I'm starting a band some friends of mine and none of us are out of high school (me and my drummer are sophomores and my guitarist/singer is a senior). I know we're not gonna be playing gigs a lot since we're young, but I just think people won't take us seriously if we're young. I'm not saying I want a big record producing to show up to practice and say "WOW you're amazing even though you're so young, sign here!", I just think people won't even bother to listen because they think we're young and don't have a lot of experience. We've all been playing for many years, me and my drummer have been in a school jazz band before, and he's in the drum line now. So I'm just wondering if people do take high school bands seriously?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
High school ska/punk/rock band?
- Thread starter SPAZ5446
- Start date
don't you know that punk is dead? 
seriously being taken seriously isn't going to be the main problem. I'm pretty sure that everyone would be under 18 except possibly the senior in which case finding venues would be the bigger issue.
What I would suggest is to make a few recordings and then show them off to see how people react with out mentioning your band's age. For instance facebook, myspace, etc. as well as pass out a few sample albums around your school, local music stores and so forth. Make sure to put only 2-3 of your best songs on the album and a linke to your myspace/facebook acount and hook up one of those counter things to see how many people actually check you out.
Best of luck.
seriously being taken seriously isn't going to be the main problem. I'm pretty sure that everyone would be under 18 except possibly the senior in which case finding venues would be the bigger issue.
What I would suggest is to make a few recordings and then show them off to see how people react with out mentioning your band's age. For instance facebook, myspace, etc. as well as pass out a few sample albums around your school, local music stores and so forth. Make sure to put only 2-3 of your best songs on the album and a linke to your myspace/facebook acount and hook up one of those counter things to see how many people actually check you out.
Best of luck.
Yeah gigs would be a problem, but I don't think we're ready for the stage anytime soon. I'm fine with being in a band for awhile and practice practice practice before we do anything major (Not sure about my friends though, but I'll get them to stick with it). Recording sounds like the best idea if we're not getting gigs. Thanks!
Being taken seriously starts with you and your band mates. Do YOU take yourself seriously as a band. I don't mean the alway serious can never have fun thing. What I'm talking about is professionalism. Showing up on time, putting in the hours of practice at home before showing up to rehearsal. A little business sense goes a long way.
Also a lot of it depends on your music of course. How "mature" is the song writing? Is the subject matter all based on being pissed because the price of chili fries went up at the mall, or is there going to be some substance to what you write about. Yes songs about girls and relationship will always be a mainstay of music since it's a major portion of life but there's more out there. How about your arrangements? Are they all the same layout, or is there some dynamics, key changes, and tempo shifts during the course a song? Or is it just full bore all the time?
I'm not trying to discourage you from playing what you want or how you want. Play what's in your heart. But being taken seriously is a strange and twisted thing sometimes.
Also a lot of it depends on your music of course. How "mature" is the song writing? Is the subject matter all based on being pissed because the price of chili fries went up at the mall, or is there going to be some substance to what you write about. Yes songs about girls and relationship will always be a mainstay of music since it's a major portion of life but there's more out there. How about your arrangements? Are they all the same layout, or is there some dynamics, key changes, and tempo shifts during the course a song? Or is it just full bore all the time?
I'm not trying to discourage you from playing what you want or how you want. Play what's in your heart. But being taken seriously is a strange and twisted thing sometimes.
Well problem is I don't know if my friends are taking it as seriously as I am. I mean me and my guitarist had a band with another drummer (Not really much of band though since we never got anywhere haha) and we he took it seriously, but now I don't think he sees it has very important. My drummer is cleaning out his garage and his uncle possibly might sound proof it so we can practice there, but he doesn't seem into it. I think it's because we haven'y really gotten to write songs with him but I'm not sure. And as for our song writing we don't really write complex lyrical masterpieces about very mature subjects, but we write about funny things that have happened to us, bad things, and of course girls and relationships. We've been playing ska and punk type riffs mostly, but my drummer is very very good and is a metal fan so that will create an interesting mix. The bass and guitar aren't extremely complex, but it's not just root notes and chords either. Hard to explain unless you heard them.
+100000000 and very well said! Last Friday, I watched a locally successful rock band made up of high schoolers put on a show. They were pretty good musicians, but it was obvious that they liked being the local rock stars more than they liked being musicians. I guess the only advice I can give you is to act like serious musicians both on and off the stage. You never know who is watching!
I would try to find some Battle of the Bands type thing once you have a solid 45 minutes of songs to play. That's what I did in High School. We never got anything for it but it was a lot of fun to play in front of people.
Don't overthink it -- get out and play, have a ball, and let other people and their opinions take care of themselves.
High School...perfect time to hone your craft....you should just be doing basement gigs, parties, occasional school dances...a Battle of bands...don't expect pay, you won't get much...you WILL become very popular in school...and this is where you learn to play...enjoy it! I would love to do it again...Mr Peabody...set the time machine to 1978.
