was playing.

 

 

How is it relevant to the story, no genre has a monopoly of having a bunch of frustrating people  - the OP knew what they were applying for, and I assume it is something they wanted to play. I wouldn't audition for some group playing stuff I wasn't prepared to play and as it is him seeking them, I would take that as a given. I have asked to be in a couple of groups playing music that I wasn't that keen on - one I gave a chance as I thought it would be good with the people in the band, and once I avoided as I didn't want to do that sort of music. 

Frankly there are no modern progressive rock bands around here, so cover bands is what I do.

[Dan Dare]

Rather than hope to find a ready made band (where others have done the hard work in getting it off the ground), why not get together with a couple of like-minded souls and start your own? You'll be fortunate to find a situation you can simply slot into. Sure. it happens, but probably not most of the time.

[Kitsto]

3 hours ago, BigRedX said:

What is it you want out of being in a band?

 

An outlet for your artistic expression? An extra £50 a week? Simply the chance to get out of the house for an evening?

 

Where do you live? In a large town or city with a vibrant music scene, or somewhere out in the sticks, miles from any venues and rehearsal rooms?

 

What kind of music do you want to play - originals or covers? and what genre(s)? and if it's originals do you need to have a major creative input?

 

What can you bring to the band other than a bass guitar and (hopefully) the ability to play it?

 

Only once you have answered all those questions can you start to look for the right band for you. 

 

 

I started with modest ambitions. I just wanted to play with others. Responded to adverts in local shops, online, in rehearsal studios. Also went to see a lot of local bands and gradually got to know one or two people in them.

 

Found a couple of guys who were at the same level as me (mucking around for fun). That helped me get my chops. Then found a band in a local rehearsal room that needed bass. Played with them for quite a while - worked really hard learning the songs they wanted to do. But they started doing original stuff - not my bag.

 

Then, through a friend of a friend (always tell your friends what you want in case they know someone who might know someone), landed the bass spot in a  regularly gigging band. I went about it the way (being self-employed) I'd developed my business (and took it that seriously) - knowing what I wanted (being able to answer BigRedX's questions above), taking baby steps to get there, building my network and being in places where bands (customers) gathered, until I found one that had what I wanted and which wanted me. Then worked really hard to get up to speed with their setlist and started taking on some of the responsibility for getting gigs, etc.

 

It took me 2-3 years of pretty assiduous application. But by the time I got there I was ready.

[tauzero]

7 hours ago, chris_b said:

"Decent" bands don't advertise.

 

It's all done by word of mouth, recommendation, friends of friends etc.

 

Get into a band (or several) and meet as many musicians as you can. If your face fits you'll meet people who will be interested in working with you.

 

Either I've never been in a decent band, or that's a load of old bollocks.

[Dan Dare]

28 minutes ago, tauzero said:

 

Either I've never been in a decent band, or that's a load of old bollocks.

 

I wouldn't go that far. Whilst it's true that some bands do advertise, many do not and recruit through friends, contacts, etc. Chris's point about putting oneself about is very valid. It's especially true if one has lost touch with the scene (as the OP has) due to family/work commitments and so on. Where you live has a bearing on how easy/hard it is, too.

 

I retired and moved out of London early last year. I was quite well connected in the Smoke and never found a problem getting gigs. I had periods of playing for a living and periods of combining playing with a day job over 40 or so years. Out here in the sticks, it's a very different story. It's taken me a year or so to find something decent and I had to answer quite a few ad's, go to auditions (many of which were as the OP describes), put myself about (go to jams, sessions and so on), etc because nobody knew me where I live now.

 

I finally met a couple of guys who had been part of an established band which had split. They were looking to re-form with new personnel to replace those who had left. Once I was on board, we had to find a couple more members. We're up and running now, but it took time and effort.

 

That's the point most are emphasising above. You'll be very fortunate to just be able to drop into something good in two or three tries. Persistence is the name of the game.

 

 

[Rich]

8 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

No. I disagree completely.

 

We're musicians. As I said the music should be the most important thing. The fact that it was never even mentioned in the OP is enough for me to be worried.

 

If you think the music is utterly irrelevant I wouldn't want to have you in my band either.

 

Well done for completely missing my point.

[SteveXFR]

Band 1 

Guitarist seemed like a decent bloke on the phone but never turned up on time, forgot about it completely twice possibly because he was a massive pot head. We all quit and went our separate ways.

 

Band 2

Great music, thought I'd have no chance of getting the gig but did. The two guitarists were convinced we'd be full time pro within 6 months and spent a ton of cash on pro level gear then insisted I do the same. My response of "let's see where this goes before I drop £7k" did not go down well. I quit and so did the drummer shortly after.

 

Band 3

Me and the drummer met at a jam session and got on well. He had a mate who plays guitar. Primary aim of the band is to enjoy what we're doing. We play loud, simple punk/metal crossover. 

It's going great. 

[neepheid]

You can't have either of my highly harmonious, somewhat productive bands, they're mine!

[Lfalex v1.1]

Do I, perchance, detect the slightest suggestion that neither of your bands (greedy!) are particularly harmonious or productive? 🙃

[neepheid]

4 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

Do I, perchance, detect the slightest suggestion that neither of your bands (greedy!) are particularly harmonious or productive? 🙃

 

Not at all - no sarcasm. We all get on great and we get next to f all done (probably because of the calmness?)

[lownote]

On 10/06/2023 at 11:24, chris_b said:

"Decent" bands don't advertise.

 

It's all done by word of mouth, recommendation, friends of friends etc.

 

Get into a band (or several) and meet as many musicians as you can. If your face fits you'll meet people who will be interested in working with you.

This...

[Lfalex v1.1]

After a deep breath,  I tried again. 

Had a lengthy WhatsApp discussion with the singer, who suggested we have a proper chat, and asked me what time. 

We agreed on 8pm.

I called at 8.05. No answer

I called again 10 minutes later.  No answer, no message.

I was awoken at about 11pm by the singer.

 

And blearily told him where he could shove his band. 

 

Are they really all this bad?

 

(Once I'm asleep, for your own safety,  leave me that way)

 

[neepheid]

FFS.