Things you love about other local bands

[Phalex]

There's a "Things you hate" thread already, but I had a great experience with a couple of local bands we shared a bill with last night, and thought I'd relate my positive story:

We played an arena gig last night with two other bands from the area. It was a customer appreciation/member sign up function for a local chain of gyms. The attendance could have been better, (I bet there weren't 500 people in attendance at any given time.) but I was still geeked up to play this venue. I bet it seats 3,000 or better, and I do love to play on the "Big Stage".

So band #1. I was unaware at the time, but we used their PA. They have a very nice system, that was maybe a little small for the arena setting, but definitely got the job done. My sound guy was drooling over their digital sound board. (Their sound guy ran sound all night.)

Band #2. These guys have been around forever in various bands, and together, they kick serious ass. The bass player has his rig set up at a venue already, so he asked if he could use mine. I said sure thing man, I gotta be there until late anyhow.

My drummer brought his drum riser, and set it up for the drummer in band #2. (Less hassle for us later, and the drummer got to use the riser.)

Band #3. (My band) So it gets to be our turn to play, and the drummer from band #2 asks my drummer if he just wants to use his drum kit since it's all set up already. My drummer accepts, and we get the show rolling that much quicker. When we had about 3 more songs to go in our set, the drummer from band #2 comes up behind my drummer, and starts playing the right hand side of the kit. (Scared the crap out of my drummer)

They end up switching positions for the next song. So drummer #2 is playing drums with my band, and my drummer is singing backups on my mic, and throwing drumsticks back and forth to my singer waaaaay across the stage as well as tossing them to drummer #2.

The last tune of the night, we held onto drummer #2. Maybe 1/3rd of the way through the song, my drummer swaps places with him (never dropping a beat), about 2/3rds of the way through, they swap places again, and we finished up with drummer #2.

It was an absolute GAS! The mutual respect and appreciation between all the bands, as well as the interplay with the drummers was just awesome!!


So what positive experiences have you had on a shared bill??

[snyderz]

Nice story Phalex. A couple months ago, we were playing our regular gig at a bar, and the guitar player from one of the other local bands shows up. Nice guy, and probably the best known player from the best known band in the area. Our guitar player/singer hands over his guitar, and the guest starts into a montage of songs that I had never played. I decided I was going to give it my all, and we ended up rocking the house. After the set, he gave me a big compliment on my bass playing, and it made my whole night.

[Raymeous]

Damn that sounds like one hell of a show. I love it when bands get along and that dual drummer thing just sounds like an awesome bit for keeping the audience's attention, not to mention just a whole lot of fun.

We all like to piss and moan about stupid bands and the over the top obnoxious drunk at every show, but in truth I had a lot of fun hanging out with other bands and talking shop with them. We even received quite a few phone calls for gigs from these bands because they remembered us being cool and relatively drama free.

It's really the simple stuff when you come right down to it. I've done things for other bands that we've played with like breaking into my emergency kit when they have an issue, or restringing a guys primary guitar while he played his back up. Hang out and watch their set if you can and just remember what its like to be a fan of live music.

[Richland123]

We perform for many multiple band shows every year as well as I am a concert promoter and organize lots of multiple band shows. Most of the groups in our area have respect for one another and the shows go well and sometimes players sit in on a few songs or share equipment to help the shows run smoother.

Back in August, I was the promoter for a very large festival concert featuring my band as the opening act and Chuck Blasko & The Vogues (Five O'Clock World, You're The One, and many other million selling hits). I booked the sound company they use regularly to mix both groups. When the drummer from The Vogues got there, he said our drummer should go ahead and use his kit and agreed that would make it simpler for the sound guy with one drum soundcheck and lessen the time between bands. Everybody in The Vogues and their sound guy were great and professional to work with and they all said the same about me and also my band. They said they have never worked a show that was as organized and professional and how my band got the crowd going. I asked the the sound guy if he could record my band from the board mix with a USB stick and he did.

