Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Who here has started a band and/or runs a band?


Recommended Posts

Over the past six weeks, I've had the opportunity to start a band from scratch. In the process of doing so, I realized it's something I've never done before. I've been asked to join bands when they first started up...but I never came up with a concept, drafted msucians, organized rehearsals, figured out the sound system, booked the first gig, chose the set list, etc etc.

 

It's a bit more work than I thought...but I'm loving the results. I do admit that it's kind of odd to go from being the guy whose main job has always been to provide the sounds and be a solid core of the arrangements to all of a sudden be the guy who everyone else is looking to for direction, though.

 

Would love to hear about the experiences of others in similar situations. If nothing else, I have some questions. :idk::D

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 49
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

It would be an oversimplification to say I run the two most active bands Im in, but I did start one of them from scratch and retain certain leadership functions, chief among them musical direction (others have long been delegated).

 

In the other band (which I joined six years ago via audition) Im a director and shareholder (as are all other members) and have responsibility for certain tasks, primarily comms and musical director.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been what I call the 'band coordinator' for a couple of bands, including a co-ordination role in current one.

 

Always happy to answer questions unless they involve how decisions are made because there ain't no answer for that :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha ha, I'm in kind of the opposite field - I have started and organized several bands and groups, often to play my own music. So I'm familiar with the somewhat heavy task of writing and arranging the stuff, finding the people, organizing reharsals, resolving musical problems on the spot, seeking for gigs, being the leader onstage, etc. - with everybody looking at you all the time, saying "so what are we going to do next?"

Not to mention dealing with character and personal issues... it's rewarding, but very tiring at the same time. You always have to consider the different personalities you're dealing with, and treat them accordingly. Especially with musicians, who tend to be a bit over-sensitive to critics and observations. And without losing sight of the overall musical picture...

Btw I'm sure you'll do great and have big fun in the process. Actually, I'm surprised to hear that you don't have a lot of experience in leading groups.

 

As for me, I have stopped doing it for the time being. I'm leaning more to collaborations, where I can have at least a musical and human conversation on equal basis. I have even decided not to follow my recent album with concerts.

 

Here's an anecdote: Last year, I tried to put together a band as a follow-up to another band I was in several years ago, which was quite successful... my nervous system was rather fragile from other events in my life and I said so to the guys, who were generally receptive of the message and tried not to put all the weight on my shoulders... except one, a drummer who I had played with many years before. In short, despite being a great musician, he seemed to try every possible method to make my life harder.

 

He started arguing every little thing I was saying at reharsals, not accepting the slightest change to his playing; then, he insisted on adding another musician to the lineup, a friend of his who he 'felt' would have greatly enhanced our sound... This, of course, would have meant rewriting all the arrangements. Despite all other bandmates and myself being against it, he kept pestering us... but the others never said a word in his presence, always leaving the task of endless discussions to me. It was total conflict every time.

 

In all this, I always tried to be patient and diplomatic... but in the end, I felt so fed up that it was bordering on masochism. I could have called another drummer, but we already had to replace other members for logistical reasons, and everybody was tired... So after 3 or 4 reharsals like that, I stopped the whole project, apologized to the other members and said goodbye.

 

Of, course, I happened to meet the Bandmate From Hell, which is not too common, fortunately... but that was the last strain that convinced me - among other things - to take a vacation from being a band leader. In most other occasions, it's been a fun and rewarding position to be in.

 

(Did I really write all that stuff?!?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I founded a classic rock band back in the mid 80s; I had the final say on recruiting members and songs to play (with input from other members), built the sound system, organized the setlists, while others took on the tasks of booking gigs and promotion.

 

I usually have an intuitive finger on the pulse of the desires of the audience. At that time, the local radios stations dropped all the 70s/early 80s music and were playing a lot of top40 - Madonna, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, etc. People really got tired of top40 & were hungry for the old stuff, and at our first gig we were an immediate hit as they completely ate it up. We had a pretty large following (it didn't hurt that there were some "eye candy" in the band).

