bands - ready to scream

BrianC

BrianC

more toys than talent
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
1,406
Location
Naperville IL
I joined a cool band then:

The great singer f's up his ears with IEMs and quits.
We find a new vocalist.

Other guitarist quits to join a different band.
We find another guitarist.

New guitarist quits - many issues: money distance of gig type of gig, other bandmates
We find another guitarist.

The new new guitarist quits - the music is not really for him,
We find another guitarist.

Now THIS GUY is not sure about the fit. He had his own band before that broke up due to a few issues. When I asked him to consider us I told him ALL the good and ALL the bad. We have a web site with All of our music listed as well as numerous videos. He has only been to three practices and everybody gave him lots of love. He had to know what he was agreeing to before he came to the first practice.

I much prefer another guitarist to play with but I am almost ready to go it alone!
 
Both my former band mates and I, who played together with the same lineup for a decade after the occasional member replacement early on, took that consistency (and the solid performance it generated) for granted. It’s a blessing that’s easy to overlook until you read something like this and are reminded how rare people who just show up and play can be! I hope it’s not my last band.

I wish you luck, and sanity, in your search!
 
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My rules for playing in a band with another guitarist:

1. Have fun and play well.
1. The song is what's important, not the guitar solo.
1. You have to listen to "the other guitarist".
1. You have to be "the other guitarist".
1. Pay attention.

They are all rule # 1 because they are all the most important rule.
 
Having to find new members blows. Trying to get someone up to speed on song structures, parts, changes, and general harmony is A LOT of work. I really hate going through that part of it, and can absolutely understand the frustration of having to go through that as many times as you have.

We recently had a similar situation. We had a drummer quit, but had somebody lined out who (thankfully) meshed pretty well right off the bat. But shortly after that, our keyboardist had to quit pretty abruptly. The guy that came in after that had never been in a band before. Well, he'd done some stuff with a worship group, but never a rock band where several dynamics and song structures were at play. For a long time, I was wondering if it'd just be better to move on without keys, but that would've really put a big change in our sound and setup.

All in all, he's worked out pretty well....he's still learning quite a bit, but that's kinda what's great about it. One silver lining I always look at with changing members is that, even though it's discouraging to have to essentially re-build, learning and working with music is what I really, really love. With a new member comes a different play style, different ideas, and different approaches. I've learned a great deal by playing with different folks. While our current lineup wouldn't be the most experienced and "capable" players we've had in the band, it's ultimately been an absolute pleasure to be able to play and create music with everyone....even the folks who didn't end up joining the band.

I hope you get something going soon....that "lost" feeling and not being able to create the music you'd like is a rough spot to be in.
 
Just did a gig with the local legend. It was blues with a 7 piece band. Several of the musicians came up to me and said they hoped to see me at the next gig. The leader avoided me at the end (he’s also a guitar player). Haven’t heard diddly from him, and his name’s not Bo. Found out today that he broke his hand. Let’s see if he calls.......
 
BrianC said:
I joined a cool band then:

The great singer f's up his ears with IEMs and quits.
We find a new vocalist.

Other guitarist quits to join a different band.
We find another guitarist.

New guitarist quits - many issues: money distance of gig type of gig, other bandmates
We find another guitarist.

The new new guitarist quits - the music is not really for him,
We find another guitarist.

Now THIS GUY is not sure about the fit. He had his own band before that broke up due to a few issues. When I asked him to consider us I told him ALL the good and ALL the bad. We have a web site with All of our music listed as well as numerous videos. He has only been to three practices and everybody gave him lots of love. He had to know what he was agreeing to before he came to the first practice.

