Any adivce on starting a band and/or finding the right musicians to play with?

[Kid A]

I was in a band that gigged regularly at college and I have had a lot of trouble finding people to jam with since I moved home a few years ago. After an initial attempt that did not result in much success, I went to grad school, got a job, got married (no kids), got a house, and put playing guitar on the back burner for a while. I would really like to get back into playing with other people at this point, but I really don't know where to begin. Does anyone have any recommendations on getting back into the swing of things and finding other musicians? Ideally it would be great to practice once a week and play out on weekends eventually. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Jim

[THX1138]

The best advice I can offer is to go out to local venues in your area that cater to the types of music that you're into. You have to put yourself into the pool of local musicians so to speak. Gotta network.

[Chris1256]

Put advertisements in local music shops. You could try the local newspaper too. Lots of people are in your sort of situatiion. Make it known that you are looking for bandmates. Once you do meet some musicians, they will know of others. It don't take too long, but prepare yourself to meet a load of wannabees, losers and time wasters along the way.

Don't give up and it WILL happen.

Good luck.

[zookie]

Sadly, finding decent music partners is very similar to dating. You have to put yourself out there, listen to all offers, maintain youthful innocense while keeping a healthy dose of skepticism and you have to be ready and capable of performing.

 

It is ok to put up ads in music stores. You'll likely get a few losers, but you never know.

 

If you can, check out some open mic nights at local venues. If you can play 20 minutes of material, sign up for a spot and go solo. That's probably a decent way to meet people. Talk to as many people as you can. Sometimes a musician will already be in a band, but might be able to recommend someone else.

[Knottyhed]

 

Originally posted by Kid A I was in a band that gigged regularly at college and I have had a lot of trouble finding people to jam with since I moved home a few years ago. After an initial attempt that did not result in much success, I went to grad school, got a job, got married (no kids), got a house, and put playing guitar on the back burner for a while. I would really like to get back into playing with other people at this point, but I really don't know where to begin. Does anyone have any recommendations on getting back into the swing of things and finding other musicians? Ideally it would be great to practice once a week and play out on weekends eventually. Thanks in advance for any help. Jim

 

 

Open mike nights are good - sometimes somebody with real talent gets up to play. It's a good place to find other musicians/singers etc.

[Lee Flier]

Ads in music stores and on craigslist.org are good... it's kinda hit or miss of course, because you're going to get a lot of losers. And yes it really is a bit like dating, if not worse because at least with dating you're probably only looking for one person.

 

But really the very best thing you can do is as THX1138 said - get out to clubs and see other bands that are doing similar music to what you want to do. See for yourself who the good players are and talk to them. Be their groupie. Make them your new best friends. That way, if their band breaks up or one of them quits or wants to do a side project, you're in a position to know about it and have a chance to snag somebody that you already know is really great.

 

Worked for me, anyway.

[Craig Vecchione]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. In fact, still doing it.

 

I started in what sounds like the same situation...played for years as a kid, then dropped out for 'life' and came back many years later.

 

First I joined a band with a guy in my office. This crashed and burned due to personality issues.

 

Then I tried several other bands. I wasn't ready; neither were they.

 

I decided to start my own band. I have the space and invested in gear (PA, drum kit, etc) to get things off the ground. Found a good guitarist early one. Then discovered a neighbor is a drummer, and the three of us were on our way.

 

Or so we thought. After a year+ and 8 recruits, we're still looking for a singer. Our current candidate showed up twice, seemed promising, then went on vacation and had 'other auditions'. I've heard that before, so I'm none too optimistic that he'll return or stay with us.

 

You'd be surprised at the people who actually think they can sing. Of course, they probably say the same about my bass playing....

[guitarmook]

Aside from the great advice on WHERE and HOW to find people, you also need to think about and decide on a couple things...

 

How often do you want to be gigging? 3-4 times/week, or once or twice a month?

 

Do you want to play covers, originals, mix (what proportion?)

 

Do you want to make money, or have fun?

 

Do you need to get up on stage, or would a weekly jam in the basement/garage be enough?

 

What style(s) of music do you want to play?

 

What style(s) of music will you refuse to play?

