Bye Bye Band!

[Pep]

I was part of a band for a Class Reunion in Aug of 2009. It went so well that a handful of us decided to continue. In 2010 we made a name change that I came up with and the band took off. We worked pretty much March through October with a possible gig here or there during the winter months.

It was initially just a nightclub band but evolved into a Chicago Tribute Band that was very good. Within the last two years the band had started to decline a bit. Health issues, changes in lifestyle and other interests were the main reasons. I was the driving force for the past 14 years but have pretty much "run out of gas". Add to that some hearing issues which made singing a bit difficult, a guitar player that is showing signs of early dementia, and a keyboardist that got remarried about 5 years ago and has been gradually losing interest and is unavailable for many weeks out of the season because of travel to see family, grandkids, and multiple vacations, and you have the groundwork for mediocrity.

Through all of this the rhythm sections suffered, self included. Concentrating on my hearing issues was causing me to play erratically which made it really hard on the drummer. I won't go into the issues with the guitar player and the keyboardist.
Last night I met with the trumpet player and the drummer to discuss if there was any reason to continue. Basically the drummer said unless the guitar player, keyboardist and the bass player (myself) were replaced he wasn't planning on going any further with the band.

At that point I decided to step down. I'd been thinking about it all year and the time was right. It's going to be very difficult to get musicians to replace us that are 'like-minded', have the playing skills, vocals, and are willing to dedicate countless hours to perfect the sound. Most of the guys who can do that are already working in other bands and either don't have the time to devote to it, don't want to commit to that much work, or are just not that interested in Chicago.
It was a great run and 14 years is longer than most bands stay together. It's time to dedicate my time to another band I work with and possibly add another project. I'm sure opportunities will arise in the near future.

 

[57pbass]

Getting old is so complicated.. you had a great run but Father Time can really muck things up.
Enjoy your time off and hopefully you will be able to find something that is just as rewarding but not as demanding.
Most importantly..make sure your bass is always within an arms reach

 

[Pocket Dave]

Sounds like a good run - be grateful.

 

[JRA]

congrats on the success you had, good luck with your music in the future!

 

[Deleted member 341607]

Glad you had the 14 years! Envious…

 

[NonoMusic]

Good on you man, its hard to make that decision to step away from your band entirely but I'm glad you built that courage to.

I recently also left my band because they were asking me if I could give more of my time and commit more to the band. Nothing wrong with wanting to find band members that can commit more of course so no hard feelings there, but they took me in as (still) a minor knowing how much I'd be able to contribute but now intimidating that "someone would have to step in" if I didn't put more into the band. I was being naive and complied, putting in a little more time than I could but thankfully I realized that I shouldn't put up with the idea that I'm replaceable at any second just because I wanted to keep playing. I ended up parting ways a few weeks ago, and since then I think the band's gone defunct.

 

[Wasnex]

I was part of a band for a Class Reunion in Aug of 2009. It went so well that a handful of us decided to continue. In 2010 we made a name change that I came up with and the band took off. We worked pretty much March through October with a possible gig here or there during the winter months.

It was initially just a nightclub band but evolved into a Chicago Tribute Band that was very good. Within the last two years the band had started to decline a bit. Health issues, changes in lifestyle and other interests were the main reasons. I was the driving force for the past 14 years but have pretty much "run out of gas". Add to that some hearing issues which made singing a bit difficult, a guitar player that is showing signs of early dementia, and a keyboardist that got remarried about 5 years ago and has been gradually losing interest and is unavailable for many weeks out of the season because of travel to see family, grandkids, and multiple vacations, and you have the groundwork for mediocrity.

Through all of this the rhythm sections suffered, self included. Concentrating on my hearing issues was causing me to play erratically which made it really hard on the drummer. I won't go into the issues with the guitar player and the keyboardist.
Last night I met with the trumpet player and the drummer to discuss if there was any reason to continue. Basically the drummer said unless the guitar player, keyboardist and the bass player (myself) were replaced he wasn't planning on going any further with the band.

At that point I decided to step down. I'd been thinking about it all year and the time was right. It's going to be very difficult to get musicians to replace us that are 'like-minded', have the playing skills, vocals, and are willing to dedicate countless hours to perfect the sound. Most of the guys who can do that are already working in other bands and either don't have the time to devote to it, don't want to commit to that much work, or are just not that interested in Chicago.
It was a great run and 14 years is longer than most bands stay together. It's time to dedicate my time to another band I work with and possibly add another project. I'm sure opportunities will arise in the near future.

