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What class is your band in? A, B, C, D, or F?


flip333

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I have been thinking I would like to be in a Class A band.

 

Or would I?

 

God, that would be great to choose the gigs you want because everyone is calling you.

 

Better than $1000 a night.

 

Awesome PA system with your own soundman and light show.

 

Do not underestimate the work it takes to get to this point, or how to recruit the talent that gets along, or to find others who will work as hard as you to make the project work.

 

Oh, those drunk garage bands? Class F or D.

 

My band? Class C. Mediocre bar band that gets rehired. Can't get enough practice or dedication to play without mistakes. We have fun, and we get along... as long as I keep my mouth shut. I will no longer bring my excellent PA system.... too hard to get enough help. Two speakers on sticks with powered mixer, vocals only.

 

I would like to move up to a Class B band. Tight show, always rehired. $500 plus a night. Decent PA and lights..... too hardfor now. I might get lucky and someday fall into one. But to make one is .... oh well..... we are what we are.

 

What class are you in? How did you get there?

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We're probably a B band ... and due to the normal "drama" mentioned above, we may never make it to the A band tier. What a shame! We enjoy playing (not practicing) and there is a "magic" that happens onstage every time that cannot be explained.

 

Now if we could get past the "what it's like being married to 4-5 different women" syndrome we'd have it licked ... and I could stop doing my day job!

 

BlueStrat - aren't you somewhere near Charlotte? You need to come hear us sometime. I'd love for you to sit in with us! That is if the teachers will let you out of detention! I'll even buy the beer!

 

:D:thu::wave:

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I guess my cover band is a B band, except the "dude from the AV club" runs sound when we get more than B-band money. Then, I 'spose we're an A band, but who's keeping score?

 

Then there's my jazz group. We get together every Monday to practice and hope to be good/commercial enough to get a poorly paying gig once a month by the Spring. Everybody in the band is a much better player than their counterparts in my always-working cover band, but we'll never have anyone to help with sound and I don't think we'll ever make $1,000. In my book, the jazz group will always be an "A" band because it's Big Hairy Fun to play this stuff with these guys.

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Yea, that grading system isn't the best way to look at rating your band. A band might have traits from several tiers.

 

Its just to get picture of what's out there.

 

A lot of D or F bands don't have anyone smart enough to have a computer or find HC.

 

Some A bands are too cool to be here... or too busy.

 

Finally, if you don't like where you are, that is no one else's problem but your own (no offense, just look to better things).

 

You are where you are.... that's not such a bad thing if the big picture feels good.:)

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Originally posted by flip333

Yea, that grading system isn't the best way to look at rating your band. A band might have traits from several tiers.


Its just to get picture of what's out there.


 

You want to get a feel for what's "out there" start asking some of these people if they want to trade their CD for yours. It's a great way to get to know folks and you hear who's really doing what that way.

 

:cool:

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my band is a solid C, and we'll never get beyond that. I have come to accept the fact that we cannot grow past our limitations. Those being (in order of severity):

1. an alcoholic lead singer

2. not enough practice

3. a very inexperienced bass player

4. lack of focus

I still enjoy playing in this band, but it's sometimes frustrating to know that we will basically be stuck playing the same bars, to the same crowd, forever. We have steady gigs at a couple of local bars, but our potential to break into the better, higher paying gigs is severly limited.

 

Oh well, I'm playing guitar in a rock band, having fun with my friends. There are a lot worse things in life

:thu:

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Interesting qualifications for your Class C status.

 

Common.

 

I recruited our new singer guitar player last summer because I saw his old band play. They had energy. They did not seem to make that many mistakes. They were booked every week.

 

Now I see all his traits. Good and bad.

 

So, I think I have to quit picking on him because I am not sure if many people notice our mistakes that drive ME crazy.

 

When we loosed up on our encore last friday WE ROCKED! With the audience waving at us like servants (you know that thing!).

 

I am going to focus on having a good time.... I'll let you know how it works ;)

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Your 'grading' system is a series of round-pegs in square-holes.

 

There are common traits in 'succsessful' bar/club bands, but there is no formula other than BRINGING ASSES IN THE DOOR.

 

Our band is Class A. Unapologetically, I will trumpet the greatness of my band, as far as a live club rock&roll act. We have lots of energy, we all are pretty damn good in our roles, are charismatic, have a top notch soundman/system. And have yet to not own any stage that will have us.

 

Yet our following is still in the building stages. There are bands around that have FAR bigger crowds, consistantly. And we try to steal what ideas they have, that are applicable to our band.

 

What do you mean by mistakes? The occasional flubbed note like our bassist, the overanxious fill like our drummer? The odd lyric choice like our singer? The forgotten whole sections of songs like me? Or the whole band stopping in a trainwreck? We have yet to do that. You can NEVER do that.

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If *I* am grading my band, it's a B+... not making 'big money', but delivering a good show, getting a good response from the people there, and getting call-backs from every club we've played... we haven't developed a following because we haven't been working toward that...

 

If it's about draw, (which is the realistic way to evaluate your band, especially after you've been working for a year or so...) we're a C or even C-... We couldn't *guarantee* 50 people. Sometimes we get more, sometimes we get 5... The people that see us love our music, but we need to work on grabbing those people and making sure they get out to see us again...

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I would say we are a C+. We are your average bar band but have a lighting set up and take care in creating flowing setlists that include medleys and whatnot. We've been together for a year and are now trying to really focus on draw. We do awesome in places that have a natural crowd but are struggling to bring people out to places that do not.

 

Two of the clear A's in my area are:

 

(A+)www.zoozoo.cc

 

(A)http://www.dfunbags.com/

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