Do you like your band?

[Crikey!]

After reading some of the topics and some of the posts on here... I've noticed there's a lot of people playing bass for a lot of different reasons. Some as a hobby, some as a profession, some playing every night and some once a year. My question is, do you love what you do, or would you rather be doing something different?

So whatever you're role in the bass world, is it what you want it to be? Are you playing in a covers band for money when you want to be playing in an originals band for free? Are you playing in your bedroom when you'd rather be up on stage playing the classics? Are you a session player who wants something permanent and reliable?

And if you ARE doing what you want to be doing, would you do anything to make it better?

Myself, i only play in bands playing original music... and only play music i love to play, however, it'd be nice to play in a function band to make some money on the side.

Apart from that all i could ask for is more gigs, more tours and the support of a decent label... but that'll come.

So, your turn now ive babbled enough

[size=3][b]I started a poll, changed my mind and now i can't get rid of it, so let's ignore that one please [/b][/size]

Edited September 18, 2009 by Crikey!

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='Crikey!' post='601900' date='Sep 18 2009, 02:11 AM']Myself, i only play in bands playing original music... and only play music i love to play, however, it'd be nice to play in a function band to make some money on the side.[/quote]


My Dad was a pro Jazz drummer in the 60s and he wound up playing on tons of stuff he HATED. I've never made it past semi pro but ALWAYS played stuff that reflects where my head is at. I've predominately played in originals bands but when I've played covers they are always songs I really like. I can only think of one jam gig I ever did (in over 20yrs) where I played stuff I didn't like. I'm as enthusiac about music now as when I was a kid. My Dad rarely listens to music now & hasn't owned a drum kit since the 60s. Go figure!

[ash_sak]

I play in several, 3 to be exact, bands that're just a case of messing around and having fun.

It is great fun but i'd quite like to get into a band with which i could 'go further' and get 'real' gigs, making money would be great but i dont particularly feel the need for it so long as i'm enjoying it and can survive each day.

But that's an ideal.

Enjoy.

Ashok.

[thisnameistaken]

I do two originals bands, and I'm happy with the music in both or I wouldn't be doing them. One is run by a lazy singer though, so things don't happen fast enough, and the other is a bit socially awkward at the moment because we've got two new players in who haven't quite fit in yet. But yeah I enjoy doing both my bands and I wouldn't swap either of them for a money making club/function act.

[The Funk]

I've got the right band, right material, right line-up, decent following, decent studio, excellent studio engineer... Just don't have any time to make the record now with the day job taking over! Ouch.

[xgsjx]

I'm in two originals bands that are completely different from one another & love both of them.
One is a rock band with a forgetful guitarist who can never remember what he played last week, but he always replaces it with something equally as good.
The other is an electro-acoustic dot alt folk country band that plays jazz & blues & bluegrass (and some viper music too).
We're planning on merging the two bands to one & trying to develop what songs we can use from each.

But yes, I love playing bass in the bands that I am in & being part of the writing team means I'm gonna like it.

[Rich]

With Full Circle, I get to play on original prog material that's complicated and unashamedly self-indulgent... odd time signatures, 20 minute songs etc. This caters for the muso in me and fills the gap left by my dear departed fusion band. They are nice friendly guys and it's a lovely atmosphere to work in.
With the Destroyers, I get to have a few laughs and a lot of fun. There is no better safety valve after a long stressy working week than to stick on a silly shirt, get up on stage and make an eejit of yourself for 2 hours in front of a big crowd. It's all covers and some are better than others. I have to play Mustang Sally, but then again I get to play I Wish and Car Wash and I Want You Back, so it more than evens out. Some people would think this to be hell on earth, but I love it. The band is like a big family, with all the various WAGs and BAHs involved too.

[niceguyhomer]

I'm in a very happy place bandwise at the moment, never thought I would be after the demise of my last band Nice Guy Eddie. I do approx 1 gig a month, mostly blues festivals with Junkhouse Dog - a superb blues harmonica player and I've just joined The Silver Dogs who are a real class act and lovely, lovely people too. They play 'ambient folk rock' to sit down paying audiences - I'm really enjoying the music cos it's new and very challenging which is doing no end of good for my playing.

[retroman]

I love what I am doing at the moment, and am fortunate enough to be playing with 2 really tallented guys We all have quite different tastes in music; the singer guitarist likes all the classic punk stuff, the drummer likes all the technical thrash/ death stuff, and I have a love of all things doom and stoner. IMHO, we kinda take the best elements of all three, and it's working out ace. We're also luck enough to have a really hard working agent behind us, and it's looking like 2010 is going to be a mental year for us!!

