To try to get gigging, or not to try to get gigging, that is the question

monquixote

EricTheWeary said:

FWIW I did mean Mustang Sally as a metaphor rather than literally every cover band has to play it. |)
I'd have thought there was plenty of mileage in an indie covers band. Just might mean having to play the indie equivalent of Mustang Sally as part of that.

The indie equivalents are usually: Sex on Fire, Dakota, and I Predict a Riot.

gusman2x

Definitely get playing with others. Even if it's just jamming, with no immediate plans to gig.

After 15 years of being a shit (and little bit lazy) guitarist, I started jamming with a guy I met on join my band. Immediately the guitar just seemed to "make sense". I stopped caring about whether I could sweep pick, and started to focus on playing the right notes, and in time.

Been through a couple of bands since, and generally, if I was to play my guitar parts at home on my own, they'd sound a bit basic/lost/boring. But with the band, they sound good, and most importantly, are great fun to play.

Incidentally, my band guitar is a Squire duo sonic. So gig worthy material does not always mean expensive. Granted, my am is quite nice though.

Get out there man, and play with others, it's like someone turning on a switch. 

Cacofonix

I first got involved with others on joinmyband. 

It was great fun, apart from the niggling concern about the fifty odd auditions they'd had, apparently, until I joined.

I was with them (garage band) for about eight weeks, and they went through three singers (they fired one because she was ill on one of the rehearsal days - out of four visits, although they stated they wouldn't be out gigging for another six months at least, so no pressure meriting a sacking), a keyboardist, and two bassists.  The singer, who was about 21, was really upset by the peremptory dismissal.

They then started talking about the aliens who had been here before, and were coming back.  Then they fired me because <<some reason, which was the same reason they fired the previous bassist, IIRC.  Different direction or the bassist was going to do guitar instead and they'd find a new bassist or something>>. 

During that time, they paraded about six guitars, and three amps in front of me to try to get me to buy.  I happened to like the pink pointy one with various switching options, as a point of admiration rather than desire, and when I got there next time, it had been cleaned, restrung and the owner looked at me ruefully and stated that he hadn't really been wanting to get rid of that one.

I had just left a job, without much prospect of another, which they were well aware of, but that didn't seem to matter in the scheme of trying to sell me their old gear.

They have been advertising pretty much constantly since, for various different band members.  I make it at least 100  auditions they will have had now.

Be careful out there.

It was great fun being in a band situation, though.  One other suggestion is join a local shadows club.  There's loads of them around, and you can tweak the setlist a bit in your favour.  You get a couple of slots with a backing track, then a couple with the live band.

I used to cover shadows covers, like Africa, Parisienne walkways, I want to know what love is, Walk of life etc, but added a bit of improv. where possible, so it worked for everyone.  It did get some of the "old guard" backs up because it wasn't "proper how Hank did it" but it wasn't objectionable, was fun, tightened up my playing and stage presence, and was in a supportive environment.  Also on one of the visits to a neighbouring club's gig, I heard a tremendous version of "Apache" in a reggae stylee by a group of young lads.  It was almost as good as our reggae version of "dance on".

Good fun.