Tips for finding a good band

[Time Consumer]

I dont even know if this is the right section for this question, but I wanted to know if anyone had any tips on finding a good band to join, I play metal or rock, wouldnt be against playing hip hop or anything(dont like country tho). I quit a metal band about 6 months ago because i wasnt making enough money already, then i constantly had to do shows when i could be working, now i have a better job, a new bass, and will get i nice amp & cab once i can find a good band to join. The thing isnt that there are no band, but there are too many. I live in a suburb just south of chicago where the band scene is crowded with a lot of riff raff. Just wanna know if anyone has tips on finding a good band to join.

[Joel S.]

hang up "bassist available" signs everywhere. Check the walls of local music shops. Check craigslist or any other musician classified.

Then just try out. Unfortunately there's no way to know if a band is "good" until you play with them and get a chance to hang out. You may see an ad for music that's exactly what you want, only to run into a bunch of deadbeats, or hacks with no gigs lined up, or who aren't even close to being gig ready. On the other hand you may find an ad for music that's not your first choice, but the band is good, the guys are cool and they're a blast to play with, and they gig regularly.

Oh, the maturity of the ads, and a quick phone convo can help you decide if they're worth contacting/trying out for.

[scottbass]

Contact every band that looks interesting. Your first question should be: "How often do you gig?", followed by "When and where was your last gig?", followed by "When and where was your last gig before that?", followed by "How much do you get paid to gig?"

If the person gives you truthful answers, you will have a pretty good idea if they are real working musicians or basement wannabees.

[JKT]

When you make contact/audition,etc be clear about what your expectations are. Level of commitment, professionalism,etc.

Be on time and be ready to play. This demonstrates that you are serious and can help set the tone.

Have a list of pertinent questions to ask. You are auditioning them as much as the other way around.

Change your strings

Be open, honest, and up-front right from the start.Those types of people often end up gravitating together.

JKT

[T.O.Bass]

Originally Posted by Joel S.

hang up "bassist available" signs everywhere. Check the walls of local music shops. Check craigslist or any other musician classified.

Then just try out. Unfortunately there's no way to know if a band is "good" until you play with them and get a chance to hang out. You may see an ad for music that's exactly what you want, only to run into a bunch of deadbeats, or hacks with no gigs lined up, or who aren't even close to being gig ready. On the other hand you may find an ad for music that's not your first choice, but the band is good, the guys are cool and they're a blast to play with, and they gig regularly.

Oh, the maturity of the ads, and a quick phone convo can help you decide if they're worth contacting/trying out for.

That pretty much says it.

Also keep in mind a couple other things:

Some bands are very style-oriented (sad but true) and will actually deny you an audition based on image alone. These people sometimes will outright tell you that image is a major part of the band, other times it may be more subtle like them wanting a bio and picture before actually agreeing to a jam/audition.

Also, and this relates to my previous point, you say you'll play rock or metal, but that's pretty generic. You should be much more specific, because, as you say, there are so many bands. I deal with the same problem in Toronto: If I put up and ad says I'm willing to play rock or metal, I'll have an inbox flooded with emails, 90% of which are way off the mark. Being a bit more specific really helps narrow down your choices, and separates the poseurs from the players.

[Joe Nerve]

I agree with a lot of what's said above, but disagree with being more specific. You can miss a lot of opportunites by doing that.

I think there are only 2 things involved in finding an awesome band.

1. Play with and audition for as many bands and people as possible. Find them as suggested in the other posts.

2. Be an awesome player. In every sense of the word. Put as much time as you have to into learning what you need to for the audition. I've put hours and hours into making sure I could play material upside down and backwards, and keep the songs going even if one of the other guys screws up (which they often do). Be in shape, look the part or look generic (that's what I do - t-shirt and jeans), give them a perfomance as opposed to an audition. If you know the stuff inside out the music will take over and you'll get into it simply cuz your playing with the band as opposed to some mp3s or cds.

