Really just looking to find a group of guys to play with on a semi regular basis...

fourstringbliss · #1 09-09-2008, 10:58 AM

I'd love to have a group of guys to play with on a semi regular basis. I work full time and have a family, so I don't have time to be in a band.

How do people do this? How do people find folks to play with?

stingray69 · #2 09-09-2008, 11:10 AM

I'd Google the phrase "Musicians Wanted" or other similar phrases. There is bound to be an on-line resource for local musicians in your area looking to form band, looking for bassists, etc. You may want to type up a brief "Bassist Looking For Band" type of document and post it in your local music stores - most stores allow for this type of thing. Maybe someone else can chime in with a specific website that searches by area code, etc. Good Luck.

pedro · #3 09-09-2008, 11:15 AM

A drummer friend and I lucked into a fabulous keys player and guitarist who had an ad on a local internet group. They just wanted to jam on a bunch of 60's oldies about once a month or so. It's now on the verge of playing out on a limited basis but its been over a year that we've been doing this.

I'd check craigslist and any other local internet forums. Good luck.

StyleOverShow · #4 09-09-2008, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

I'd love to have a group of guys to play with on a semi regular basis. I work full time and have a family, so I don't have time to be in a band.

How do people do this? How do people find folks to play with?

My plan went something like this:

1. Create a couple of MP3's small size that demonstrate your capabilities, style from band recordings or just recording on your PC with a rhythm track and your bass. I bought a $30 mixer from Radio Shack and have a Dr. Rhythm machine which I blended and put into the microphone jack of my PC and used Audacity (shareware sound editing software) to records and add fade in/out. Get a couple of pieces together.
2. Think up a user name and get a picture of yourself cut down to web size. Use them to open a myspace.com account. You'll need an email address.
3. Go to Craigslist.org in your part of the world and then create a sincere but humorous description of your style, availability and interests. Refer to your myspace.com/username as a reference.

Everytime I post a Craiglist add I get at least a couple of interesting leads. Craiglist ads last for 7 days so have at least a couple of versions ready and rotate them.

Good luck.

fourstringbliss · #5 09-09-2008, 11:42 AM

These are some really good ideas! This might sound silly but I've been feeling like I've missed the boat. I'm 39 and started playing bass when I was 32. I'd love to be part of a band but I love my family more and don't want to take that kind of time away from them. I do love playing with others, though, so I need a group of guys who are also looking for a part time thing.

krovx · #6 09-09-2008, 11:45 AM

www.bandmix.com has led me to some interesting people

Both craigslist and myspace are great as well as previously mentioned. Myspace has a musicians section in its classifieds as well. Local shop works too.

jgroh · #7 09-09-2008, 11:56 AM

I used Band Mix and Craigslist before but I will tell you what helped me find the current band Im in, is having a myspace page with music I recorded on it. You might not have recorded music to put on a myspace page, but at least you can put up some things about you. It seemed to help narrow down the people that contacted me when they hear the kind of playing and music I was doing. Before that I was getting every type of band contacting me and most of them werent my choice in music.

pedro · #8 09-09-2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

These are some really good ideas! This might sound silly but I've been feeling like I've missed the boat. I'm 39 and started playing bass when I was 32. I'd love to be part of a band but I love my family more and don't want to take that kind of time away from them. I do love playing with others, though, so I need a group of guys who are also looking for a part time thing.

Band commitments vary. I play in two bands each of whom wants to play only 1 time per month. I think its a pretty minor commitment.

fourstringbliss · #9 09-09-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pedro

Band commitments vary. I play in two bands each of whom wants to play only 1 time per month. I think its a pretty minor commitment.

I'd love to be part of a band that plays twice a month! That's a perfect commitment.

phatbass · #10 09-09-2008, 12:11 PM

Hit the Jam/open Mic sessions in your area. You'd be surprised at the number of guys in EXACTLY your situation.

I've been in house bands at a bunch of these nights, and quite a few folks come through just to have their regular weekly fix and end up meeting other players in the same boat and forming casual bands that just get together once a week, or every couple of weeks.

