Wasted time, effort, and memories

[J. Dan]

One of the fun things about setlist mode in the Kronos is going back through setlists for previous projects, some of which never got off the ground. Talk about procrastination (from the other thread), I was supposed to be practicing for Friday's gig with my original band but started pulling up other setlists. So there was the revamp pf my classic rock band that was going to be 70s/80s/90s that never happened - great setlist but I couldn't remember how to play half the songs and many of them I played guitar on. That would have been my biggest guitar live performance mostly on the 90s stuff like Toadies, Nirvana, Foo Fighter....yet there was also cars, Supertramp, Boston, foreigner, Journey. That would have been a fun band if the bass player and singer had learned the songs.

 

Next up was my 80s duo Atari Twins. Really thought that was going to happen - had pictures, website, demos, spent a ton of time on sequences and got up to about 35 songs when my other half bailed due to time constraints. Tried to salvage my work with a total of 3 additional guitar players in various iterations including non-80s and doing many more non-80s sequences, but it never panned out.

 

Then there was the one hit wonder tribute - great idea...every song is a one hit wonder. We got up to about 25 solid songs, with a few more we were working on, and then I just didn't really hear from them again. Everybody got busy and it just fell apart. I've got great samples and sounds for Jump Around and Baby Got Back and nailed the synth sounds on Voices Carry, not that it matters.

 

Maybe it wasn't all a waste of time because the walk down memory lane is still fun! Oh what could have been.

[I-missRichardTee]

I am impressed that you are a Dad, have a straight job career AND had all these irons in the music fire.

 

One hit wonders.. ok, Older guy ( out of touch with pop ) asks... Do these come under one hot hit list?

"Tempted"

"How Long"

Stuck in the middle"

 

 

[J. Dan]

Stuck in the middle (steelers wheel) was on the list. Most were newer though.

[J. Dan]

By "tempted" do you mean squeeze? They had a ton of hits - definitely not a one hit wonder.

[I-missRichardTee]

Yes Squeeze - useable song??

[mcgoo]

I have a gig next month that's a one off. It pays well, but it's a lot of material to learn for a single gig. The band is made up of some of the best players in town and I got the call because the guy who's done the gig in year's past wasn't available- John Mellancamp's keyboard guy... so there's a level of expectation that I'll have to deliver, and I'm up for the challenge. I got the song list the other day. 1st song is "Jessica" by the Allman Bros. I saw that & quickly uttered a few choice words. Love the song, but CL's piano solo is iconic & I feel like I need to get it pretty close to verbatim... and that's going to take some woodshedding! Good lesson, so I won't call it wasted time, but too much work for a one off!

[SamuelBLupowitz]

So many projects that never got off the ground, for good or ill!

 

One of my favorite ideas that never happened was for a keyboard duo (myself and an older musician I took lessons from for awhile) covering Dylan, the Band, and other early Americana. A piano, a Hammond, perhaps some bass pedals, and trading off lead vocals.

 

That same keyboard player was always trying to pitch ideas for profitable music endeavors that he wanted someone else to organize and book. One ill-fated blues/rock and roll cover band, Buddy Blue, rehearsed for three months, went through a pair of drummers, then finally played the debut gig with a last-minute sub drummer to three people at a bar during happy hour. That was the end of that.

 

Then the one that got away: Luminous Beings, a jammy power trio a la Cream or Gov't Mule mixed with some more artsy/electronic Radiohead and Talking Heads elements. I was going to double bass and keyboards, the drummer had a sampler pad and was going to work out projections and other visual elements for the songs. All three of us sang.

 

It was an interstate project with two of my oldest friends, so it was never going to be more than a once-every-few-months sort of endeavor, but even though we made a first gig happen, none of us took on the responsibility of booking the next one. At least not yet!

[Joe Muscara]

I've had so many single gigs with bands that my wife came up with a nickname for me - One Show Joe.

 

1st song is "Jessica" by the Allman Bros. I saw that & quickly uttered a few choice words. Love the song, but CL's piano solo is iconic & I feel like I need to get it pretty close to verbatim... and that's going to take some woodshedding! Good lesson, so I won't call it wasted time, but too much work for a one off!

I'm pretty sure that's the one where Chuck says that live, he gets the start and finish like the record, and the rest he does whatever. Checking out some live versions, of course he does play some of the licks you know through it, but if it were me, I'd have a little fun with it.

[Outkaster]

If musicians can get over themselves projects can happen.

