Putting a band together

[buscha]

What are the most essential things to get right or understood among the players when you start a band-if that makes any sense...

[dvuksanovich]

Band goals are huge. Everyone needs to be on the same page. Is it going to be a just for fun cover band or are you going to try to be the next big thing... or any point in between?

[Griffinator]

Yeah, that's the biggest thing - assembling a group of people who share a common goal, whether that's to write material and become a touring original act, or just to learn a bunch of cover songs and make some coin playing around town.

 

Ulterior motives destroy a band faster than anything else. I finally learned that lesson the hard way after several experiences with it.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

I'd say that having a common goal and expectations is the most important consideration. Here are the things that have caused me the most heartburn in bands:

 

1. Drug and alcohol abuse during gigs and rehearsals. I finally had to adopt a zero-tolerance policy....if you're high, you're fired. If a person can have a drink or two (or toke or two) during the night to keep nerves settled and keep it at that, it's not really a problem. Unfortunately, it seems that very few people can actually do that. If you're playing a bar venue, sometimes the bar will provide alcohol to the band...I've seen that become a problem real quick. I also had one drummer and one guitarist that would start on the crank between sets and by the end of the night they were useless. I let the drummer get by with it 2 or 3 times before I finally learned my lesson...the guitarist was fired the first time.

 

2. Dependability (or lack thereof). People that don't show up for rehearsals, then they are behind on new set material as well as not being sharp and on top of it....and even people that were late or didn't show at all for gigs. I also developed a very low tolerance for undependable band members. If you have something better to do than to show up for rehearsals, then that's what you should be doing anyway...I don't need you.

 

If you have a band and you're playing out for money, you have to run it like any other business. You only want people that want to be successful.

[Bartholomew]

Right-On Yeti - I also stopped being a taxi for band members a couple of years back and won't work with anyone who doesn't have a car. Got tired of the pigs who leave a mess with food and rip my upholstery with equipment.

 

Had one bass player who brought his wife and baby on the road in the back of my new Volvo with leather seats way back. Took 2 months to get the smell of piss out of the car.

 

Another was a Hari-Krishna (Harry Kirschner I call them) - littered the inside with rose petals. I bunked with the guy in a motel for a week on one gig. He was making all kinds of disgusting smelling rice related food in the room on a hot-plate. These guys also don't use toilet paper - they eat with their right hand & wipe their ass with their left hand (one in, one out)- no utensils. I think it's a religious thing. Like I had to brush my teeth in the sink where he washed his hands - yuk !

 

I'm pretty liberal regarding other people's faith but these guys are disgusting to me after that experience. Also don't like band members bringing wives or girl-friends to the gig - you wouldn't bring your wife to the office and I consider it a business with work to be done. Have had 2 groups fall apart due to pussy-leckers.

 

Auditioned a chick singer in Montreal a couple of years back - she was swigging out of a flask between songs - great singer but no-way that was going to happen. I would have accepted it from Janis Joplin I guess but not from a wannabee.

 

I personally did an audition for Procol Harem when I was in London in the early Seventies after Robin Trower left and first thing I asked was if anyone had any weed...they gave me "the look" and I was never called back.

 

A lesson well learned by myself, but didn't play well with them anyways - had a bad day, guess I was nervous about it.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Right-On Yeti - I also stopped being a taxi for band members a couple of years back and won't work with anyone who doesn't have a car. Got tired of the pigs who leave a mess with food and rip my upholstery with equipment.

 

Had one bass player who brought his wife and baby on the road in the back of my new Volvo with leather seats way back. Took 2 months to get the smell of piss out of the car.

 

Another was a Hari-Krishna (Harry Kirschner I call them) - littered the inside with rose petals. I bunked with the guy in a motel for a week on one gig. He was making all kinds of disgusting smelling rice related food in the room on a hot-plate. These guys also don't use toilet paper - they eat with their right hand & wipe their ass with their left hand (one in, one out)- no utensils. I think it's a religious thing. Like I had to brush my teeth in the sink where he washed his hands - yuk !

 

I'm pretty liberal regarding other people's faith but these guys are disgusting to me after that experience. Also don't like band members bringing wives or girl-friends to the gig - you wouldn't bring your wife to the office and I consider it a business with work to be done. Have had 2 groups fall apart due to pussy-leckers.

