OK, I started writing material and assembling a band late in the summer, and after changing members and arrangements, etc. , I finally settled on a drummer, guitarist, and strings/keyboardist. We have been practicing for three months or so now, and I am having a hard time getting the guitarist to work on the material outside of our practices, and I can never get him to jam more than once a week. I don't know if he's gonna stay with it, and I don't want to boot him that much cause he's a friend and we jam in his basement, but it might be necessary. I'm doing part of the vocals our strings and keyboard player does the rest (she plays cello, violn, viola, some bass). She is also my brother's g/f.
So my question to everyon is this- 1) Is it a little odd to have so much trouble getting a reliable guitarist (I have had lots of issues..) 2) Some suggestions for digging up a second guitarist that can play lead (the one I got does mostly chords) and do even NEED a guitarist 3) Am I "asking for it" involving my bro's g/f? haha..

You don't need a guitarist. Have the keyboard player do some electric violin. Or let her take the bass parts on cello and play lead on a six-string bass or something. Use your imagination.

There's this awesome band in Northern California that just has drums and bass and it doesn't NEED a guitarist AT ALL!!! I say dump the guitar player and stick with the rest of the band.

Morphine is a good example of a band that sounds great without guitar. (bass, drums & saxophone)

http://www.klekolo.com/morphine/morphinefront.html