Bandleaders doing it on your own

[Depth_Charge]

Hey Bandleaders. I'm getting pressured to run my own group again, have no current contacts to call on, and everytime I go to start afresh, I get cold feet. I have the project in mind, just not the people.

How do you get over the fear of failure and just dive in with both feet? I did it a few times but always had at least one guy I was familiar with. This starting from scratch seems new, despite doing it a few years. Advice?

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

Hey Bandleaders. I'm getting pressured to run my own group again, have no current contacts to call on, and everytime I go to start afresh, I get cold feet. I have the project in mind, just not the people.

How do you get over the fear of failure and just dive in with both feet? I did it a few times but always had at least one guy I was familiar with. This starting from scratch seems new, despite doing it a few years. Advice?

First of all, before you do anything...be VERY focused on the concept of what your band is all about. From the type of music, to who you envision the other players to be (not individuals, but the type of musicians you want), how much you want to play out, gear acquisition, travel, pay, goals, etc.

Have it all clear in your mind and then seek out like minded musicians. Nothing worse than not having a clear plan and getting people together and just jamming while trying to figure out what kind of band you should be. It ends up being like kids playing but not knowing what to do..."What do you want to do?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?" over and over again, while you aimlessly wander along.

When I started my progressive blues band I knew that musically it was all about the groove and it was going to be focused around the rhythm section (as opposed to a "hot" guitar player or singer). The music, above all else, had to have a great groove to it. I had 1500 blues songs in my catalog to choose from, so I made up a compilation of 45 songs that met that criteria for the band to learn for starters. That was before I even started actively looking for players.

Then I found the perfect drummer that I had always wanted to form a band around. Together we went over the material and we both knew that this "rhythm section" driven band was an idea worth pursuing. Then it was a matter of finding the right guitar player/singer. We eventually found the right guys and we are all into the concept and structure of the band.

If you want to be the bandleader, you need to first know (without doubts) what YOU want this band to be. Write it all out...pros/cons, expectations, things you'd do the same with (or different than) what you've experienced with other bands you've been in. Imagine the band performing out live and what you envision it to be. Then fill in the pieces with other players who share your vision.

It might take a while. I've been thinking about this concept for my new band for over 5 years and making notes about what I wanted in a band and what I didn't. It's taken an entire year to really seriously get things going, but it was well worth the wait.

You cannot be successful without failure. Failure is nothing more than experiences to learn from. So really there is nothing to fear. Embrace failure as an opportunity. The act of creating a band is just as much fun as creating the music. And it is so worth the risk for the ultimate reward.

[TBrett]

Make it easier on yourself by writing out the steps involved in putting the band together. Then make a list of the tasks associated with each step. Tell yourself that all you have to do is one task each day. This will help reduce anxiety and make the thing seem less overwhelming.

For instance, if you need musicians, start by composing a simple, clearly worded ad that clearly describes your vision for the band (e.g., originals, covers, or both), the skill level you're looking for in prospective band members, how often you envision practicing, and what goals you have in mind (playing local club dates, touring, recording, etc.). Post the ad on whatever message boards musicians use in your area (up here we use Craigslist a lot, but there are a bunch of others). Then you can strike that task off your list. Another task might be finding affordable practice space. You could also go to local music venues and check out other bands. Let other musicians know what you're putting together. You never know who might be looking for another project or knows someone who is.