[ProfD]

If musicians can get over themselves projects can happen.

Absolutely. It takes a great deal of screening which requires leadership and organizational skills and patience.

 

Playing music as a younger person was super fun. It was a great opportunity to hang and get paid to make organized noise.

 

Once musicians become seasoned or legends in their own minds or both; add the responsibilities of life and that thins out the herd of folks with whom to work/play.

 

As musicians get older, it definitely takes a lot of work to get a project off the ground. IMO, it is better to have a smaller band (duo, trio or quartet).

 

My advice is to seek out musicians who are in a similar stage in life i.e. those who have the time, talent and commitment to making it work. Not easy but definitely possible.

 

Brotha J. Dan, all of the work you have done is certainly not time wasted and/or in vain. There is a cool project sitting right there in your Kronos.

 

Being a multi-instrumentalist and singer too, I would think you're only 1 or 2 musicians away from making it happen. Again, just a matter of finding them.

[Synthoid]

As musicians get older, it definitely takes a lot of work to get a project off the ground.

 

It's a lot of work just loading the car anymore.

 

 

[The Real MC]

Had a few projects that never got out of the basement.

 

Worked with one guy for a few years trying to get a band going. I gave up because he had me playing too much guitar and was resisting the keyboard player in me. I later learned he plays pretty much the same songs the last twenty years. Not what I wanted to do.

 

I've been playing long enough that I can screen people who would be good partners in crime. I know musicians who either have very narrow tastes in songs or won't play popular songs because of bad experience in the past - I look for players who are more open than that. That helps to minimize the wasted time and effort.

 

I played so many styles over the years. I would be happy if I didn't play blues, southern rock, or guitar dominated genres again. My ultimate project is a synth ensemble playing classical and traditional pieces. Just 2-3 players. My buddy is very open to doing this. We both enjoying playing that stuff, and it gets us out of the club scene...

 

...then life got in the way. The last couple of years I had been busy with elder care so I had to give up bands. I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully not a train) and have decided to accept an offer to join an 80s rock band. Still have the ambition for that synth ensemble though, and I built my stage MIDI system with that in mind.

[Bobby Simons]

One of my favorite ideas that never happened was for a keyboard duo (myself and an older musician I took lessons from for awhile) covering Dylan, the Band, and other early Americana. A piano, a Hammond, perhaps some bass pedals, and trading off lead vocals.

Interesting. I also wanted to do a duo - metal/grunge covers with a singing drummer friend of mine. I picked a bunch of Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, STP, etc. stuff that I thought I could pull off and he could sing. Built a couple of big fat patches in Mainstage. It was mostly something I hadn't seen anyone else do: only keyboards doing tunes that had no keyboards in them. This was it's biggest attraction to me. But we both got busy and it never got off the ground.

[Chris Link]

Since getting back playing in 2000,

 

- Going to various blues jams and getting to know the locals

 

- Blues/classic rock quartet that lasted about five years, played fairly often and hosted a weekly jam for a couple of years

 

- Passing on a few projects for various reasons (too loud [even rehearsing], a guy who had a bunch of minor blues originals that all seemed to be the same song, some folks who wanted to work as much as possible as in every weekend)

 

- Country band thats still going

 

- One summer and four gigs playing reggae

 

- Great American Songbook with, oddly enough, the same singer who started the reggae band. Piano and singer. This was pretty good, but never sold it very much.

 

- Some great guys, good musicians, good gigs and material playing mostly blues. Played a few times. But rehearsing way too loud in a low-ceiling basement and a couple of guys who wanted to play way too much. Tough pulling the plug on this as one of the guitarists is a pretty good friend.

 

- Really good girl singer and players doing mostly blues. But Ive never been around so much drama (and as far as I know, no one was sleeping with the singer!), some personnel and material changes. Some really good gigs. Heavy-handed drummer and guitarist who tended to get way too loud. Quit after a ridiculously loud gig left me with some tinnitus that never went away. Fortunately, a friend whos an ENT checked and I have remarkably normal hearing for my age. Got my IEMs and am going to start using them with the country band.

 

- Partial rehearsal with the jump blues idea last week. It sounded pretty good, even better when the sax player can join us. Still not sure if there are many places looking for something like this. Ive never been the one who booked gigs or been the primary (in this case, the only) singer. I have encouraged some suggestions for more instrumentals. Well see if anything comes of it.

 

- Probably forgetting some forgettable projects along the way.

