Being in a band
 

This forum is to discuss what it means to be in
a band, the stress and joys, stories and questions, ideas and experiences.

its a terrible experience, no one should ever be in a band

ive been in like 4 bands most of them punk and none of them had any success other than a slightly decent local rep

Personally the best way i can describe being a musician is that you really have to commit to it.. and i mean REALLY commit to it literally sell your soul to Rock n roll and even then with all your talent it's a shot in the dark you never know despite all your hardwork if your band is ever gonna go anywhere add to that the music industry is saturated as sh*t your band is competing with every other band trying to make it so i think in order to get anywhere you have to really dig deep in your artistry and find a signature sound that stands out

Even bands like Nickelback or Creed who get alot of hate those bands like them or not have a signature sound and even if wannabe musicians like myself look down on them truth is they f*ckin made it and for that i secretly applaud them

Most garage bands are always on the brink of breaking up.

Reel Big Fish - Don't Start A Band - YouTube

I join Black Francis, it's a big commitment to make and you have to work really hard if you want a bit of celebrity.
But being in a band is awesome, you cross the road of many musicians, exchanges you can have altered the way you can play your instruments. I prefer to play with friends to jam and improvise some stuff. In those case, it doesn't matter to want to be fame or be cool, it's just a lot of fun.

From my experience, the ratio of time spent arguing about stupid things / time spent actually playing music has always been the bad side of being in a band. But I guess the same thing can be said about most of collective activities.

Its true i don't regret struggling with my bandmates to get a gig or all the hours we spent practicing our songs those were good times :)

However MAKING IT in the music biz is f*ckin hard! Not everybody starts a band for the same reasons, like i remember the guitarist in my first band dreamed of stardom he honestly thought our ****ty band was going to make it, NAY revolutionise the music industry lolol

His main purpose for starting a band was to get famous and like him ive met a bunch of musicians with that same goal to get famous

Makes you egotistical as ****.
"Hey, I make sandwiches, really, really good sandwiches!"
"Well, I'm in a band." *dismissive look*

Been in a dozen or more.
Seen many more... come and go.

That wouldn't work among my circle of friends lol

since most of them are in a band nobody cares however making a good sandwich is a better practical skill we would consider being better than a musician lol

Although i must say i myself do a mean sandwich U_U

The stress of practicing 3-4 times a week, then getting loaded in/out for actual gigs are what kill it for me. When things are tight, and the crowd is interactive, thats always a high in itself, but the ratio of work to pay-off is extremely low.

The easiest band I've been in was just 2 of us. My biker buddy on his acoustic, and me plugged in with a Les Paul, and a Death Metal pedal. We played quite a few coffee shops, and some local bars doing original instrumentals, and some reworked covers. Paid really well sometimes too.

@Plankton

ugh, I KNOW! getting all the equipment to the gig is a ****in hassle

"Everybody go help the drummer bring out his drumkit"

After getting a few constant gigs that **** gets annoying really quick >_>

http://memeblender.com/wp-content/up...ummer-rage.png

I hear that.

Actually, in the last band I was in (still am kinda, just not gigging right now) my guitar rig started to become such a monstrosity that (and don't hate me for this) a friend of mine dedicated himself to being my roadie. I've since toned it down a bit... Ok, a lot. Threw my back out many times lifting my cabs.

@Plankton

No shame in using a roadie
ive been used as a roadie as well if im not playing that night but a friend of mine is i help him carry the equipment ^^

i don't mind helping out a fellow musician in fact ive found out most musicians in my local scene are very nice and friendly i still haven't met anybody with an arrogant Rockstar attitude.

So, you're all parenthetical pirannahs.

Well, haven't YOU noticed, that just saying, "I'm in a band."
Gives you some respect. If, I said, "I make awesome sandwiches."


Not quite the same.
Get it? :)

Yea i get you but it also depends on the context doesn't it?

