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Bad experiences in looking for a band on Craigslist

#41
All of this is pretty good advice, especially the part about vetting any prospective players before you get together.

My $.02 would be to be very defined about what you want to do, think big and work towards that, rather than just trying to ease into anything that comes along that might work for you. Define the style, covers vs. originals, have a concise list of tunes you want to play or your own originals, demo'd and ready to be played (doesn't matter how raw, just have music, words and chords for people to learn). Be ready to call the shots, and if you're lucky, you'll find people who can work with that and/or ease into their own contributions. Also, if you're looking for a good singer/front person, look beyond the musician's postings and check out theater/drama people, those who can sing, dance, and put on a SHOW, but might not know their way around rockbandland.

You'll have to wade through a lot of fakes and flakes, but it's not impossible to find the right people, and the more people you know, the more people they'll know (when it's time to add additional players). I met my last band off CL and within 5 years of answering the ad, we'd toured Europe twice and played Lollapalooza. Thanks CL!
 
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#42
Great stuff guys. I know a great drummer and a really good guitarist and I've been trying for basically two years to get these guys to get together and learn some stuff to gig. Believe me when I say I've really tried. The drummer is unreliable with communication and the guitarist is afraid of commitment I guess. Recently they both said they were willing to make something work, right after I posted my thing on Craigslist. I took my post off of CL and I'm gonna see if this can work out, these guys are friends and they are who I'd ideally wanna be in a band with.
 
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#43
southpaw723 said:
Great stuff guys. I know a great drummer and a really good guitarist and I've been trying for basically two years to get these guys to get together and learn some stuff to gig. Believe me when I say I've really tried. The drummer is unreliable with communication and the guitarist is afraid of commitment I guess. Recently they both said they were willing to make something work, right after I posted my thing on Craigslist. I took my post off of CL and I'm gonna see if this can work out, these guys are friends and they are who I'd ideally wanna be in a band with.
Click to expand...
We've jammed together multiple times and I really dig what we can do, it's just a matter of everyone being on board.
 
#44
It's important to meet people. CL saves time. Take notes. Stay alert for people who can make things happen. Or who can help YOU make things happen. The proof of the pudding is in what happens.

Worst case scenario: you'll sharpen up your exit rap, when you tell the pretenders you were looking for a different kind of group.

Burn no bridges. The local music fraternity is finite.
 
#48
The way I have done it is to meet first in a neutral place, like a coffee shop or bar. I always tell them that I might have two heads or something since I'm responding to a CL ad, and they probably ought to be sure I'm actually human before we try to play some music. That almost always gets an amused reaction and an agreement to meet up somewhere. So far, I have made some really good friends and played with some good musicians that way. A few duds come along, but so it goes. Dumb luck, perhaps, but I'll take it and say thank you.
 
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#49
Hey all experienced musicians at some point or another have experienced sh*t like that (i know I have!)
it's better know as paying your dues!
Hang in there ! eventually you'll find your match made in heaven band !
 
#50
I've responded to countless ads on KIJIJI (I'm from Nova Scotia in Canada) over the years but it's the same idea as CL. Personally I've come up with a "system" for screening ads before I take it to the next step and actually respond to it. Pre-screening is just as important as screening

Things I look for that generally rule out a response (these aren't rules, just observations I have made over time), and I might reply even if it "breaks" a few "rules", but these have been a solid guide for me:

"Let's jam and see what happens"

No thanks. I don't mind jamming with friends because we know one another well enough to gel on some level and it is just having fun. These jams more often than not turn into playing every song intro the guitar player knows or having them ask you "what do you know" and not knowing the tunes. This also kind of tells me that they don't have a direction picked yet. Even if it is just a "jam" to see how personalities work out I want to play specific songs to see if the level of musicianship is there too.

"We want to record ..."

This is a big nope for me, bar none. Recording costs money. Where is that money coming from? Are they looking for a bass player or an investor? Also, if they're just starting out, why record? They haven't built a fan base yet so the product doesn't have any people who are looking to get it outside of friends and family (and friends and family can be supportive, but they're not enough to sustain you) This is obviously different for an established act but I still don't want to be an investor right away, that takes time and trust.

"Must have pro gear ...."

While I understand the desire to get someone to play for you that is using stuff that could easily be gigged with, in my experience, the people who have posted this kind of thing are focusing on the look over substance. What does it matter if I have pro gear but can't play? Maybe I'm one of the best players in the world but can't afford "pro" gear. This point I am usually pretty lenient on because I get why they're saying it, but it's a crap shoot, some folks are all about the "look" and if I'm not playing my bass through an 810 cabinet they're not interested.

"Must play a 5 or 6 string bass ..."

I kid you not, I've seen this. I have both a 5 and 6 string bass but I don't like the idea that, that is what I have to play to be a member of the group, as if somehow the number of strings on my bass is an indication of my ability to play it. Again, these folks strike me as too focused on the look of the band instead of the sound it makes.

"We have gigs booked"

This is another lenient post, depends on the band. If they're not established then I back away, they might be ready for the stage yet. I saw a number of people in this thread make similar comments. If it's established band, cool, I can do my wood shedding and it's all good. A start-up band, nope. You're rushing into and I don't want to be a part of it thanks.

"We're a mix between T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z"

I'm all for creating new and exciting music, but that's a lot of things to mix together. How is this going to happen exactly? What is it going to sound like? Sounds to me like you have lofty ideas and no clear direction on where you're going with it. What elements are you taking from T? How are you going to incorporate Z? It has potential to be awesome, it also has potential to be a noisy jam band that breaks up after a month.

"I have some great songs"

Link? No? No thanks. I want to hear this alleged "greatness". My mom thought some of the early tunes I wrote were wonderful but they were garbage. Let me be the judge if they're something I want to get behind, send a demo, even if it's just recorded on a phone, let me hear something instead of just taking you at your word that you're great.


If I read an ad and it had any (or all) of those things in it I proceed with caution if I choose to respond. If I do respond then I start asking specific questions to the person I contact to get more information to see if any remaining doubts were well founded.

Always fun trying to find work. But to be fair, I've met some great people online and played in some great and no-so-great bands from the connections. I'm in a busy band at the moment and I don't have time for another project but I still look every day just to keep "in the loop"
 
#52
Reading thru the occasional threads like this one remind me to be very grateful for the Craigslist band situation i walked into ... it was a re-start of a band with a few good song skeletons, it was my very first audition for my very first band, and i nailed it. 5 members, one by one via CL. Average age of 45, serious hobbiests with varying degree of skill, but everybody is dedicated, reliable, and does what they can for the greater good. Aside from a singer switch midway, we've been together a few years now.

I got lucky, but we did have to weed thru about a dozen applicants per position. Hang in there. I would think Pittsburg has what you're looking for ... it's just a matter of connecting with them :thumbsup:
 

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