Respect

 

[Runnerman]

Congrats on the run! Thanks for sharing your band story. It will happen to all of us eventually. I'm also on a 14 year run and starting to see the finish line on the horizon.

 

[MLC_BassPlayer]

Sounds like a good run - be grateful.

This.

I walked away from a band after a successful 12 year run. You'll miss it, but a least you had it.

 

[Pep]

Thanks to all of you for your responses. Yes it was a great run with lots of positive experiences and memories. Father time has a way of slowing us down a bit.
I think my wife was more upset than I, thinking that I got my feelings hurt. That would have been the case a few years ago, but the timing on this was perfect. A lot of the joy had gone out of playing because we were so wrapped up in everything being perfect. This group played between 9 & 12 shows a year so I had a lot of idle time in between.
In December of last year I was asked to join another group that has a house gig on Thursdays and plays other gigs on the weekends. They assured me that it wouldn't interfere with my current group and if there was a conflict, they had someone who could fill in for me.
I took the gig and playing with them has been great. They're not as particular about arrangements or being perfect and that suits me fine, but I've noticed that since I've been with the band it's gotten tighter and more polished. Compliments from the listeners/dancers/attendees has been tremendous. Some of my peers have dropped in and said the group is on the rise.
I think I've found a home. The joy in playing is back.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

ok

 

[Blues Daddy]

Thanks for a good story Pep . . . . you had a great run - and a happy ending . . . . Win-Win !

It's exciting for me to think about a great Chicago tribute act because I'm a huge fan of that band's recordings (I still have their LP's and 8-track tapes).

I don't know if your 'hearing issues' continue with the newer band, but I found that using IEM's dramatically improved my ability to clearly hear my vocals and my bass guitar. If you're not already using them, you may want to consider checking into it.

Cheers!

 

[Five or Six]

I was part of a band for a Class Reunion in Aug of 2009. It went so well that a handful of us decided to continue. In 2010 we made a name change that I came up with and the band took off. We worked pretty much March through October with a possible gig here or there during the winter months.

It was initially just a nightclub band but evolved into a Chicago Tribute Band that was very good. Within the last two years the band had started to decline a bit. Health issues, changes in lifestyle and other interests were the main reasons. I was the driving force for the past 14 years but have pretty much "run out of gas". Add to that some hearing issues which made singing a bit difficult, a guitar player that is showing signs of early dementia, and a keyboardist that got remarried about 5 years ago and has been gradually losing interest and is unavailable for many weeks out of the season because of travel to see family, grandkids, and multiple vacations, and you have the groundwork for mediocrity.

Through all of this the rhythm sections suffered, self included. Concentrating on my hearing issues was causing me to play erratically which made it really hard on the drummer. I won't go into the issues with the guitar player and the keyboardist.
Last night I met with the trumpet player and the drummer to discuss if there was any reason to continue. Basically the drummer said unless the guitar player, keyboardist and the bass player (myself) were replaced he wasn't planning on going any further with the band.

At that point I decided to step down. I'd been thinking about it all year and the time was right. It's going to be very difficult to get musicians to replace us that are 'like-minded', have the playing skills, vocals, and are willing to dedicate countless hours to perfect the sound. Most of the guys who can do that are already working in other bands and either don't have the time to devote to it, don't want to commit to that much work, or are just not that interested in Chicago.
It was a great run and 14 years is longer than most bands stay together. It's time to dedicate my time to another band I work with and possibly add another project. I'm sure opportunities will arise in the near future.

By the end of your second paragraph I can see it.

 

[crucislancer]

I was part of a band for a Class Reunion in Aug of 2009. It went so well that a handful of us decided to continue. In 2010 we made a name change that I came up with and the band took off. We worked pretty much March through October with a possible gig here or there during the winter months.

It was initially just a nightclub band but evolved into a Chicago Tribute Band that was very good. Within the last two years the band had started to decline a bit. Health issues, changes in lifestyle and other interests were the main reasons. I was the driving force for the past 14 years but have pretty much "run out of gas". Add to that some hearing issues which made singing a bit difficult, a guitar player that is showing signs of early dementia, and a keyboardist that got remarried about 5 years ago and has been gradually losing interest and is unavailable for many weeks out of the season because of travel to see family, grandkids, and multiple vacations, and you have the groundwork for mediocrity.

