Jamming after a *long* hiatus

[IndyBass]

I got to jam last night with some folks at a rehearsal studio in town. My last band dissolved over three years ago, and aside from a couple of small recording projects, I've been pretty dormant musically since then.

I've played with the drummer and guitar player before (they're great), and the singer was someone that my last band auditioned before we broke up. We all had a lot of rust, and the singer wasn't that familiar with the songs, and my shoulder is a bit sore today, BUT...

It was SO MUCH FUN! I've missed playing music with other folks so much, but it really hit home last night when the tunes kicked in and I got to look other musicians in the eye and *connect* again. Man o man, what a blast.

I don't know if this loose collaboration will turn into a band someday. And I have two small children now, so I can't put the same kind of time into music that I have in the past. But it's great to feel like a "bass player" again, rather than just a guy who owns a bass.

I'll also say that the TB community has done a lot to help stoke the fire. I found TB when we first starting talking about getting a jam together, and reading all the great posts here have really gotten me excited about basses, gear and performance again. Thanks to you all.

IndyBass

 

[daofktr]

way cool, indy!
i was bandless for a while, too...don't it SUCK!?
there is nothing like playing with other musicians...it occasionally beats sex.

 

[jbennardo]

I was out of the game for nearly 9 years! A friend of mine asked me to jam with his church band to give the other bass player some nights off. That gig didn't work out but it got the wheels turning and I started cruising the want ads. I was in a band within two weeks and have been playing for nearly a year now.

I too can understand that connection you feel when YOU'RE playing the music and not just playing along with the radio. I, like you, was a guy who owned a bass NOT a bass player. It's good to be back.

I'm approaching the whole scene from new perspective. I used to wonder how the "older" guys got all the gigs when I was a teenager and now I get it. There are tons of young acts that work, don't get me wrong. I just think that clubs trust older guys sometimes. I NEVER worked this much as a younger act. It's great!

 

[FriscoBassAce]

As someone who recently woke up from a very long musical slumber, I definitely understand what you're saying. This past April, after putting it off for years, I auditioned for a band. Fast forward to earlier tonight: we had our best practice ever, everyone in the band is pumped up, and we have our first gig scheduled in three weeks. It is a great feeling my friend. Keep on rockin!


Wayne
aka FriscoBassAce

 

[IndyBass]

Yeah, the other thing that made the jam very nostalgic was that the rehearsal space was the same place that my last band used to rehearse. Lots of memories floating around there!

Great to read the similar stories. Like I mentioned, I have a different family situation now than I did for the decade of gigging I did with various bands before the break. The family is definitely my #1 priority, but everyone has hobbies, and I couldn't find a reason why music couldn't continue to be one of mine.

Sometimes I fear that it might be hard to find other musicians who are happy to do the "part time" thing. There's a great web site in our area for finding other musicians, but most of the posts I see there are folks looking to "make it" or "be serious" or whatever (no disrespect to those folks, of course).

Have any other part-timers out there had a hard time finding like-minded musicians to play with?

IndyBass

 

[sb69coupe]

IndyBass, I took a much longer hiatus than you. I was playing regularly back in my college days, but set the bass aside for 15 years until I picked it up last year. There are a couple guys who live nearby who wanted to get together and jam. They are in the same boat as me, juggling stressful jobs, kids, family, etc. We all realized that we love music and that it's indeed viable to play music as a hobby.

We ended up finding a drummer who lives just across the street from our lead guitarist. He was in the same boat as us, put the drums away after his first kid was born. He too found that playing music and connecting with other players is a very gratifying hobby. We've formed a great friendship between the 4 of us during the past year that we've been together. We just played our first gig and are really looking forward to playing out more in the future.

 

[IndyBass]

Hey sb69, I saw your "first bar gig" post and checked out your band's web site before you posted to this thread. Looks like you've got a good thing going there! Keep it up!

It's great that you were able to put something together the way you did (avoiding a series of cold auditions and such). You're very fortunate. I'm sure you'll find that the friendship will serve as an underpinning that will keep you guys playing for a long time.

IndyBass

 

[bassontherun]

After 10 years out of music, I picked it back up and loved it! After 2 years with a particular band it was time to move on. Rejoined them with a revamped lineup 2 years later and couldn't be happier with the newly improved chemistry. Sometimes absence DOES make the heart grow fonder.

+1 on doing it better as an older fella. I, and the musicians I work with, are MUCH better at our craft in our late 30's than we were in out teens and early 20's. Better material (hard rock/metal originals-- harder and heavier now!), better gear, better gigs, better attitudes.......

 

[skarabrae]

I took off for 10 years ... have a family, house, ect.

I was a keyboard player in bands for 15 years. Actually I was a "bass player" in a keyboardists body. Bass was always my first love, but we always found bass players, and I found it easier to get gigs as a keyboards player.

Four years ago I bought a 5 string bass, and have not looked back. I still mess around with keys, mostly as a writing tool, but I'm a BASS PLAYER now. I just started to jam with a guitarist my age ... it might become a band. We are working on covers, and writing originals, and have a drummer on the wing right now. I've met other players though my search, we just didn't "click" as a band. I had done some jams with others in the past year, and when they found out I was a ex-keyboardist, asked me to play keys, and they wanted to find a bass player with more than a few years playing experience.(forgetting I understand music, and play the mandolin for fun ... for 25+ years)
I said no ... I'm a bassist. Now I am in the situation I'd ALWAYS wanted, but was afraid to chance (not being in a band).

Bass is my hobby, and after my wife and new son, it is my passion.
My wife is happy that I'm happy, and the future is wide open. The guitarist I'm working with is in the same boat ... family, house ect.

The BEST part ... now I can afford the gear I used to only dream of.
And my new freinds all have there own cars, and watches.