Mistakes bands make......

Never hire a lead guitar player that is also lead vocalist. Too much ego for one band trust me.

 

Not having a business plan in place before they start making money is the biggest mistake I've seen bands make and it ends up being the death of the band fighting over money issues. Set up an even split of all proceeds and a "band split" to save for new PA equipment, recording time, merchandise, etc... Agree to it before the first gig. Write it down and have everyone sign it. Agree to how much a person will get if they leave the band too.

 

Hi.

Number one in my book by far.

Piss off the sound guy/girl before or during the gig.

Sadly happens in every level.

Just my 0.02€
Sam

 

Not starting a mailing list at the first gig...well, maybe not the biggest mistake but one that could cost you money and gigs down the road. Especially for a cover band. Getting a good turn-out is critical to getting good gigs and making money. I've seen a bunch of average bands that get the really good gigs around here just because they get a great crowd to come out and see them. More people = more money for the bar owner.

I would think this would also apply to original acts as well. If you have a large fan base you would be more attractive to labels, bars, etc.

 

Never ever "Go In" on community equipment. If you need a monitor amp, someone should go buy it.

 

Hiring an inferior player because they have a P.A, Bus etc.

 

Trying to cover songs by "Prince".....proceed with caution. There are certain artists' you just don't attempt..the audience WILL let you know. Alcohol does not help either..

 

Not planning gigs properly, and then doing everything at the last minute.
Really, make sure everything from your setlist to the transport on the day of the gig is sorted (and accomodation if needed). Then if something goes wrong you have time to sort it out.
I've seen this happen. One of my uni's many bands was asked to do stuff for a Christian Union event that was taking place, and they left everything until a fortnight till the event, then ended up doing something completely inferior and smaller-scale than what they had planned. Mostly because they had not ordered equipment they needed well in advance, talked with the CU about the stage and the songs to be played, and also hadn't practiced well enough (they'd never played worship music before). Shame cause they're normally quite good on stage.

 

Uhhhh.......


Fortnight?? ***? Could you translate for us non English English speakers??

 

not treating it seriously. i'm all about fun - but if someone's paying me i want to put on a good show no matter what.

 

Fortnight- two weeks.

 

Ahhhh.... Thanks! I may just start using that now.

 

ThumbyAche: Trying to cover songs by "Prince".....proceed with caution. There are certain artists' you just don't attempt..the audience WILL let you know.

We've gotten a great response to our version of I Would Die 4 U - we have a recording on our website: http://whor.net/_wsn/page5.html

 

related: too loud on stage.
Too many players at every level have zero sense concerning their own 'loudness'.

 

Yah, that is good then because I have seen this go bad many time both in/outside my band..

 

To me a killer mistake is TALKING to much or TAKING too much time between songs ie: tuning, band discussions, telling stories to the crowd, etc.. That can be SOOOOO bad.

 

+1

It is so easy to lose set momentum by "chatting" with the crowd, especially with the usual crap:
"Don't forget your bartenders and waitresses - they're working hard for you.";
"Are you ready to rock n' roll?";
"C'mon people, get up and dance!";
blah, blah, blah...

 

The worst is where there isn't a story or joke to the dead time. I was working at a show about a week ago where two bands were having a ton of technical difficulties with their own equipment. Whenever a laptop crapped out or a string broke, they didn't have a joke, a story, or a solo peice by a band member.