Just quit…big sell off incoming

[AndyTravis]

Howdy.

 

Not quitting bass, but have just announced to the band that the next gig in September will be my last with them.

 

There’s a lot more behind me knocking it on the head than just being fed up…

 

I just don’t think, after 2 years that I want to be in a band with them anymore. We’ve been recording an album and It’s taken an age and the bickering and differences of opinion are taking their toll.

 

I choose to do this, I’m not earning from it and it’s starting to feel like I should choose to not do it anymore…anyhow.

 

The gear I own is solely down to “need” for the band.

 

So I’m not overly attached to much of it.

 

I’m going to set up sales threads for each part, probably 20 pedals and about 10 basses.

 

I’m starting a project with a fellow basschatter and will just share music online - no plans to gig after September. 
 

Doing that “falling out of love with music” thing I seem to do every 4/5 years.

 

Keep your eyes peeled x

[Beedster]

All pat of the cycle mate, you'll shed a skin, find something new, and acquire a new skin. I'm on my 5th or 6th now 👍

[AndyTravis]

Just now, Beedster said:

All pat of the cycle mate, you'll shed a skin, find something new, and acquire a new skin. I'm on my 5th or 6th now 👍

Yeah, I’m in my 3rd or 4th mode of this.

 

I haven’t got the time for the shite I used to tolerate just to be “in a band” anymore.

 

It’s a choice to be in a band, to wade through weeks of nonsense just to make hours of music makes no sense to me.

 

I don’t really need a band as such. Wish I’d learned how to sing 😆

[Lozz196]

I get where you’re coming from Andy - and I’m sure we all do - many years ago I left a couple of bands due to this, where it wasn’t adding anything to my life anymore but taking stuff away from it. 

[AndyTravis]

Mrs T said “it’s draining you”

 

and I completely agree.

 

I’ve somehow become the bands guidance counsellor and I haven’t got it in me anymore.

 

a real shame, some good music has happened but the inch pinching rows have done me in.

 

I really don’t care enough.

[Beedster]

3 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Yeah, I’m in my 3rd or 4th mode of this.

 

I haven’t got the time for the shite I used to tolerate just to be “in a band” anymore.

 

It’s a choice to be in a band, to wade through weeks of nonsense just to make hours of music makes no sense to me.

 

I don’t really need a band as such. Wish I’d learned how to sing 😆

 

It's taken me 30 years to find the right band, and in doing so I've realised how much I need a band, and how much shite was going on in my bands previously. I've joined around 30 bands, left 28 of them for the same reasons as you, and the other because had I stayed I'd have ended up a junkie. My current thing started as a way to catch up with mates, have a beer or two, and play some tunes, but it's working beautifully.

 

Bands are like relationships, you just never know which one's going to work 👍 

[Doctor J]

Been here, life's too short. Filter it down to what you enjoy and keep doing that. For me, it's writing and recording, love it, all the joy of new music with none of the baggage of being stuck in bands with people who need to sort their f***ing lives out.

[BlueMoon]

8 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

I really don’t care enough.

I think this says it all. 
 

I totally get your decision………it would likely only get worse.

 

Follow those activities where the light shines brightest.

 

Best of luck going forward.

[police squad]

I hit 50 a few years ago and realised I don't have to take this sh!t anymore

It's liberating

Well done Andy you'll feel so much better. Just doing the stuff you love with great people around you

 

Get your groove on sir

[Burns-bass]

I had the same thing, so I pretty much gave up electric bass. In fact, I only ever play EB when I need to. Double bass has filled a part a part of my soul, and the people I’ve met while playing have been infinitely better.

 

Find something else to spend your time on and come back to it if / when you want.

[NancyJohnson]

Once in a while it's quite cathartic to have a clear out.  I've got stuff that I I just feel I'm never going to play in anger again, but who has the readies to spend thousands on a Lull?

[LukeFRC]

1 hour ago, NancyJohnson said:

Once in a while it's quite cathartic to have a clear out.  I've got stuff that I I just feel I'm never going to play in anger again, but who has the readies to spend thousands on a Lull?

everything has a price it will sell at, value might be a chunk less than you think it is…

 

If you asked nice Andy might let you upgrade and swap it for a couple of well looked after Solokings ?

[HeadlessBassist]

Sorry to hear you're out of love with the band, Andy. I guess I'm in a lucky position where I get to work with lots of people, but I can't afford to play for nothing with people I don't want to be with. I feel for you and hope you'll find some great, like minded folks to make some great music with soon.  

[Geek99]

brave decision ….
 

Just counting down to the sellers remorse thread …. 🙂

Edited 8 hours ago by Geek99

[miles'tone]

Good luck Andy and well done. When the faff outweighs the fun it's no longer worth your time. Enjoy your new venture.

It's actually gift to find yourself in a position where you can play whatever you want whenever you want, plus you don't really need much gear to enjoy simply playing music. Lose the baggage 👍

 

(Regarding singing - I hear you! I have a plan to get a couple of singing lessons with a good teacher to at least find where my voice sits and how to engage it correctly. How to warm up etc..

It's never too late, keep on growing).

