What Band Were You In The Longest - and Shortest?

jaywa · #1 07-07-2009, 02:47 PM

Just curious about the longest period of time you were in a single band, and/or the shortest (one-off or short-term sub gigs not included).

For me:

- The longest stint I've done is my current cover band, which is going on 4 years now.

- The shortest stint is another cover band which lasted all of 10 weeks before imploding after a spectacularly bad 1st gig.

qball26 · #2 07-07-2009, 03:38 PM

LONGEST - 10 years and going (but not for much longer

)

SHORTEST - can't remember...see #1

Gubna · #3 07-07-2009, 03:42 PM

Longest was about 4 years - Dec 1997 - Jan 2002. we are actually getting back together for the singer's bachelor party to play. Best band I was in - we worked well together. I left them in 2002 because I needed a break and didn't want to hold them back - amongst other reasons.

Shortest was 2 months - a Death Metal band (maybe it would be considered Black Metal nowadays?)

I joined just to play one show. took me that long to learn all their songs. each one had somewhere around 11 riffs in each song - some of them never repeating. ***?! When I was performing with them (and a couple of them I'd still consider friends), I couldn't help but thing - thank god, this will be over soon...

jaywa · #4 07-07-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qball26

LONGEST - 10 years and going (but not for much longer

)

Dang, that's a long time. Sorry it's winding down. All the same members that whole time?

qball26 · #5 07-07-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaywa

Dang, that's a long time. Sorry it's winding down. All the same members that whole time?

Same drummer / same band name
Singer been around for 6 years
Rythm Guitar 4 years
Lead guitar 1 month

As for winding down, we think the drummer is just getting tired (he's been doing this for 30+ years....he's around 58 we think, but we're not really sure.)

coop · #6 07-07-2009, 03:54 PM

Longest - 7 years

Shortest - 1 week. I auditioned, got the gig, took home the cassettes (that gives you an idea how long ago this was)

Learned about two sets worth of songs. When I showed up to the next rehearsal there was another bass player there.

DblG · #7 07-08-2009, 10:12 AM

I just came across a tape from 6-24-89 with me and the 2 guitar players I'm still with. We added a female singer 1 year after that, our current drummer joined in '93, and our keyboardist in '94. Our percussionist was added around '96. Sooooo...longest is at least 20 years. I consider myself very lucky.

mrpackerguy · #8 07-08-2009, 12:06 PM

Longest: Cover group still going strong started in high school in Dec 1977 = almost 32 years
Shortest: side project through the summer 3 months.

xanderjbass · #9 07-08-2009, 12:14 PM

Once I worked in a kitchen and the guys I worked with and I started a band to play a company party. We had 2 rehearsals for that gig - the name of the band...

"Hot Lunch"

dhomer · #10 07-08-2009, 12:20 PM

The longest gig was the best one.. almost 3 years w/ one of the best groups in W. Michigan.. Messed that up when I suddenly became unemployed, and started looking into a couple of "full time" musical opportunities. Neither panned out, but I got replaced. Almost got the job back a couple years later, and I'd be first choice to replace the current guy..

Shortest gig was w/a band I secretly wanted to succeed if for no other reason that the songlist was absolutely awesome. Problem was, nobody had any talent w/the exception of the female lead singer. I swore up and down the guitar player needed a serious intonation adjustment. Come to find out he couldn't finger chords. Played one agonizing gig, then everyone bailed..

denhou1974 · #11 07-08-2009, 01:36 PM

Longest - 1.5 years
Shortest - 1 month

jaywa · #12 07-08-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhomer

Shortest gig was w/a band I secretly wanted to succeed if for no other reason that the songlist was absolutely awesome. Problem was, nobody had any talent w/the exception of the female lead singer.

Ah yes... "We should play this song." "Yeah, I LOVE that song!" "Awesome. Now how many of us are able to play it?" (crickets).

phatbass · #13 07-08-2009, 01:52 PM

Well, I've been first call bassist for a local Blues/Classic Rock band for about 12 years, if that counts.

Phalex · #14 07-08-2009, 01:59 PM

Longest? The band I'm in now. We're going on 7 years.

Shortest? Strange question because I played with the same drummer and guitar player for about ten years, but one of our projects crashed and burned after maybe three gigs.

Sparkdog · #15 07-08-2009, 02:08 PM

Longest - 10+ years (toured, recorded, and lived together...practically married)

Shortest - 2 hours (they invited me to join because they had a gig and needed a singer and bassist. I did the gig...they loved me, I couldn't stand them

MatticusMania · #16 07-08-2009, 04:34 PM

Longest - 3.5 years, 2 piece, broke up when my drummers girlfriend made them move away

Shortest - 1 month, craptastic metal band dissolved because the guitarist was obsessively in love with our lesbian vocalist and creeped her out

billhilly66 · #17 07-09-2009, 01:36 PM

I was on a house gig for about 6 years in the 90's.

Shortest? I don't remember, maybe a month or so.

Richland123 · #18 07-09-2009, 05:07 PM

Longest - 8 years with my current band

2nd longest - 7 years

Oustide of some throw together one time gig bands and fill in gigs, my shortest actual band lasted for one gig after a few months of practice.

sirdugh · #19 07-09-2009, 05:22 PM

OK, this is kind of a one-off gig but I had to share:

A friend (who is rather odd) calls:

"I want you to be in my new band."

"OK, when do we practice?"

"We don't and our show is tonight. I want to be a bad blues band."

I was sick but somehow let myself be talked into it. A few pitchers later, it fell to me to start all the songs. Some even had lyrics. At the end of the set, the guitar player smashed his guitar in the middle of the dance floor (it was the first time I met him and he is a good friend of mine today).

Ah, to be young and drunk again.........

Sartori · #20 07-09-2009, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gubna

Longest was about 4 years - Dec 1997 - Jan 2002. we are actually getting back together for the singer's bachelor party to play. Best band I was in - we worked well together. I left them in 2002 because I needed a break and didn't want to hold them back - amongst other reasons.

Shortest was 2 months - a Death Metal band (maybe it would be considered Black Metal nowadays?)

I joined just to play one show. took me that long to learn all their songs. each one had somewhere around 11 riffs in each song - some of them never repeating. ***?! When I was performing with them (and a couple of them I'd still consider friends), I couldn't help but thing - thank god, this will be over soon...

That's funny, it sounds like my kinda band.

Band I've been in longest is my current main band... 5 years under various line-ups. I started it with a vocalist under a different name and recruited the other members, two guitarists, a drummer (that I had been in a band previously with) and a keyboard player. The vocalist eventually realized that the band was less than satisfied with his work and quit, we replaced him with a guy who was actually quite good. Some drama (including the breakup of their relationship) caused the lead guitarist and keyboard player to quit. Luckily the vocalist played guitar as well, but eventually he left to join the army. So after a brief break and another project (described below), the rhythm guitarist and I started doing all the vocals, and we and the drummer (who were sort of the songwriting core of the band) recruited a friend to play lead guitar, which lasted a while until he quit to form his own band, and then we've been a three piece since. Another friend of ours is playing live lead guitar for us.

Shortest time I was in a band... a couple months. Same drummer and rhythm guitarist as before, a sort of additional band, as a break from the main band after our lead guitarist/vocalist joined the army. We recruited a singer and also this weird guitarist who insisted on playing an acoustic tuned to B through a bass amp. I hated that band. Luckily it broke up because we got fed up with singer's lack of focus and the acoustic guitard's tendency to bring random chicks to rehearsal (different ones every time). He also turned out to be screwing the drummer's girlfriend. Yeah...