When I got the idea to form our band, I was petrified. I really wanted to work with pro-level musicians, but I had zero pro musical experience and had never attempted to put a project like this together before. Talk about intimidating! I was lucky that my bf, who is a very experienced bassist, was willing to work with me. But I had to find a good guitarist who wanted to co-write with me. That meant we'd have to get on well on a personal level, too. There were several false starts, but eventually our guitarist saw our ad and contacted me. Turned out to be an excellent fit (and he's become a good friend). We went through the same process when we were looking for a drummer. It took about two months before our drummer saw our ad. The four of us had some growing pains in learning to work together, but today the band is absolutely smokin' hot, very tight, with more than an album's worth of original rock and we have started playing live. People have been really enthusiastic about our material and our live show. And it's only going to get better because we work our butts off, writing and rehearsing every week. Next steps are building our local fan base (which means getting more gigs and promoting the hell out of them, as well as continuing to develop our online presence) and figuring out how to finance recording a CD. When I started the band, I had absolutely no idea how I was going to get here, but lo and behold, it has come together far better than I could have imagined back then. After a while, the thing takes on a life of its own.

So take that first step by picking one task and doing it. Pick another the next day. Bit by bit, you'll get there. Best of luck and enjoy the adventure! Please let us know how it goes.

[TRichardsbass]

Whenever I get this type of question, two quotes immediately come to mind:

"Just do it!" - Nike
"There is not try, only do and do not." - Yoda

In this case, since it obviously isn't your primary source of income, you have nearly nothing to lose, everything to gain. You said you're bein pressured, so, by whom?

Obviously you were or are good, so you know how to succeed.

It was scary as hell when my guitar player of 30 years and drummer of 15 left the band and I had to keep something going. All in all, has worked out fine.

Best thing to do is just throw out the word by mouth through some musicians you know and see who calls, then go from there.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

Hey Bandleaders. I'm getting pressured to run my own group again, have no current contacts to call on, and everytime I go to start afresh, I get cold feet. I have the project in mind, just not the people.

How do you get over the fear of failure and just dive in with both feet? I did it a few times but always had at least one guy I was familiar with. This starting from scratch seems new, despite doing it a few years. Advice?

My question is who is pressuring you to run your own group?

If it's a venue or someone that wants to book you for paid gigs, then you'll have an easier time finding players with gigs on the books.

If it's friends or fans, and you have enough to fill a place, use that to book gigs.

Although it may be putting the cart ahead of the horse, but IMO and IME a band with no gigs could take months or years to find the right guys whereas a band with gigs takes weeks or less. If you have a firm idea of what you want to do, you are already on your way to creating an act, and having something to sell.

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by jive1

Although it may be putting the cart ahead of the horse, but IMO and IME a band with no gigs could take months or years to find the right guys whereas a band with gigs takes weeks or less. If you have a firm idea of what you want to do, you are already on your way to creating an act, and having something to sell.

No doubt about it. If you have gigs lined up you can find people to fit the gig(s) rather quickly.

However, if you are looking to start your own band that fits your concept of what that band should be, that can take a while, depending on a variety of things.

I had my band lined up and already had many rehearsals when it turned out the guitar player/singer was a prima donna and he had to go. I already had two gigs lined up fairly soon, and we went from having a full band, to having no guitar player/singer and back to having both...a new singer and guitar player...all in 15 minutes!

[TBrett]

Originally Posted by jive1

My question is who is pressuring you to run your own group?

If it's a venue or someone that wants to book you for paid gigs, then you'll have an easier time finding players with gigs on the books.

If it's friends or fans, and you have enough to fill a place, use that to book gigs.

Although it may be putting the cart ahead of the horse, but IMO and IME a band with no gigs could take months or years to find the right guys whereas a band with gigs takes weeks or less. If you have a firm idea of what you want to do, you are already on your way to creating an act, and having something to sell.

Good point, Jive. I had no material and no gigs when I started the band and it took months to find the right folks. I was prepared for this and waited it out, kept on posting and networking. It was frustrating, though. OP, if a potentially long wait is not something you're comfortable with, I think putting the cart before the horse, as Jive says, is the way to go. It will speed things up a lot.