I played in a band from my freshmen year on, I'm still in that band. We all took it seriously and had great times. Got lots of gigs and even got paid every so often.
As has been said, no one really cares about age (unless you're really young - as in middle school or younger) but people will care about music and image. Play right, and don't act like idiots.
There are two bands in my high school (one group of sophomores and one of seniors) who both gig on a fairly regular basis and have been getting some studio time by winning competitions held by some local studios or just using some of their gig money. Both of them are working on digital album releases. They're pretty standard pop-rock and post-grunge, respectively, but it works well for them, and I respect them for the progress they've made.
My high school had about 374,000 bands at any given point in time. Some were terrible and didn't get any respect or notice at all. Some, however, were absolutely pro (like my band 
) and got plenty of gigs and had no problem getting paid. Recordings are a really key element in getting gigs, because if somebody can go on to Facebook or Myspace and listen to a few songs, they'll be a lot more likely to book than on the blind word of you or your fans (who more often than not aren't taken seriously since they're precieved as being your friends).
) and got plenty of gigs and had no problem getting paid. Recordings are a really key element in getting gigs, because if somebody can go on to Facebook or Myspace and listen to a few songs, they'll be a lot more likely to book than on the blind word of you or your fans (who more often than not aren't taken seriously since they're precieved as being your friends).I had another idea for you that I forgot to mention earlier: Go watch some local shows if you can (there's that age thing again).
Rock out and enjoy the show but keep an eye on what's going on around you. This is a research trip as well as just having a good time. So watch the gig then afterwards you and your buddies can head to your local late night eatery and talk about what you guys saw.
What worked? What didn't?
1) Songs - Did they all sound the same or was the set diverse enough to keep you interested?
2) Practiced - Did they know the material or did they make a ton of mistakes? Better musicians make fewer obvious mistakes but you get my point.
3) Mix - Were the levels even? Can you hear everyone without straining to listen for a certain instrument? Is the lead guitarist twice as loud as the singer? Frequency separation plays a big part in this as well.
4) Crowd - Did the band interact with the crowd or stare at their feet? Did the band move around or just stand there?
5) Professionalism - Did the band thank the house/club/sound guy? Did they bad mouth the other bands before/during/after the show? How's the ego?
There's obviously a ton of stuff to talk about here, but I think you get what I'm trying to relay. Being a band is more than just 4 or 5 guys making noise in a garage. Yes it's supposed to be for fun, but I have to tell you being in a good band is a whole lot more fun than being in a band that never leaves the basement. As a band you have to work together to improve what you do. Sometimes this requires you to put the instruments down and do some foot work and research.
Rock out and enjoy the show but keep an eye on what's going on around you. This is a research trip as well as just having a good time. So watch the gig then afterwards you and your buddies can head to your local late night eatery and talk about what you guys saw.
What worked? What didn't?
1) Songs - Did they all sound the same or was the set diverse enough to keep you interested?
2) Practiced - Did they know the material or did they make a ton of mistakes? Better musicians make fewer obvious mistakes but you get my point.
3) Mix - Were the levels even? Can you hear everyone without straining to listen for a certain instrument? Is the lead guitarist twice as loud as the singer? Frequency separation plays a big part in this as well.
4) Crowd - Did the band interact with the crowd or stare at their feet? Did the band move around or just stand there?
5) Professionalism - Did the band thank the house/club/sound guy? Did they bad mouth the other bands before/during/after the show? How's the ego?
There's obviously a ton of stuff to talk about here, but I think you get what I'm trying to relay. Being a band is more than just 4 or 5 guys making noise in a garage. Yes it's supposed to be for fun, but I have to tell you being in a good band is a whole lot more fun than being in a band that never leaves the basement. As a band you have to work together to improve what you do. Sometimes this requires you to put the instruments down and do some foot work and research.
TAKE BABY STEPS! first get some songs down be it covers or original and practice like mad. I know first hand getting a ska band together is difficult when it comes to getting horns and having everyone show up to practice.
Baby steps never got my band anywhere. We went straight from a month or two of practice to our first show with 200 people. The most important advice I can give, is to get to know people. Before my band started doing shows, we made sure to buddy up with people in other bands. Personality counts for a lot more than talent. Anyone who says otherwise has never been a teenager in a band. Getting yourself on good lineups with other bands who bring fans who would be the most likely to enjoy your style of music is incredibly important. Plus you never know when one of the bands you buddy up with will hit it big.
Seriously? Be professional and GIG AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!!!
You CAN do bars (there're just rules)
and Play @ your school, parties, dances etc... those are the funnest gigs of all! Playing to your peers.
And if you can REALLY play and are REALLY professional, older musicians WILL respect you. And the ones who don't are EGO-FILLED... just put up with their feces and let them be.