The show was such a huge success with several thousand in attendance that I was booked to do it again for August 2011. Also, Chuck Blasko & The Vogues were so impressed that we are now discussing offering package shows to venues with both bands. It is great to work with people who all get along and do a good job to present a fantastic show. Getting to work with them again is icing on the cake for me.

[MNAirHead]

I like that it gives us a real opportunity to take notes.

Folks serious bout gigging should be seeing the competing bands... eventually you'll be playing with one of their band mates.

[mid_life_crisis]

Originally Posted by Raymeous

Damn that sounds like one hell of a show. I love it when bands get along and that dual drummer thing just sounds like an awesome bit for keeping the audience's attention, not to mention just a whole lot of fun.

You can bet the 500 or so that were there are telling their friends about the great show they missed.
Lots of good publicity for both bands.

[hennessybass]

Great Thread!! TB is a bit like the news - only bad news makes the news - Well, for every bad news story there are a bunch of good ones too. You see so many posts here on TB about bad experiences with other bands, or people borrowing gear that you start to think that is the norm... no doubt there are some people and bands out there who do not "get it," but there are just as many if not more that do.

Some of my experiences --
Back in my younger rock-n-roll days... on our first gig ever as a band, we played right before a band called Keefrider. They were good friends with a band called The Guest. That gig started a friendship between our bands, and that eventually lead to our friendship with the Guest as well. Our three bands always played on bills together, helped promote each other, partied together, shared a crowd, supported each other, and just had a good mutual working and social relationship. After a few years everyone went their own ways (as bands often do). -- One time we were out on the road, and the Guest was also on the road, in the same town, totally random chance booking thing... it was great - after our respective shows we hung out, and had a big time! There was one time when Keefrider and the Guest swapped songs at a show, and each band did a set of the other band's original tunes... that was pretty cool.

Just this past week... My band booked a month of mondays at a pretty cool venue. The guy who is putting on the show used to be a drummer for a band back in the day with my current guitar player and singer. That guy now fronts his own band. They played before us last monday, and the bass players rig was acting up. I met the bass player once about a year ago. I let him borrow my vintage Ampeg b15, and also offered him my fender custom shop jazz bass if he needed it. He used the amp only, no problems, and I got to hear how my amp sounded form the audience. Also, our drummer was out of town, so we were gonna do the show with no drums, but their drummer sat in with us. It was a good experience to help someone out - and to get helped out.

There are so many people on TB who seem to have bad experience with sharing gear... or are just blindly not willing to share gear. I get that, sometimes, but for the most part... I usually let people borrow my gear if they need it. I can not count the times that people in my band have had to borrow something. It happens, and musicians should support other musicians when it does. If you are in a situation where you don't feel comfortable helping out a fellow musician at a gig perhaps you should re-evaluate the gigs you are playing and the musical road you are heading down.

[Phalex]

I thought it was kinda funny that Frank (The other bassplayer) had the volume on my rig really low. I asked him if he could hear it really good, and he said no he couldn't but he plays really hard and didn't want to break anything. I think that's very cool of him, but completely unnecessary. I had the stage rumblin!

[Richland123]

A few years ago, we had a Friday night off and a local band, who I am friends with all of them, was playing 4 miles from my house. I decided to go early to talk to them. The bass player has come to see my band many times and he and I have been friends for many years. While they were doing a soundcheck, his bass amp head fried. Since I live so close, I offered to get my Music Man One-Thirty and let him use it. I drove home and made it back during the soundcheck and he played through my amp all evening and he and the entire band were so grateful I was able to help him out. I was glad I was there that night and able to help.

[jlane72t]

I got nothing to add but a thumbs up for keepin' it positive.

[LiamPodmore]

The bassist in a band near me (Know them all quite well except their new drummer) offered to let me test his Boss GT-10B with his Warwick through his MarkBass Little Mark II Marco Limited Edition during one of their breaks.