 

And I was pulling this off while busy at college full time.

 

Selecting members requires assessing not just their musical skills but also any potential personality differences. The latter takes some experience to recognize the red flags in advance, because manipulators learn to hide their personality faults. Narcotic/alcohol habits are subjective.

 

If you're going to lead a band then be prepared to face the crossroads. If you're looking for a steady buck, then play what the audience wants to hear; if you're looking to advance the art, that's an honorable mission but mass appeal might be a problem. Years later I was in an R&B/funk band that was a lot of fun (I wasn't the BL) but the local folks just couldn't comprehend it, deer in the headlights. We were no slouches either. It turns out if you don't play stuff that is on the local radio, the audience doesn't respond to it. It certainly wasn't the band, because when we played outside of town audiences out there loved it.

 

I wasn't overwhelmed being the BL/founder, I figured out quickly to delegate roles and who was the best fit for the role. It worked out pretty well. The only reason I had to leave was I landed a day job right out of college and the band got too popular as they wanted to play Thursday and Wednesday nights which would really interfere with my day job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty much all but maybe a couple of the bands I was in, I was the starter/leader.

 

Here's a rehearsal tip: Record every rehearsal with a handy portable digital recorder (Zoom, etc) or mobile device and make MP3s of the best take of each of the songs you're rehearsing. Put them online on a site that's only visible to the band members and have them listen and review them before the next rehearsal. Listening to recordings always makes the band sound better for the next rehearsal. You can also do videos and put them to a private YouTube upload if the band has a heavy visual/stage presence aspect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am "co band leader/founder" for one band I am in. I handle the lion's share of the bookings. We are a cover band, so it is collaborative, but I do try to ensure we stick to a mission of providing party dance rock/funk and some contemporary songs. So I try to steer song selections towards popular and upbeat stuff.

 

I agree with "The Real MC" that you need to pay attention to band members both musically, and for people's personality traits. You want people that get along and not constant friction.

 

I think it is best to establish some basics:

 

How often do you want to rehearse

How often do you want to gig

What kind of money does everyone expect to make

How many members will there be in the band, is this open to chaange?

What music are you doing? How narrow is the focus?

What do you expect from people (does everyone show up well before the gig to help with set up, or is it cool for someone to show up 5 minutes before downbeat)?

How many people sing lead? On what kinds of tunes?

Korg CX-3 (vintage), Casio Privia PX-5S, Lester K, Behringer Powerplay P2, Shure 215s

http://www.hackjammers.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wrote a long response last night and my iPad died on the last sentence, so here is a severely abbreviated version from my phone at the airport.

 

Money is the worst part. I did it the way most bands do it which is fine until you start raking in a bunch of money. Fictitious name with sec of state, business acct in band name, all income ($250-300k/yr) under my SSN, 1099-MISC to all band members, agents, sound, lights, etc. All expenses - web, shirts, stickers, pics, flyers, came out of that and I used an excel balance sheet to document. Unfortunately in this case tax on savings came out of my pocket, I offset that by taking deductions in expenditures but when I left the band with $3k in savings I had paid the tax burden on that which I did not recover. There are better ways to do it.

 

Youll spend far more time than anybody else, especially if you do any private/corporate stuff. This involves tech rider, verifying power, space, access, weekly conversations with agents, marketing/promotion, etc - its a LOT more time. Decide if youre ok with an equal

Cut or if you want more. The other guys wont understand how much time youre spending.

 

Once youre u achieve the minimum level of talent and professionalism, the only thing that matters is that everybody gets along and can work together. Treat it like a marriage between 5 people.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One more thing - I never addressed conflicts at the gig. I would make phone call(s) on MONDAY. By then, people had a chance to cool and reflect and things didnt escalate so n the middle of a gig. Yet there was still 5 days til the next gig, leaving plenty of time to mediate between parties and find resolution before the next gig.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, have started and run a band. Some thoughts:

 

Vision - it helps a lot to have a clear vision and direction that you can clearly articulate verbally and in writing. This clarifies your own thought on it, and become easier for bandmates to understand, process and communicate exactly what the band is about (and, just as importantly, what it is NOT about). This helps you both internally and externally. People naturally want to feel a part of something bigger than them, and know what that something is about and where it is going.

