Members fastplant Posted November 20, 2005 Members Share Posted November 20, 2005 Kind of a spinoff of an idea in another thread: Do any of you view your playing on a local level as a competition? Do any of you have rival bands that you feel you always need to "one-up?" Are there bands that piss you off when they do well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srsfallriver Posted November 20, 2005 Members Share Posted November 20, 2005 I play in a Boston area wedding band. There definitely is competetion. I think there is some friendship there as well though. We compete for clients - price and musicianship being the biggest factors - but we give out names of competitors if we can't do a gig and trade members for fill in possitions. There is a band that we have lost gigs to and have taken gigs from, we have used a couple of their members as fill-ins and I'm filling in for them in a couple weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fastplant Posted November 20, 2005 Author Members Share Posted November 20, 2005 Ok, aside from money related competition. I should have clarified myself. Every band competes for shows and such. I mean competition such as getting upset if you see a band draw more than you, things like that. Or musical ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srsfallriver Posted November 20, 2005 Members Share Posted November 20, 2005 Well, its always upsetting to see other bands in your market do better than you - but that makes you work harder. There is almost always a better band out there - that is definitely true in the Boston wedding band market. We know our competitors, work to make ourselves musically the best we can be, and contact our competitors to make the competion friendly - as best we can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Martin Posted November 20, 2005 Members Share Posted November 20, 2005 You know, I gave up on the 'competition' thing a few years ago - too much trouble. of course, I'm also very seldom the leader on any gigs that I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members caveman Posted November 20, 2005 Members Share Posted November 20, 2005 Not much competition out here and wouldn't worry about it if there were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wikwox Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 I compete with myself, I don't care about the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 Originally posted by srsfallriver Well, its always upsetting to see other bands in your market do better than you - but that makes you work harder. There is almost always a better band out there - that is definitely true in the Boston wedding band market. We know our competitors, work to make ourselves musically the best we can be, and contact our competitors to make the competion friendly - as best we can. Yes competition should make you want to try harder, it is a good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members e-b-e Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 Around my area it seems to be pretty friendly among the local bands. Of course each band wants the most bookings/best dates/the best venues and all that, that's just natural. But for the most part they all are friends and support eachother. Checking out eachothers shows on nights off, filling in if someone is short a player for a certain show, etc., links to eachothers websites is common. One night a friend in another band came early to our show to help us load in as he knew I'd thrown my back out a few days earlier - what an awesome thing to do, very VERY awesome act of kindness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members XamendedX Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 in my scene (hardcore/metalcore and with my band Dark Lay Still Black/Death Metal) there is 2 sides, the "scene" bands that bring in ass hole people that like to start fights and what not and then theres the bands that just like to have fun. pretty much we like to have more of the fun bands than the ass holes playing so we, the fun bands, try harder to get onto the better shows so no {censored} gets started Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LateGreats Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 In my early years, I took a dim view of any band that I wasn't in. I really saw it as competition, no doubt influenced by some of the guys in my band that I looked up to. I carried that attitude around with me for years, until I realized one day that it had gotten me nowhere, probably caused more harm that good, and maybe even cost me some opportunities. Now, I just concern myself with what I'm doing and that's it. I'm really more interested in networking with other musicians now than I ever was. Of course, now I'm out of the loop, so it's definitely tougher. To paraphrase Rick Pitino, negativity sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimi Ray Halen Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 I try to be positive to everybody I meet. I go see bands all the time and meet as many people as I can. Because you never know where you'll end up playing. Work hard at getting better and be nice to people, that's sort of where I'm at. I think it'll pay off one of these days. There are always a few assholes though who really think they're rock stars or something. But I'm cool with them too because most of them are just insecure little boys. I may not talk to them too much but I don't get into confrontations with them. It ain't worth it. Karma eventually bites them in the ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RupertB Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 No. I think its fine when other bands do well and draw good crowds. I've been on the other end of that (ie: being sniped at by bands that didn't do as well getting gigs, crowds, etc.) and have no sympathy for those people. Seems pretty pathetic to me. In fact, I wish that the bands in this area were better. If they were, maybe some of the bars that have gone over to kareoke night, DJ Heepsta night, or Texas Holdem' nights (read: a lot)would still be having live music every weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members caveman Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 Originally posted by RupertB No. I think its fine when other bands do well and draw good crowds. I've been on the other end of that (ie: being sniped at by bands that didn't do as well getting gigs, crowds, etc.) and