The bands I quit either turned out to be stagnant fancies of those having formed them who didn't do what needed to be done in order to get somewhere or the band were going in another musical direction to that I was envisaging. Those other musical directions usually didn't go anywhere either.
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Reasons to quit a band?
- Thread starter wayward220
- Start date
The bands I've quit over the past four years:
1. Not planning to gig for another few months while rehearsing twice a week... just took more time and effort than it was worth. The vocalist took a vacation and we didn't rehearse for two weeks, at which point I noticed how much more pleasant life is without that band taking up so much time for nothing.
2. The guitarists decided they don't want a female singer after all. They insisted on a guy and didn't find one for a month - good male vocalists are not common around here. This was really a case of fundamentally different priorities. I'll take a good female singer who works efficiently over the possibility of finding a mediocre guy some time in the future, but these guys were dedicated to a specific vision of the band and unwilling to change it. That was basically when I decided I'm no longer playing in any originals bands with male songwriters (aside from sub gigs).
3. A major lifestyle change eating into my free time meaning I had to ditch my most time-consuming band.
4. The medieval fiddle replica the band wanted me to play caused me pain in my left shoulder (which doesn't quite work right). I made a half-assed offer to stay in the band if I can play DB instead, but they didn't have any gigs lined up at that time anyway so I didn't try very hard to talk them into it. About a year and a half later they were gigging regularly and I ended up rejoining the band on DB.
5. Unrealistic dreams, no business sense when it comes to music (even though the bandleader was making a decent living as a business owner), and an inability to keep a complete lineup together.
6. The trumpet player quit and it became obvious that with him gone the pianist wasn't gonna stick around, either.
7. Too damn hard. I suck at memorizing music and trying to remember the specific arrangements for three hours of rock songs most of which I've never heard just proved to be overkill.
8,9,10. Moving across an ocean. Ended up reforming two of them on the other side later.
Pretty good variety, huh?
1. Not planning to gig for another few months while rehearsing twice a week... just took more time and effort than it was worth. The vocalist took a vacation and we didn't rehearse for two weeks, at which point I noticed how much more pleasant life is without that band taking up so much time for nothing.
2. The guitarists decided they don't want a female singer after all. They insisted on a guy and didn't find one for a month - good male vocalists are not common around here. This was really a case of fundamentally different priorities. I'll take a good female singer who works efficiently over the possibility of finding a mediocre guy some time in the future, but these guys were dedicated to a specific vision of the band and unwilling to change it. That was basically when I decided I'm no longer playing in any originals bands with male songwriters (aside from sub gigs).
3. A major lifestyle change eating into my free time meaning I had to ditch my most time-consuming band.
4. The medieval fiddle replica the band wanted me to play caused me pain in my left shoulder (which doesn't quite work right). I made a half-assed offer to stay in the band if I can play DB instead, but they didn't have any gigs lined up at that time anyway so I didn't try very hard to talk them into it. About a year and a half later they were gigging regularly and I ended up rejoining the band on DB.
5. Unrealistic dreams, no business sense when it comes to music (even though the bandleader was making a decent living as a business owner), and an inability to keep a complete lineup together.
6. The trumpet player quit and it became obvious that with him gone the pianist wasn't gonna stick around, either.
7. Too damn hard. I suck at memorizing music and trying to remember the specific arrangements for three hours of rock songs most of which I've never heard just proved to be overkill.
8,9,10. Moving across an ocean. Ended up reforming two of them on the other side later.
Pretty good variety, huh?
Inactivity have made me quit a few projects, but the only time I quit a gigging band was when we got a new drummer who didn't get along with the guitarist/vocalist at all.
They spent hours at practice fighting over the smallest things. After a month or two (we practiced 1-3 times a week) of playing 2-3 songs then fight for 1-2 hours, then go home, I finally had enough and quit. They were pretty pissed of at me for a while after for "breaking up the band", but we're all good friends now. In fact I'm now the sound tech for their new band. I produce their demos and run the live sound. Suits me fine because I can yell at them to carry the heavy equipment, and if they decide to have a band fight again, I can just stroll outside and light a cigarette.
