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Am I right to pump the brakes?

What should the very new, inexperienced band do?

  • full steam ahead, damn the torpedoes

    Votes: 92 74.2%

  • give it a little more time to avoid crash and burn

    Votes: 32 25.8%
  • Total voters
    124
#21
Most first gigs are not really gigs that are going to make or break your band. The bands I've been in for several years have to work hard to get our people to show up consistently; an unknown band on its first show isn't going to be booking into a busy scene; they're going to be booking into a sleepy venue where the owner will be happy if two or three friends and family members show up for each member of the band.

That's a pretty forgiving scenario and there's very little to fear. Those same venue owners don't care how much your band sucks or doesn't suck as long as they sell the expected amount of alcohol on that day. So unless you are really and truly awful to the point of being disruptive in some way, there's very little to fear here.
 
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#24
Buy a Zoom H2 recorder. Set it up and record your rehearsals. Really listen to how everything sounds. Listen actively as a group.... but also listen passively while you're just kicking around the house, disengaged. If it doesn't sound tight, then keep working at it till it does. Yes, having a low key gig to motivate you to push and get things together is very helpful - but you also need to have a picture of where you stand. The tape never lies. Ask yourself 'If I happened upon us at this gig as a listener and didn't know who we were - would I listen?'

I do this with my jazz trio (we're a drummer-less group by design) when we're working on new material in the shed - and I often record gigs in case we catch something unique - and it's always enlightening, sometimes inspiring.... and sometimes painful.

Aesthetically, ask yourself if you NEED the drum machine live? I would work on getting all the songs sounding good without it, as it's one less thing to mess up to add to the pressure of a live gig. Firm up the time so that you don't miss it or need it.
 
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#27
Do it. If it goes better than expected, great! If it's a disaster the more inexperienced bandmembers will have learned an important lesson. Win-win.
 
#28
Nothing will motivate and hone each of your individual practice sessions, and band rehearsals, like having a gig on the books.

I say play the gig.

Gigging is actually an important part of getting a band “ready”. There is just something there to be learned that cannot be learned at rehearsal.

I am not saying play Carnegie Hall, but an early set in a multi-band showcase at a local club is a perfect first step. Do it!
 
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#30
I say go for it. My band played out first show out back in May. We weren't quite ready, flubbed more than a few notes at that show. A few other things went sideways as well. We treated all those as learning experiences, and have been able to improve upon our performance pretty steadily. I can say for certain that we've improved much more swiftly as a band playing shows than we would have rehearsing in our practice space.

So there's definitely something to gain by doing shows and treating your mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve. What do you have to lose? Maybe a few hours of sleep that night. Maybe a few drunk bar patrons hear you mess up, but likely the only people who will remember the clams you hit will be you and your bandmates.

If you have the means to do so, record your show, either with an audio recorder or even better with video - you'll be able to review after the show and see what really needs work.

Be gregarious and outgoing to the other bands and the folks working at the venue. You know what gets you invited back to play again? It's not playing a perfect set. It's playing adequately and being nice and helpful to the folks you work with. Shows are networking opportunities for you, make a good impression and that will help your reputation - flubs or no.
 
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#31
What don’t kill you will only make you stronger.
I played plenty of gigs with my last band (just hobby players) and we sucked for most of them…. But each one was better than the last and eventually we got enough confidence and practice in that the last couple shows were pretty ok.
In the end, who cares??? Mostly y’all.
Besides, suck or rock, its just fun to play out:)
 
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#33
Some dry runs at smaller venues or backyard paties will give you a chance to work out the bumps. To trot out an overused cliche - you never get a second chance to make a first impression - this is especially true when it comes to bands and live shows. Once you get the show you should be able to back it up - ie no train wrecks - if you are not comfortable and have a rough night at the venue it may be difficult to convince the venue to give you a second chance.
Dont spend TOO much time practicing - you can over practice and get overly critical about things. Once you have the music 75-80% together - book a gig for a month or two down the road. Having an actual gig confirmed on the calendar should give everyone the incentive they need to tighten up thier parts. At least that is what has worked for me. Panic is a great motivator :)
 
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#34
Knavery said:
It's like having a baby. Most people feel they're not ready, but when it happens, most do just fine and think it's the best thing that's happened to them.
Click to expand...

A less than stellar gig due to under-preparation is rarely life-altering and potentially financially devastating though. Practice safe.... gigging. :laugh:
 
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#36
Cloudspine said:
Ok, so I've been playing with another two guitarists for a few months, an original project. We have about 3 solid songs at this point that I feel are surprisingly decent, plus three interesting covers, plus about three songs in various stages of development.

They are in their mid 20's, I'm almost ten years older than them. One of them has done a few open mics solo, the other has no experience playing in front of people. I have played in front of people before, but not since high school, and only at house parties and underground stuff really. I do not consider myself experienced nor do I know a lot about live sound management. I'm the most well equipped member of the band - I have a nice GK MB210ii Combo that is quite flexible, the guitarists both have smaller combos and we currently have a drum machine plugged into a small combo as well (partially artistic, partially because drummers are hard to find). It's all loud enough to play let's say a small cafe, but even a bar setting and things start to fall apart on their end, I think.

The two guitarists are both anxious to play out, and have, through connections, arranged opportunities to play within about a month's time (they aren't totally crazy, the types of things they are setting up are multi-band shows, so the set would be shorter). This is at real local venues, and regardless of how many people show up, its still a professional setting and very much a scheduled event.

My impression is we need more practice, and though we still have time between now and then, we should hold off scheduling things until we are ready, period. And at that point we should dip our toes into the water more slowly, maybe playing someone's house or an open mic to do a few 'dry runs'.

I don't want to be a buzzkill, but I also don't have delusions of grandeur and as the oldest member I feel like I have some kind of responsibility to prevent us skewering ourselves, especially in a small scene. Am I wrong to pump the brakes and tell them we need more time to flesh out material, improve gear, get the performances tighter, and maybe even wade more slowly into live performances? Looking for help from the many people here with more experience than me.
Click to expand...

Record and review. I can’t begin to state just how valuable this is for understanding where you are in the process. Once you do this, go out and see a gigging band, then afterwards, review your last practice. It’s worth a thousand words. You as well as your band mates will know whether you need to pump breaks. One other thing

I’m hoping your guy are better than you think, but re or dings don’t lie, although they can be out of context.

Best wishes.
 
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#37
As has been wisely said: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."
Having enough songs to fill a set is not at all the same thing as being ready to present them in a show in public.
In the bad old days the booking agency I worked with would send a new band out to a small gig somewhere several miles past Timbuktu in order to break things in.
 
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