 

Objectives and Goals - Let everyone know what their role is, what's expected, what's the normal. Everything from gig frequency, pay, rehearsal frequency, what rehearsals look and feel like, expected volume level, how much space to leave behind solos, etc. - all that is yours to establish at the beginning. But once established, mature players should know what the standard is.

 

Money - of course, this becomes sacrosanct. Nothing destroys a band faster than suspicions that one is not being dealt with fairly.

 

Promotion, marketing and business development - you're the man. But that doesn't mean you can't delegate, enlist expertise, leverage experience a band member might already have. No need to recreate the wheel, but one way or another all the wheels have to be in place. HARDEST PART OF RUNNING A BAND IS HAVING TO CONSTANTLY BE ON TOP OF THE NON MUSICAL PARTS OF THE BUSINESS.

 

People management - IMHO this is what separates great band leaders from competent band leaders. Leading musicians is sometimes like herding kittens, driving cattle, swatting flies or murdering crows. Biggest mistake poor leaders make is not thinking about how the other person feels, what they may be thinking, etc. Leadership is not about being in charge; it's about committing to take care of those in your charge. This principle in itself deserves a lot of thought and contemplation.

 

You probably know all of this already, forgive the "teach-i-ness" of the post" but it's a weakness of mine.

 

 

 

..
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sure, I enjoyed it too, but not very often. What's the question exactly? It seems that there's a big difference between for instance running a session where some music would be produced by studio/session capable cats (m/f) as a project, if you like, or a band organized as a classical orchestra, with scores, attendance, practice schedules, etc.

 

T.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, have started and run a band. Some thoughts:

 

Vision - it helps a lot to have a clear vision and direction that you can clearly articulate verbally and in writing. This clarifies your own thought on it, and become easier for bandmates to understand, process and communicate exactly what the band is about (and, just as importantly, what it is NOT about). This helps you both internally and externally. People naturally want to feel a part of something bigger than them, and know what that something is about and where it is going.

 

Objectives and Goals - Let everyone know what their role is, what's expected, what's the normal. Everything from gig frequency, pay, rehearsal frequency, what rehearsals look and feel like, expected volume level, how much space to leave behind solos, etc. - all that is yours to establish at the beginning. But once established, mature players should know what the standard is.

 

Money - of course, this becomes sacrosanct. Nothing destroys a band faster than suspicions that one is not being dealt with fairly.

 

Promotion, marketing and business development - you're the man. But that doesn't mean you can't delegate, enlist expertise, leverage experience a band member might already have. No need to recreate the wheel, but one way or another all the wheels have to be in place. HARDEST PART OF RUNNING A BAND IS HAVING TO CONSTANTLY BE ON TOP OF THE NON MUSICAL PARTS OF THE BUSINESS.

 

People management - IMHO this is what separates great band leaders from competent band leaders. Leading musicians is sometimes like herding kittens, driving cattle, swatting flies or murdering crows. Biggest mistake poor leaders make is not thinking about how the other person feels, what they may be thinking, etc. Leadership is not about being in charge; it's about committing to take care of those in your charge. This principle in itself deserves a lot of thought and contemplation.

 

You probably know all of this already, forgive the "teach-i-ness" of the post" but it's a weakness of mine.

 

 

Excellent Tim, good to be reminded of this from time time, too easy to drift away from what its really about.

A misguided plumber attempting to entertain | MainStage 3 | Axiom 61 2nd Gen | Pianoteq | B5 | XK3c | EV ZLX 12P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's the question exactly?

 

The question is: would a high quality FFT running in a Linux system be able to measure the granularity of personalities in a random group of musicians, and would lexicon smoothing filters be able to correct the personality conflicts?