For me, I have to be 100% into what I am playing, or I just feel like I am going through the motions, and no matter how hard I try, I just can't get into it. Before this band, I had taken probably 5 years out from playing bass, due to struggling to find somewhere that felt like home. I even sold my monster bass rig, as I thought I would never find what I was looking for.

I was quite surprised to find myself in another band, and it seemed to come from nowhere!! Our singer guitarist and I have been friends for a long while, and he was coming round to give me a few guitar lessons, and one evening asked me if I would pick up my trusty Rickenbacker for a quick jam....I didn't even see what was coming! He run me through a couple of their songs, which I learnt really quickly, and then asked if I wanted to meet the drummer, and audition! I jumped at the chance, got the gig, and then started to regret selling my old rig

Well, there's my story, anyhow

[chris_b]

I did over 150 gigs last year and I didn't "love" some but they were all worthwhile. I got paid, kept my chops going, met people and generally came out ahead. I'm depping and playing with several bands with some very good musicians and even the bad moments can't dent that. Even my crappy covers band has opened doors this year so, yes, I like it all.

[leschirons]

I play in two bands here. One party covers band with the wife and other friends and one classic heavy rock band. I enjoy both but due to the people and not the music. I would rather be in a laid back jazz funk outfit but can't find any players here that don't want to earn €300 each from day one and those gigs don't exist unless you're in Paris and a "name"

[allighatt0r]

I'm in a pub rock covers band! I'm very happy with what I'm doing because we gig pretty much every weekend, and we all get on really well. We travel to the gig in one van, and we have a great chemistry when playing. We're planning a band trip to Florida in February next year!

The only thing that would make things better would be if we played in more pubs that had lots of people in it! and possibly got paid more! haha!

[Adrenochrome]

I am very content with my current situation. I play in a band doing 99% covers, we get regular gigs at venues that we like and I get to play some fairly varied loud, heavy stuff as well as the obligatory Sex On Fire.
If I had the time I'd definitely have an originals band as well [something fairly loud and heavy], as well as a silly party band for doing occasional weddings/charity gigs etc, maybe doing glam-era covers.

[waynepunkdude]

I hate my band, they don't understand my talent or what I stand for, I usually stand quiet at gig thinking "why the f*** am I with these morons supporting every sh*t band under the sun"

[LeftyJ]

I'm quite happy with both bands I'm currently in: great people, great music, and lots of fun. And most importantly, very diverse! I like listening to lots of musical styles and tend to play a lot of different stuff too, but I mostly lean towards the darker, melancholic styles. So I'm in a dark popband with folkrock (and, mildly, postrock) influences, and in a female fronted melodic metalband.

I could never settle for just one band, I love playing metal but would never play ONLY metal. The same goes for any of the styles of music I listen to and like to play. I don't want to be confined to just one genre. Then again, I also don't want to play in a band that's too versatile as it's more difficult to maintain a sound of your own. With my current bands, I have all those bases covered in my opinion, so I'm a happy man!

[wateroftyne]

I play in covers bands & originals bands for sometimes for a lot of money, sometimes for a little bit of money, sometimes for free.

The only rule I have is... 'Don't enjoy it? Don't do it.'

It works OK.

[teej]

I love my main band Red Jackson: not only is the music right up my street, but the whole approach to it as well. It's a mix of all sorts of different traditional blues styles (delta slide, chicago, ragtime, texas boogie, New Orleans street grooves, jump blues, funky/jazzy blue-note label stuff, rockabilly and more besides), with no rehearsals, no setlists, no strict arrangements, allowing for plenty of spontaneous fun. We work hard, laugh lots, make good money. This band pays my mortgage [b]and[/b] keeps me sane.

My main sideline The Ukes of Hazzard is fun too, but can be harder work for lower return. A more traditional approach than Red Jackson, perhaps, with regular rehearsals and strict arrangements, but still plenty of room for improv. They do get some excellent gigs, and a few months ago recorded a song for the soundtrack of a major UK movie. Not something I ever thought I'd do. And I get to wear a tux sometimes and hang out with spangly burlesque girls.

Both of these bands are based in Brighton, and I live in Winchester, but I dep in a couple of local flexible blues lineups, and although they feature some great musicians, they sometimes get the closest to being gigs I hate. They just don't swing like Red Jackson. But it's no problem saying no, because they'll find another bass player nine times out of ten (which always leaves the awkward tenth...).

