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Different musical direction than my band?

RicPlaya

RicPlaya

Apr 22, 2003
2,703
163
51
The Mitten
#1
The singer in my band has many issues, attitude, and bad vocals to boot. He has this impression that we will get signed. He feels we should play cliche rock tunes that cater to the young crowd. I felt that this muscial direction was boring. I have been playing bass for two years and root notes with 3 note rock diddys don't really challenge me. Two of my other band mates now come to realize that they want to grow (drummer, guitar) and this isn't the way to go. I want to get into, jazz, blues, swing, classic rock stuff that is challenging and has a market in my area. Today is my 30th B day, and I see these guys my age or older rockin our rock covers at the bars competing with these young kids for gigs. Then I go into a blues bar, upscale places with $6.00 drinks, I know those bands are getting good paying gigs. I just want to be well rounded, have options and outlets in my playing. I want to play music that will teach me things, not stuff I can listen to on the radio and just play after 3 minutes. I guess I am at a crossroads with this band, I know 3 of the 4 guys in this band want to grow and not just be a teenage heartthrob band. It has to do with a lot of things, bad attitudes and different thought processes. I want to be a musician not a "poser". Greenday is cool but I know I can do better then that! I know if we all can't agree on where and what we want to do with this band it may disband. It is worth it to me to be in this for the right reasons, to be a well rounded musician. Has anyone else came to this realisation? Sorry for the rambling, but it seems bass players have good insights on these issues (and level heads) and I just wanted to hear some other thoughts and experiences..thanks!
 
#2
Happy birthday, Man!

That all makes sense to me. Like you hear pointed out regularly here on TB: If you're not counting on your band to put bread on the table, then you should be doing what you want to do!

The other two guys in my band and I are in our forties, and we don't forget that we don't have to do this at all! ..On the other hand though, we don't want to look like we're in some sort of second-childhood / midlife-crisis neurosis either (which we are a little, actually - what a blast); we want to sound good, and we think we might have a leg-up on younger (and way better-looking) bands by playing songs that we feel the most, and do'em with super-groove, yet with a relaxed, mature, freindly, non-pretentious coolness! (hey - that's pretty good. Maybe I should use that for the cover letter)

Anyway: We're picking songs that we want to do - if hardly any one wants to hire us, fine! (I bet they WILL, though!) We got good responses from the few gigs we have played.

..none of us thinks we have any chance of being signed, but we're aiming for hometown fame, anyway (maybe even for miles-around)!

Joe
 
#3
Joe P said:
Happy birthday, Man!

..none of us thinks we have any chance of being signed, but we're aiming for hometown fame, anyway (maybe even for miles-around)!

Joe
Click to expand...


Thanks BRO!

If your going to get signed shouldn't you be able to be a solid well rounded musician first? Not according to MTV but I think at least one guy in my band is putting the cart before the horse sort of speak. Were good looking guys, so if we are good musicians only good things will happen whatever they are! And that's my point....
 
#4
RicPlaya said:
Thanks BRO!

If your going to get signed shouldn't you be able to be a solid well rounded musician first? Not according to MTV but I think at least one guy in my band is putting the cart before the horse sort of speak. Were good looking guys, so if we are good musicians only good things will happen whatever they are! And that's my point....
Click to expand...
Haha - look at this motly bunch (I'm on the right):
 
#6
dude, you make perfect sense. i just joined a band as the second bass player (tenor tuning) and we're having a blast. here's the kicker. the other bass player and the drummer were in a band with the drummer's brother on guitar. kinda punk/screamo and they got tired of it. guess what? the other bass player is 21 and the drummer is 19 but they've got the maturity to know that what they were doing was no longer challenging them. they needed to grow and the only way they could do that was by starting over. the guitarist wasn't that good and didn't want to learn how to be better.

go for it. there's a lot of things we have to do in this life, but making music shouldn't be one of them. good luck.
 
#7
Joe P said:
Haha - look at this motly bunch (I'm on the right):[/QUOTE

Look at those handsome fellas! You listen with your ears, well you should anyway. I'd play with older guys in a second if they could lay it down. Whenever I play with some older buddies of mine we always have a blast. I really enjoy the level of musicmanship whenever I jam with older drummers or guitarists.
Click to expand...
 
#8
I think you answered your own questioin. You need to play what makes you happy with people you enjoy. Alot of musicians end up not being able to do that, sounds like you have a chance to do just that. Why waste time with jokers? I mean if you think your other band has a legit shot at the "Big time"(whatever that means) than i could see hanging around for awhile and still jamming with your buddies on the side. If your band is just peeing in the wind and boring and frustrating you in the process, why stick around? If you feel stiflied you're just going to grow more and more jaded. Trent
 
#9
TVD said:
I think you answered your own questioin. You need to play what makes you happy with people you enjoy. Alot of musicians end up not being able to do that, sounds like you have a chance to do just that. Why waste time with jokers? I mean if you think your other band has a legit shot at the "Big time"(whatever that means) than i could see hanging around for awhile and still jamming with your buddies on the side. If your band is just peeing in the wind and boring and frustrating you in the process, why stick around? If you feel stiflied you're just going to grow more and more jaded. Trent
Click to expand...

I will still be in just this band if we broaden our horizons and have a certain band member have a change of attitude, if not then I will jam with them but I will be doing other things too . The material is not difficult. I am there I feel at times to support others and and help them along but that's not fair to me. It's to the point now where if they said hey learn this tune, i could show up in a day or two and just play it. But locking in with a fluctuating drummer, dealing with bad vocals and attitudes ...how is it bennifiting me? It's not.
 

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