 

Auditioned a chick singer in Montreal a couple of years back - she was swigging out of a flask between songs - great singer but no-way that was going to happen. I would have accepted it from Janis Joplin I guess but not from a wannabee.

 

I personally did an audition for Procol Harem when I was in London in the early Seventies after Robin Trower left and first thing I asked was if anyone had any weed...they gave me "the look" and I was never called back.

 

A lesson well learned by myself, but didn't play well with them anyways - had a bad day, guess I was nervous about it.

 

Yeah, the taxi service thing is a big issue too. If you have to drive a distance to the gig, then carpooling is in order if someone has a van, but for local gigs everyone should have their own transportation. Ive had members that couldnt drive (because of DUI, etc.), so they made arrangements with another member to haul them and their equipment aroundwhich is fine, except for the fact that if a car breaks down or the driver has some sort of problem, now youre not only missing one band member, youre missing two.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Yhup, as many have already said here, having and focusing on a clearly stated goal that is understood and shared by all is paramount.

 

If it's mostly just for fun, a shared jamming and learning experience, that's perfectly fine as long as it's understood and agreed on. Things can be pretty loose and relaxed if that's the case.

 

If the goal is to be professional and conduct practices in a more efficient, business-like manner while planning on lining-up frequent paid gigs (that'll get you wanted back for more gigs), that's fine, as well- but everyone will need to be on the same page, including things like what songs you're going to be playing, and why; everyone pitching-in in the way they best can when it comes to load-in/set-up and take-down/load-out (for instance, someone might have a limit on how much they can lift and carry, while they may have technical expertise that could relegate them to other tasks with routing/proper storing of cables, tuning and set-up of instruments, etc.) Everyone must agree to meet ON TIME, EVERY TIME (things happen, but it's obvious when things seem to happen an awfully lot more than is reasonably acceptable- the band, and respecting other band members, needs to be a reasonable priority for each individual involved). Being proficient on ones instrument, and ready with whatever material was agreed upon, is to be expected; being prepared with spare strings, some reasonable amount back-up instruments and equipment so that practices and gigs can continue with little or no interruption due to strings breaking, amps or other gear breaking down, etc.

[Larryz]

Check yourself out...what are your goals? what are you looking for in a band? How often do you want to play? practice? gig?...what genre/style do you like to play? Do you have some of your own do's and don't(s)? do you have potential bandmates that share your views? after taking a good look at yourself you'll know what it is that's going to make this new venture worthwhile for you...it always makes sense to do what you are doing now (ie. ask questions and communicate)...you want to avoid as many pitfalls as you can up-front and have a good time doing what you love...

[SEHpicker]

The pitfalls are many - but the rewards are big - if you are careful how you approach the "putting a band together" conumdrum.

Everything said previously in spades.

Also make sure everyone is at a generally similar place in ability and talent. My band decided a few months ago to replace the drummer we've had for two years. He just wasn't putting in the practice time the rest of us were. We love the guy. But his lack of dedication had him falling further and further behind to the point of being unacceptable. I know a lot of bands that are not that interested in progressing. Hey, let's just play and have a few laughs... no big deal. That's fine as long as everyone feels the same way.

We auditioned several drummers and were beginning to think we'd made a mistake. But then along came Lee. AWESOME drummer. He use to play for the Pointer Sisters back when they were really big. He also played with CC Rider. Totally top notch percussionist. And a super nice guy to boot. Plus he can sing harmonies like a bird.

Point is, don't sell yourself short. The right players are out there. And the difference between dedicated players and people who want the fun part but don't want to put in the hours is huge.

The right players will make for an unbelievable experience - the wannabees will make it a frustrating waste of time.

Choose wisely! And don't commit to anyone after just one or two rehearsals. I recommend giving anyone who gets past the initial rehearsals 30 days to see how things jell. If they have a problem with that then they probably aren't who you want.

My 2 cents.

[Terrell]

Establish that you are in charge!!! ;-D Just joking of course...

 

I argue that finding a perfect band is harder than finding 5 spouses at the same time.

 

Look

Taste

Goals

Needs

Assets

Equipment

Ability

Talent

Motivations

Work Ethic

Dedication Level

Personality Balance Yin/Yang

Power Balance

ugh!!!!!!

