How many auditions?

[Aahzz]

OK, I figure this is a question for a new thread, though it came from the conversation in my thread about the drummer's response.

When putting together a new project, how many auditions do you schedule at a time? I tend to try and schedule as few as possible at one time, in hopes that the early responder will be a good fit. I don't schedule anyone to come in at all until I've spoken to them and feel that there's a good personality fit already. If I talk to them and they don't seem on the same page I generally don't bother getting together to play - especially these days, I'm going to try and pre-screen as much as possible.

Once I think the personalities and musical direction are a good fit I'll put together a jam. Once I have someone invited, I don't invite anyone else to play that role unless they end up not being a good fit when we play. If it doesn't gel, I invite the next player.

I should say, this is when putting together a new project. If the core band already exists, and we were looking for, say, a replacement bass player, I'd potentially invite 2 or 3 to come in an hour apart on a Saturday, with them all knowing there are others coming and we'll see who fits. Starting from scratch, though, I tend to move slower.

 

[gush]

I don't envy you at all. Most of the bands I've been in are ones I've started from scratch or salvaged. I always ended up being the one to own PA gear and trailer to haul it.

I was always the guy to schedule rehearsals and find secure places to do so. Eventually, I set up a small PA in my basement and bought a Roland kit for our drummer to use.

The electric kit kind of sucked but all of that gear stayed set up and once they all showed up we were ready to rehearse in less than 5 minutes.

It's all a ton of work and I miss playing live but I don't miss all the BS that goes with it.

The other part of that is I'd like to think I've made improvements to my tone and skill level along the way. It has taken a long time to get to where I am today and the thought of joining a band with people that are still at the beginning stages of that journey are a turn off.

I'm not claiming to be a phenomenal player by any means but I want more than just a garage band situation.

It doesn't need to be super loud, notes and rests have actual values, it's ok to give music some space and spend time learning how to count.

Good luck with your project, looking forward to some sound clips when the band is ready!!

 

[Aahzz]

I don't envy you at all. Most of the bands I've been in are ones I've started from scratch or salvaged. I always ended up being the one to own PA gear and trailer to haul it.

I was always the guy to schedule rehearsals and find secure places to do so. Eventually, I set up a small PA in my basement and bought a Roland kit for our drummer to use.

The electric kit kind of sucked but all of that gear stayed set up and once they all showed up we were ready to rehearse in less than 5 minutes.

It's all a ton of work and I miss playing live but I don't miss all the BS that goes with it.

The other part of that is I'd like to think I've made improvements to my tone and skill level along the way. It has taken a long time to get to where I am today and the thought of joining a band with people that are still at the beginning stages of that journey are a turn off.

I'm not claiming to be a phenomenal player by any means but I want more than just a garage band situation.

It doesn't need to be super loud, notes and rests have actual values, it's ok to give music some space and spend time learning how to count.

Good luck with your project, looking forward to some sound clips when the band is ready!!

Yeah, I didn't set out to be the "leader" on purpose. Was in a band I was quite happy with for 3 years until the owner of the PA and practice space decided to quit, which of course ended the whole band even thought the other guys and I would have continued on. So I took some time and pieced together my own PA and convinced Mrs Aahzz to give up some basement space (she runs an Ebay business, most of the basement is inventory storage) and put together a decent rehearsal area.

I was considering contacting one of the more established bands in the area looking for new members, but I've been wanting to do something 90s-centric for a while, and it seems the only way to do that is to put it together myself. We'll see how it goes...

 

[László]

I wouldn't want to be a member of a band that would have me as a member.

 

[dmatthews]

Last time I went through this I scheduled 3 guys for a max of 1 hour each in one evening.
Sometimes there'd be only 2.
They were all told when to come. They were all given a list of songs we do and they could pick what they wanted to play. They were also told they could hang around after if desired.
The ad I wrote specifically said that egos would not be tolerated.
Ended up working out well, and only took 3 weeks.

 

[jak3af3r]

I've been on the other end of the audition and spacing them out like you said is a great idea because it's incredibly awkward to show up on time and the guy in front still tearing down or even playing.

 

[DISTORT6]

My band would only audition one person at a time.
We never did a “cattle call” type of situation.
Another thing we use to do was have someone just show up to hear us play. If they were interested, we would hand them a tape(jeeeez ) and have them learn some of our songs and come back again. If they weren’t interested, no problem. Rehearsal as usual.

 

[László]

I've hired session players to do shows with bands I've been in when we couldn't find anyone who'd attained a certain level of ability. Generally, those have been bands I got involved with as a producer, in order to showcase the talent better.

It worked out really well. Send them the material, they master it in a few minutes, and just show up for the gig. Don't even need to rehearse. The last couple of bands I played with, no rehearsals needed. That's pretty nice for me, at least, given what a headache it is to drag gear to rehearsal spaces, etc.

Having a drummer and bass player who've done countless label sessions and toured with various acts truly elevates the sound of any band.

I won't gig for free, so I figure I'd be sharing the gig fee with people, anyway. Just hire someone good, and have them show up! Done!

I realize that it's not really part of the traditional band ethos, but damn, it sure works a treat.

 

[gush]

I've hired session players to do shows with bands I've been in when we couldn't find anyone who'd attained a certain level of ability. Generally, those have been bands I got involved with as a producer, in order to showcase the talent better.

It worked out really well. Send them the material, they master it in a few minutes, and just show up for the gig. Don't even need to rehearse. The last couple of bands I played with, no rehearsals needed. That's pretty nice for me, at least, given what a headache it is to drag gear to rehearsal spaces, etc.

Having a drummer and bass player who've done countless label sessions and toured with various acts truly elevates the sound of any band.

