F###ing band problems

close2u

Well there's another band gone down the shitter.

Seven months in, and just as we're about to start gigging.

Why can't people just behave decently.

Grrrr.

markslade07

Feel for you mate, surely it 'should' be a lot easier than other seem to make it sometimes.

I was in a band for 18 months or so, and we only managed 4 gigs! At the beginning of this year, I took the step of leaving as it was clear that some of the members weren't quite as committed as others, even though they said they were. Actions speak louder than words sometimes! Once I left, it became apparent that others felt the same and the band collapsed, just at the point where we were being asked to do 2 weddings. We couldn't guarantee that the band would still exist later in the year so we had to turn them down. I've just been sounded out about another wedding, but unfortunately, I don't have a band anymore.....which is a big bummer!

Good luck in finding something else though, fingers crossed the next bunch are a bit more decent!

Drew_TNBD

Guffage. What happened?

digitalscream

close2u said:

Why can't people just behave decently.

Because musicians are assholes. That's the only conclusion I can come to, after so many bands have just fallen apart because of personal shit rather than musical or logistical issues (which, really, you'd think would be the main cause).

not_the_dj

I obviously don't know what happened, but get gigging sooner.

Seven months is a long time for just rehearsing, and that's when people can start to get pissed off with each other or jaded.

ICBM

not_the_dj said:

I obviously don't know what happened, but get gigging sooner.

Seven months is a long time for just rehearsing, and that's when people can start to get pissed off with each other or jaded.

Don't tell me… my band has gone beyond that point without a gig yet - getting on for a year. Just a lot of non-music-related stuff has got in the way - no-one's fault, but it's just what happens when a bunch of middle-aged guys with families, work, jobs and all that stuff try to do the same sort of thing as you do when you don't have any of that. Even getting a weekly practice without someone not being able to make it due to other commitments is proving hard. (It was me this week, which I don't like.)

We should have been gigging months ago. It was just supposed to be a fun covers band to get out and play live for beer money at best, too. I've been in originals bands where we've written an entire set of new material and been out playing quicker… but that was fifteen years ago.

RocknRollDave

Seriously, in a covers band you don't need a lot of rehearsal.. Rehearsing every week for months on end is simply not necessary, unless you are making huge structural and arrangement changes to all of the songs.

Just my two cents

guitarfishbay

It depends if it was an originals band or a covers band.

7 months of rehearsals for a covers band is a long time without a gig.  7 months to start an originals project from scratch while everyone has jobs isn't anything out of the ordinary if you really care about the end result and are aiming to take it seriously.  

RocknRollDave

guitarfishbay said:

It depends if it was an originals band or a covers band.

7 months of rehearsals for a covers band is a long time without a gig.  7 months to start an originals project from scratch while everyone has jobs isn't anything out of the ordinary if you really care about the end result and are aiming to take it seriously.  

Totally agree - An originals band is a totally different kettle of fish, isn't it?

ICBM

RocknRollDave said:

Seriously, in a covers band you don't need a lot of rehearsal.. Rehearsing every week for months on end is simply not necessary, unless you are making huge structural and arrangement changes to all of the songs.

Just my two cents

You don't need to tell me that either! Especially as the point for me was that it was meant to be "loose covers" - ie playing recognisable songs but in our own haphazard style…

I think we were ready to gig after a couple of months, but somehow it was never quite possible.

RocknRollDave

ICBM said:

RocknRollDave said:

Seriously, in a covers band you don't need a lot of rehearsal.. Rehearsing every week for months on end is simply not necessary, unless you are making huge structural and arrangement changes to all of the songs.

Just my two cents

You don't need to tell me that either! Especially as the point for me was that it was meant to be "loose covers" - ie playing recognisable songs but in our own haphazard style…

I think we were ready to gig after a couple of months, but somehow it was never quite possible.

Got you. Feeling your pain - been there too. Sucks big time.

PolarityMan

ICBM said:

Especially as the point for me was that it was meant to be "loose covers" - ie playing recognisable songs but in our own haphazard style…

I wonder if that objective is more likely to attract people who aren't as willing to put the graft in?

Drew_TNBD

An originals band isn't really a total different kettle of fish. Very often there is one or two people that guides the band, the rest just add their sprinkles over the top of it. It is still incumbent upon every individual to pull their weight.

It takes dedication. Much more than "Oh, Thursdays is band night for three hours..."

Bollocks to that. You should be getting together every weekend to do stuff, regardless of kids, family, and all that. If you can't do it, then you shouldn't be in a band. It really is that simple. I am really tired of seeing musicians approach live music in a haphazard and half-hearted fashion. Just fuck off. You're not adding to the live music scene at all. You're killing it with your apathy and eagerness to compromise.

The same can be said of the audience.

Not aimed at anyone in particular. I've just seen lazy musicians complain for too many years to be able to sit back and nod my head in tacit agreement. No.

