Forming/Joining A Band

[markD]

putting bands together is hard. my former band, 8 days after, was together in various forms for 15 years. that is unheard of for a local band. it was always the singer and me, and two other guys. the last couple of years we were together, we paid people....it worked out nicely, but it got expensive. thank God we had a lot of gigs lined up (small tours, opening slots), but once we fulfilled our obligations with our booking company, we split up.

my new band, autumn's pain, has had an easier time. we already replaced our drummer and bass player, but we were fortunate enough to "upgrade" so they learned the material quickly. we have 4 shows this month (well end of this month and into next month) which is pretty good for an all original band in the tampa bay area...hopefully it will stay a good band and we can have fun!!

[OnlineStageGear]

Putting a band together blows donkey balls. I've been trying for over a year.

I have a singer. That should be the hard part. Right?

Noooooooooo....

We've ended up in 3 incarnations of a band. So far we've had:

• drummers that literally hit the drums like a 3rd grade girl (I have to say girl because my 3rd grade boy hits harder)
• guitar players that can't fucking stop noodling
• a guitar player that had to quit playing because of nerve damage
• guitar players that can't play *really* simple shit
• guitar players that can't learn more than one or two of these same *really* simple songs every other week or so
• a keyboard player that when asked to bust out a Hammond organ patch responds with "which one, I've got 47" and invariably chooses the cheesiest patch in his arsenal
• drummers that drift more than sand dunes in the Sahara
• players that don't even try to learn *any* of your songs for the audtion
• guitar and bass players that always look at me for the changes because they didn't learn the tunes - I find that the thumb over the neck technique throws them off the best
• guitar players that don't know the difference between major and minor
• guitar players that don't know their tone is ass - digital multi-effect units should never, ever be plugged into the front end of an amp particularly when the fucking thing has an effects loop
• proof that a killer Les Paul and Marshall tube amp can sound like a Squier Strat plugged into a transistor radio

Those are sooo true and I have run across most of them myself. One guitarist we auditioned had a Mesa amp with a Digitech GNX3 and should have had great tone. NOT !!! His shit was so processed with delay and reverb he could hardly cut through his own sound, much less a whole mix.

[MikeStrat]

What I want to know is why everone who plays music is on drugs.

I'm with you on that. I'm not your stereotypical long haired, big egoed, drug doing, inked up, waiting for that big break rock guitar player. Not that I'm trying to insult anyone that might fit that description so don't take it that way. That's just not me. But I do run into a lot of guys like that.

I don't buy the whole creative sufferring artist from the street bullshit. I'm just a regular guy with a job and family that can throw down with the guitar when need be.

I guess I'm just special. I hope those people that I described above will be happy living in a van down by the river while their waiting for their record contract. I just want to jam!!!!

[markD]

hahahaha - THAT is what you should put in your ad. you'd be surprised at how many dudes are EXACTLY where you are....

[rjohnstone]

That would be me... no tattoos... cut the hair a decade ago.
Don't do drugs and won't tolerate their use around me. Been there, done that and grew out of it.
What a person does on their own time is none of my business, but when a dude shows up to audition and needs to "get loose" first... no thank you.
NEXT!

I've got a family, a mortgage and a real job.
I'm not the greatest, but I can hold my own.
I'm just looking for some guys and/or gals that love to play music.
Getting a contract or "making it" is not on my agenda.

[Flatpicker]

I just left a bass gig that was turning pretty bad.
Seems that the guitarist and drummer think that being in a band means showing up for practice after smoking a few bones.
I can't stand that shit when I'm trying to get a new venture off the ground.
I'm not saying to be the best, but, show up straight, be ready to learn shit that you may not like because I have learnt shit that I don't like to accomodate you, and don't think that this is an excuse to fucking party.

After you leave practice, I don't give a shit if you OD your stupid ass. Everyone's replaceable. Just don't waste my time.

[Spivonious]

Tim, move to Lancaster and I'll be in your band.

The problem here is drummers. There's tons of crapola rock drummers, but as soon as you want to play something requiring above Ulrich-level skills there is no one. I'm in a "band' that hasn't practiced for years since the drummers we find flake out or move to Michigan.

[Strat God]

My band is now 2 years old and we've gone through 4 drummers. Everone else is cool and we love playing together.

[El Chiguete]

Drummers tend to be or the more none stable or the more stable of the group, don't seem to find one in between.

[jacksoncsplayer]

Why is it so freakin difficult to find 3-4 musicians to get together and play. Years ago I was in a couple of locally popular bands. The last band I was in was about 18 months ago. It lasted about 6 months until the female singer wigged out.

I live between Baltimore and Washington DC where there are 5 bazillion people and I can't find a few "normal" fucking people to start/join a band. I'm not trying to be a rock star, I just want to play out again. Christ, I can play better than most of the guys around here who are 40 something, playing in cover bands and still holding onto the dream
Is it this way in other parts of the country?

Mike, check out www.baltimorebands.com
I lived up there most of my life with the exception of a couple years in L.A. Marylands a tough scene.

MD

[guitarsjb]

I just left a bass gig that was turning pretty bad.
Seems that the guitarist and drummer think that being in a band means showing up for practice after smoking a few bones.
I can't stand that shit when I'm trying to get a new venture off the ground.
I'm not saying to be the best, but, show up straight, be ready to learn shit that you may not like because I have learnt shit that I don't like to accomodate you, and don't think that this is an excuse to fucking party.

After you leave practice, I don't give a shit if you OD your stupid ass. Everyone's replaceable. Just don't waste my time.

I'm with ya on that one. Our bass player and guitarsist show up stoned. I would give them info about upcoming gigs and shit we needed to do etc..and the next time I talked to them, they had no clue what I told them!! I had to have a serious talk with them...now they get there straight, I tell them all the "business/important" stuff, we practice, THEN they get stoned. Works for me.

[Inearthed]

Not had any problems out here in Seattle. Just got to know people. If you're involved in the local music scene at all you can form a band no problem unless you're a total douchebag.

[shadowcat]

Those are sooo true and I have run across most of them myself. One guitarist we auditioned had a Mesa amp with a Digitech GNX3 and should have had great tone. NOT !!! His shit was so processed with delay and reverb he could hardly cut through his own sound, much less a whole mix.

Most people think only bassplayers, drummers and singers are hard to find. I did too.
But while indeed there are guitar players around like sand on the beach, try to find a GOOD ONE and you'll see they are just as hard to find.

I consider myself very lucky to have found my bands more or less on the first try, and we only had to replace one bassist so far which worked out for the better. Fingers crossed.