Band leader: I want a songlist of 200 songs...

[Heathy]

Hopefully it was just a bit of a rant and he will calm down.

One question regarding the no-notes demand: Is he also the lead singer?

[gapiro]

hmm. I've been in bands doing nearly 150 in our repetoire. Being very competent musicians we could usually call any of them at will and get away with it if it was something we weren't too hot on, eg something like " Beat it by MJ"

[mike257]

I do 40-ish weddings a year with my function band, whilst we have a song list that clients get to see that probably isn't far off that number, the reality is that we continually evolve our set and replace things with fresh material but from one gig to the next it doesn't change massively. It isn't as if you're playing to the same crowd every week and having to change it up for them, so if he wants a pro wedding band your first priority should be getting an absolutely storming 2x60 mins that you can play really well and then looking at things you can have up your sleeve to change, deal with requests etc. If we tried to maintain 200 songs to a high standard (whilst keeping that list fresh with new material, which is a necessity) we'd spend ten times more hours in the rehearsal room than we would being out earning - not really the point of being in a 'pro' band.

The majority of clients are perfectly happy to let us call the shots with the setlist so we concentrate on having a really solid core that works week in week out. As a new band, you need to make a good impression and playing 40 songs brilliantly will do that much more effectively than playing 200 songs moderately well.

[JapanAxe]

I was in a dance band that had about 350 songs to draw from, but they were arrangements in a 'pad'. At any given gig there was a core that would almost invariably get played. The rest would be drawn from the pad to suit the particular function or requests for dances, so I would be sight-reading a piece without any idea of how it should sound.

I probably know at least 200 songs that I could play all the way through on bass, but it has taken me 13 years of bass playing to get that far. They won't be the same 200 that you know.

If you are going to learn 200 songs before gigging, you will never gig!

Any chance you could put up the list as it stands at the moment? It would be interesting to see what this chap considers to be the top 200 cover songs! And if 'Sex On Fire' isn't in there you can leave this would-be band, safe in the knowledge that the band leader has no grip on reality!

Edited October 29, 2013 by JapanAxe

[tonybassplayer]

I was in a soul funk Motown type band with a few classics thrown in and after a couple of years we ended up playing pretty much the same 26 or so songs as everyone was a sure fire dance floor winner. We played rock venues and weddings with the same set and wowed them everywhere we went. A full dance floor is a result as far as I am concerned and yes we did play mustang Sally every gig.

Edited October 27, 2013 by tonybassplayer

[Prime_BASS]

Out of interest I tried to count how many songs I know, including my own bands originals.

I counted about 55-65 songs and I probably know around 20 all the way through without getting stuck at all.

200 songs is major overkill.

[Lord Sausage]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1380891999' post='2232006']
First meeting/jam/rehearsal of the new band yesterday. It's being set up by the guitarist who's fed up with his 9 - 5 job and wants a full-time pro wedding band. "I want 200 songs on the songlist", he said, "and no notes on stage".
[/quote]
Aren't most musicians bellends!

[thebrig]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1380966915' post='2232842']
At this stage, I'm unclear about whether band leader meant 200 songs before we start gigging (ha! - fat chance) or 200 songs somewhere/sometime down the line (and even that would take virtually constant rehearsing), or whether he was trying to make some sort of statement and/or gauge reaction. As I said, it's a brand new band and I'm trying hard to keep my opinions to myself, turn up on time, play the bass and go home. Personally, I don't need or want a full-time pro wedding band and I can afford to tag along for the ride for the time being. At the vey least it gets me out and playing with people rather than YouTube. We'll see how it pans out over the next couple of months but I will keep on checking the usual "Bassist needed" websites.
[/quote]
How come you don't know whether he wants you to learn 200 songs before you start gigging, why did you not ask him?

Just because it's a brand new band, doesn't mean you shouldn't have an opinion, or ask questions, quite the oposite really, if you don't really think that his request to learn 200 songs is reasonable, then you should say so, and if he still says that's what he wants, then is this really the right band for you? if the answer is no, then be fair to him and tell him straight, so he can find another bass player who is happy with the situation.

I have to admit that I wouldn't want to learn 200 songs either, but he has been upfront with you, and if you don't like it you should move on, not hang around until you find another band, which by what you are saying, is what you are doing.

This might sound harsh, but it's obvious that he wants to earn a living from the band, whether he will or not is questionable, but he would have a better chance of doing so, if all the band members were committed.

Edited October 27, 2013 by thebrig

[solo4652]

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1382860432' post='2257186']
I do 40-ish weddings a year with my function band, whilst we have a song list that clients get to see that probably isn't far off that number, the reality is that we continually evolve our set and replace things with fresh material but from one gig to the next it doesn't change massively. It isn't as if you're playing to the same crowd every week and having to change it up for them, so if he wants a pro wedding band your first priority should be getting an absolutely storming 2x60 mins that you can play really well and then looking at things you can have up your sleeve to change, deal with requests etc. If we tried to maintain 200 songs to a high standard (whilst keeping that list fresh with new material, which is a necessity) we'd spend ten times more hours in the rehearsal room than we would being out earning - not really the point of being in a 'pro' band.

The majority of clients are perfectly happy to let us call the shots with the setlist so we concentrate on having a really solid core that works week in week out. As a new band, you need to make a good impression and playing 40 songs brilliantly will do that much more effectively than playing 200 songs moderately well.
[/quote]
Yes - I completely agree with you. After 5 rehearsals we're up to 20 songs and, in my personal opinion, we're a million miles away from playing a local open mic night, let alone a pub gig, let alone a function or a wedding. Maybe I'm expecting too much, too soon - I've been told before that I'm too pessimistic.

[solo4652]

[quote name='Heathy' timestamp='1382358356' post='2251067']
Hopefully it was just a bit of a rant and he will calm down.

One question regarding the no-notes demand: Is he also the lead singer?
[/quote]
No - he does BV's. We have a female lead singer.

[lonestar]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1382994178' post='2258981']

Yes - I completely agree with you. After 5 rehearsals we're up to 20 songs and, in my personal opinion, we're a million miles away from playing a local open mic night, let alone a pub gig, let alone a function or a wedding. Maybe I'm expecting too much, too soon - I've been told before that I'm too pessimistic.
[/quote]

I cant think why you're sticking with this it doesn't sound a whole bundle of fun ?

[solo4652]

[quote name='lonestar' timestamp='1383076146' post='2259974']
I cant think why you're sticking with this it doesn't sound a whole bundle of fun ?
[/quote]
I suppose it's because I'm trying to rein in my natural pessimism and give it the benefit of the doubt - at least for the time being. Also, it's better than playing with yourself in the spare bedroom...