 

 

This (and maybe more) is the kind of information you need to KNOW about yourself, and your prospective bandmates... the most repeated conflicts that tear bands apart are type of music, amount of work (gigs/rehearsals) and equitable effort... equitable effort NEVER happens, so find a way to deal with it, but make sure everyone is together (or at least close) on the others...

[Knottyhed]

 

Originally posted by guitarmook Aside from the great advice on WHERE and HOW to find people, you also need to think about and decide on a couple things... How often do you want to be gigging? 3-4 times/week, or once or twice a month? Do you want to play covers, originals, mix (what proportion?) Do you want to make money, or have fun? Do you need to get up on stage, or would a weekly jam in the basement/garage be enough? What style(s) of music do you want to play? What style(s) of music will you refuse to play? This (and maybe more) is the kind of information you need to KNOW about yourself, and your prospective bandmates... the most repeated conflicts that tear bands apart are type of music, amount of work (gigs/rehearsals) and equitable effort... equitable effort NEVER happens, so find a way to deal with it, but make sure everyone is together (or at least close) on the others...

 

 

That's all good advice; it's not just about finding musicians - it's finding musicians that have the same goals that you can stand to be in the same room with. Equitable effort is a bad thing IMO - someone needs to take responsibility for sorting out the gigs/rehearsals/equipment hire etc. or nothing gets done (nobody knows who's supposed to be doing what alot of the time).

 

The only problem is when people don't make the effort to rehearse, or aren't prepared for gigs - again, that boils down to finding people that are on the same page as you.

[Kid A]

Thank you all very much, there is a ton of great advice on this thread. I have been able to find other musicians, its finding people that are on the same page as me that seems to be the problem (musical interests, gigging etc...). One problem that I have found is that some people want to make music their career (I don't right now), and others just aren't committed and reliable. I need people somewhere in between rock star and deadbeat . Going to open mike nights and shows around town to network is really good idea because these guys are out there playing, not talking about it. Getting in with a "scene" would be the best thing to do, however, eastern long island is not exactly a musical hot spot. But I am determined this time and I will keep trying. Again thank you for the good advice...

[ratthedd]

Originally posted by Craigv Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. In fact, still doing it. You'd be surprised at the people who actually think they can sing. Of course, they probably say the same about my bass playing....

 

The last time we needed a singer we were two days from going out to karaoke nights to find recruits but we found a suitable replacement before.

 

The one good thing about going to karaoke bars is you get to see what kinds of songs a person is picking AND you get to hear how well they do all without them knowing you're even scoping them out. As you find people you think would be a good fit, buy them a drink and tell them what you're looking for and see if they're even interested.

[guitarmook]

Originally posted by Knottyhed That's all good advice; it's not just about finding musicians - it's finding musicians that have the same goals that you can stand to be in the same room with. Equitable effort is a bad thing IMO - someone needs to take responsibility for sorting out the gigs/rehearsals/equipment hire etc. or nothing gets done (nobody knows who's supposed to be doing what alot of the time). The only problem is when people don't make the effort to rehearse, or aren't prepared for gigs - again, that boils down to finding people that are on the same page as you.

 

I probably didn't explain 'equitable effort' very well - I agree it's never gonna happen, but some people will never understand that, and will complain that 'they're doing everything'... the people that have a problem w/ 'equitable effort' are probably the people that are gonna be a problem... (did I do any better this time?)

[Knottyhed]

Originally posted by guitarmook I probably didn't explain 'equitable effort' very well - I agree it's never gonna happen, but some people will never understand that, and will complain that 'they're doing everything'... the people that have a problem w/ 'equitable effort' are probably the people that are gonna be a problem... (did I do any better this time?)

 

Yup

[uitar9]

Good luck.

 

One thing the forum taught me was to make sure I sing as well as play guitar. (There's 1,000,000's of guitar players) At least that way, when the singer invariably leaves (for whatever reason of the week they dug out of the Singers excuse book) there is someone to help out on vocals until the next singer passes through.

 

Secondly, either take over full manager responsibilities or leave it 100% to someone else. Just way less conflicts.

[Roy Brooks]

Look for folks you can get along with. Having fun is what it is all about.