[Joe P]

I have a gig next month that's a one off. It pays well, but it's a lot of material to learn for a single gig. The band is made up of some of the best players in town and I got the call because the guy who's done the gig in year's past wasn't available- John Mellancamp's keyboard guy... so there's a level of expectation that I'll have to deliver, and I'm up for the challenge. I got the song list the other day. 1st song is "Jessica" by the Allman Bros. I saw that & quickly uttered a few choice words. Love the song, but CL's piano solo is iconic & I feel like I need to get it pretty close to verbatim... and that's going to take some woodshedding! Good lesson, so I won't call it wasted time, but too much work for a one off!

 

There was a transcription of the solo in KB Mag, I think Ernie Rideout did it. Might save you some time (if you can find it!). It was maybe 5 years ago.

[Bobby Simons]

I have it, let me know if you want. It is plenty accurate enough. PDF.

Also, here's one: Jessica

There's other issues. What I always assumed to be two guitars and Greg doing the main 3-part riff is actually Dickie, Greg, and Chuck on piano. So, there's that.

 

[mcgoo]

I have it, let me know if you want. It is plenty accurate enough. PDF.

Also, here's one: Jessica

There's other issues. What I always assumed to be two guitars and Greg doing the main 3-part riff is actually Dickie, Greg, and Chuck on piano. So, there's that.

 

Wow... awesome. Yeah, if you don't mind sharing, I'd love to look at what you have. The link you gave looked really good at first glance too. Thanks so much! I guess it pays to complain sometimes, eh? LOL

[I-missRichardTee]

A little different take on your situation

This is one of my calling cards.. Though not the types of songs you do... I am a sub in town, on bass and keys..

I will get a call for a gig may have done 5 years ago... there are various people that call me, and separated by large blocks of time. Point is, it is stressful. Their damned expectations " you're good.... the gig is easy.... you did the gig and other variously annoying self centered narratives.

 

I spent 2 days preparing for a 30 songs, for 75 bucks, Yaaa

Being a good sub, is a pita, but also is a point of pride for me. Few people could cover the full gamet of gigs I do.

I just have to step back and see that at least I am a musician, in a world where most musicians flew the coop, to get a day gig. I am one of the last of the full timers, with "no net" Circus jargon.

[aluk]

Jessica solo note for note transcription here, along with many others. No connection, other than happy customer.

 

https://www.manymidi.com/sheetmusic.htm

[David Emm]

I can relate to wasted time. I spent a brief period being mad because my Minimoog wouldn't play chords. What a newbie arse I was, but once I wised up and ran it into a delay pedal, I started getting the message.

 

I can relate to Band Failure Syndrome. I took up with a couple of friends who seemed keen on doing something along the lines of King Tangerine Crimson. In reality, they somehow thought experimental synth pseudo-prog would draw the attention of women. It did. They listened for 12 measures and left en masse. Cue laughing trombone sound.

[Quai34]

My first paid gig was when I was 16, a drummer who wanted to do a gig for a mother burthday contacted us and then, since then, it wa saltwater te equivalent of 200$ or I don't do it.

I worked on masteing 80 songs in six week but it was to Join a party/wedding band that toured with a weeding/event every two weeks, great pay, and lasted for 2/3 years....

But being in band that ask me to learn (guitarist asked me, not band....) a lot of new songs just to get my ears smashed with a way too loud player leads to a. List of almost 300 songs that I can play on sight, reading the score to fresh a bit my memories....

I'm done with that, last band, classic rock, 6 gigs per year, 200$ each time, just have a break of 6 months and I have to learn 6 new songs out of 13, for 3 gigs, one set gig, all are well pais....But still rock/hard rock like 'Deep Purple Lazy" which are not my favourite...

Yes, the bassist said it's not a waste of time, now you know them....Yes, I Added 60 songs on my repertoire in the last two years just to have half of them ditched/ forgotten and played a couple of time each....

Even if they are in my memories, I don't have great memories to work That way so, my project, the one I manage, I choose what, who, when, how much paid etc....Yes, Tougher to make it happen but so rewarding....No tinnitus, not drama about songs choices and effort rewarded with nice playing and fun during the practices...

[Quai34]

What is more impressive for me is the number of post started by J Dan, he's so prolific, congrats, awesome contributor....

[Chris Link]

... they somehow thought experimental synth pseudo-prog would draw the attention of women. It did. They listened for 12 measures and left en masse. Cue laughing trombone sound.

 

Thread winner!