They spent hours at practice fighting over the smallest things. After a month or two (we practiced 1-3 times a week) of playing 2-3 songs then fight for 1-2 hours, then go home, I finally had enough and quit. They were pretty pissed of at me for a while after for "breaking up the band", but we're all good friends now. In fact I'm now the sound tech for their new band. I produce their demos and run the live sound. Suits me fine because I can yell at them to carry the heavy equipment, and if they decide to have a band fight again, I can just stroll outside and light a cigarette.
I've been in some very good bands where everyone hates each other and I've been in some terrible bands where everyone is cool. That being said, my reasons for quitting were almost never related to the musical abilities of the band.
Reasons for quitting:
1. Not enough gigs
2. Band members getting too drunk and falling off the stage
3. Band members stopping in the middle of a song to yell at each other - in front of a packed house
4. Band leader hard to track down at the end of the night to get my money. THEN said band leader claims that he 'takes a percentage for income tax' (Yeah right).
Reasons for quitting:
1. Not enough gigs
2. Band members getting too drunk and falling off the stage
3. Band members stopping in the middle of a song to yell at each other - in front of a packed house
4. Band leader hard to track down at the end of the night to get my money. THEN said band leader claims that he 'takes a percentage for income tax' (Yeah right).
I have never quit a band, but I can think of 5 things that would make me quit without any further discussion.
1) Being physically or verbally assaulted by another band member. (Same would apply if the target was my wife or any other member of my family.)
2) Being called out/humiliated on stage by another band member or the band leader.
3) Having my gear or other personal property stolen by another band member.
4) Band auditioning a replacement for me behind my back.
5) Band leader shorting/stiffing me on pay.
I'm a pretty laid back guy and a lot of things don't bother me that much, but if I was in a band where any of these things happened to me, they would only happen to me once cause I'd be out of there after that.
1) Being physically or verbally assaulted by another band member. (Same would apply if the target was my wife or any other member of my family.)
2) Being called out/humiliated on stage by another band member or the band leader.
3) Having my gear or other personal property stolen by another band member.
4) Band auditioning a replacement for me behind my back.
5) Band leader shorting/stiffing me on pay.
I'm a pretty laid back guy and a lot of things don't bother me that much, but if I was in a band where any of these things happened to me, they would only happen to me once cause I'd be out of there after that.
Reason #1: too much drama
I brought that girl with a pretty voice to sing for us, first she dates (you know what I mean) the key guy, then the drummer, then the band is no more.
Reason #2: going nowhere
My first band: arguments about the band name, one good half of the time spent drinking, nobody knew their part, that included me, etc...
Reason #3: they suck
You're not progressing because the drummer is sloppy, the guitard plays whatever he wants even during covers, and overall you know these guys are keeping you behind. Yes, it happened to me.
Reason #4: substance abuse
I have never seen any hard drug being done, but too much beer is substance abuse in my book, especially when the guitarist ends up exposing himself (yes, happened to me, no, I was not the guitarist).
Reason #5: "artistic differences"
That is the funny excuse, but basically you can fit anything in that category, **EVEN** artistic differences. My first band started as a new wave act and we evolved into something heavier, and we lost a couple good men on the way
I brought that girl with a pretty voice to sing for us, first she dates (you know what I mean) the key guy, then the drummer, then the band is no more.
Reason #2: going nowhere
My first band: arguments about the band name, one good half of the time spent drinking, nobody knew their part, that included me, etc...
Reason #3: they suck
You're not progressing because the drummer is sloppy, the guitard plays whatever he wants even during covers, and overall you know these guys are keeping you behind. Yes, it happened to me.
Reason #4: substance abuse
I have never seen any hard drug being done, but too much beer is substance abuse in my book, especially when the guitarist ends up exposing himself (yes, happened to me, no, I was not the guitarist).
Reason #5: "artistic differences"
That is the funny excuse, but basically you can fit anything in that category, **EVEN** artistic differences. My first band started as a new wave act and we evolved into something heavier, and we lost a couple good men on the way
During a break at one of our jams she spent about ten minutes lecturing me on why I should drink soy milk...her theory was that acid rain damages the grass and the cows eat the grass, thus producing bad milk. But since cows don't eat soy beans, soy milk must be better for you.seriously...
