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How Should You Be In Between Bands

#21
craig.p said:
Man, who the heck wants to be in lots of bands.
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Someone who likes playing music so much they don't just want to play some narrow range of styles?

I'm in, uh, I think four bands right now. I'm not good musically, particularly dedicated or ambitious (not about music, anyway, I am ambitious about my day job), and I'm certainly not open-minded. I am good at time management and I really am happy to play stuff that I'd never ever want to listen to. As long as there are gigs, I don't have to do any writing and I don't have to play too many notes, I'm in.
 
#22
Until I find the right fit. I won't play music I want to play with people I don't want to be around, nor will I play music I'm not excited about if I like the people. When I find and group that I enjoy the musical direction, and like the people, I'll be happy. I've gone years at times, and days at others.
 
#23
pklima said:
Someone who likes playing music so much they don't just want to play some narrow range of styles?

I'm in, uh, I think four bands right now. I'm not good musically, particularly dedicated or ambitious (not about music, anyway, I am ambitious about my day job), and I'm certainly not open-minded. I am good at time management and I really am happy to play stuff that I'd never ever want to listen to. As long as there are gigs, I don't have to do any writing and I don't have to play too many notes, I'm in.
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I think it depends on age, where your at in life, how much time you have and how organized you are

I could never manage being in more than one band and I question how productive 4 bands could be. They all can't be heavily booked or there would be serious conflicts.
 
#24
Frank Tuesday said:
Until I find the right fit. I won't play music I want to play with people I don't want to be around, nor will I play music I'm not excited about if I like the people. When I find and group that I enjoy the musical direction, and like the people, I'll be happy. I've gone years at times, and days at others.
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I question how anyone can be truely interested in playing out if your willing to wait years for a gig

Being away from giging for 2 months drove me nuts.
 
#25
craig.p said:
Nothing inherently wrong with that. The more-selective you are, though, the fewer your options, and the longer between them when it's all averaged out.

No argument there. It's been 13 months for me, solely by my own choice. I've turned down over a dozen solid offers in that time.

No argument there, either, and I'm 100% sympathetic to their point of view.

I'll wait however long it takes. No, flexibility is not a must, as long as one realizes there's a price to pay for lack of it.
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I am still a little shocked of how limited my ex band mates are. We all left the last band because of the lack of bookings.

They all talked about how much they wanted to play out.

Well if you really want to play out, you have to compromise and understand that it's not all about you and what you want to play

I truely love live performance, I compromised. I am playing a genre that's not at the top of my list, but I will take it as a learning experience and the musicianship is not at the level I am use to.

At the end of the day, I will be back on stage as of 11/26 while the others will be playing Madison Square Bedroom.

In their defence there hasn't been much they could audition for.
 
#26
bluewine said:
I question how anyone can be truely interested in playing out if your willing to wait years for a gig

Being away from giging for 2 months drove me nuts.
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I get the same way when Im not in a band.... just itching to play out. The longest its ever been for me in 10 years was a 2 month break that kinda brought me down. Even still, I can see not wanting to get on stage with a group that has no talent or poor direction. I can understand wanting to play with the right people.

For me, though, Im very open musically as far as what Im into. So long as I found something where I liked the people, and I was having fun, Im ready to play. Thats 2/3 of the trifecta right there - hang factor (cool people), fun music (good times), now I just need the pay!!!
 
#27
MatticusMania said:
I get the same way when Im not in a band.... just itching to play out. The longest its ever been for me in 10 years was a 2 month break that kinda brought me down. Even still, I can see not wanting to get on stage with a group that has no talent or poor direction. I can understand wanting to play with the right people.

For me, though, Im very open musically as far as what Im into. So long as I found something where I liked the people, and I was having fun, Im ready to play. Thats 2/3 of the trifecta right there - hang factor (cool people), fun music (good times), now I just need the pay!!!
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I agree, I have worked with un-cool people in the past and it's not fun.
 
#28
bluewine said:
There are cover bands and there are cover bands.

There are very few clasic rock cover bands that have the resources to accurately replicate those recordings. Those that can, I am in awe of.

I think you have to be just as creative and talented to pull off class A covers as you would creating and playing originals.

But that's just me.
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I think pulling off great covers is much harder than playing material you yourself wrote.

You have to cover someone else's groove, and if you're doing it right, many different grooves over the course of the night.
 
#29
Frank Tuesday said:
Until I find the right fit. I won't play music I want to play with people I don't want to be around, nor will I play music I'm not excited about if I like the people. When I find and group that I enjoy the musical direction, and like the people, I'll be happy. I've gone years at times, and days at others.
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For me that would not work. Your probably an insider with work coming to you.

I'm an outsider who has to audition. I don't want to have to tell a prospective band :

"Last time I played out with a band was 2 years ago."
 
