Time for a little wine...

[Cap'n Redbeard]

OK. I need to wine/complain/vent for a little while:
I'm in my mid 30's and started playing bass at around 12 or 13 years old. I live in a small town on the Wisconsin/Northern Michigan border. Growing up here, there was a huge music scene for such a small town. There were always plenty of options when it came to seeing a live band, cover tunes or originals. I've worked hard and made plenty of connections in the local scene but have yet to join or maintain a band long enough to play a real show. I have lots of friends that come over to play but none of them are motivated enough to make a real go of it.
After years of frustration I gave up and moved to a bigger town, picked up an acoustic guitar and tried a solo act for about 4-5 years, rarely taking my bass out of the case. However, because there were so many people doing the "dude with an acoustic" thing, most of whom much better than I, my act never really took off.
So, I got married, focused on my day job and eventually we moved back to my hometown. I hooked up with some old buddies and started playing bass again. Mostly just Friday night jam sessions with many a beer and shots o whisky. Now, for the last few years that desire to do something more than basement jam and recording sessions has come back. I've posted ads, networked, made contacts, many phone calls and invites made. Nothing. Back to where I started.
I've made myself flexible and available, always saying "yes" to those "hey, wanna jam" last minute invites. Nothing. I started thinking it was me. Like maybe I'm a much worse musician than I think I am. So, I had a heart to heart with my best friend and (very experienced) guitar player and told him to be brutally honest about my talent and personality. He told me I was one of the best bass players he's worked with. He said I'm easy to get along with and always seem open to new ideas.
So, what's the problem? He says it the locals. The established music community is so tight knit its hard to bust into. Most of the bands in the area share a drummer or a bassist with another band. Which is apparently why we've seen a shift towards more solo acts and dj's. Starting a new band without a well known musician involved is next to impossible.
So, I'm bummed, frustrated and feeling pissy. I've got thousands of dollars in equipment sitting in my jam room that will most likely never play a note outside of these walls.
I've thought about joining a band from further away but the idea of getting off work, loading 300lbs of equipment into my truck by myself, traveling 100 miles just to rehearse for a few hours... No thanks.
I'm about ready to call it a day and move on to other hobbies.
Ugh! Well, I vented. I feel a little better. Sorry about that.

 

[hrodbert696]

Well, sorry to hear that situation. I don't think you're the only one. I hear a lot of people around TB frustrated about finding a good band. And sometimes when I go out and hear a band, the successful ones are often older guys that have been playing together forever - not a lot of turnover. For instance, I just heard a group last night, first I ever heard of them, but they welcomed their new bass player who was the first new member in 19 years. Dude was playing a Samick PJ bass through a Behringer amp, too - so much for people obsessing over "pro gear."

Are there open mics and blues jams and such around you? I would start frequenting them. Sign up and sit in with people. That may lead to some of the established people finding out who you are and eventually when they do need someone, you get called.

Last thought - 300 lbs of gear? It's the 21st century. You can get a decent combo amp that will weigh 35 lbs and be fine for band practice.

 

[Cap'n Redbeard]

Well, maybe not quite 300#. About 85 for the head, 110 for the cab plus basses, cases, pedalboard, etc... Pretty close, though. I have toyed with the idea of a small combo and if a band recruits me I'll probably pick one up for rehearsals.
There is an open mic night every Sunday actually and my guitar player usually goes every week. In my experience, its more of the same. The regulars have formed their own click and tend to monopolize the stage. It's still fun to go hear them play though. Great musicians.

 

[fhm555]

Maybe try showing up with a combo a bass and a cord? A lot of people get intimidated by a bass player with a stack and pedal board at an open jam.

 

[Cap'n Redbeard]

At the open jam, I usually just bring a bass if anything. The back line is already set up. I tend to think the equipment I use is not really the problem. It's just small town people wanting to stick to the same old same old. My friend (guitar) and I are actually auditioning a singer and possibly a drummer this week. They're both in the same boat I am so hopefully it will be a good fit.

 

[theduke1]

Hey dude
I know just how you feel.
I live in Northeast Wisconsin and around here we have a two tiered seen. I've never been able to Crack the upper level despite being told by upper tier players how good I am.
But I have always been able to play out enough.
Last year I hooked up with two players who are in that next level and things are going well.
What I mean by next level is not so much talent difference, but conectoins wise.
I do play at my church which also as opened some new doors.
Hang in there man something will come up.
BTW
I'm almost 64 and still rockin
Duke

 

[Cap'n Redbeard]

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll keep my nose to the grindstone. Something will turn up eventually, I hope. Just needed to vent a little

 

[static0verdrive]

Jeez another one of those "I'd better double-check I didn't post this myself" threads. Right down to the beer'n'whiskey my friend. I have the whole setup, from drums to amps & PA... Friends who all play (some very well) but none who give a damn to play more than a half-hour every other month. When we click, we really click, and I catch a glimpse of their excitement nearing my own levels, and then as quickly as it appeared it's gone, and I'm left to jam with myself again. Don't give up - when someone finally finds you, they'll feel really lucky.