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do admit that it's kind of odd to go from being the guy whose main job has always been to provide the sounds and be a solid core of the arrangements to all of a sudden be the guy who everyone else is looking to for direction, though.

 

I gave this a shot years ago. The toughest thing I had to do was to actually lead. I would deflect the issue by putting difficult decisions up to a vote. I remember one time when the band was in endless debate on whether or not to do a tour... one of the members turned to me and said "Will you just tell us what you want us to do!"

 

I was never comfortable with it, and it was totally consuming my life. Eventually the guitar player and I shared responsibilities. And I think that's rather common in bands without a headliner.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Trivial details that you can skip over because this was years ago: The Seattle club scene was mired in prog at the time, but I was running into like minded musicians in other bands who wanted to do something cleaner and simpler - and basically getting people jumping around and dancing again. The band was an immediate success, and we worked as much as we wanted (most weeks) for around four years.

 

Getting equipment around was a huge issue until the bass player found a shady U-Haul dealer who would rent vans out at a fraction of the official rate for cash under the table. He really saved our ass...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's the question exactly?

 

The question is: would a high quality FFT running in a Linux system be able to measure the granularity of personalities in a random group of musicians, and would lexicon smoothing filters be able to correct the personality conflicts?

 

excellent deduction, Dan. :thu:

:nopity:
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes. I have started and led bands. Tim more than eloquently stated all the advice I could give.

 

Let me just say, I have led large, complex corporate projects and leading a band can be trickier depending on the personalities. It's not enough to get all the basic organizing elements right (especially the money and gig-flow) although these are necessary, there is a level of personal charisma which you dB have in spades ... you will need to employ that.

 

I had a similar experience to Carlo's, also with a drummer. We had worked together in instrumental trios, no problem. Great chemistry. Then I invited him to be a part in a larger singer fronted group. All hell broke lose. He was able to generate a level of passive aggressive blocking and tackling that I have rarely seen. The singer was amused at all my vain attempts to appease and negotiate with someone who hadn't really bought into the vision of the band (to Tim's point). An experienced professional, she said she thought it was a keyboards versus drummer thing: the keyboardist is completely in his head and the drummer is completely kinesthetic. Mars and Venus. There's probably some truth to that, but I also think I hadn't adequately got his nod on a vision that he would find exciting. I had taken him for granted when starting the band. We did several months of gigs. He was ok. Then we started rehearsing a studio album with him and he began to chafe. The next six months of gigs became harder and eventually I had to find another drummer. We all heaved a sigh of relief and carried on ... Hoping my scars help you in some way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a bandleader but with a lot of experience as a band member working for/with a great variety of leaders, I have formed some opinions/impressions about the role. Basically, bl's seem to me to generally fall into two categories: those who see the role as meaning they call the shots and tell people what to do and expect them to confirm, and the good ones who realize that it basically means they have largely sole ownership/responsibility for the fate of the band and that that includes motivating and rewarding the members for their time and effort, rather than just demanding/expecting it. This primarily involves, I think (as mentioned earlier in the thread) making whatever financial investments (studio time, p.a. rentals, promotion) are required to keep things going and keeping the band members busy with a stream of worthwhile gigs and making sure they get paid decently for them, regardless of how many or how few people attend (in other words, swallowing it yourself if you get stiffed or just don't make that much on a given night, and basically taking care of the logistics. If you do that, you'll earn commitment, dedication and loyalty from your team members and the perfect right to call the shots about song selections, arrangements/parts, gig schedules, rehearsals, etc, all of it. If you don't do those things but still expect to call those shots and tell people what to do, you'll run into problems.

Rich Forman

Yamaha MOXF8, Korg Kronos 2-61, Roland Fantom X7, Ferrofish B4000+ organ module, Roland VR-09, EV ZLX12P, K&M Spider Pro stand,

Yamaha S80, Korg Trinity Plus

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done it a few times. I'm not particularly talented about musical arrangements or musical ideas. I'm good at managing people, and I would humbly submit that that's the most important skill, just because it's harder to find. With 4 or 5 musicians in a room, you'll have more than enough musical ideas. Making everyone feel respected is the more difficult task.