#31
I know your dilemma too well. I have been in many bands, sometimes all at the same time and other times just one (<- As is my current situation). In my opinion you're doing the right thing by accepting the position in the blues group. First, I believe that you can only improve by being open-minded. Second, though you may not necessarily enjoy blues the most, other people who like pop/punk might enjoy it more. You never know if someone in a pop/punk group looking for a bass player will attend one of your gigs. You may get an offer, and if not directly, then from someone who knows someone who knows someone. If there's anything I'm learning as I find myself entering the realm of professional musicianship, it's that networking is the key to your success and future friendships, and can determine whether or not you will pay the rent.
 
#32
I agree about cover tunes being more difficult from the performance aspect, to a degree.

Anyhow, I'm not a 'working' musician so I don't really worry about it when I'm between bands. I took six months or so to put my bass down about seven years ago. I just wasn't really into it anymore after the last band I was in so I walked away from it for a while. When I was ready to jump back in, I did. I've been in the same band since and started another band a little less than year ago. They scratch two distinct musical itches for me and so far as I've been able to balance the demands of a full-time job with them.

If I'm ever ready to take a break again, I'll gracefully bow out and play until they have replacements for me.
 
#33
I'm in four bands currently. You're right Blue, it would be impossible if all four were booking like gang-busters, but since that's not the case it does keep me playing out. Two bands are mostly original, one is mostly covers with about 8 original songs (but really strong originals), and the last is entirely covers- Grateful Dead songs, to be exact. It plays the least, but gets the best bookings when it plays and makes me the most money per gig by a factor of 2.

The last time I was between bands I volunteered to play in two different musicals- a local community production of The Wiz and a high-school production of Grease. Those were some great experiences, and good networking too.
 
#34
HolmeBass said:
I'm in four bands currently. You're right Blue, it would be impossible if all four were booking like gang-busters, but since that's not the case it does keep me playing out. Two bands are mostly original, one is mostly covers with about 8 original songs (but really strong originals), and the last is entirely covers- Grateful Dead songs, to be exact. It plays the least, but gets the best bookings when it plays and makes me the most money per gig by a factor of 2.

The last time I was between bands I volunteered to play in two different musicals- a local community production of The Wiz and a high-school production of Grease. Those were some great experiences, and good networking too.
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Interesting. I have done some stage band work, and now that you mention it, I could see doing that while being in another band.
 
#36
I prefer to not be out of a band for long. My motivation & skills suffer, and I'm generally unhappy.

When I left the Blues band I was with for 5 years, I found a couple of other projects. One at a time over the next year, and each fell apart for different reasons. But I finally hooked up with a good cover band a few months back. They don't work as much as I would like, but the gigs are good paying gigs, and they're great/fun people to work with. So sometimes ya just gotta kiss a few frogs... So to speak.
 
#37
SilverCometBP said:
I know your dilemma too well. I have been in many bands, sometimes all at the same time and other times just one (<- As is my current situation). In my opinion you're doing the right thing by accepting the position in the blues group. First, I believe that you can only improve by being open-minded. Second, though you may not necessarily enjoy blues the most, other people who like pop/punk might enjoy it more. You never know if someone in a pop/punk group looking for a bass player will attend one of your gigs. You may get an offer, and if not directly, then from someone who knows someone who knows someone. If there's anything I'm learning as I find myself entering the realm of professional musicianship, it's that networking is the key to your success and future friendships, and can determine whether or not you will pay the rent.
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Good stuff, one thing is in Milwaukee there are many well respected veterans that have been around for years that are in well established blues bands that I do want to network with.
 
#38
tharv said:
I prefer to not be out of a band for long. My motivation & skills suffer, and I'm generally unhappy.

When I left the Blues band I was with for 5 years, I found a couple of other projects. One at a time over the next year, and each fell apart for different reasons. But I finally hooked up with a good cover band a few months back. They don't work as much as I would like, but the gigs are good paying gigs, and they're great/fun people to work with. So sometimes ya just gotta kiss a few frogs... So to speak.
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Yeah, While I don't like not being in a band, being in the wrong band is not good at all.

I can sort of tell if a band has the potential to fall apart, but I have been fooled before.

Anyway your cover gig sounds cool, don't take it for granted that you work with good people because there are some sleezos out there.
 
#39
How am I when in between bands? Miserable! :D

(And sometimes miserable when IN a band!)

I dont get the "I'll take a break from gigging/playing" or "I can wait for the perfect opportunity."

Different strokes, but playing live with other people is very important to me, and I'll "do it" with just about anybody. :p
 
#40
ChrisB2 said:
How am I when in between bands? Miserable! :D

(And sometimes miserable when IN a band!)

I dont get the "I'll take a break from gigging/playing" or "I can wait for the perfect opportunity."
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I think it's because playing out gets to some of us more than others. I am in your camp, I don't get it.

If your waiting for the perfect band it means playing out really isn't that important to you.Being in the perfect band ( which doesn't exist ) is.
 

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