 

[MGR]

It's not just the OP and it's not just the OP's location. This is happening all over the US I think. It's just a simple matter of societal trends converging to make for a bad time for musicians. I propose it's for the following reasons:

1) No one gives a crap about music anymore. And certainly not the youth, at least in the numbers when I was a kid (70's and 80's).

2) Too many other distractions both in the young and older people. Between skyrocketing cost of living and stagnation level wages, people simply don't have the free time they once had.

3) Concomitant with #2, the free time people do have nowadays is often spent decompressing from the realities of life, but this decompression often takes the form of TV watching, drug and alcohol binges, or inordinate use of social media.

4) The rise of social media and the internet has also brought about the rise in people disconnecting from eachother in the real world. Try making a new friend as an adult nowadays and tell me how it goes.

5) With the disconnectedness comes also a shrunken attention span.

Add in the absolute record use of pharmaceuticals to cover up the symptoms of a GMO based grain diet, along with toxic metals being sprayed in the air and water and you have yourself a recipe for society going insane. Much like the lead in the pipes was one of the reasons the Roman empire fell. This is happening in all facets of our social lives, with music being just one part. It's not getting better anytime soon.

While I'm sure anyone can discount my post with a few localized exceptions, I truly believe that we are coming apart as a society and that the system's got us so fractured along all sorts of lines that even music, which once brought people together, is seen as a useless relic of another age. We as musicians are bearing the brunt of this.

Basically, get used to strumming a banjo on the front porch for your family because that's where this is all going.

 

[Metalbasspro]

Sounds like my area. I think the problem is X box and the internet.

 

[DwaynieAD]

watch out for wine, it causes phil anselmo to say racist things.

 

[whatizitman]

It's not just the OP and it's not just the OP's location. This is happening all over the US I think. It's just a simple matter of societal trends converging to make for a bad time for musicians. I propose it's for the following reasons:

1) No one gives a crap about music anymore. And certainly not the youth, at least in the numbers when I was a kid (70's and 80's).

2) Too many other distractions both in the young and older people. Between skyrocketing cost of living and stagnation level wages, people simply don't have the free time they once had.

3) Concomitant with #2, the free time people do have nowadays is often spent decompressing from the realities of life, but this decompression often takes the form of TV watching, drug and alcohol binges, or inordinate use of social media.

4) The rise of social media and the internet has also brought about the rise in people disconnecting from eachother in the real world. Try making a new friend as an adult nowadays and tell me how it goes.

5) With the disconnectedness comes also a shrunken attention span.

Add in the absolute record use of pharmaceuticals to cover up the symptoms of a GMO based grain diet, along with toxic metals being sprayed in the air and water and you have yourself a recipe for society going insane. Much like the lead in the pipes was one of the reasons the Roman empire fell. This is happening in all facets of our social lives, with music being just one part. It's not getting better anytime soon.

While I'm sure anyone can discount my post with a few localized exceptions, I truly believe that we are coming apart as a society and that the system's got us so fractured along all sorts of lines that even music, which once brought people together, is seen as a useless relic of another age. We as musicians are bearing the brunt of this.

Basically, get used to strumming a banjo on the front porch for your family because that's where this is all going.

OK, you might be a little on the alarmist side. But I definitely agree that times and trends have changed. Younger generations are not into live music as they once were. They are into the full immersion experience (multimedia, 3D/gaming, etc...). Music is just not as central to their lives as it was for us older folks. My kids play instruments, but it seems like they could take it or leave it. They listen to whatever they come across, and definitely have favs. But they just don't get gaga over it like I did when I was their age. Music was everything to me as a teenager. Youtube/games/animation/anime is everything to them. It just so happens that all of those media have music associated with it. Just not central.

It's a brave new world. And I'm not exactly sure how to make sense of it all, either. I do think it's more of a live music issue, though. Not a music issue, per se. Getting folks to commit to a live project as we all are used to is just going to get harder. But maybe there are other options.

 

[ImNotJoel]

Sorry op if it's any consolation you're preaching to the choir. In my area it's similar I say open mics hurt the scene, people lean towards DJs now and musicians who have a niche don't give it up. I am just trying to find other songwriters to collaborate with but all I can find is cover band and metal bands of young kids who want to be rock stars. Nothing wrong with either it's just sadly a dying scene and art. Beside CL it's hard to find other ways band mix I feel may not be better.