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01-22-2003, 02:37 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Staring in your window | | | I've been fired from the band I started... Where to begin again?
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Well my great friend/bandmate has left my band with our rhythm guitarist to pursue another project, leaving me on my own as a bassplayer/songwriter. I am struggling to put this situation to words, we've been playing together fine for about a year and a half and within the last month the entire band has fallen apart out of the blue. The other members agreed to let me keep the bandname & music that we've written, but I don't really know where to go to start over. Should I look for a guitarist/singer first, or a drummer? I am a tab-man and have no deep knowledge of what to do with my own music, I'm kind of freaking out, has anyone else been through this? I have like 70 original songs, 15-20 of which are really rocking and would make a good album. I own a van, recording equipment, practice space, PA, nice bass rig and a website made with everything a band could want. I don't know why us bassplayers get **** on so much, I spent every breath on this band.
How would you guys rebuild?
Thanks,
Mike www.Soulshadow.com |
01-22-2003, 04:07 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: London, UK | | | What other contacts have you made during the time this band has been running? Do you know musicians who know musicians who might be interested?
Wulf |
01-22-2003, 06:04 AM
|  | You don't want to do that. Trust me. Forum Administrator | | Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: atlanta ga | | | Re: I've been fired from the band I started... Where to begin again?
Quote: Originally posted by CzarMike
Well my great friend/bandmate has left my band with our rhythm guitarist to pursue another project, leaving me on my own as a bassplayer/songwriter. I am struggling to put this situation to words, we've been playing together fine for about a year and a half and within the last month the entire band has fallen apart out of the blue. The other members agreed to let me keep the bandname & music that we've written, but I don't really know where to go to start over. Should I look for a guitarist/singer first, or a drummer? I am a tab-man and have no deep knowledge of what to do with my own music, I'm kind of freaking out, has anyone else been through this? I have like 70 original songs, 15-20 of which are really rocking and would make a good album. I own a van, recording equipment, practice space, PA, nice bass rig and a website made with everything a band could want. I don't know why us bassplayers get **** on so much, I spent every breath on this band.
How would you guys rebuild?
Thanks,
Mike
www.Soulshadow.com | i've had this happen to me before. i'd do the following...
1. find a drummer first. getting tight with a drummer is going to make you really attractive to another songwriter/guitarist, who may be willing to learn and play your songs for the chance that you'll work on his stuff too.
2. you really need to learn at least the theory behind your own music - you say you don't even totally understand your music and what's going on with it. learn. you'll probably be surprised at how obvious and easily understood the theory behind your music will be for you once you expend the effort to learn it. if you want to play these songs and convince good musicians to play with you, you need to at least be able to express your explanations and expectations of these songs using the correct terminology.
3. look into joining another band that has the kind of personel you are looking for. from my experience, that's a great way to find kindred spirits - they might do your music, or else one of the guys from that band might join up with you to play in your band too.
good luck. i know how disheartening this kind of thing is from past experience.
__________________ Talkbass Forum Administrator Ask me, I'm here to help. Lord Only on Myspace - 4 New Lord Only Tracks from our 2nd CD Lord Only - yes. we're back. sorta versatile residue -12 minute instrumental I find it elevating and exhilarating to discover that we live in a universe which permits the evolution of molecular machines as intricate and subtle as we. - Carl Sagan Rock 'n' Roll... It's got nothing to do with journalists, and it hasn't really even got anything to do with musicians, either. - Pete Townsend |
01-22-2003, 02:27 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada | | Dude! If you posted that you have all that stuff AND you're a bass player in the local paper, you'll get millions of responses.
I'm with the other two on the networking thing...you never know who you might meet.
And definitely brush up on your theory. How else will you be able to teach the songs to the drummer? (I just spent last night teaching my drummer how to do the fills for the chorus of one song...doh!  ) |
01-22-2003, 03:21 PM
| | stinkholier-than-thou | | Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Beaumont, Texarse | | Sounds like you've got just about everything you need except players. If you've got recording equipment and have been using it, then you've got working documentation of everything you've worked so hard on - so even though you're starting over, it could be far worse.
With all of the material assets and creative assets you have, you might could look for mercenary players - but I suspect that's not what you want. Make sure your prospective bandmates don't feel like you are holding all of the cards - there are some player/songwriters out there who can be quite tyrannical bandmates/leaders - you may have to work against that stereotype.
Good luck with the rebuilding. Look at it as a positive opportunity to move beyond where you were 
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01-27-2003, 08:53 PM
| | Supporting Member | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Still in Margaritaville | | | On a positive note, you weren't fired from your own band. The other two quit your band. Do you have any insight as to why? Knowing that might be part of the solution as to what you do now.
Did they leave because you weren't gigging, but only creating songs and rehearsing? Did they leave because they wanted a band that would gig? Did they dislike your style of music? Did you want them to give a lot of their time and they weren't as dedicated or what?
Or maybe their quitting had absolutely nothing to do with you or any perceived failing or "creative differences." Maybe it was totally beyond your control and really had nothing to do with you at all. (Maybe they got called up to the active reserves?)
I know it hurts like the blazes when a band you have put so much into breaks up. I think the best remedy is to build another band as fast as possible. Start where ever you can with whatever musician you can. Just start. And good luck. Maybe you can learn from the past and have much better fortune this time around. And remember, success is the best revenge.
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"Jazz sounds like a very good blues band that fell down a flight of stairs."
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01-30-2003, 11:34 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Staring in your window | |
Thanks so much for the help: Boplicity, Secretdonkey, Rabid_granny, John Turner & Wulf (now that's a motley crew ) The kind words really helped me feel empowered to get out and take control of things again. I really appreciate the optimism and now it's paid off. I took the advice given above and first went looking for a drummer, eventually getting ahold of a guy I used to play with. We have the same taste in music and we want basically the same thing in a band. Now we are holding auditions for lead singer/guitarists & a female rhythm guitarist/backup vocalist. Hopefully with the other two guys out of the way I can finally build the "dream band" I've envisioned for so long.
Rock On,
Mike www.soulshadow.com | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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