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Were You Ever In A Band That Imploded?

what is your opinion on bands that implode vs bands that last?

  • Bands that have a true spark can go on forever without sacrificing creativity

    Votes: 7 7.1%

  • I like when bands go out in a blaze while still in their prime; its poetry

    Votes: 3 3.1%

  • Too many bands have broken up before reaching their true potential

    Votes: 14 14.3%

  • all bands have an expiration date. the key is to know when to end it

    Votes: 39 39.8%

  • Sometimes having band members that hate eachother creates a weird tension that's great for the music

    Votes: 9 9.2%

  • Having been in a doomed band, I'm happy it broke up. It was awful

    Votes: 26 26.5%
  • Total voters
    98
  • Poll closed .
#22
Well, I have a band that's on a complete hiatus for now, and has been since I got recruited. We started off as a band with two guitarists, a singer, a drummer, and me, the bassist. We couldn't get ahold of the pothead drummer because he was always stoned. So, a few weeks go by with no band practice. Me and the main guitarist are good friends, so we dropped the drummer. We are now searching for a vocalist, second guitarist, and drummer. Imploded because we kicked the drummer out. Everyone else quit because of the drummer.
 
#24
Yup, the recording process. Great synergy, great chemistry and great songs... but lots of obsessions with perfect details, all of us. But sorry as hell it imploded. Haven't talked to the drummer in six months, guitarists have both left the country, which is a unique situation for expatriate groups here in Seoul. Got a late 60's Electro-Harmonix LPB for the drummer to bury the hatchet. We'll see if it works. Still, the album's ace. Just no one will ever hear it. But everyone paid their fair share, which seems to be a blessing.
@ Link Removed
 
#25
I've mentioned this before in other threads but there are three things that keep a band together:

1. Great music

2. Great money

3. Great people to hang with

If you have any two of the three the band can continue indefinitely.

If you have only one (or none) of the three, the band is doomed.

If you have all three, God has blessed you.

I've been in many imploded bands and it's always those three things as the root causes.
 
#26
I have quit bands that probably imploded at some point. Though, I always quit within the first couple months. Lackluster musicianship of at least one member was always primary reason.

I've been in a couple bands that dissolved due to band member(s) moving away for school or job reasons. I'm not sure if those count as 'imploding'. One of these bands recorded a whole and the group probably would have imploded if it hadn't dissolved by the time the mixing and mastering was finished. The singer was AWFUL and off-key. He was sometimes good playing live, but very inconsistent.

My current band is sort of in limbo since of the guitarists quit because his girlfriend is giving him lots of grief for rehearsing once a week and practicing at home instead paying more attention to her. He's more upset about his quitting than I am as he wants to have both the relationship and the musicianship. I always chose musicianship myself having split from a couple girlfriends over the music time consumption issue, but I guess he's p**** whipped too much. It seems easier to find a new girlfriend than to build a new band in my experience...the search for either of these is typically difficult and time consuming. Will we implode as a band? Well, having only one guitar player knock out about half the songs and simplifies the other half of the songs. We hadn't yet settled on a permanent drummer either so that only leaves two of us for the moment...one guitar, one bass...both do vocals. I suppose this group did implode at least in the current form but it will likely re-group and re-form... SIGH

I'm not sure how to respond to the poll. All of the choices are true to an extent at least in some circumstances.
 
#31
This an interesting thread...

I may have had a full life of music, an unusual history to all this, but it took until now to find the right mix.

At 53, I have been in music since I was taking piano lessons at 4 and seen a lot of bad and good. From middle and high school choirs, the proverbial high school band, the proverbial college band, church worship band, etc. Just about all I have been exposed to was good, for the exception of the middle school experience! What a joker that director guy was! But fast forward to the worship band. Great start, piqued within 5 years then went down hill because the guitar was not happy with the sound system! What?! Is that why we're here? Hmmm... It imploded within 5 more years. Sad.

My current classic rock cover band has been through its incarnations as well. They have dealt with egos, scheduling, money, etc., just like ya'll have posted. I joined 18 months ago because the bassist just simply was an ass. Then last March, just as we began to really gel, we lost our drummer to a perforated ear drum - he played too loud. Too bad, he was very good! He even gave Deen Castronovo lessons when Deen was a youngster. But now we are clicking with our new drummer. Though we are not the expert musicians we'd all like to be, but our bottom line is to have fun. We all have families, children, day jobs and lives outside the band. We know it won't last forever, but we're going to ride this out for every ounce of fun out of it before the wave fizzles. We’re staying very busy and having a blast!
 
