Keeping Band Mates Happy

TeleMaster

meltedbuzzbox said:

monquixote said:

I think the best way ends up being pick songs that are popular and within the vocalists range with a veto if anyone really hates anything.

I did have one band pick a song that had a massive shred solo in it and say "I don't see what the problem is just do some shredding".

I was playing a Gretsch through a Deluxe Reverb and a low gain overdrive.

It wouldn't have stopped Chet Atkins

It should have....











Joke. 

TeleMaster

I find drummers are a massive issue. I have no idea why. 

In the last band I was in the drummer wanted us to do homework on the covers songs so we could talk about the feelings invoked in them. Me and the singer laughed at this when he presented it to us. We couldn’t help it. It seemed so ridiculous that we just laughed. We didn’t do it and then he got really angry about it. He later said he felt patronised. 

Sometimes you're patronised for a reason. He was a pompous guy in reality. 

The drummer we we just kicked out... what a character. I don’t even know where to begin. Honestly. 

hotpickups

Jetfire said:

thegummy said:

Jetfire said:

My main issues with my band all fall under these (usually via WhatsApp/online messages)

Say thank you if I get you a gig or gigs
Say thank you when I send you payment for aforementioned gigs
When I ask you a direct question, reply, dont ignore it
Dont moan like fuck on the day of the gig about the load in time/money/venue/distance when you dont book ANY gigs yourself
Learn to update the calendar with your availability
Don't moan about the set list when you don't suggest new songs. 
Do pull your weight and if you don't, don't shit the bed when a gigs fiinders fee is suggested
Dont moan that's it's "your pa" and threat to only put your vocals through it and then expect the band to pay for a new PA stand

But the big as said earlier on:

Do what you say your going to do.

They seem to all be things you want others to do to please you rather than anything you do to please others lol

It's kinda what you should do as a nice human being. I do all of the above, just grips my shit when Im the one doing all the work with no thanks and just constant moaning. I did a thread else where talking about my current feelings on the band.  As I said  earlier, if I dont do it, we dont get gigs. 

  

I fired all my band members about 4 years ago because the babd members acting like total pricks, demanding more gigs when they aren’t prepared to do any prep work or help in finding them, So I fired them and recruited again soon after. 

Now we work as a team. Good humoured and respect for each other. Updating the band calendar so I know what everyone’s availability is when a gig comes in. It’s all still hard work running a band but all this makes things a little easier and no arguments occur. Not so far anyway 3 years in

tony99

I wouldn't mind a slice of this actually, getting in a covers band or something. Do any of you experienced guys fit it around a 9-5 or is that a non starter?

mudslide73

tony99 said:

I wouldn't mind a slice of this actually, getting in a covers band or something. Do any of you experienced guys fit it around a 9-5 or is that a non starter?

Yep.. it just depends on how many gigs you want to play. We only do 20-25 a year max but once your set list gets to 40-50 songs you don't need to rehearse as much. Lots of fun and very satisfying. 

Jetfire

tony99 said:

I wouldn't mind a slice of this actually, getting in a covers band or something. Do any of you experienced guys fit it around a 9-5 or is that a non starter?

I think you'll find most people do it around a 9 to 5

Funkfingers

Jetfire said:
I think you'll find most people do it around a 9 to 5

Weekend heroes.

The majority of local gigging cover version band members need to have a day job. The actual gig fees would never pay for their gear quickly enough.

The lead shoutist in the following video is a window cleaner.

tony99

Funkfingers said:

Jetfire said:
I think you'll find most people do it around a 9 to 5

Weekend heroes.

The majority of local gigging cover version band members need to have a day job. The actual gig fees would never pay for their gear quickly enough.

The lead shoutist in the following video is a window cleaner.

That vid's not working for me but I really hope it's the episode of The IT Crowd where he's trying to convince a couple of old school friends that he's not actually a window cleaner

monquixote

meltedbuzzbox said:

monquixote said:

I think the best way ends up being pick songs that are popular and within the vocalists range with a veto if anyone really hates anything.

I did have one band pick a song that had a massive shred solo in it and say "I don't see what the problem is just do some shredding".

I was playing a Gretsch through a Deluxe Reverb and a low gain overdrive.

It wouldn't have stopped Chet Atkins

I would have been happy to come up with an alternative, but they didn't get why I couldn't replicate the 24 fret Floyd rose sweep fest on a guitar where you can't easily get above the 15th fret.

thegummy

monquixote said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

monquixote said:

I think the best way ends up being pick songs that are popular and within the vocalists range with a veto if anyone really hates anything.

I did have one band pick a song that had a massive shred solo in it and say "I don't see what the problem is just do some shredding".

I was playing a Gretsch through a Deluxe Reverb and a low gain overdrive.

It wouldn't have stopped Chet Atkins

I would have been happy to come up with an alternative, but they didn't get why I couldn't replicate the 24 fret Floyd rose sweep fest on a guitar where you can't easily get above the 15th fret.

I don't know anything about the technicalities of a drum kit but if a song had a particularly complex or impressive drum part I'd ask the drummer if he was able to do it then accept his answer.

TTBZ

monquixote said:

I think the best way ends up being pick songs that are popular and within the vocalists range with a veto if anyone really hates anything.

I did have one band pick a song that had a massive shred solo in it and say "I don't see what the problem is just do some shredding".

I was playing a Gretsch through a Deluxe Reverb and a low gain overdrive.

Devils advocate, maybe he was coming at it from the perspective of the audience not really giving a shit if all the correct notes were played, so just asked if you could play something a bit widdly and wanky that sounded close enough to your average punter?

monquixote

TTBZ said:

monquixote said:

I think the best way ends up being pick songs that are popular and within the vocalists range with a veto if anyone really hates anything.