Apparently the rain didn't fall on the soy beans though.
In my last band I was the sole songwriter. I left because both my image and the material I was writing was "too eighties". If that sounds a bit sensitive here is the back story:-
We had recorded and released one album (achieved a 3K rating in kerrang! magazine, played a few big festivals and were reguarly compared to GnR, Zep, Metallica etc, not bad comparisons eh!?). So after we played up and down the country (sadly not "toured" properly, f****n day job!)), new material was needed. As usual that fell to me. It went something like this:-
Singer: Right, album no.2, what have you got?
Me: Few ideas, first one goes...*plays riff*
Singer: That's far to 80's, what else?
*Plays more song ideas, which the rest of the band like and jam on straight away*
Singer: Nah, sounds too dated, what else you got? (As if i should just have songs on demand for the guy!)
And so on, until it came out that he basically just wanted us to be his backing band and only sang like he did because "I made him". Given I write a lot of material, but it was never "my" band, the way things were arose from everyone getting used to having songs written by me and then not being bothered to write anything as "shaun will have something". So i'm now the bad guy for being the only one to ever write anything?
Last straw was being asked to tone down my image for looking "too rock 'n' roll". I specifically wasn't allowed to wear my super mario t-shirt for some reason!? ***!!
Long post I know but hopefully it amused some of you!!!
We had recorded and released one album (achieved a 3K rating in kerrang! magazine, played a few big festivals and were reguarly compared to GnR, Zep, Metallica etc, not bad comparisons eh!?). So after we played up and down the country (sadly not "toured" properly, f****n day job!)), new material was needed. As usual that fell to me. It went something like this:-
Singer: Right, album no.2, what have you got?
Me: Few ideas, first one goes...*plays riff*
Singer: That's far to 80's, what else?
*Plays more song ideas, which the rest of the band like and jam on straight away*
Singer: Nah, sounds too dated, what else you got? (As if i should just have songs on demand for the guy!)
And so on, until it came out that he basically just wanted us to be his backing band and only sang like he did because "I made him". Given I write a lot of material, but it was never "my" band, the way things were arose from everyone getting used to having songs written by me and then not being bothered to write anything as "shaun will have something". So i'm now the bad guy for being the only one to ever write anything?
Last straw was being asked to tone down my image for looking "too rock 'n' roll". I specifically wasn't allowed to wear my super mario t-shirt for some reason!? ***!!
Long post I know but hopefully it amused some of you!!!
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Dang I smoke, but I never smoke during rehearsal unless someone else is taking a break to change a string or something.
Apparently the rain didn't fall on the soy beans though.
Nope. Soybeans are immune to rain.
/Baseless Vegetarian Counterfact
Holy cow... guess I know where all their gig money was going. Cigarettes are mighty expensive these days.
- Aug 5, 2005
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I quit when the communication breaks down. I spent weeks learning some bands songs from there three albums worth of material. I was told to learn 10 songs and when I showed up the guitarist only played a few and wanted to jam to the songs I did not even listen to yet. I can't deal with people that are late or lazy so a huge percentage of musicians won't be playing with me.
For me, no matter what, it all boils down to one reason—when the experience ceases to be a positive one and the cons outweigh the pros, and it looks unlikely that it will change for the better.
There are enjoyable things and annoying things about any activity. For me to continue with an activity, I just need the benefits to outweigh the drawbacks. It doesn't have to be any particular issue one way or the other. Some things more than make up for other things.
There are enjoyable things and annoying things about any activity. For me to continue with an activity, I just need the benefits to outweigh the drawbacks. It doesn't have to be any particular issue one way or the other. Some things more than make up for other things.
Yeah! But was she HOT?...During a break at one of our jams she spent about ten minutes lecturing me on why I should drink soy milk...her theory was that acid rain damages the grass and the cows eat the grass, thus producing bad milk. But since cows don't eat soy beans, soy milk must be better for you.
That's the real question!