Our band composed and practiced together on a weekly basis for a year and a half before we started playing live - definitely not every musician's cup of tea. Our drummer has been with us for six months. He and the bassist play with other bands, so they get their gig fixes pretty regularly, but a few months ago the drummer started pushing for us to start gigging. I didn't feel we were ready. We weren't nearly tight as I knew we could be, we didn't have a strong enough set completed, and our drummer was still working out arrangements for some of the tunes. He accused me of wanting to stay in the basement forever. I managed to persuade him to trust me. When we finally played our first gig last month, all that work paid off and we did a hell of a show. After our set, he said to me, "You know what? You were right. I'm glad we took the six months to rehearse and get it really tight."

Stick to your vision!

[KillianRussell]

Vision by committee thru the democratic process more often that not leads to the never ending let's discuss our influences wheel spinning, particulary in an ensembles infancy. Many bands never make it out of the garage becomes they are so all over the map musically. The end result of pleasing everyone is a set list that includes Rush's Tom Sawyer, Evelyn King's Love Come Down and Hank Williams Jambalya

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

Hey Bandleaders. I'm getting pressured to run my own group again, have no current contacts to call on, and everytime I go to start afresh, I get cold feet. I have the project in mind, just not the people.

How do you get over the fear of failure and just dive in with both feet? I did it a few times but always had at least one guy I was familiar with. This starting from scratch seems new, despite doing it a few years. Advice?

Yeah, I have a novel idea for you.

Learn how to treat, relate and listen to musicians. Don't lie, don't steal and don't act like your the only one that knows anything about rock n roll.

blue

[nashvillebill]

Originally Posted by KillianRussell

Vision by committee thru the democratic process more often that not leads to the never ending let's discuss our influences wheel spinning, particulary in an ensembles infancy. Many bands never make it out of the garage becomes they are so all over the map musically. The end result of pleasing everyone is a set list that includes Rush's Tom Sawyer, Evelyn King's Love Come Down and Hank Williams Jambalya

The most successful bands I've been in usually had a bandleader. Somebody to bring focus--not necessarily a dictator, but even then there are certain occassions where it's a lot smoother if somebody steps up and says "This is how it's going to be".

[Depth_Charge]

Originally Posted by TRichardsbass

You said you're bein pressured, so, by whom?

Originally Posted by jive1

My question is who is pressuring you to run your own group?

My missus. When I decided to get back into playing bands, I decided covers would earn some coin and tried out and got into a group that ended up rehearsing for six months with no gigs, before that bandleader broke the project up.

I decided to have a crack at my own (with no experience) and called the guitarist from that group, and we put something together. We tasted a little success before the politics got too much and the group disbanded.

Since then I figuerd I'd learn the trade as a sideman but that caused more problems than good because I was at their beck and call for gigs, and had to toe "their line".

I still want to play out, earn some coin, have some fun and the missus believes the solution is to run my own band again, as that gives me (her?) total control. I would rather just get a set list, rock up and play without the BS of running a group, but the bands I've joined were'nt run that well, and it seems to me around here bands are either really tight and sharing their muso's between themselves, or you're travelling 200km+ every weekend to play with guys who can't or won't get a gig in the city and are happy lying to you along the way so long as you play their gigs

In hindsight, the groups I put together played better attended gigs than any of the "pro's" who had come before me, and got ripper support behind them I never experienced in other groups. So maybe Im a bit jaded too.

I'm starting to wonder if my reluctance is based on lack of experience/fear of failure, or if I've experienced too much of the wrong kind of band management approaches

Originally Posted by TBrett

Make it easier on yourself by writing out the steps involved in putting the band together. Then make a list of the tasks associated with each step. Tell yourself that all you have to do is one task each day. This will help reduce anxiety and make the thing seem less overwhelming.

I did that all that once. I even did a full "project" with checklists, timelines, standard adverts, plans and checkpoint reports as I went. I could probably list it out now off the top of me head

I'd come to rehearsals, hav a meeting after and show the guys our progress. They all thought it was a bit of a laugh and in the end I felt I was wasting my time and taking the fun out of it for them.