Alternatively advertise EXACTLY what you want in the usual places; craigslist, ;ocal music stores, etc.

kraigo · #11 09-09-2008, 12:31 PM

I generally have some sort of relationship with people I start to play with. Answering ads or putting up ads aren't a fruitful way for me to go about it. Word of mouth is better. Meet people somehow and try to work up bands that way.

KO

pedro · #12 09-09-2008, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kraigo

I generally have some sort of relationship with people I start to play with. Answering ads or putting up ads aren't a fruitful way for me to go about it. Word of mouth is better. Meet people somehow and try to work up bands that way.

KO

But if you are new in town its tough for the word to get around.

jgroh · #13 09-09-2008, 12:46 PM

Im in your situation, have full time job (with my own business on the side), one child with another on the way, wife with her own full time job...so I only wanted practice once a week and play out no more than twice a month. Luckily after a while, I was contacted by the band I am in now, but it did take a bit. Keep plugging and you will find people! Good luck.

fourstringbliss · #14 09-09-2008, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgroh

Im in your situation, have full time job (with my own business on the side), one child with another on the way, wife with her own full time job...so I only wanted practice once a week and play out no more than twice a month. Luckily after a while, I was contacted by the band I am in now, but it did take a bit. Keep plugging and you will find people! Good luck.

This is all encouraging. I've spent way too much of the past six years swapping gear and fooling around - everything but really learning my instrument. I'm going to get a practice regimen down and try to get some songs down. I would love nothing more than to get with a group of guys who want to do classic rock covers.

Caca de Kick · #15 10-01-2008, 02:52 PM

I'm sure you seen the Stranger Magazine around here, right?

You can place an ad in there, or there's always ads in there of bands looking for bassists.

www.thestranger.com

Willy2911 · #16 10-01-2008, 02:58 PM

Alot of times there are really Good muscians in guitar stores - who you can talk to, and if they are tryin out some gear you will be able to get an idea of what they play and then you just need to Say whatz up man.

stflbn · #17 10-01-2008, 03:21 PM

Craigslist.

Be very specific in what you're looking for and emphasis the casual nature that you prefer. Bass players are needed and there's almost always other people out there that want to play with someone.

Just be prepared to likely not hit it off the first or second or third try. Finding the right combo of casual people takes time and can be frustrating.

I took 15 years off playing to raise a family, pursue career, etc. Then I started gearing back up. For the past couple years I've been doing different casual bands and gigs. They're out there, and honestly it's kind of a knack finding them and decyphering which people are worth contributing your time to. As I sit right now I think the new guys I'm starting to write/record/gig with are going to be a very good relationship and finally after a year or so of trying the music interest is pretty well matched.

Best of luck.

dangnewt · #18 10-14-2008, 03:50 PM

I started playing bass six years ago at the ripe old age of 42. My band is pretty much what you have in mind although we sometimes get in as many as 3 rehearsals a month especially if we have a gig coming up. Our gigs tend to be of the block party/birthday/anniversary/graduation of a band member or family or close friend of a band member. The last gig was essentially live karioke at my church's picnic.

It started with my guitarist asking me to play bass for one song while he sat in with his guitar teacher and teacher's drummmer at a recital-type thing. I enjoyed it so much, that I signed up for a set the next month and invited my guitarist and a female vocalist from our praise group.

That was so much fun we started to look for a drummer. I mentioned this to a friend of mine at work who told me that his colleague's husband was a drummer and that there was another drummer on the floor above us. Moreover, my friend told me he would love to play tenor sax with us. We ended up enjoying playing together enough that we just kept on playing.

We eventually added a keyboard and trombone but they tend to have less availability but we are flexible enough to accomodate that. I am a big believer in low-stress hobbies.

Two things were helpful in my case:

I have a finished attic that is just the right size for a rehearsal space and
I bought a decent set of drums for my son a few years back who took lessons for a while (he was actually pretty good but lost interest). My drummer loves that he doesn't have to schlepp his drums (he'll usually just bring sticks and cymbals) - that was a big draw.

Our original singer left Boston this summer to move to Nashville (and has already done backup vocals on an indie CD!) But we have played around enough we were able to land a singer/guitarist who is as talented and easy-going.