 

But before you get to that point, you have to recruit. Trying to foresee what issues will arise if certain people join can be incredibly difficult. You will get together with people and jam and it will be fun and exciting, and you'll tend to focus on the positive things you have in common, when you really should be focusing on the things that might rend you apart later on.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, like I' wouldn't want to run just the next cover band with a bunch of random guys and galls, as ambition. When done right, or in the right context, it can be pretty great, but as more mature musician, I suppose a cover band would be more of an obligation, and then it becomes a chore. Nah, not my interest in music.

 

It's fine I suppose for some to run an orchestra of some kind, and if the sound and music is good, I might come and check it out for fun, but I'd far away from learning exact scores and being the keyboard player in an orchestra.

 

I'd prefer some potent players and if it were for a cover function, chords, example songs, preferably songs I know a bit, one or two rehearsals, and go! Or I'd be bored. That used to be well in the money game, I don't know how that is now in the U.S. I think here it's close to dead. Or it is "different" music I don't like nor find in any way appealing.

 

It's a shame really, a good cover band setup with some daring music sure is good to go out with, though maybe it's more successful as a student thing, I don't know how that turned out.

 

The important part, as I'm sure some pro's can relate to, is to get the band to sound good, and make the music come across well, or as intended, or preferably both. When I started to be into that, such was the challenge, and somehow differently, it still is now! How do you get those instrumentalists and vocalists to be disciplined and using the talents to the point something special happens, and then hopefully some audience to pay for that, has little to do with the nerdy keyboard player I'm afraid. But when you're any good, it can be sort of the pivot in the band, and important as a cool sort of leading person.

 

Some people seem to want to change that, which doesn't make much sense to me, and no amount of technology probably will change that fundamentally. The whole course of music to me proves that point.

 

T.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A whole bunch of excellent feedback - thanks so much! Several of my questions have have been answered, and things I was thinking about touched upon. Man, I love this forum...

 

The leadership thing is a work in progress. Like I said - I'm usually the guy the band leader turns to first, so I had to retool that in my head right away. Some of that was figuring out who that guy was in my band if it wasn't me! I also tried things like letting everyone take turns picking which tune we worked on - seems to be better flow if I just find out before rehearsal what's on their mind and then I call them.

 

...and yes - the personality management aspect is right there...but I love that kind of thing. When I chose the folks I'm working with in this band, how much I enjoyed their company was a large factor. The hang is way key for me. :thu:

 

I have to figure out how to do the $. I already have a corporation that I use to run my consulting firm, and a bunch of my music stuff is run through there already, as is my voice over work. I'm thinking it might be a good thing to invoice the venue owners/run band payments from there and pay the musicians from there as well. Thoughts?

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hahaha. No.

 

Unless you're making four-digits per gig, music is a cash business.

 

Split the cash at the gig, everybody gets paid by the venue, you are just handing out the money for them. Individual musicians are responsible for claiming their own taxes.

Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3

Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H

Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9

Roland: VR-09, RD-800

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every band leader makes their own decision how to handle the income and expenses, but many lucrative bands issues 1099's. Remember the Fed Tax code requires a 1099 when business owners pay $600 or more a year to a person, especially if you intend to declare band income and itemize expenses and deductions, rather than run as an 'off book' cash-only project.

 

Because most musos earn cash only and would rather not receive a 1099, courtesy dictates letting band members know up front if you're going to be sending them a 1099-misc at the end of the year.

..
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've managed the band that I started a year-ish ago from day one. Everybody gets a say in almost every decision, but since as a group we're all pretty flexible/indecisive, I make most of the calls for the band... All the emails, phone calls, setlists, itineraries, rehearsal schedulings, etc. As @Outkaster said above, I love the hustle of it.

