Backbone of your band

b to g is yummy · #1 02-16-2008, 09:00 PM

Who's the driving force in your band? The one guy you'd be most likely to fall apart without? Also, what is your role, the bassist, in your band, besides the obvious bass playing role...

I realize that bands are supposed to be a team, so don't scold me please!

In my band it's the keyboard player. He doesn't know theory, a total ear player, but he's the guy who comes up with pretty much all of our music parts. Without him we'd have a whale of a time coming up with tunes! Tough to write songs written around a lot of piano things without a piano player!

I am possibly our band's toughest critic, I think I hear the 'whole sound' the best. Could say I'm sorta our producer as we write songs. I don't come up with notes, more just a lot of things like: pick that guitar part twice as fast, play a blistering fast hihat beat, double your snare hits, can you play a choppy synthy part instead of pads like in the song....??...etc...
Also, I write pretty much all our lyrics. So, yup...I'm very important too!! I think without my persistance in wanting to improve has played a huge postive factor.

Ok ok...we are all very important!

ClydeMcAllister · #2 02-20-2008, 09:13 PM

I don't mean to toot my own horn but... toot toot.

I'm pretty much the backbone of my band. I organize practice and gigs and write basically all of the music.

Sad thing is I'm pretty certain that half my band wouldn't even play music if I quit the band. I quit a year a go for some time and when I came back everyone had sold thier stuff!

lawsonman · #3 02-21-2008, 05:16 AM

I guess that would be me since I book all our gigs and sing all but 3 of our songs.

neurotictim · #4 02-21-2008, 05:19 AM

My lead guitarist/singer is definitely our driving force. He's the only lyricist, the primary songwriter (I like to throw my 2c in from time to time, though) and handles most of the business aspect. I'm the creative one - I make show flyers, network with other bands and clubs, make all the stickers/shirts/etc. prototypes, and I'm the primary motivator. I'm also the tone junkie, always playing with the knobs and switches looking for a better sound, and the experienced one (of the four of us).

The other two are more or less a total waste. :shrug:

b to g is yummy · #5 02-21-2008, 05:28 AM

interesting, i've always figured frontmen were the driving force of the band. Maybe my situation isn't as unique as i thought. maybe bassists are natural work horses??

Curtybob · #6 02-21-2008, 05:31 AM

Our rhythm guitar/singer is our backbone. He may not be a guitar virtuoso or anything, but he's definitely got character to spare. Easily the coolest dude I know, besides me of course. If he gets sick and has to miss a practice, the rest of us lose the drive to practice what we can.

As for my role, I am the only single one in the band. So it's my duty to take one for the team and keep the other guys out of trouble with their wives. Entertaining the lady fans is hard work, but it's a task I'm proud to do.

punkbassistfc · #7 02-21-2008, 05:39 AM

Me, i manage the band, write the music, and some lyrics, and make sure all the groupies get some of my backbone

51m0n · #8 02-21-2008, 06:13 AM

Last band I was in, I drove.

I mean I was the hardest task master, pushed the limits of the band's quality, when I turned up the tempos were all over the place and so on, very loose, but the grooves were great. Tidying up the tempo took some pushing, but in the end everyone agreed the band was better for it.

Live I'd usually be told after a gig that the band sounded best when I was playing, that I was the backbone. Which was great, but left me feeling that I shouldn't ever drop out, which kind of limits songs IMO, even in a funk band

.

Phalex · #9 02-21-2008, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b to g is yummy

Who's the driving force in your band? The one guy you'd be most likely to fall apart without?

The guy I would fall apart without would be the drummer. The rest of the band, guys in other bands, and casual observers claim that the the back bone you speak of would be yours truly.

Other than playing, my role in the band is being on time and doing a lot of the heavy lifting. The guitard is 53 and has lower back issues, the drummer is 43 and has lower back issues, the singer is 35, works out, is in awesome shape, and tends to show up just about the time we're firing up the power amps.

lawsonman · #10 02-21-2008, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

the singer is 35, works out, is in awesome shape, and tends to show up just about the time we're firing up the power amps.

