Starting a new band

[FinnDave]

1 minute ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Anyone we know? (Just because I'm nosey 😉)

Probably more diplomatic of me not to say, but she features in a few Wirebirds clips on You Tube. But I didn't tell you that

[Bluewine]

12 hours ago, FinnDave said:

Just read through this thread, and have to say that what I have read doesn't tally with my experience of bands in the UK since I moved here from Finland in 2012. 

I am currently in 3 working bands, one I joined when it was forming in early 2013, and apart from a rhythm guitarist who couldn't play and was asked to leave after a year or so, and 18 months of trying to assimilate a former rock star singer (eventually also asked to leave), the four of us have all been there from the start. 

After depping with another band playing similar music but with a slight more traditional bias, I was asked to join them last Christmas. They needed a second guitarist, and so I recruited the guitarist from my first band, as we work well together and are good mates. I run bookings for the first band, and the leader of the second and myself regularly update each other on availability. 

My third band is not local, it's a 90 mile drive each way to rehearse, and has members from London, Nottingham, Leeds, Leicester, Northampton and Oxford. We rehearse approx every other month, and gig when and where we can. The only person that I am aware of having been unreliable about rehearsing was the bassist I replaced in January.

I get asked to join bands about once a month, but turn them down as three sets to remember is enough for me. I do not consider my playing to be anything special, whenever I look at videos posted by people here I have no idea where to start to play like they do. All I do is learn my parts and turn up with solid and reliable equipment. If there are people who can't even manage to do that for something they love to do, then they must really struggle with the everyday necessities of life.

I an old " band guy" a left over from the 60s and 70s. I'm still out in the gig trenches every weekend.

I'm a meat & potatoes player. I know my parts and can do the job. No fancy riffs or high technical ability with me.

Blue

[Jeffb28451]

Let’s see: start a new band or breech birth an hedgehog…just hand me the lube…

[dmccombe7]

6 hours ago, Jeffb28451 said:

Let’s see: start a new band or breech birth an hedgehog…just hand me the lube…

When i got the notification on this thread i was following back in 2018 i had to re-read the full thread to remind me what everyone had said.

Yours is by far the most "descriptive" comment on how difficult it can be to start a new band.............OUCH. 😂

 

For me i ended up joining our Glam Rock drummers punk band in late Sept 2021 and was gigging weekly within 3 weeks. It was hard work and my attitude to bands has changed a bit where i'm now looking at bands as work. I mean that in a good way tho. I'm really enjoying gigging altho the punk band doesn't make anywhere near as much as the Glam Rock band but the Glam band only plays about 6 gigs a year if we are lucky due to work commitments of other members.

Oddly enough we were just discussing attitudes at a rehearsal during the week. (first in 5 weeks) and i've always looked at rehearsals as work. I want to get in, rehearse for 6 hrs with a break in the middle and go home knowing i've done a shift. It never works out that way as we seem to have about 3-4 coffee breaks in both bands when we rehearse and a good ole 30min blether in the middle. I still enjoy it but mentally my head tells me i'm there to work and i find myself having to reign in my work ethic to the same level as others.

I dont specifically need the gig money but it has become a bit of a driving force on how i view bands.

Dave