have no sympathy for those people. Seems pretty pathetic to me. In fact, I wish that the bands in this area were better. If they were, maybe some of the bars that have gone over to kareoke night, DJ Heepsta night, or Texas Holdem' nights (read: a lot)would still be having live music every weekend. Back in my day it was disco that closed a lot of venues to live music. We were the house band in a biker bar and pretty much disco proof. People we knew that were still competing for venues in the shrunken market really did feel the pinch. Many fell by the wayside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 There are a few other cover bands in the area that cover the same material, command the same price, and play to the same demographic (21-40). All the bands (including us) are strong draws and have their strengths and weaknesses. A few years back there was a little bit of cockiness and competition from some of the bands (and I'm sure we could be accused of the same) but for the most part we all co-exist pretty well, play nice and ... well pretend to publically support each others efforts ( ). That being said I sure there is always a squeak of joy when one band cancels a gig, loses a room, or has some internal squabble that creeps out into the public. I always thought it would be cool to get all these bands to play one show together (different setlists of course) but that will never happen. We would all argue who would play first, who would headline, who would manage the PA. The funniest thing lately is watching players move from one band to another. One player will leave... and then show up playing for another band. Really, when I shake out the local cover band scene it's really about 20-30 active players who are all connected by six degrees of seperation. Personally I prefer co-opetition. I think it's healthy for bands to have a small rivally yet want to help each other get the key rooms. You always want a great room to have many rooms with solid draws.... that way it will stay in business. Many band members think that if they get into a room first it's better to keep other good bands out. That's very shortsighted thinking.... if the room doesn't draw on it's own, it makes you 100% responsible for the draw. It also isn't likely to be in business very long either. I would much rather book a room that is known for showcasing solid entertainment, rather than bars that will book any band regardless of their musicanship or draw. The other night my girlfriend and I went to go see another band who I would consider our local rivals. They recently added a new member and I wanted to check out the new lineup. It was a definate improvement and they played a great set. I'm friendly with all the members and they invited me up to play a song. I politely declined. I was really enjoying myself watching them with their improved sound... I didn't want to spoil the good energy onstage with me fumbling thru a song. I'm glad to see their improvements. It reminds me that we should always be on our toes too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roy Brooks Posted November 21, 2005 Members Share Posted November 21, 2005 I am not really worried about competition. I play well. And I gig pretty regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarmook Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 I have good friends in many bands around town. We actually work together to co-promote shows, and put together little one-day 'festival' type gigs. I compete with them, but on a VERY friendly basis... when they have a great show, I'm happy for them, and it makes me want to play better, too... not to one-up them, but to be worthy of going on the same stage, or following them, or whatever... if the crowd enjoyed their music, it doesn't take anything away from me, it inspires me to go out and pump that crowd up, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burgess Posted November 22, 2005 Members Share Posted November 22, 2005 Many people like to state that music isn't a competion. That may be true in the strictest sense but in fact, music is quite competative... Auditions are competative in every respect. Then you have your battle of the bands. Getting gigs is very competative in some markets. Of course, getting signed is a whole 'nother level but competative as well. If you are signed then there's the whole deal about trying to chart your release. Very competative indeed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HuskerDude Posted November 24, 2005 Members Share Posted November 24, 2005 In Sacramento, there's a biggish group of bands, mostly from the downtown/midtown area, that gig together, tend to play the same venues, and generally get along really well. We go to a lot of the same parties, same bars and coffee shops, etc... Once you're outside of the downtown area, out in the suburban hinterlands, it seems like it gets brutal. It's about 99.99999% metal/hardcore/whatever that stuff is called now (we call it suburban metal), and there are only a handful of venues for the seemingly hundreds of identical bands. So they tear down fliers, steal mailing lists, call venues to "cancel" for other bands, all sorts of nastiness. I've taken the viewpoint of "I'm never going to make much money from music, and that's fine with me". Probably from most of a lifetime listening to great bands who never made a dime until long after they broke up. It's really taken any pressure off of me to try and "make it big", so I don't get competetive, and just have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZED Posted November 25, 2005 Members Share Posted November 25, 2005 No matter what the situation, I always want the band I'm playing with to play well.If we're on a bill with assholes I just try to avoid them, do my job and go home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JBJ Posted November 26, 2005 Members Share Posted November 26, 2005 it used to be when we were doing originals and we were in the cool position of being recognised as one of the best bands around the city at the time. i mean we could pretty much get a gig anywhere we wanted at the drop of a hat in venues some bands would kill to play. and yeah it was a competition to always be the best on the bill and keep up with the other bands people put us in the same regard as. I don;'t necesarilyl miss that to be totally honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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