Also a bassist for a band at a charity festival, who i had never met, let me use his Ashdown stack as i don't have a head and there wasnt enough room for my combo on the stage.

Liam

[JBuckley]

In my little town, most of the local bands sprang up from a weekly jam session, so we're all very supportive of each other. We'll work the door for each other, come to gigs, spread the word, and generally do whatever we can to help each other out.

And to bring it full circle, the local bar where we all play is giving us a monthly open jam night.

[mikerophone]

local bands are typically more interested in having fun and interacting at local shows. at least the ones who are in it for the fun of making music with their friends.

[SelenaBassGirl]

um...the fact my boyfriend is in one of them and it was a local band that took me under their wing and gave me the opportunity to play and sing with them!

[masterFlash]

I like it when an opening band performs with 100% effort even though the audience hasn't really shown up yet. To me it shows that they like the music they are playing not just the ego boost of 100 people watching them play.

[DB10]

Good thread. I think this story kind of relates.
I was at a corporate offsite (day job), and for a team building event they brought in this group that "teach you to be a rockstar in 2 hours". Put this group of executives with no musical experience into groups of 7-8, drummer, two guitars, bass, keys, few singers, then they pick simple songs, strip them down to basic notes and chords, and teach everyone their part. Pretty painful, but our band at least had a solid bassline. ;-)
Anyways, after the drunken corporate executive music hour, the musicians who run the program then get together, and play a set, before moving on to band karaoke. I had no interest in singing along with my drunken colleagues, but asked the bass player if I could sit in and play bass for a couple songs. He agreed, and graciously offered me his American P-Bass. I told him I was happy to play one of the Squires they used for amateur hour, but he insisted that I should use a decent bass. Nice guys in the whole band, very down to earth. Maybe it helps that my company was paying them, but the guy didn't know me at all, and didn't need to hand me his bass.

BTW - don't know if any of you are involved in this type of corporate event. The plus is that it pays very well. The minus is that you have to suffer through what can only be described as the opposite of music, while a bunch of corporate stiffs try to live out their rockstar fantasies for a couple hours while you try to teach them how to play an E and a G.

[plankspanker13]

Band karaoke is much the same thing; financially rewarding, but after a while, it tears at your soul.

Be happy with what you have to be happy with. I have played a grand total of 3 gigs since the end of June, after spending much of the prior year playing 3 gigs every week. While the calluses have atrophied a bit, at least the spirit is rejuvenated, and I do not seem to be in a hurry to be playing more than I am doing at the moment. When I do get that urge, the gear will be there, and I am sure that opportunity will also be knocking.

[Martin89]

I love it when a local band isn't on the band list at a battle of the bands, but still makes it because they pretend they're terminally ill children in front of the judges...

[dj150888]

We're playing with another Irish band this weekend, we've played with them before, both in Ireland and outside Ireland and we always have a ball playing with them.

The one thing I really enjoy about playing with them is a wee thing we do during soundcheck. During one bands soundcheck, the other stand in the middle of the room, tell the soundchecking band how everything sounds out front, how good the mix sounds etc. etc. It really saves the hassle of having to play and just rely on the house soundman which we're usually using.

I also had a gig that I'd no backup bass with me, middle of the set, I broke a string (first and only time I've ever broken one, it had to be bloody on stage one of the very few nights I've no backup), finished the song with a rough improvisation and went to go grab a spare string from my gig bag, as I went to step towards it, the bass player from the support band handed me his bass, already tuned to our tuning and just said, "Don't worry about it, just rock out on this". I went to thank him afterwards, with a thankful pint for him, he just said, "Don't sweat it, you didn't mind letting me use your cab during our set, call it karma!"
I thought it was very cool of him.

[SeaBassSteve]

Originally Posted by dj150888

I also had a gig that I'd no backup bass with me, middle of the set, I broke a string (first and only time I've ever broken one, it had to be bloody on stage one of the very few nights I've no backup),

Theres a law for that, Its called Sod's Law....

Anyway, so many good stories make me feel less cynical!