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How to find musicians in a sparsely populated area?


bostjan

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Hi.

 

This is my first post here.

 

I thought I'd ask this question to see if I could get some feedback.

 

I live in rural Vermont (as opposed to living in the one city here). Oddly, there are quite a lot of bands here. But when it comes to trying to assemble a band, every free agent plays guitar and a few sing. In other words, good luck finding a rhythm section.

 

I've tried traditional methods of asking musicians I know, asking non-musicians I know, placing on-line ads on sites like bandmix, placing traditional print ads in newspapers, messaging random people on facebook, cold calls on the telephone, and other ridiculousness.

 

So where can a person go from here? Do I move to the city?

 

Thanks.

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Yeah - I've actually done that, and it works to some extent, but even at that, there is the connundrum that pretty much everyone who can play WELL, is in demand enough to be over-commited to existing projects. For recording, it's easy to play guitar, keys, bass, and drums, but in a live situation, around here, you're lucky to find someone who can commit to a Friday night gig.

 

I suppose it's all a battle worth fighting, just like any other situation in which more than two people need to figure out how to work together...

 

Thanks for the advice!

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Since you said there are a surprising number of bands there, there's got to be at least SOME bass players and drummers. Go to the local clubs and music stores and get to know the local musicians. Eventually some of those bands will break up, and players might be looking for new bands.

 

Another option is to consider auditioning for an existing band instead of trying to start a new one from scratch. :)

 

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Thanks Phil.

 

This is good thinking. There are a few hurdles I did not explain in my post:

 

1. There are a surprising number of bands in the area. Some of them do have drummers and bass players, but many do not, and most drummers and bass players in the area are in multiple bands. In fact, there is one guy who plays drums and plays bass in the area who makes a pretty good living (apparently) by playing in nearly half of the local bands who have drums in them.

2. I did switch to bass, and shortly to drums, and got quite a few auditions (many bands were happy to invite me as a full time member without even hearing me play, simply because I own my own equipment), and ended up playing for a local cover band for some time on bass. It was a lot of fun. I won't go into detail about why or how that ended, but suffice it to say that sometimes good folks do really rotten things, and I am a very loyal person, but I, too, have my limits. After that gave me the bug again, I was immediately approached by a handful of bands looking for a bass player, but none that I could musically jive with, if you know what I mean. Plus, I have tons of original material that I would like to get out there. That's why I decided to try to do my own thing.

3. There are no music stores in the area, but networking through venues that have live music is how I've managed to get a grasp on the culture here.

4. Most existing bands, though, seem to me, to have poor management. I believe it is contributing to the fact that most music venues here cannot stay in business. Even though there are quite a few local bands, they very often no show for gigs, or part show, or they are extremely late, or show up to play too drunk or too high to actually make coherent music. Some of them go into the studio and make nice demos, but only because they hire a lot of session players to make them sound polished - only to show up live with an acoustic guitar and a snare drum. Others are more professional, but too busy with family lives and non-musical careers to put a lot of time into gigging. There are maybe three bands in the area who have a successful strategy and they stay pretty busy, but they are successful because their members are committed, which means that they won't be open to new projects. I suppose one would argue that enough patience will get one's foot in the door, but now that I've been in there, and am out of there for nearly a year, it seems that patience is not enough - there must be some winning strategy.

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You really aren't saying anything different then anyone else does when it comes to players and the business. Vermont is a very tiny state. Even if you have to drive a distance to join a band, It sure doesn't compare to where I live now in Houston where driving an hour to a rehearsal or gig is normal. Its not like you have to rehearse 7 days a week. I've played in several bands in NJ and TX where I'd drive 60 miles to rehearse once a week. We did our homework so when we got together things came together very quickly. We had our music together within 2 months and were playing out after that.

 

Today that arrangement has never been easier with the ability to exchange music on line. There is something very different between pros and beginners however. Pros don't need to practice together allot to play well together live. If you're playing cover music, that music is the band you practice with. You do need to know how to interact with other players however. All players have human flaws as does their music.

 

What you need to know is why you want to play music, and then you can find out why others want to. This is important if you want to have a band that works together well. Many people honestly don't know why they play because they aren't honest with themselves. They may say its to be famous or to make money. Fame is vanity, and a weak foundation for good artwork and there's a lot of easier ways of earning a whole lot more money. For many its an attempt to find love or recognition from your peers. That's another poor reason for becoming an artist. It may drive you for a while but it will turn and destroy you every time. Its actually the worst reason because you expect it from your fellow artists and they have enough issues dealing with their own demons.

 

There aren't many reasons for wanting to be an artist that are bullet proof either. Most all have weak foundations that can fall like a house of cards by anyone who has the experience to identify the weakness. Its important to find the strongest foundations because the business will rip you to shreds otherwise. With great accomplishments come great failures and both destroy good people who haven't got good reasons for being in the business.

 

The answers can be found in history if you're wise enough to seek them out. Most great artists are solo individuals. Music is a bit unique because we do work with others but you cant take them with you. You can only show them the path. If you are into music for music's sake and wanting to make something you can pass on to others you have a chance of enduring all the good and bad that comes with working with others. Many of the great masters considered themselves conduits of a higher power that simply worked through them. That's a pretty good shield against jealous gods in the music business because you avoid the pitfall of saying "I did that"

 

You may ask why I think this is all worth mentioning. Well music is a brotherhood just like any other trade. If you were a carpenter you'd have similar experiences in that business with other carpenters. If you were a Marine you'd have that respect for other marines who went through the same boot camp training and possibly war experiences others did. Within that brotherhood there are keepers of the faith you could say. Mentors who have experienced much and survived and are still willing to coach others in being successful. They will pop up when you least expect it and will help you when you least expect it.

 

Back to your post. If you learn enough songs and learn to play them well to play out solo you can get work. You will also be visible to other players as a strong willed person with the drive to be a success no mater what it takes. This attitude is exactly what's needed by all members in a good band.

 

If you can find one other player to work with, you have a duo. You can find even more work doing that. You may have to play allot of music suitable to those venues, but that doesn't hurt a good artist, it only widens their range or opportunities.

 

From there you only need that third person and you have a full band. There have been countless trios who have been successful. The strength of the trio comes from that ability to perform as solo musicians as do all successful bands. I've seen guys get gigs playing to their own backing music from a cassette or computer playing all the contemporary stuff. You sure don't have to deal with allot of issues involving people. It does take guts and you have to face an audience without hiding in back of or leaning on anyone else. You may not be the best at this but look at other solo artists. A guy like Dylan can get any musician he wants to play with him to back him up. Why? because he doesn't need them to support his songs. The crowd would be just as happy hearing him play solo as playing with others. But even he needs a change of pace and the comradely of others. The old saying No man is an island is a very true statement. We do embrace others flaws and all if we're good stewards of the brotherhood of artists. We may not be able to cure all the ills that turn up in our business but we do try and help when we can by giving a hand up to those who are willing to step up.

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