Leaving a band you set up

[Al Krow]

Just handed over the reigns of a band I founded 18 months ago to my band-mates, having sorted out my own replacement in the shape of one of the dep bassist from my main covers bands.

The band I've left was still too similar to my main covers band at the time of my leaving, and I wanted to focus on my other two bands and also free up some time for my other musical projects.

It will still have two of the initial line up, plus four other band members two of whom are just about to join, including the new bass player who is also a very capable lead lead vocalist. Her arrival / my departure has lowered the average age of the band by a decade at a stroke! 

I'll be very interested to see how it evolves. A first for me in setting up a band and then leaving it to continue without me, particularly one now in potentially better shape than when I was part of it! 

Any of you done the same i.e. walked away from a band you'd set up which was still a "going concern" (or been in a band where the founder member departed - in my case amicably, but I'm guessing it won't always be thus!) 

What happened next?

Edited February 12, 2020 by Al Krow

[krispn]

Which band did you leave? There were three on the go right? 
Im on the brink of leaving a band  but with another venture on the horizon and the reason for a new thread post I’m about to put up. 

[Monkey Steve]

well, I have, sort of, but I did so at the same time as the drummer and we pretty much knew that the band would almost certainly collapse without us (and it did)

It's excellent that you've left on good terms.  In my case I left it open that the band could start looking for a new bass player, although I did quit in the middle of a row with the lead guitarist (basically "I'm not enjoying this any more, you need to look for a new bass player") but their heart wasn't in it once the drummer quit with much less amicable sentiment (same lead guitarist, different argument "I'm never playing with that c#nt again")

[odysseus]

I left one band I set up after 18 months over 20 years ago. We were all in our early 20's playing original grunge-style rock.  It started off as being great fun - we wrote loads of stuff really quickly and got loads of gigs and positive feedback. The rot started setting in as soon as the singer and drummer started making noises about 'making it'. We were in Cornwall playing a style of music that was a couple of years too late to be current.  Yeah, really going to happen... Anyway, those two developed prima donna-ish attitudes, the singer started taking way too many drugs, the drummer retreated into self-indulgent angst, so I thought sod this, left, did an access course, then went to university. They carried on with another bassist, didn't write much more stuff and folded a year later.

No regrets.

[Al Krow]

45 minutes ago, krispn said:

Which band did you leave? There were three on the go right? 
Im on the brink of leaving a band  but with another venture on the horizon and the reason for a new thread post I’m about to put up. 

This one. The most recent of the three.

 

[krispn]

👍🏽

[dave moffat]

Really enjoyed that

[Lozz196]

I’ve just left my band, we set up 6 years ago and have got to the point where I could no longer continue with the punishing schedule, so a replacement was sought, and he’s doing well. I was asked yesterday how much weight we booked for my bass on flights, I replied and asked where they were heading this time - Athens. I’m glad to know that they’re still going from strength to strength, that was another reason for me leaving, to not stand in the way of the progression. It was all done amicably, though more difficult than we anticipated as we had to remove me from the business, re-register the business address and buy me out. Who said punk was about rebelling eh?

[Al Krow]

32 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I’ve just left my band, we set up 6 years ago and have got to the point where I could no longer continue with the punishing schedule, so a replacement was sought, and he’s doing well. I was asked yesterday how much weight we booked for my bass on flights, I replied and asked where they were heading this time - Athens. I’m glad to know that they’re still going from strength to strength, that was another reason for me leaving, to not stand in the way of the progression. It was all done amicably, though more difficult than we anticipated as we had to remove me from the business, re-register the business address and buy me out. Who said punk was about rebelling eh?

I know that band was a much bigger part of your life than the one I've just let go of. You managing to move on pretty easily or does hearing about them heading off to Greece give you a slight twinge of regret or just a feeling of relief! 

[Lozz196]

18 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

I know that band was a much bigger part of your life than the one I've just let go of. You managing to move on pretty easily or does hearing about them heading off to Greece give you a slight twinge of regret or just a feeling of relief! 

A feeling of relief, not that I’m out of it but that because I feel so much better within myself, even after just 6 or so weeks. Which was my main reason for leaving so it shows me I made the right decision.