That crap shouldn't be allowed to fly.He gets paid doesn't he?

Phalex · #11 02-21-2008, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawsonman

That crap shouldn't be allowed to fly.He gets paid doesn't he?

Yeah, he does. He gets docked on occasion, but you really have to see the guy work. He is an amazing talent and would be absolutely impossible to replace. That buys him a lot of slack. He does get into it with the drummer from time to time though.

Depth_Charge · #12 02-21-2008, 07:13 AM

I'm driving my current band. I've put the lineup together, arranged a practice venue, organised the auditions, let people go, chosen most of the set lists, had backup gear for everyone (except me one night when my amp died on me!).

Come up with heaps of rejected names (got quite the list!), do the website, promotion, maintain the mailing list, booking agents/venues...

So yeah, it's pretty much my band. Sometimes it feels like I'm driving on ice but thats half the fun!

mjolnir · #13 02-21-2008, 07:29 AM

The guitard writes the bulk of the melodies, but booking, organizing, and coordinating is everybody's job. We alternate and overlap those duties all the time.

Though I did leave the band for six months and they fell into a horrible slump, so maybe...

tumpinjahosafat · #14 02-21-2008, 08:26 AM

The guitarist. He writes the melodies and whatnot. Then we all jam on it (me,drums,guitar) till we have it all worked out. I generally get all the gigs lined up, which are few and far between though. I dont think they would quit playing if i quit, but theyd probably be pissed.

**sleepy_monkey** · #15 02-21-2008, 08:29 AM

My goal is to make a band out of 4 bandleaders (from disbanded bands)....then everyone would be working their ass off and you would be playing all the time.

The time has come and gone to babysit adults.....

Nakedfish · #16 02-21-2008, 08:32 AM

In terms of business - well I'm the manager, I book the gigs, liaise with clients, try to keep everybody happy, wield the knife when it's required - so it's me.

In terms of musical performance - Mark our drummer - solid as a rock and always exciting to play with. It's great to lean on him, especially in the funkier tunes. All the musicians work well together though - I'm REALLY happy to play with them all.

nsmar4211 · #17 02-21-2008, 10:51 AM

Couldn't do a gig without the singer.......so she's most important

.
Guitar player handles most of the booking stuff and has the experience to handle the tricky situations.....wouldn't want to be without him either.

Me.......urm........ hey they gotta have someone to pick on

. I deal with the business cards/website/promo materials though, plus I'm the backup......backup cables.....backup setlists.... backup teleprompter for when singers brain freezes (doesn't happen often LOL)..... so I'm next important

Hey wait........there's only three of us..... okay so I'm last

BillyRay · #18 02-21-2008, 11:23 AM

Musically, I'd say that I'm the backbone: I write pretty much everything and decide wich songs we're going to rehearse, when, etc. Wich is weird, because I originally entered solely as the bass player, but sicne I'm friends with the others and that I have the most experience musically it usually doesn't cause frictions.

bassrocker521 · #19 02-21-2008, 02:33 PM

I'd say that it would probably be our lead guitarist/lead singer, he's our lyricist and comes up with alot of the basic outlines for our songs as well. The rest of us create our parts around him and he's our "leader". My role is to be the comic relief of our band. The other 3 have some pretty bad tempers so I'm usually the level-headed one who makes the joke to break the tension, or I'll unintentionally hurt myself or fall over and do the same thing.

lamonica78 · #20 02-22-2008, 11:40 AM

From a musical standpoint, we would not exist without our frontman. He is the primary songwriter/lyricist and has a phenomenal voice (check us out at www.myspace.com/theabsolutezeros). From a business standpoint, I am the go to guy who books/promotes/writes press releases etc. It's a great mix actually. I can write some nice basslines, but I've never pegged myself as a "songwriter" per se, so I take pride in being guy who pushes the band forward on the business front.