#32
I joined a band once with a guy who i'd played with in a Christian band (a singer)...this new band wasn't going to be a christian band...so i go to the first practice we jam and me the drummer and guitarist have a pretty good groove goin' and my friedn at the end of practice informs us it is going to be a christian band....and pretty much everyone quit right there...

I also joined a Metal Band that was pretty good (for south east indiana) guys had the bands name tatooed on them and everything...we did one gig and they broke up..
 
#33
More then I would like to admit. Basically it came down to outside factors becoming more important then playing in a group. Most of the people still play their instrument. But for fun. Being in a band can be very stressful at times, and some would rather be playing tennis or video games. The bands that do make it, are formed with people that would rather play on stage too 2 people then take their girlfriend to dinner, or enter a beer pong tournament. Dates with girlfriends and bar leagues can break up a band as much as inner conflict.
 
#34
Great originals, great arrangements, great vocals, great musicianship, great shows, and great music chemistry. And a killer, well produced album. What killed it? Two things, and take note:

1- the singer / writer / keys player had this thing called the Peter Principle (aka self saboteur)- every time we would get close to breaking through into the "big time" he'd do something to mess it up. Totally amazing to watch in action, some of the stuff he'd come up with.

2- said Self sab. (male) had a thing going with the second keys player (female) - big alarms-- they usually got along great and created some good music together, but, make that BUT, the singer had a problem with writing lyrics about his relationship. Great songs, but it really PO'd the girl, and I don't blame her. Then end of the band came when the guy got a call from his long ago ex GF who needed her car rescued. He went over there, worked late to fix it, and crashed on her couch. Meanwhile Girl keys player wanted to come over to guy's house (read: sex), and tried to call him several times, extending to after midnight. When she didn't get a call back, she drove over to his house. Not seeing his car there, she drove past his ex's apt. and saw his car there. Turns out girl keys player was the insanely jealous type. Guy had a day job - next AM, she shows up at his job with a king size coffee, and throws it on him. And quits the band. I got stuck trying to get her to change her mind (do NOT EVER get put in this position of mediating) but she was still enraged, and she left town in a huff. This threw the guy into a tailspin, and the band fell apart.

C'est la musique
 
#35
Warwick008 said:
Well, I have a band that's on a complete hiatus for now, and has been since I got recruited. We started off as a band with two guitarists, a singer, a drummer, and me, the bassist. We couldn't get ahold of the pothead drummer because he was always stoned. So, a few weeks go by with no band practice. Me and the main guitarist are good friends, so we dropped the drummer. We are now searching for a vocalist, second guitarist, and drummer. Imploded because we kicked the drummer out. Everyone else quit because of the drummer.
Click to expand...


Were you ever working band with gigs?
 
#37
bluewine said:
Does not sound like they were real musicians.
Click to expand...

I used to think that way, but the one drummer was a phenom. He won GC drum offs, was even excepted to Julliard on piano. He could of played with anyone in the world, but social disorders and the fact being in a band took the fun out of playing was the reason he left. But he was more of a musician then myself. Others I would say fit your description.
 
#40
I've been in three cover bands the last four years...

1st one never really got off the ground. We practiced for about a year, and auditioned many 2nd singer/guitarists, but our band leader always seemed to alienate any of the decent musicians. We played one gig, the 2nd guitarist quit, and then the leader pulled the plug. It was my 1st band since college (many, many years ago), and it was a good experience to see what not to do.

2nd band had a great female singer, and an excellent guitarist, who did OK w/ vocals. Had some fun gigs, but then the female singer quit over song choice. It was really lame, but everyone one (except me) drew a line in the sand over this, and no one was willing to budge. We tried it as a trio, but then our guitarist made some joke about Mitch Mitchell's death, and the drummer quit.

Latest band hasn't imploded, but we dumped our first singer because he wouldn't learn the songs, and our second singer quit because she wanted to do more modern/indie songs, and felt insulted if we didn't immediately agree to her song choice. We're now looking for another singer....
 

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