Last note on the first thing I said here. I think a lot of people screw themselves by illiminating bands they might otherwise play in becasue it's NOT the type of music they'd like to be playing. While yeah that can obviously be a big plus, I think it's more important to look at the caliber of musicians you're dealing with, the kind of people they are, and where the band is at. If you're a good player you're going to start influencing the rest of the band and growing with them. When I met the guys I wound up forming The Nerve with, we hated each others taste in music. We got along in lots of other ways though, and a few years down the line we evolved into a pretty creative group. I'm currently in a similar situation with one of the bands I play with www.myspace.com/cortezthekiller . I'll let ya know how that goes next year . I can tell you for sure though that I'm having lots of fun, playing some great gigs, and growing - again.

[mambo4]

when I find myself "between bands" I generally search the local Craig's List, until I find bands seeking bassist with a link to some audio I can preview. Only once was the verbal description enough to get me to contact them.

I check out their myspace or recording links, and I decide if I want to contact them based on what I hear.

The caveat here is that these days anybody can record stuff that far surpasses what they can really do live, so at my audition , I try to be prepared enough with my bass lines to really listen to how good the band is pulling its material off.

[TheJohnG]

Remember what they say about jobs...
"The best ones are not in the newspaper"

What I mean is get out, get to the clubs, get involved in your local scene, and look for opportunity. Forming a band, sometimes is the only way. Add it to what was said above.

[millertx]

And while you are out there looking, you might consider this article titled "The Gig Triangle", when checking out those new playing situations. I have even found it helpful for evaluating my current playing situation.

http://www.bassplayer.com/article/gi...e/aug-07/30582

Rich

[derrico1]

Joe's got it. I'd add only a couple of tweaks.

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

I think there are only 2 things involved in finding an awesome band.

1. Play with and audition for as many bands and people as possible. Find them as suggested in the other posts.

Stick with the ones that feature talented and focused players. These are the folks who will be playing in multiple projects down the road and who will pull you in to good gigs later. Let go of bands that are built of players who are lazy or unfocused or impossible to work with. As much as you might like the music's potential, if the band and the players aren't going anywhere, move along.

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

2. Be an awesome player. In every sense of the word.

Included in this category: always be as ethical, decent, and positive a person as you can, including when leaving or passing on bands (see pt 1). Don't stop after working on the songbook and your stage performance; also work on the hang. If you're a talented and dependable player *and* you can keep the mood of the green room or bus up, you'll get more calls for gigs than the more talented player who is a moody and self-absorbed prat.

[Joe Nerve]

I completely agree with the above tweaks. Having been on both ends of the audition fence I find it best to keep my mouth shut for the most part and do like mom used to say - speak when spoken to. There is nothing that bugs me more than when someone comes to audition and talks and talks and talks about what they've done and can do - but makes excuses for why they don't know the material inside out. If I don't feel I'll have the time to nail an audition, I'll tell them up front and not do it. I don't believe in any excuses. Either nail it, or forget it. That may not always work in my favor if I'm doing the auditioning of someone else, but it always works in my favor for when I'm the guy trying out. Show - don't tell, is an excellent rule of thumb.

[Time Consumer]

Wow, I got a much greater response than I thought I would get! Thanks for all the advice, I'll probly use a large percent of it, especially the screening stuff about it being an audition for both parties. I dont wanna be in another band like my last one, which just sizzled out for no good reason(after spending $2000 in the studio no less). Of course, i quit way before then cuz it was becoming a money pit, we never made any money and even payed to play on a few occasions and I definitely didnt have the money to help record. But now I make more money and just wanna play again cuz its been too long, I miss performing.

[blubass]

There is a lot of good information so far! One thing to do is, gather your goals, and know what you want to do with music... be it a weekend warrior, full time musician, or just a jam musician. Then try and find similar bands or musicians with those same goals. In my area, band members go through bands like water through pipes. If i were looking for another band, i'd stake out a few shows with potential bands, and just wait it out, give it 3 months, and they are sure to lose their bass player!

[cassanova]

Lots of good advice here so I won't repeat any of it. But one thing I do want to add is to be selective after you audition.

[ric1312]

Originally Posted by Time Consumer

I dont even know if this is the right section for this question, but I wanted to know if anyone had any tips on finding a good band to join, I play metal or rock, wouldnt be against playing hip hop or anything(dont like country tho). I quit a metal band about 6 months ago because i wasnt making enough money already, then i constantly had to do shows when i could be working, now i have a better job, a new bass, and will get i nice amp & cab once i can find a good band to join. The thing isnt that there are no band, but there are too many. I live in a suburb just south of chicago where the band scene is crowded with a lot of riff raff. Just wanna know if anyone has tips on finding a good band to join.