ICBM

PolarityMan said:

I wonder if that objective is more likely to attract people who aren't as willing to put the graft in?

The theory was that it meant that we could just basically go out and play songs we already knew, with the minimum of having to learn precise arrangements.

It's not lack of graft actually, it's personal circumstances beyond intentional control. Jobs, family stuff, important other commitments where the parties involved in organising those don't seem to understand that people have lives and need reasonable notice for changes, that sort of thing. I can't blame anyone, it's just frustrating and demoralising.

This week I had to cancel because I have two different school meetings in the same week (High School and Primary - it would have been three except that I had to move my kid's violin lesson to the third one, which means I can't do music that night either), and the only other possible day the drummer can't do. Repeat for other band members in different combinations more or less every other week…

This is why I don't want to commit to being in an original band any more, hence why the idea of a loose-covers band seemed like a good one. It just hasn't worked out like that.

Drew_TNBD

Maybe I'm just an asshole. I get pissed off when people in our band organise themselves holidays. )

RocknRollDave

@Drew_fx I agree with that in regard to an originals band where your aim is to constantly build upon a fanbase and achieve some kind of artist and/ or commercial goal (e.g. being able to make your living from it)

The reason I think this is different for a covers band is that the material is already laid out for you and all you have to do is learn your part, subject to the odd key change or arrangement issue (e.g. agreeing on an ending for a song where the record fades out). When I say months of rehearsal are not required, I'm not saying "just throw something together, that'll do"..I'm saying that competent musicians should be disciplined enough with their own time to study and learn their parts (and communicate between themselves) so that they don't have to play the same songs repeatedly together in a room they are paying for in order to get the songs together.

Doesn't mean there's no work involved, but for me homework is more vital in this case than studio time, whereas for an originals band both are equally important, as you say.

guitarfishbay

Drew_fx said:

An originals band isn't really a total different kettle of fish. 

Yes it is.

Unless you're making large structural or arrangement changes to a song a covers band is just copying material that has already been written and refined.  The learning material probably also exists too - tabs/sheet music/youtube lessons.  Even then, rearranging music that already exists is much easier (IMO) than creating new music - which in theory you will rearrange several times until it sounds good enough.

So unless a new band can write and refine music at the same pace a covers band can learn it then there is no way the time investment requirements are the same.  

That is before we get to the business side of things - recordings, music videos, PR, photos, logo, website etc.  The audio/visual quality expected of originals bands these days is really high.  The content needs to be great too but that has always been a given.  Put simply you have to either invest or have already invested the time and money in learning how to get a professional result or you have to pay for it.  Maybe I'm overplaying this but I honestly believe there is no point in releasing something that sticks out as amateur production-wise these days.  The same probably goes for covers bands but I just can't imagine the creative side of production needing as much thought as an originals project.

Finding people who are willing to invest the time and money into a serious originals project is pretty hard IME, unless you already know them.  Again I can't imagine it takes as long to recruit new members to a covers band.

not_the_dj

 

guitarfishbay said:

Again I can't imagine it takes as long to recruit new members to a covers band.

Guitarists are ten a penny, decent singers are the tricky bit, especially a decent singer who is also a good frontman, and to me that's the difference between a good covers band and a great one.

 

Handsome_Chris

Drew_fx said:

Maybe I'm just an asshole. I get pissed off when people in our band organise themselves holidays. )

And?!  Do you expect them to organise your holidays too? Selfish, @Drew-FX, very selfish.  >:D<

EricTheWeary

not_the_dj;190115" said:

 



guitarfishbay said:



Again I can't imagine it takes as long to recruit new members to a covers band.

Guitarists are ten a penny, decent singers are the tricky bit, especially a decent singer who is also a good frontman, and to me that's the difference between a good covers band and a great one.

 

+1. And if a decent singer is doing it for the money they are often better off without an actual band behind them. £200 for you and your MIDI files or £200 for you and the four drunks with instruments?

I have sometimes wondered if a tribute band is in some ways the simplest. You have a finite pool of songs you can make your set list from and once you know who you are ( I'll be George, you be John, etc)you know what you have to learn as well. How musically simple of course depends on who you are tributing. Or maybe it's just a different set of headaches.

guitarfishbay

not_the_dj said:

 

guitarfishbay said:

Again I can't imagine it takes as long to recruit new members to a covers band.

Guitarists are ten a penny, decent singers are the tricky bit, especially a decent singer who is also a good frontman, and to me that's the difference between a good covers band and a great one.

In my experience it really comes down to personalities and work ethic as far as choosing band members goes.  People can improve their skills within reason but personalities are generally more rigid.

I actually think there are a large number of people who are competent or beyond on their instrument of choice (including singers) but the number who are competent + professional/able to work well in a band setting + willing to commit the time (& money) + exciting live + creative is a lot smaller.