If you're in a kitchen a sandwich maker trumps a musician and if you are hungry music won't feed you but a sandwich will ;)

i do get your point though but like 80% of the ppl i meet are in a band and i kidd you not i remember a guy trying to hit on a friend of mine and he used that musician line on her and she was like "Almost everybody here is in a band" >_>

I swear that guy woulda had a better chance with her if he had said he makes an incredible sandwich lol

Yeah, the "I'm in a band" thing gets pretty ****ing old after a few years. Nobody really cares, and you come off sounding like an attention whoring little twat. Unless you're Keith Richards or the like.

Hm, I think being in a band is pretty cool, but I may think that way because it's not common here. In America it might be seen different.
Of course, there's a difference in bragging and actually wanting to produce meaningful music. Or having fun or realizing an intention.
Two very different animals!

Arrogant twats are everywhere and they are a lot in music's world. I've met a lot in rock, punk and hip hop, musicians as producers. Fortunatly, all not feel superior just because they can plug and make a sound with an instrument or make a record.
Maybe you've just met a lot of wanky guys.
Just say to them "I'm in a team of awesome cook".

Everything in this life is context and percentages.
You don't need a degree to see that, yep?

Are you a 'homo'?
Well, A %. You've, we'll assume, thought about it.

Etc etc.
Context and Percentages.

Memory and Pattern Recognition.

'Darkness, within darkness, the gateway to all understanding.'



Sandwiches AND guitar, unstoppable.

Ive been in a lot of bands and sometimes it can get ugly. It can really bring out the worst in people.

Im lucky that now im in a band with my brothers so theres no bs and egos clashing its just jamming and having a good time.

Throughout my whole life, as a performer, I've never played with a band. I've always played alone, so I was never required to stay in rhythm or anything. So it was a real different experience to start playing with a band. There were so many basic things for me to learn.

Ive never been in a band before. I play by myself the piano/keyboards sometimes. It can be nice to be in a band, since its just like a group of friends doing what they love. But unless there was something beneficial to come out of it beyond that, I'd never go for it. Music can be done and enjoyed very well without any band.

A thing that could be nice about a band is that we can compose stuff and let each other hear it, and then share our opinions about what we composed. But for jamming/usual practice, I always prefer to do it alone. So when I'm alone, it allows me to focus on the instrument. Silence is important as well, in a band, it'd be alot of noise than doing it alone.

Holy fuck, there was not a single period in there anywhere.

I'ts like a family, and there is bound to be some arguing

I got kicked out of a band for drinking beer with my right hand while I was playing the bass with my left hand. I don't recommend doing that.

I wouldn't want to be in a band that would kick someone out for being awesome, cuz thats awesome... as long as you still sat in the pocket anyway.

Holy ****, i don't care. :finger:

This post was meant as a joke, but Temple Keeper took it to heart, and his post is almost one in the same. hehehe...

Am I the only one who's never really had band arguments?

Yes.

I can't think of a band that doesn't argue at some point egos gotta collide man sometimes they can break a band or they can make them stronger

i do however think every band needs an unofficial leader and it doesn't always have to be the singer, for me it is the person who is the heart of the band and puts more creative output than the rest, the irreplaceable member

This is just my opinion because i don't think there is a formula for a successful band chemistry each band has their own inner workings but i bet you most of them have argued at some point.

We're more of a democracy, but I guess I'm the leader since I'll say "do something heavier" and **** like that. Maybe my bandmates just roll over easy.

Note that we play free improvisation, so I guess it's a different situation than most bands.

oh so no wonder you don't think you have any arguments you're the leader :p:

Free improvesation? within which genre?

Jazz, noise, psychedelica, whatever suits our fancy.

I started a Band 5 years ago accidentally at an open mic night with my friend. It has been the greatest accident I have ever been involved in and now the band is starting to become very successful. However, we have been through 2 drummers (one of them being me), 2 bass players (I am the bass player now) and a keyboard player. It is really hard to keep a band together for 5 years, and even harder to achieve commercial or even grassroots success. When it comes down it, it takes alot of dedication as well as some business sense to build a marketable, profitable band. Otherwise, there is always just doing it for fun. I want to be famous though ;)

I've been with my guys 2 and a half years now, and I've never argued with either of my band mates. They're brothers, however, and argue with each other over trivial bollocks all the time.