 

It can be exhausting, but in a good way... More like exhilaration. After spending a few years being in various other projects, it's *really* cool to be able to lead my own group, see our creations come to life, and most importantly - see that everyone else is enjoying it as much as I am!

 

Of course, every band is going to be different, and have different requirements from the leader. It should also be noted that my band is all of high-school age members, so perhaps my situation doesn't really pertain to yours (or anyone else reading this), but I'd be more than happy to answer any questions!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One issue that comes up is selecting what songs will get into the rotation. Band members will probably want to see there is fairness or logic in the song selection process. Is the candidate song danceable? Is it high or low overhead? Can the band execute it well? Is it too old, such that only few will know it? Does the song have objectionable content, to make it fair that a single band member can veto it? Is there some aspect of your band's delivery of the song which entertains? Is the song "special" enough to merit overriding the standard criteria? Is song selection "democratic" for the band members, and if so, to what extent?

 

Here are some samples decisions that have taken place in our covers band:

 

- "X's and O's" is somewhat ho-hum (IMO), but is low overhead, and women dance to it (IN)

- Steely Dan "Peg" - great song, but high overhead, like every SD song (OUT)

- Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar" - "whipping" lyric, veto. (OUT)

- "Johnny B. Goode" - overplayed, but low overhead and we do it well (IN for now)

- CSNY "Woodstock" - was high overhead to learn (harmonies), but after we *finally* learned it, it became low overhead to maintain. Was brought into rotation when we had different criteria, would not make the cut if a new song for us today. We play it well now, so it stays (IN).

- "Pick Up the Pieces" - song is old, with no vocal, but we have 2 sax players, and our backline puts down a good beat, so it entertains (IN).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to figure out how to do the $. I already have a corporation that I use to run my consulting firm, and a bunch of my music stuff is run through there already, as is my voice over work. I'm thinking it might be a good thing to invoice the venue owners/run band payments from there and pay the musicians from there as well. Thoughts?

Although I can't dive into technicalities due to different tax laws etc. I can offer this:

 

I run the finances for the band I started. It all washes through an account I created for the band (very few venues pay in cash here) and I provide a home made financial statement which I update every gig so everyone in my team can see:

 

- balance of the account

- expenses for the gig

- income for the gig

- band member payment distributions for the gig

 

I make financial decisions such as how much to pay for each gig and how much to retain in the account unilaterally - but everyone has the right of query. Works well and has done for 25 years.

 

The other band I'm in (which runs without a "leader", although we all have certain leadership responsibilities) - one of the other guys is in charge of finance. He operates under exactly the same philosophy - everything is documented and communicated.

 

However the structure is more complex as this band is a company, and we are all directors and shareholders. All financial transactions require a majority of directors to sign off on, and we run tour expenses via directors loans which are reimbursed at post-tour settlement.

 

Distributions from the company to directors then become each individual director's choice as to how to deal with and declare from a taxation perspective.

 

This structure was set up with the understanding that reasonable inflows and outflows would be running through it and is administered by an accountant which keeps us on the straight and narrow. Although we (well one of us) handles the book keeping.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hahaha. No.

 

Unless you're making four-digits per gig, music is a cash business.

 

Split the cash at the gig, everybody gets paid by the venue, you are just handing out the money for them. Individual musicians are responsible for claiming their own taxes.

That's nice...in theory. :D

 

When the club owner wants to W9 you and pay you using PayPal or other non-cash method, not sure there's much of a choice.

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave

 

I've heard you sing and play, videos you Posted, and checked out your website. At this stage of your career, unless you have a lot of Corporate gigs lined up for big money, I'm surprised you still want to be in a band. You could easily do a solo act. Less headaches, you book the gigs, take the ones you want, and keep all the money.

 

Professionally done backing tracks where you sing and play music live along with the tracks has advantages over a band. I realize the market that you have in Southern Cal is different than what I have here, but I found that smaller venues, smaller private parties, and groups that don't want to hire a LOUD band works in favor of a good solo act.

 

Is it possible you are under estimating yourself?

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...