I won't gig for free, so I figure I'd be sharing the gig fee with people, anyway. Just hire someone good, and have them show up! Done!

I realize that it's not really part of the traditional band ethos, but damn, it sure works a treat.

Nothing wrong with that. I'd pay well to have good players on board

 

[László]

Nothing wrong with that. I'd pay well to have good players on board

The rhythm section I used to hire was so good. I used to think, "This groove is so wide and deep, it's easy to play to."

People like to diss drummers and bass players, but the really good ones are few and far between, and they literally make a band SO much better.

My buddy the bass player toured with Prince at one point in his career. The drummers I worked with most, one was in Was Not Was, and the other was the principal trap drummer for the Detroit Symphony when they needed someone to do that. But he could also rock.

What a pleasure it is to play with people who know what they're doing!

Yeah. I'm spoiled.

 

[jak3af3r]

It worked out really well. Send them the material, they master it in a few minutes, and just show up for the gig. Don't even need to rehearse. The last couple of bands I played with, no rehearsals needed. That's pretty nice for me, at least, given what a headache it is to drag gear to rehearsal spaces, etc.

This is how I got started actually. It seems around Nashville quite a few guitarists are flaky and I'd always get called in with minimal time to prep. And compared to situations where we'd have to rehearse over and over I preferred just showing up and everyone having their stuff together.

 

[László]

This is how I got started actually. It seems around Nashville quite a few guitarists are flaky and I'd always get called in with minimal time to prep. And compared to situations where we'd have to rehearse over and over I preferred just showing up and everyone having their stuff together.

I'd love to hear your work!

 

[jak3af3r]

I'd love to hear your work!

Sure! I'll see if I can't get some of that stuff rounded together and find a way to send it.

 

[László]

Sure! I'll see if I can't get some of that stuff rounded together and find a way to send it.

I can send you an upload link from my WeTransfer page, if you like. In normal times I love working with new friends! COVID has slowed things down in the biz a bit, but I'm looking forward to getting things cranked up again.

But you can just send mp3s via email. PM me and I'll send contact info.

It's so important that we support each other in the arts.

 

[veinbuster]

It’s a really interesting question, that I’ve never had to answer.

Thinking back to when I played to a live audience, I’m pretty sure I only auditioned for bands I never played with. All the paying work I got was based on my reputation. A couple of them just gave me music and expected me to show up ready to go. A couple just told me the kind of thing they played and identified a portion of the playlist - it probably wouldn’t have worked as well if the guitar players (I played bass) knew more chords.

The toughest job was Ice Capades. We had one 2 hour rehearsal and I couldn’t take the music with me to practice. I would have been more comfortable if I’d been able to go through Thus Spake Zarathustra more than once, never having played it before - I recall one two bar bit that warped my mind a bit and caused me to lose a bit of sleep. Of course, now I would download it from somewhere. It was a very satisfying run of shows though.

I think I like Aahzz’s approach.

 

[jak3af3r]

It’s a really interesting question, that I’ve never had to answer.

Thinking back to when I played to a live audience, I’m pretty sure I only auditioned for bands I never played with. All the paying work I got was based on my reputation. A couple of them just gave me music and expected me to show up ready to go. A couple just told me the kind of thing they played and identified a portion of the playlist - it probably wouldn’t have worked as well if the guitar players (I played bass) knew more chords.

This was exactly the same situation for me too. I'd get a call or text from someone who knew I played and fit in whatever project they had. Usually that person had somehow managed to get a sample recording or a video from who knows where. All the auditions were either blind or friend of a friend of a friend and they never amounted to anything which on one occasion was a great thing because I don't think the travel arrangements were agreeable.

All my "Nashville Style" (as I call them) gigs were "Hey! Saw this video do know these standards?" "Yep." "Ok load in is 5:30" kind of thing.

 

[aphantomvaper]

Being the leader can be a burn out. I lasted 10 years in that band. We wrote 38 originals in that time but it was only 3 of us...and the audience loved it. We never got any traction though and babies (drummer is a woman/singer) came and that was that.

Lets be honest I LOVE playing live! I'll play any gig I'm invited to. I don't even want money.

Playing with other competent motivated people is a rush and better than any drug.

If I was trying out Ahazz I'd want to hang and see the other players. I wouldn't care how if I was first or 50th pick for the job.

Good luck with your search!

 

[Stephen J.]

I have no experience in forming a band from scratch. But I would think your approach will work and obviously you are comfortable with it.
I think it would somewhat depend on you songs. If you are doing covers, I would think trying out more than one person per roll would be a good idea. Have a network of people you can call on for substitutes or maybe the occasional something special. It might allow you to have a little cross pollination when it comes to leads on gigs. If you are writing original songs it might make sense to stop once you found the fit, but I would still think the more people you know the better. Plus you might find someone you won’t work with, but you will still want to follow as a musician. Plus, they might be into your music even if they are not playing with you.
Just be upfront with whoever you are talking to if you are going to cut it off once you find your match or delay a decision until after a certain time.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

The current band I’m in comprises of three work colleagues, friend of one of them and my family. We’re an 8 piece.

Lots of multi talent in the band, which makes for interesting instrument swaps between songs.

Several of the guys are excellent at producing/mixing and video work also, so we’re very lucky.

Everyone just wants to have fun, but the work gets done.

Best of luck with your auditions @Aahzz you’re a cool dude (I mean who else could pull off those troos (pants)).

 

[Boogie]

I’ve always had a group sit down before an audition, be it a couple of beers (good to see if they pound 3 beers and 2 shots or just a beer) or dinner. If we can’t socialize, we can’t do our music. If it were more clinical stuff, Les’ approach would be fine, but for now, our music is so dynamic, we need that connection and interaction. It really helps to like each other. We’re inviting someone to join our family and no one wants a jerk