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Anybody else very content in the back seat?

#24
It totally depends on the project. I’ve never been in the BL role, but my influence was felt in most of the bands I was in. There was one, however, that I went into it knowing that I was just going to be the bassist, and that collaborating of any kind would take a back seat to my bass duties. As it turned out, while that was certainly the case for most of the 6 years that I was in the band, occasionally the BL would ask me for my take on a song, what I thought might need to be changed, etc.

If that kind of situation came up again, I might be into it, if I felt the music and the BL were awesome.
 
#29
I was not cut out to be a bandleader. I think I've proved that to myself. I took a swing at self-expression and it sure was fun, but it was not...ah...sustainable. Instead, I am reliable. Which, admittedly, cuts both ways, but I'm cool with it anyhow.
 
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#30
Eilif said:
Who among you all is perfectly content to be in the back seat?

When you identify a good bandleader/songwriter, how do you feel about letting them do the driving and just try to support their vision?


A bit of background. Feel free to skip...

A few months ago I got in touch with my little brother about music. He's a rhythm guitar player who writes catchy alt-country/americana tunes and had must moved into town. I wanted to put together a group to play the songs he had written for his last band where he was the main songwriter, band leader and rhythm electric guitarist.

We added a friend of mine to be the singer/guitarist/Recording-Engineer and began to practice. It was becoming an interesting learning experience as my friend was taking singing lessons to learn to sing, my brother was getting to really take the lead-guitar role for the first time and I was/am learning the pedal steel with the intention of playing it live in 12 months or so. Three months in the singer quits saying that he didn't feel his input was appreciated and he wasn't having fun.

I handled him sensitively and understood his feelings, but it was still a bit surprising to me. I had a good amount of leeway in my bass parts and the third member had the ability to choose covers, change keys, choose which songs we should learn first, etc. In truth, though I had formed the group specifically to play my brother's music. For myself, I'd never needed the band to be a group of equals. I wanted to play my brother's music with him at the helm. I had no desire to write songs, make major changes or exert control.

In a way it's just like the Country band I was in previously. I was more than happy to play the tunes picked by the two bandleaders and support their direction.

Anywho, I spoke with my brother about my vision, which was actually a nice chance to affirm to him how much I appreciated him and his songwriting. He was encouraged and we agreed to make it clear to anyone else we choose to bring in to let them know up front the direction of the group. As it is, we're probably just keep it a family affair for now and bring my wife (a better singer) in to sing vocals at open mics and such for a while.
Click to expand...

I'm completely supporting the music; I'm NOT comfortable being told exactly what to do (unless I'm being paid, of course).
 
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#31
I'm more than happy to take a back seat as long as whoever's driving knows what he's doing. I appreciate a good leader and if they're THAT good I think they deserve to be the captain. Some bands I've been in have been more collaborative because they've had more than one strong writer, others have had a single leader. The one I'm in now is cool, it's mostly a lead songwriter but a very trusting one that appreciates feedback and is open to suggestions for arrangements and stuff. He writes some of my bass parts for me, in which case I am more than happy to play, and other times he gives me free reign and trusts my input on the songs that he writes. I like it a lot, we work well together.
 
#32
I push to get the band to practice, I take the lead when someone needs to, but otherwise the guys I play with are all equals. They run 90% of the music/tunes and such and we all work to get gigs. We were all backup players for years. Not much ego among us, we know we are decent, however
 
#33
Not in the past but recently I have fallen into a role of being the bass player harmony guy and my stress level is very much decreased. I also have more time to master known bass lines or work on my own. Minus lyrics, the harmonies just cone out!

Years back, though a tough stretch of life, my ego decreased and i found that I no longer had a need to be out front OR in control. I have assumed this role in my current 2 projects and really seemed to have gained peace and enjoyment from it!
 
#34
I'm tired so probably missing something obvious. Your questions makes sense, backseat or driver but the scenario is confusing. Your brother has been a BL and writes good music, you form a band to showcase it, another guy comes on in multiple roles but quits because a percieved lack of input.

Who is the BL? Was it clear the premise of the band was about your brother's work? Did the friend know the situation and/or think he had a different role in the band? You mention being in the back seat and liking the role but you formed the band, so who was driving or expected to. Could the friend have been confused by the roles?
 
#37
I've only ever been in the back seat, and it's been great. But I've also put a lot of effort into improving songs and writing songs, and haven't really gotten credit for them. I'd honestly like to start a band where I can have a good bit of say as to what goes on.
 
#38
One of my favorite things to do musically, is to help support an exciting performers musical vision. As long as everything is on the table up front. I've had to explain on more than one occasion to an enthusiastic solo artist wanting use me as a bassist, why I wasn't interested in playing his shows for free.
 

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