I did have one band pick a song that had a massive shred solo in it and say "I don't see what the problem is just do some shredding".

I was playing a Gretsch through a Deluxe Reverb and a low gain overdrive.

Devils advocate, maybe he was coming at it from the perspective of the audience not really giving a shit if all the correct notes were played, so just asked if you could play something a bit widdly and wanky that sounded close enough to your average punter?

Nope.

Handsome_Chris

What, or where, are the points thtt people are referring to?  I can't find them.  Are they in another thread?

tony99

Handsome_Chris said:

What, or where, are the points thtt people are referring to?  I can't find them.  Are they in another thread?

Think they have been expunged .No one knows why.

prlgmnr

Handsome_Chris said:

What, or where, are the points thtt people are referring to?  I can't find them.  Are they in another thread?

Point 1 was "don't make a long list of points and then somehow lose it once people have started referring to it".

Oh how ironic that we find ourselves here.

simonhpieman

thegummy said:

monquixote said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

monquixote said:

I think the best way ends up being pick songs that are popular and within the vocalists range with a veto if anyone really hates anything.

I did have one band pick a song that had a massive shred solo in it and say "I don't see what the problem is just do some shredding".

I was playing a Gretsch through a Deluxe Reverb and a low gain overdrive.

It wouldn't have stopped Chet Atkins

I would have been happy to come up with an alternative, but they didn't get why I couldn't replicate the 24 fret Floyd rose sweep fest on a guitar where you can't easily get above the 15th fret.

...if a song had a particularly complex or impressive drum part...

No such thing.

If I was a slightly better drummer and someone said "can you play X" I'd just say yeah. Everythings in 4/4 and it's probably some variation on kick on 1 and 3 and snare on 2 and 4. (I've played drums as long as I've played guitar but never had the gear/space/neighbours/parents to allow me to practice, sadly)

Anyway... My 2p on having a successful (covers) band is to have someone clearly in charge of it and everyone else accepting to work for them. You make the rules, you pay for the promo, you get the gigs, you pay the band. If your band is good you shouldn't need rehearsals, everyone learns the tunes at home and you show up and play them the way they go.

If you try and do it as an even split of duties everyone has to be responsible for little bits here and there and there will inevitably be someone who doesn't pull their weight because their hamster is feeling ill or they had to make the coffee at work this week or Tescos was closed or they were a dickhead for 7 days and watched Game of Thrones instead of working.

TimmyO

imho there’s 2 main swathes of band setup:

1. Pro/very experienced : probably don’t need to rehearse much/at all and can all turn up and do their thing - tend to work well until genuine creative differences/someone starts being an actual dick/someone shags someone they oughtn’t 

2. The less experienced/more weekend warriory - in this chunk lies every sort of setup - and like any group of people everyone has their different wants and needs. Yet oddly lots of people in this category summarise it as “it’s quite simple really, you just need to <insert extremely specific set of expectations based on that persons psyche>”. Tension abounds 

Mark1960

I think the best way to all get along is to establish the band parameters, make sure everybody knows them, and stick to them. A list of typical parameters follows.

1) Gig regularity - Must suit all members

2) Rehearsal regularity - Must suit all members

3) Material - Must suit all members

4) Work load (including set up and take down) - Must be shared around fairly

5) Be easy to contact

6) Update your availability promptly

7) Be on time

8) Know what you are supposed to know / have agreed to know.

These are what I call "core values" of the band. Any new members must accept / buy in to these values. If the above is in place (most of it is just common sense / decency / good manners & commitment) you have the right people, and every thing else just falls in line.

If members can't commit to the above, are they the kind of people you want to play with?

Probably not IMHO

monquixote

TimmyO said:

imho there’s 2 main swathes of band setup:

1. Pro/very experienced : probably don’t need to rehearse much/at all and can all turn up and do their thing - tend to work well until genuine creative differences/someone starts being an actual dick/someone shags someone they oughtn’t 

2. The less experienced/more weekend warriory - in this chunk lies every sort of setup - and like any group of people everyone has their different wants and needs. Yet oddly lots of people in this category summarise it as “it’s quite simple really, you just need to <insert extremely specific set of expectations based on that persons psyche>”. Tension abounds 

This is my experience.

I think you get into problems when you mix the two. Bands full of guys having a laugh well aware they are weekend warriors seem to get on ok and similarly bands of semi pros are ok but in between you get a lot of arguments about how frequently to rehearse, standards Vs obscure stuff, number of paying gigs etc.

TimmyO

Mark1960 said:

I think the best way to all get along is to establish the band parameters, make sure everybody knows them, and stick to them. A list of typical parameters follows.

1) Gig regularity - Must suit all members

2) Rehearsal regularity - Must suit all members

3) Material - Must suit all members

4) Work load (including set up and take down) - Must be shared around fairly

5) Be easy to contact

6) Update your availability promptly

7) Be on time

8) Know what you are supposed to know / have agreed to know.

These are what I call "core values" of the band. Any new members must accept / buy in to these values. If the above is in place (most of it is just common sense / decency / good manners & commitment) you have the right people, and every thing else just falls in line.

If members can't commit to the above, are they the kind of people you want to play with?

Probably not IMHO

Here the thing though (and I may we’ll do a terrible job of explaining what I mean here but will try) : **for those setups where it’s also a social thing** , expecting this can be a sure fire way to end up disappointed. 

I agree that that these sorts of things aren’t unreasonable to want or expect, but like with “common” sense, aren’t actually that common.

Id not stipulate a list of minimum Behavioral requirements of a friend (I have plenty of friends who can be infuriating to be friends with, but I still love them and accept them) so having it as the price of entry for a band mate in anything other than a properly pro setup is creating expectations that are bound to be unfulfilled