[SEHpicker]

I agree 100 percent Terrell. There is no such thing as the "perfect" band. Like music, it's something you have to work at continually... even though perfection can never be reached...

But I wouldn't want it any other way.

[Caevan O’Shite]

I argue that finding a perfect band is harder than finding 5 spouses at the same time.

 

Hell, yeah it is.

 

It's really hard to find a group of people who not only can play and want to play (and play well), but also have similar enough musical concepts AND can make a mutual schedule work.

[skipclone 1]

Lots of good points here-one more thing that can really get in the way, well I would call it the `7 of 9` syndrome.

You are auditioning ONE person, not their whole freaking posse. You are not auditoning cousin Itt who wants to come to rehearsals. There should be an agreed on policy, whatever it is, about those who like to travel in packs. That applies to girl/boyfriends as well, and family members.

[buscha]

Thanks to all. Man, this is a gold mine of info.

[Winston Psmith]

What really comes through on all of these posts is that there really are two ways to view your participation in a band - either you're really trying to make it work, in which case you approach every meeting, rehearsal & gig as your livelihood (dress the part, show up on time, have your gear in order, and learn the damned songs) or . . .

 

. . . you're a bunch of friends, family, fellow drunks & stoners, whatever, hanging out and playing at music, but it really is one or the other. Too often, you get a mix of both, and that will never work. There are also more than a few otherwise talented musicians, who still suffer from some delusion about "the lifestyle". Run from those poor souls, unless you want to spend your weekends getting your star out of jail.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Lots of good points here-one more thing that can really get in the way, well I would call it the `7 of 9` syndrome.

You are auditioning ONE person, not their whole freaking posse. You are not auditoning cousin Itt who wants to come to rehearsals. There should be an agreed on policy, whatever it is, about those who like to travel in packs. That applies to girl/boyfriends as well, and family members.

 

Yeah, extras at rehearsals quickly become a problem. Rehearsal time is time to be used to hammer your act together and get sharp. Hangers-around are a distraction, and unless they have more experience than you or your band does, they will have nothing meaningful to contribute. Nix them from the start.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Whether you're really serious or just wanting to have a good time jamming with friends, there are loads of players and/or singers out there who manage to bring a soap opera with them- too much alcohol/drugs, ego BS, stupid games, being unreliable, blowing off practices and gigs, ALWAYS being late, yada yada yada etc. Don't waste your time beating your head against the wall trying to make something work that just isn't going to- once such BS is apparent, drop the source and move on to someone who won't give you a lot of grief.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Whether you're really serious or just wanting to have a good time jamming with friends, there are loads of players and/or singers out there who manage to bring a soap opera with them- too much alcohol/drugs, ego BS, stupid games, being unreliable, blowing off practices and gigs, ALWAYS being late, yada yada yada etc. Don't waste your time beating your head against the wall trying to make something work that just isn't going to- once such BS is apparent, drop the source and move on to someone who won't give you a lot of grief.

 

That's the bottom line. Don't be afraid to move on.

[Eric Iverson]

When you're dealing with teenagers, God bless them, you expect a certain amount of immaturity.

But if you're a grown man or woman, doesn't it come down to: "I want to do this, it's important to me" or it doesn't? If the band is priority #12 in your life, don't pretend you're committed. Out of fairness to yourself as well as your bandmates.

Of course, a certain amount of flexibility is necessary - practices can be rescheduled sometimes - but don't just fail to show up at practices or (God forbid) gigs without even having the courtesy to call.

[Terrell]

If you can all agree on a mission statement, it's a start. That sounds hoaky on anti rock n roll and all, I know... But, every group has a mission statement whether they voice it or not. I've noticed that the bands that agree on the principle of what (exactly) they are after have a very strong bond. "We are here to play as many gigs for the most amount of money possible!" is probably the strongest bonding relationship. These are people that have decided to partner on a business relationship and will be bonded by income and maximizing that.

 

I personally can't stomach the sacrifices a statement like that assumes. So, all should be aware of what it takes to get there...

 

Some might agree on: "we are going to party and have a great time while making music" While very rock n roll, there is a weak bond as anyone can flake at any time as part of the mission statement!

 

I don't have time for that kind of statement.

 

What you should do is establish your goals and destination, determine a roadway to the goal, pull the essence out of the pathway (map) for that goal and form your own mission statement. Then you can find others that agree and form your vehicle.