[Rich]

Not many people know this, but I've got a time machine. I've just popped forward to 2029 to see what's going on there. A few things happening:
1. The USA has repealed the Declaration of Independence and is now known as 'Western Surrey'.
2. Joey Essex has just been elevated to the House of Lords.
3. You're buying all your basses back.

Seriously though... it's always sad when factors cause one to fall out of love with anything, especially music. I really hope your new project brings you the enjoyment that your current one doesn't. Just don't sell everything.

[chris_b]

D!ckheads, idiots, narcissists, tw*ts, I've played with them all, and it can become very tiresome, but I've been gigging solidly via word of mouth for the last 20 years. You can't do that sitting at home, so I've learnt to live with the 10% of people I don't like in order to do the things I do like with the other 90%.

[tauzero]

13 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

The gear I own is solely down to “need” for the band.

 

So I’m not overly attached to much of it.

 

I’m going to set up sales threads for each part, probably 20 pedals and about 10 basses.

 

Ten basses for a band? Are you a U2 tribute?

[Dicey]

I think most of us can relate to this at some time or another. Ultimately, if you've persevered and you're just not enjoying yourself it is a good sign to preserve your inner peace and call time on involvement in a project. Albeit, that does involve saying goodbye to work and money, which can also be tough. But some people really can make the decision easier for us to walk away. Best of luck with the next steps!

[TimR]

Some people can suck the fun and cause drama wherever you turn. And there are people who want to control everything without taking anyone's feelings into consideration. If it's not a job, that shouldn't be happening.

 

I'm having the same issues in another thing I do for fun. 

 

Politics. 

 

Good luck. 

[bassbiscuits]

It’s a shame when band situations rob all the joy out of making music. I’ve been a in few where I was meant to be enjoying it, but actually came away with a bad taste in my mouth from dealing with the various problems it brought. 

 

Sometimes it takes walking away from it and getting your balance back before deciding what to do next. 

Hope it all goes well, and good luck with whatever the next step brings.

 

[Earbrass]

Anyone else monitoring the Marketplace forum, while feeling like a vulture circling a corpse?

[admiralchew]

16 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

Howdy.

 

Not quitting bass, but have just announced to the band that the next gig in September will be my last with them.

 

There’s a lot more behind me knocking it on the head than just being fed up…

 

I just don’t think, after 2 years that I want to be in a band with them anymore. We’ve been recording an album and It’s taken an age and the bickering and differences of opinion are taking their toll.

 

I choose to do this, I’m not earning from it and it’s starting to feel like I should choose to not do it anymore…anyhow.

 

The gear I own is solely down to “need” for the band.

 

So I’m not overly attached to much of it.

 

I’m going to set up sales threads for each part, probably 20 pedals and about 10 basses.

 

I’m starting a project with a fellow basschatter and will just share music online - no plans to gig after September. 
 

Doing that “falling out of love with music” thing I seem to do every 4/5 years.

 

Keep your eyes peeled x

It seems wrong to ‘like’ this post. I’m sorry to hear about how you feel; I hope you get your mojo back!

[Russ]

I'm not at the point where I want to quit anything at the moment, but frustrations are building. I'm in a band with a guy who has the absolute worst luck in the world - if something can go wrong for him it does, whether it's with his work, his health, his family life or whatever. Seriously, it's like he has been cursed or hexed or something. And, when things go wrong he tends to wallow in it. We ended up having to take most of last year off because he couldn't get his s**t together. And now he's just discovered he has a fairly serious health condition. The band and I always support him because he's like family, but it's frustrating. We're all in our 40s and 50s and aren't dreaming of rock stardom or anything any more, but actually being able to get together and play music and maintain at least a modicum of momentum is important!

 

Also, our recent recordings were done in a way that I don't find particularly satisfying. We did an album a few years back and it was (IMHO) how it should be - started off with the whole band performing the songs together, then sprucing them up with overdubs, etc. It had that vibe you only get when you put people in a room and have them play together and play off each other. The last couple of recordings we did earlier this year were done a very different way, with a different engineer - we all recorded separately, and it was all done piece by piece. It was "assembling" music rather than "performing" it, the process had no flow, and I really didn't like working like that. The end result was decent, but it was missing something - it came out maybe a bit too "mechanical" for my taste (judge for yourself - the Bandcamp link is in my sig). Our singer loved working with this guy, and the other two found it a bit frustrating but thought it was worth being "stretched" to try something new. I just flat-out disliked the experience. 

 

Our remaining time over here may be limited so I'm reluctant to chuck it all in, especially when one of our number isn't in great health and needs our support. But, bloody hell, it's frustrating. Andy - best of luck with whatever you end up doing. The struggle is real! 

[Geek99]

4 hours ago, Rich said:

Not many people know this, but I've got a time machine. I've just popped forward to 2029 to see what's going on there. A few things happening:
1. The USA has repealed the Declaration of Independence and is now known as 'Western Surrey'.
2. Joey Essex has just been elevated to the House of Lords.
3. You're buying all your basses back.

Seriously though... it's always sad when factors cause one to fall out of love with anything, especially music. I really hope your new project brings you the enjoyment that your current one doesn't. Just don't sell everything.

Mine only goes as far as September this year and all of that already happened, plus The Donald has become a Buddhist and renounced all worldly possessions