Through all of this the rhythm sections suffered, self included. Concentrating on my hearing issues was causing me to play erratically which made it really hard on the drummer. I won't go into the issues with the guitar player and the keyboardist.
Last night I met with the trumpet player and the drummer to discuss if there was any reason to continue. Basically the drummer said unless the guitar player, keyboardist and the bass player (myself) were replaced he wasn't planning on going any further with the band.

At that point I decided to step down. I'd been thinking about it all year and the time was right. It's going to be very difficult to get musicians to replace us that are 'like-minded', have the playing skills, vocals, and are willing to dedicate countless hours to perfect the sound. Most of the guys who can do that are already working in other bands and either don't have the time to devote to it, don't want to commit to that much work, or are just not that interested in Chicago.
It was a great run and 14 years is longer than most bands stay together. It's time to dedicate my time to another band I work with and possibly add another project. I'm sure opportunities will arise in the near future.

Definitely a great run! Good luck on your future projects.

 

[mstillman]

Thanks to all of you for your responses. Yes it was a great run with lots of positive experiences and memories. Father time has a way of slowing us down a bit.
I think my wife was more upset than I, thinking that I got my feelings hurt. That would have been the case a few years ago, but the timing on this was perfect. A lot of the joy had gone out of playing because we were so wrapped up in everything being perfect. This group played between 9 & 12 shows a year so I had a lot of idle time in between.
In December of last year I was asked to join another group that has a house gig on Thursdays and plays other gigs on the weekends. They assured me that it wouldn't interfere with my current group and if there was a conflict, they had someone who could fill in for me.
I took the gig and playing with them has been great. They're not as particular about arrangements or being perfect and that suits me fine, but I've noticed that since I've been with the band it's gotten tighter and more polished. Compliments from the listeners/dancers/attendees has been tremendous. Some of my peers have dropped in and said the group is on the rise.
I think I've found a home. The joy in playing is back.

Nice to read this, especially your last line. "Smile because you had it" comes to mind. Best of luck!

 

[SteveC]

Sounds like you had a good run. Be thankful. And it sounds like the new project is going nicely. Good luck.

 

[Pep]

Thanks for a good story Pep . . . . you had a great run - and a happy ending . . . . Win-Win !

It's exciting for me to think about a great Chicago tribute act because I'm a huge fan of that band's recordings (I still have their LP's and 8-track tapes).

I don't know if your 'hearing issues' continue with the newer band, but I found that using IEM's dramatically improved my ability to clearly hear my vocals and my bass guitar. If you're not already using them, you may want to consider checking into it.

Cheers!

I use them but still have some issues. I’m a tenor and sing a lot of the Peter Cetera stuff, and hearing loss is in the mid to hig part of that range. I’ve been able to compensate some by assigning an EQ to my ear bud channel to raise the volume of the frequencies I’m having trouble hearing.

 

[Pep]

It wasn’t my intention to resurrect an old thread but my situation has changed. After meeting with the drummer and the trumpet player they still want me in the group. They want me to front the band vocally and find a new bass player.
Since I’m actually playing bass and doing vocals in another band regularly and this group plays occasionally, I agreed to do it.
After two rehearsals it’s starting to sound great and without the bass playing duties my vocals are “spot-on”.
This is pretty exciting fir an old man!

 

[pepj]

For the OP.
Personally I think 14 yrs is waay too long to keep things on track, so well done there.

One of the main things to get the juices going again is finding a band with the right chemistry. In fact, I'd say its the main thing.

However, you really shouldn't have a band out there with no chemistry....but ime, many do.

 

[Pocket Dave]

For the OP.
Personally I think 14 yrs is waay too long to keep things on track, so well done there.

One of the main things to get the juices going again is finding a band with the right chemistry. In fact, I'd say its the main thing.

However, you really shouldn't have a band out there with no chemistry....but ime, many do.

Chemistry's always there:

Some bands have amazing chemistry because they understand its elements; they actively cultivate it.

Some have it because they luck into it with a group who just happen to be like-minded.

Some share a chemistry of ignorance and defiance - painfully awkward to watch.