I much prefer another guitarist to play with but I am almost ready to go it alone!
Click to expand...
Where you at? I need music making and don't cause a ruckus! Chicago area here
 
I'm definitely feeling this thread!! I had recently posted a thread "the new band is coming together nicely". Ha! Jinxed myself. A couple days after that the lead player left. I wasn't terribly broken up because he kept being too busy to really learn the songs...which he finally admitted and is why he left. Found another, he knew the songs, played well, and sang better backup vocals. Yay! He just got a new job, no longer has time. The Craigslist ad has been re-posted....and in the meantime, I'm worried about how long the drummer will stick around. Really good drummer, but as time goes on there seem to be a ton of outside issues that could disrupt his participation, so we'll see. I'd say at least the bassist seems solid but I don't want to jinx myself again ;).
 
On the one hand, "Ready to Scream" totally sounds like one of those nu/alt-emo-rock-pop (faux angry punk) bands of the last ten years. (I won't look it up, but wouldn't be surprised if it's already taken!)

On the other hand, I have 3 words for you: one, man, band. I mean, hey... it worked out well for Sir David Grohl.
 
Hardest part of moving across the Country was losing the two musical situations I was in. I was in a band that had been together for four or five years, with a relatively steady lineup (harmonica, bass player and i had been together since the beginning, and we had found the right drummer to get tot he next level). But, I also was in an acoustic dup with a very established artist. The band was beginning to get some regional recognition, and the acoustic duo included travel gigs and some short tours (3 or 4 gigs at a shot with some driving in between) and earning me beaucoup dinero.

Got out here and found the really old guys who wanted to rock a lot harder than me, answered a million and. a half Craigslist ads that always seemed like a lotta work. Then, finally another guitar player I clicked with and that has settled in... We've worked through some personnel and seem to have settled in. Got practice today, in fact.

To do it right, a band must be treated like a business. It's never easy to start a business, and certainly never easy to start a business with three or four partners.... It takes work, it takes time and I'll keep my fingers crossed that my situation stays stable for a good long while and that everyone else finds that same peace of mind!
 
GADonis said:
Playing in a band would be so much more enjoyable if I didn't have to deal with "musicians." :p
Click to expand...

A band of only drummers and bass players...

cIgYNju.gif
 
BrianC said:
I joined a cool band then:

The great singer f's up his ears with IEMs and quits.
We find a new vocalist.

Other guitarist quits to join a different band.
We find another guitarist.

New guitarist quits - many issues: money distance of gig type of gig, other bandmates
We find another guitarist.

The new new guitarist quits - the music is not really for him,
We find another guitarist.

Now THIS GUY is not sure about the fit. He had his own band before that broke up due to a few issues. When I asked him to consider us I told him ALL the good and ALL the bad. We have a web site with All of our music listed as well as numerous videos. He has only been to three practices and everybody gave him lots of love. He had to know what he was agreeing to before he came to the first practice.

I much prefer another guitarist to play with but I am almost ready to go it alone!
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about the personnel issues. It isn't always easy to find musicians who don't already come supplied with a load of baggage that hinders the creative process. The folks who seem (IMO) to be the most easy-going and cooperative were folks from the late 60's era that were part of the Woodstock generation. The worst comment I've ever heard from one of these folks is, "Bummer, dude, hope it works out for you."

The important part, (again, IMO), is to be selective and reasonable. You may find folks with attitudes, substance abuse issues, and a few egotists and drama queens. While many live for the joy of making music, others live for debating issues which invariably creates conflict.

What I've learned is to avoid debating issues like the plague, because it's a no-win situation for all parties. Some may think they can lead by example, but if they're only living for creating conflict and winning battles, they're not going to be friends with you for very long.

The solution is to find people of like mind. Don't just advertise, "Looking for a guitarist" without describing what your preferred music and goals with the band will be like, otherwise you'll be up to your armpits in alligators trying to wade through your possible bandmate responses.

FTR, I have zero experience dealing with possible bandmates, except for that one time when I was younger and I advertised in college and suggested we play something from Live at Leeds. The potential bass player said, "Yeah, there's a lot of garbage music out there like that." I said "See ya" quicker than I could walk away.
 
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