Anyways guys I appreciate the responses definately some food for thought there and with any luck I can get some confidence back (Im even questioning my ability to play now!) and do something for the next summer!

[Depth_Charge]

I love how this room cleared out when I said "the missus" ROFL

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

My missus. When I decided to get back into playing bands, I decided covers would earn some coin and tried out and got into a group that ended up rehearsing for six months with no gigs, before that bandleader broke the project up.

I decided to have a crack at my own (with no experience) and called the guitarist from that group, and we put something together. We tasted a little success before the politics got too much and the group disbanded.

Since then I figuerd I'd learn the trade as a sideman but that caused more problems than good because I was at their beck and call for gigs, and had to toe "their line".

I still want to play out, earn some coin, have some fun and the missus believes the solution is to run my own band again, as that gives me (her?) total control. I would rather just get a set list, rock up and play without the BS of running a group, but the bands I've joined were'nt run that well, and it seems to me around here bands are either really tight and sharing their muso's between themselves, or you're travelling 200km+ every weekend to play with guys who can't or won't get a gig in the city and are happy lying to you along the way so long as you play their gigs

In hindsight, the groups I put together played better attended gigs than any of the "pro's" who had come before me, and got ripper support behind them I never experienced in other groups. So maybe Im a bit jaded too.

I'm starting to wonder if my reluctance is based on lack of experience/fear of failure, or if I've experienced too much of the wrong kind of band management approaches


I did that all that once. I even did a full "project" with checklists, timelines, standard adverts, plans and checkpoint reports as I went. I could probably list it out now off the top of me head

I'd come to rehearsals, hav a meeting after and show the guys our progress. They all thought it was a bit of a laugh and in the end I felt I was wasting my time and taking the fun out of it for them.

Anyways guys I appreciate the responses definately some food for thought there and with any luck I can get some confidence back (Im even questioning my ability to play now!) and do something for the next summer!

Tell you what man...having the MISSUS in your corner is EVERYTHING! If she's telling you to start your own band, then by God man DO IT!!!

I got full support of my wife and I'll tell you, there is nothing like having that support when you are experiencing some of the down turns that can (and will) happen in any band.

I've been going through some crap with MY band, but because I laid out a firm concept and have the drummer together with me on it, and having the support of my wife, dealing with some weird guitar player issues lately has not only kept my sanity, it's kept my enthusiasm and focus right where it needs to be.

You are in an enviable position. Not every guy gets that. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Patience man. Patience and gratitude. Be grateful for it all. It will come.

[Depth_Charge]

I think I kind of forced the position onto her in a way...if she had her way I wouldn't be in a band, but her way depresses me and she knows I will walk if too controlled.

Half her reasoning is sound - the time away and lack of control over my time makes running a band the most sensible solution to fit it into our current lifestyle.

The other half of her reasoning I can't prevent regardless how the band I am in is structured and I'm sure the majority of partnered musicians go through it. Trust issues. Real or perceived, they're there

I never did see her stance as support (more a compromise on her part) but you make some excellent points there Sundogue. Since most of the vision, logistics and plans are still in place, I'm gonna throw caution to the wind and test that support out

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

I think I kind of forced the position onto her in a way...if she had her way I wouldn't be in a band, but her way depresses me and she knows I will walk if too controlled.

Half her reasoning is sound - the time away and lack of control over my time makes running a band the most sensible solution to fit it into our current lifestyle.

The other half of her reasoning I can't prevent regardless how the band I am in is structured and I'm sure the majority of partnered musicians go through it. Trust issues. Real or perceived, they're there

I never did see her stance as support (more a compromise on her part) but you make some excellent points there Sundogue. Since most of the vision, logistics and plans are still in place, I'm gonna throw caution to the wind and test that support out

My wife knew she was marrying a musician. She'd never want me to quit playing even though personally she'd rather I didn't. Just the "being gone so much" thing. We trust each other completely but I know she wishes I didn't have to be gone so much with it.

