New band???

Phalex · #1 06-18-2012, 01:16 PM

I've been semi-retired the majority of this year, but lately the offers have been rolling in. Nothing has really gone anywhere, but it's just nice that people remember me.......

I got a pretty firm offer this weekend from a band who's bass player is leaving this fall. They do fairly standard cover fare 60's through 80's and they don't gig more than 2 times a month. That's right up my alley! I never really played a whole lot of Beatles stuff, but I have lots of time to learn. I gave them a tentative yes........

So just now, I got a call from my old drummy. (I LOVE this guy!) The band he's been playing with has ramped up their bookings with the expressed desire to play 52 weekends a year, and he really doesn't want to play that much.

Sooooo...... He wants to get a start up band together. I love playing with him, and more importantly, I love hanging with him. I don't know what he has in mind for other instrumentation, but we both agree on who we want as a vocalist. (Another old retired veteran who is a great hang as well.)

My mind is pretty made up, that I want to try the start up. If it crashes and burns on the runway, I should still have time for the other band...... Unless they find a bass guy by then, and I know they'll be looking.

What the heck, I'll throw a poll into the mix just for fun.

What say you TB?

throughthefire · #2 06-18-2012, 01:25 PM

Go with the hang.

Anyone who's spent more than 15minutes browsing Talkbass will see that most bands implode because of personnel issues...

5StringBlues · #3 06-18-2012, 01:37 PM

Go play with your buddy.

And call the band "Poopchute Spycam".

Phalex · #4 06-18-2012, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5StringBlues

Go play with your buddy.

And call the band "Poopchute Spycam".

I'm pretty sure that's the route I'll go. It's just the bird in my hand that I have to let go that's nagging me........

PoopChute Spycam is a great name! I could get behind a band with a name like that......

robd · #5 06-18-2012, 01:53 PM

I would go play with my old Buddys

5StringBlues · #6 06-18-2012, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

PoopChute Spycam is a great name! I could get behind a band with a name like that......

father of fires · #7 06-18-2012, 02:11 PM

Do you need money from steady gigs or just have some fun? Whatever you do don't jerk the working band around. They might not be your buds but they are looking for someone to commit.

Dantreige · #8 06-18-2012, 02:20 PM

I went with "play with your buddy" (I don't want to see pics of that, thank you.

)

Sounds like you have "been there, done that" with cover bands and are just looking for a good time and a few extra bucks on the side. Whatever makes you happy.

Phalex · #9 06-18-2012, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by father of fires

Do you need money from steady gigs or just have some fun? Whatever you do don't jerk the working band around. They might not be your buds but they are looking for someone to commit.

This is an excellent point. Everyone is my buddy to some degree. I don't want to jam anyone up.

father of fires · #10 06-18-2012, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

This is an excellent point. Everyone is my buddy to some degree. I don't want to jam anyone up.

This is a lesson I had to learn. I thought this was just a hobby and I can quit whenever I get bored but your bandmates count on you and it can be a ****** thing to do. So now before I accept a gig or start a band, I decide how much I can commit to the project vs. how much commitment they are expecting.

bassteban · #11 06-18-2012, 03:02 PM

I vote new gig because I just started jamming w/an old friend(drummer)and it is EFFING MAGICAL like 2-headed robot unicorn bagpipe bands fighting terminator/transformer mermaids w/battle axes on acid. Everyone should have that in their life.

Bert Slide · #12 06-18-2012, 03:10 PM

Bros before ho-gigs!

bassteban · #13 06-18-2012, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bert Slide

Bros and then ho-gigs!

There I fixed it

mbelue · #14 06-18-2012, 03:13 PM

Seek the best jam, if your drummy is where its at, then your drummy is where its at.

tycobb73 · #15 06-19-2012, 08:11 AM

With Kerry (the drummer) booking this band its not going to crash and burn. All he has to do is call on the bar owners and go "me and Alex have a new project." You'll be booked all over in no time.

Phalex · #16 06-19-2012, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tycobb73

With Kerry (the drummer) booking this band its not going to crash and burn. All he has to do is call on the bar owners and go "me and Alex have a new project." You'll be booked all over in no time.

Did you talk to him?? He said the exact same thing!!!

That's kinda spooky.

bassbully · #17 06-19-2012, 11:08 AM

Yeah stay with the Bro's nothin better than makin music with friends..well there is but it's still pretty freakin cool

tycobb73 · #18 06-19-2012, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

Did you talk to him?? He said the exact same thing!!!

That's kinda spooky.

No, I've done it enough times to know. Once the band is in place bookings will come in no time. I even had our first gig booked before I had a complete band. When you have connections in place its not that hard.

tycobb73 · #19 06-19-2012, 11:39 AM

By the way, Heather (my singer ) said that In The Red (Alex' old band) and River City (one of the best places in town to play) got a little irritated with each other this past weekend. Now is your shot.

Phalex · #20 06-19-2012, 12:00 PM

I heard that story too! It's been building.

It's very unfortunate because River City was always very good to ITR. Back in the days when our draw was almost exclusively other bands that had the night off Bob kept having us back in spite of ourselves.

Things seem to be moving right along with the new project. I expect we'll be gigging by fall.