You said you quit a metal band because you weren't making money?

Here is an eye opener: Unless you hit it big you will be making jack an !@#$ as a metal band. To make money in a band you have to be a cover band and play out a lot. An unknown, "metal," band that is not a tribute band is going to make very litttle money.

So, you have you decide what is your definition of a, "good," band. A lot of bands make good music but have no following and don't sell merch and CD's, so they have no way of making money.

Being good and being successful don't always go hand in hand. Most bands that do something is mostly because of being in the right place at the right time or knowing someone, and has little to do with how good the band is.

To be in a band and make money you either: A: have to be a big act that sells thier music globally. (get signed and be #1 on the charts) Or B: Working band that plays covers and gets hired for lots of contract gigs at clubs. Sure there is some wiggle room in that, but that is basically how it goes.

IMO, if you are worried about making money then music is not the place to be, few people become rich, and it is a pain in the a@@ to sustain music as a working income.

[rockdoc11]

I also like to ask what sort of jobs the other members of the band do in "the real world." That can tell you a lot about the level of responsibility and maturity in the band.

I also like to ask about marital status, as that can sometimes give similar clues.

[Nick Kay]

Originally Posted by ric1312

To be in a band and make money you either: A: have to be a big act that sells thier music globally. (get signed and be #1 on the charts) Or B: Working band that plays covers and gets hired for lots of contract gigs at clubs. Sure there is some wiggle room in that, but that is basically how it goes.

Quite a bit of wiggle room, actually. There's a LOT of metal bands that are nowhere near #1 on the charts, but making a decent living regardless, and they're doing what they love. It's like that in any subgenre of rock, really. I don't know about other styles of music, though.

[IanStephenson]

The best gigs get filled by people that the band already know, or that know people that the band trust. Good bands don't need to advertise because they already know a couple of great players that would cover each slot.

Unfortunatly that means to get a great gig you need to already have a good gig. However networking, and a bit of luck can go a long way. Getting to know the good local bands, and letting them know you're after a job might get your name passed along - next time someone tries to poach THEIR bass player maybe they'll forward YOUR number.

Ian

[Time Consumer]

Originally Posted by ric1312

You said you quit a metal band because you weren't making money?

Here is an eye opener: Unless you hit it big you will be making jack an !@#$ as a metal band. To make money in a band you have to be a cover band and play out a lot. An unknown, "metal," band that is not a tribute band is going to make very litttle money.

So, you have you decide what is your definition of a, "good," band. A lot of bands make good music but have no following and don't sell merch and CD's, so they have no way of making money.

Being good and being successful don't always go hand in hand. Most bands that do something is mostly because of being in the right place at the right time or knowing someone, and has little to do with how good the band is.

To be in a band and make money you either: A: have to be a big act that sells thier music globally. (get signed and be #1 on the charts) Or B: Working band that plays covers and gets hired for lots of contract gigs at clubs. Sure there is some wiggle room in that, but that is basically how it goes.

IMO, if you are worried about making money then music is not the place to be, few people become rich, and it is a pain in the a@@ to sustain music as a working income.

I see where ur coming from, but I guess I didnt specify that I wouldnt care if it were a cover band of some sort, I dont care if I dont make money(would be nice), I just dont want it to become an unreasonable expense like my last band was. I just dont want another money pit of a band. I understand that there are certain costs associated with bing in a band, but sometimes too much is too much. I just wanna do it for fun and to perform cuz I just love doing it, and if make money, i make money, if I dont, i dont.

[blubass]

If you don't want being in a band to become an unreasonable expense, then i'm sure there are some water polo teams in need of swimmers. Truth is, you WILL spend money in a band, and you WILL lose money at times. The key to being in a good band is will you recoop any of the money you spent. It's not that hard to figure out, but you need to make sure guarentees cover the cost of the band. If it costs the band 20 dollars in gas to get to a gig, then you need to charge more than that to cover your cost of gas, plus pay the band. I always thought that was lame though..... music should be for playing music, not making money, that's just a bonus.