Would I change anything? Not much. I'd like to get Red Jackson into the retro/burlesque scene, and we have a club that's very interested, the only problem so far is finding a date we can do. That and get some festival work in Europe. I'd like to add some quick-to-learn stomping dance numbers to the Ukes set, some Louis Jordan or Big Joe Turner. And I'd quite like something else, but I'm not sure what. There was talk of doing a Hammond-led dance outfit down in Brighton with the guitarist from RJ; maybe a '40s jazz/blues duo with a guitarist/singer from Bristol (more travelling, but my son lives there too), or an old-timey bluegrass trio with a brilliant fiddle player I know, again in Bristol. But there's precious little time for any of this.

All in all I feel pretty lucky, and looking forward to seeing how things develop in 2010.

[Bilbo]

Just ditched the one function band I had grown to hate and am now doing less gigs but enjoying them all again. Its a quality vs quantity thing. The art now is to increase the quantity of the quality gigs! But, absolutely no regrets about giving the higher paying gig the boot.

[TheButler]

After having no luck with bands this year, it looks like times have finally changed for me - i'm not wanting to speak too soon, but it looks a lot more promising now.

I love playing the music, the people are brilliant, the attitude everyone has is really good, the level of commitment is do-able despite being at uni and the number of upcoming gigs is just ridiculous. The band are signed to the same label as a couple of my favorite bands too. Its all quite mad, and will continue to be so at the release of the album later in the year.

Right now i'm just feeling really ashamed because bass lines that would usually not even pose any kind of problem are getting me over and over. I think its going to have to be a case of just sitting down for several hours in a locked room.

[RussFM]

A few years ago I played in a original punk(ok pop-punk) band, played a few hundred gigs a year, supported some bands I look up to, and had a great time. Unfortunately, that came to an end, as did the band formed by myself and the old singer (even though we wrote an awesome album - [url="http://www.punktastic.com/reviews/2961)"]http://www.punktastic.com/reviews/2961)[/url], so now, I play in a local 'Country, Blues and Rock n Roll' originals band, which is good fun even though it's not my usual kind of music, and am forming a punk covers band just for fun with my mates from the old band. Good times!

[EdwardHimself]

I enjoy my band at the moment, we need to get some songs sorted out but i have a lot of fun with it.

[WILD FROG SHOT]

[quote name='The Funk' post='601913' date='Sep 18 2009, 04:06 AM']I've got the right band, right material, right line-up, decent following, decent studio, excellent studio engineer... Just don't have any time to make the record now with the day job taking over! Ouch.[/quote]

Yep, exactly what he said. Getting the right sort of attention now, so I guess it's paying off!

[midgetiser]

Nope, absolutely hate it!

I play in an originals punk/grunge type band. Not hugely into punk or grunge but it was originally a favour to a friend whos old bassist was moving to england and i'd just moved to edinburgh so figured it would be a good laugh.

The guitarist can't play a regular chord (He just down tunes to D and bars the bottom 3 strings for power chords for all the songs) and the drummer can't keep a beat. Not saying i could do any better but still... All the guitarist wants me to do is play his riffs (much like RATM play the same) or play root notes. Too much effects. A lot of screeching. Terrible. Utterly terrible.

Once played a wee place called bannermans. There was a good 50 odd folk there. Within 2 songs everyone left. hahahahaa.

Gotta quit soon. Been saying that for about a year now tho haha. Can't quite seem to do it. Just bought a new bass and playing it through the semi decent amps at the practice studio at top volume is too much fun to give up!

[3V17C]

Well I've only ever been interested in doing original material and for years fought against going the covers band route but being in the arse end of nowhere and now the wrong end of my thirties I did finally succumb to forming a covers band. All in all we're pretty good at what we do (classic rock/metal covers - Maiden, Whitesnake, Ozzy, Saxon etc) and its all stuff I grew up listening to so quite fun but I am constantly annoyed by the singer's lack of 'frontman' skills and occasional sloppiness on the part of the guitarists. Also not a big fan of playing pub gigs with no stage etc and the poor pay from most venues though we do always seem to go down well.

Still need to be doing something original alongside it really but nothing mch about at the moment and I've got bigger things to worry about at present, though have been working on some solo bass bits n bobs lately...


peace

c

[Killstarz]

I love playing in the band im in.

It's a covers band and we do a mix of Pop/rock/Soul/Indie/Motown. Im normally a bit of a rocker when it comes to playing but i am relishing the new bass styles im learning. 3 years in this band now and we are doing really well as far as cover bands go.

Also, 2 of my best mates are in the band (we've played together in many different bands).