Still she is very supportive. She told me before we got married if I ever quit playing music she'd kick my butt because she knows its more than just something I do...it's a part of who I am. We've been together for 12 years and bands have come and gone and she sees how different and better this band is with me in charge (as opposed to the other bands she's seen me in). And just recently when I took the plunge to go full time again she told me that it was more important to be happy than anything else.

What I love most about starting my own band, with my own vision and concepts, is that I am fulfilling a dream instead of other people's expectations. Instead of filling a role for someone else, I am directing my life. After 30 years of being in a support role, I have never been happier being in a band, even with all the problems that can come with being the guy in charge.

[TRichardsbass]

Originally Posted by Sundogue

Tell you what man...having the MISSUS in your corner is EVERYTHING! If she's telling you to start your own band, then by God man DO IT!!!

I got full support of my wife and I'll tell you, there is nothing like having that support when you are experiencing some of the down turns that can (and will) happen in any band.

I've been going through some crap with MY band, but because I laid out a firm concept and have the drummer together with me on it, and having the support of my wife, dealing with some weird guitar player issues lately has not only kept my sanity, it's kept my enthusiasm and focus right where it needs to be.

You are in an enviable position. Not every guy gets that. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Patience man. Patience and gratitude. Be grateful for it all. It will come.

This is exactly why I am getting married for the second time. My love actually encourages me to do the music hard and full time. There is nothing greater then her support. You have the biggest green light on the planet, and since she supports you, YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL!

Go do it. Close this thread and get playin'!

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by TRichardsbass

This is exactly why I am getting married for the second time. My love actually encourages me to do the music hard and full time. There is nothing greater then her support. You have the biggest green light on the planet, and since she supports you, YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL!

Go do it. Close this thread and get playin'!

Ain't that the truth? Man, with bills piling up and my income from being an artist being low this year, I was so close to just sayin' F' it, I'll just get a full time job and my wife's reaction was..."You are too good a musician and what's the point of you being miserable? Just to pay bills? If you can make money at it, start the band you've been dreaming of and make it happen!"

And with that I am so into "making it happen" and the way I've always wanted it to be. I couldn't before because I was just the bass player in others bands following the directive of someone else.

No longer baby! This band I started is all about the groove and unlike every other band I've been in it is conceptually a rhythm section driven band. It's the drummer's and my band. We call the shots, we pick the songs. Guitarists...even really good ones are a dime a dozen because more people want to play guitar. So it doesn't matter if we have issues with guitar players. If they don't work out...Next!

First time in 30 years I'm feeling really fulfilled as a musician. I'm living the dream...every day. I'm making it happen not only because I can, but because I have the most wonderful woman encouraging me every step of the way. Hell, I was getting really concerned about the band not playing out soon enough (you know...the whole $$$ thing) and you know what my wife said to me? "Don't consume yourself with thoughts about money. This band isn't about money, it's about fulfilling your purpose in life. The money will come."

When you are a musician, having the full support of your family is EVERYTHING!

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by Sundogue

"Don't consume yourself with thoughts about money. This band isn't about money, it's about fulfilling your purpose in life. The money will come."

Wow, that's golden man. Congratulations on having a wonderful wife! You should tell her she is...

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

Wow, that's golden man. Congratulations on having a wonderful wife! You should tell her she is...

Oh believe me, I tell her every day how lucky I am to have her in my life.

Neither of us are delusional like our family can suffer with not making any money, and I have no goals of "making it big" but I'm onto a good thing where I know I can make a good living from my band. And I do alright as an artist. Sometimes I make huge amounts of money...but it's always feast or famine with it. I can make a steady income from the band.

We're just in the process of getting the band complete and get the songs down. The guys we have in place will make learning the songs a piece of cake compared to the other things I have to do to run it.

Having my wife in my corner just makes it all the more possible to do it right.