Members Stratace05 Posted May 18, 2011 Members Share Posted May 18, 2011 Would you stay in a band that rarely provides you much happiness or $$ in hopes of the eventuality of (1 day) getting better? I am asking myself this question right now. I am in what was supposed to be my dream band, a R&B/Motown 6-piece band including keys and sax! It started out as a fun and interesting idea as there really arent many r&b/soul bands around these parts and at first, our audience seemed to be quite receptive. First few shows were packed and everyone had a great time. As well, it was supposed to be a band that mostly played private gigs with very rare bar dates and only 2-3 times a month max of playing out. So an easy schedule playing good tunes with some awesome musicians! Well a year in a half later, the story has very much changed. Our "band leader"(bass player) has booked us on every gig under the sun. From festivals to the most pitiful bar gigs in bum&$%# nowhere...Were playing at least 2 nights a week and to be quite honest, we dont have a fanbase yet to have this amount of gigs. Our last gig had a total of 5 non-band member audience members. Most gigs im barely bringing home gas money to get to the gigs and this is a freaking COVER BAND!! iM JUST GETTING SO FED UP WITH THIS...Between the hectic schedule and lousy gigs, i hardly have enough time to work on other projects which include working on songs Ive written... I want this band to succeed but I also want to have a life. I think 2-3 years down the line we'll have a decent following but in the meantime my personal life is getting shot to hell with this schedule and im not really seeing much of a retirn on this "investment." Should i hold out and ride this wave in hopes things improve or quit while the quitings good?? Thoughts and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mstreck Posted May 18, 2011 Members Share Posted May 18, 2011 What have you been doing to build a following? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stratace05 Posted May 18, 2011 Author Members Share Posted May 18, 2011 posters, fb ads and events, word of mouth, playing w/ other bands, been on local cable access show and have website to boot...Also just got a demo made...Am I missing something here?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mstreck Posted May 18, 2011 Members Share Posted May 18, 2011 This may apply... http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2780470-Cover-bands-how-are-you-building-your-fan-base&p=42981500&viewfull=1#post42981500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kmart Posted May 18, 2011 Members Share Posted May 18, 2011 Irrelevant: issue according to the OP isn't the quantity of attendees at the gigs...it's the quality (and frequency) of those gigs. Address the PROBLEM, not the symptoms caused by it. My suggestion:If you're an actual band member with equal say, it's time to call for a full-stop on all gigs and a sit down with everyone to (a) discuss the existing plan/get alignment on how to reach those goals or (b) develop a new plan and get alignment on that...or load out as you see fit. If you're in more of a hired gun situation...try to have a heart-to-heart with the leader and at least try to get an explanation on why he's following the path he's on/open his eyes to your concerns if you can, but be prepared (in most likelihood) to walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinC Posted May 18, 2011 Members Share Posted May 18, 2011 Just tell the leader you need x amount of money to do a gig-it sounds like that will either lead to less gigs or you leaving the band. problem solved either way. Maybe the leader is a weak band leader or maybe there is not much demand in your area for what you are doing. OTOH, I see in your post is that you want the band to succeed but you want a life too? Your band, after a year plus, is still trying to find it's way. It's pretty tough for a large band to do well. What are you doing besides showing up and playing? How are you helping this band become what you want it to be? Starting a business and making it go takes a lot of effort and time. Perhaps you need to become more involved in the business of running the band if you expect it to become what you want. Do you guys have an agent? Who books the band? Just the bass player? Who hustles? all of you? Good, regular privates usually require an agent or a steady stream of well attended club dates to generate the private clients. Finally, two gigs a week isn't a lot for a band that's trying to establish itself IMO. My group did two-three a week for six or seven years before we got the agent that got us the choice corporate and private gigs. I never felt like I didn't have a life-I felt like i was working hard trying to establish a solid group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomm Williams Posted May 18, 2011 Members Share Posted May 18, 2011 Looks to me like you've already seen what you need to see to make a decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MDLMUSIC Posted May 18, 2011 Members Share Posted May 18, 2011 Life's too short to play in a sucky band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paste Posted May 19, 2011 Members Share Posted May 19, 2011 I'm leaving a similar situation now. We started out with fun, usually packed gigs, and played 2 to 3 shows a month usually earning each of us $100+ per man. Then situations changed and the band member who does almost all the bookings needed to play out as much as possible for financial reasons and we started to play some crappier gigs for lower pay and smaller crowds. We started to lose members along the way, but instead of canceling shows, we just found temps and/or new members and tried to rehearse with them as much as possible. The week I gave my notice, they wanted to practice Mon, Tues, Wed, take Thurs off and then we had late gigs that started at 10 pm on Fri. and Sat, then back to 2 to 3 rehearsals the following week with at least one gig a week. It was a 90 minute roundtrip drive to rehearsals and one of the gigs was an 2 hour round trip. So that was the last straw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted May 19, 2011 Members Share Posted May 19, 2011 Well, one of the ways to build a following is to play pretty much every gig you can, and that includes some crap gigs. It really shouldn't take years to get a good following though. If you're playing out all the time, not getting a following and not having any fun, the writing is on the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members New Trail Posted May 19, 2011 Members Share Posted May 19, 2011 It sounds as thought your band is playing for the door or for tips. If I were you I would tell the band that I will no longer play for less than (whatever amount you require) per gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TrickyBoy Posted May 19, 2011 Members Share Posted May 19, 2011 In my mind there's two issues here: money and time. What's really your frustration? Is it that you didn't sign up to play as many shows as you are playing? Or are you frustrated about the amount of money per show you are making? Once you've identified the real frustration, approach the band leader and voice it to him. My guess is that you'll be able to find a happy medium some where. If not, bolt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted May 20, 2011 Members Share Posted May 20, 2011 Would you stay in a band that rarely provides you much happiness or $$ in hopes of the eventuality of (1 day) getting better? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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