Original bands - ever think of just giving up?

TTBZ

Been "playing" and writing (bandlab) with a band which we formed just before last March right at the start of lockdown 1 - obviously it's been slow progress working back and forth online but we have a decent amount of material finished and in demo form.

Trouble is now it's getting a bit more serious and we "need" to start doing social media, photos, videos etc to try and build a following to get gigs and I just can't be fucked with it, suddenly feels like a chore. I do enough photography and video in my job so I suppose when it comes to band it's the last thing I want to do! Unfortunately nobody else in the band does that kind of thing and we don't have budget to get someone external to do it. The other thing is all of the material has been primarily written by me and most of it is riffs that I've had kicking around unfinished for years. Just doesn't feel exciting any more I guess, it a lot of work for little to no reward - especially seeing much better local bands still slogging for years and trying to make it (which we're not trying to do - we're all way past that!). Anyone else get like this - did you overcome it? 

Right now I'm having more fun just playing at home along to albums and backing tracks, and now wondering if a decent tribute band is the way to go! No pressure to write or create, great paid gigs available for tribute festivals etc if you're good enough. I know for sure I don't want to do pub cover gigs again, thoroughly depressing.

Sorry if that's all a bit negative, not much point to this thread other than vent at someone who isn't my wife about this kind of crap

monquixote

Are you planning to be a rock star?

If not just to the fun bit writing songs and don't bother with the boring bit of promotion.

Danny1969

You can do an original band alongside a tribute and a covers band, that's what I do. 

The tribute thing is the easiest thing to sell, basically an agent does it for you. It's well paid and can buy the gear for the originals band. 
Getting a following doing purely originals can take a long time. Being in a well known pub covers band is useful for steering people towards your originals band.

I enjoy writing and recording originals and then using CD Baby etc to publish. Then move on to new songs. I know what you mean about no enthusiasm for recording stuff that's been around for ages. The trick is record it while it's fresh I think   

TTBZ

monquixote said:

Are you planning to be a rock star?

If not just to the fun bit writing songs and don't bother with the boring bit of promotion.

Yeah, I don't want to "make it" - A we're probably not good enough and B 3 of us have families so touring is a non starter! 

@Danny1969 yeah you're right, tribute alongside originals with the agent doing all the promotion and hard work sounds ideal! We have actually been talking about doing the tribute band within the same band, so we can split rehearsals in half and only take up one evening a week.

I do enjoy the whole originals thing, just feels like I've sat on them for ages and now it's time to release I just can't be bothered with all that promotion because I've heard it all so many times haha. I'd rather just approach venues/promoters with a link to a demo playlist on SoundCloud or Bandcamp, rather than have to prove ourselves by how many social followers we have. Maybe we can still do that, I don't really know how it works now. My last regular gigging cover band was about 10 years ago now - back then we just took our demo cd to a load of pubs and asked if they wanted a band!

monquixote

I was in a pub band that did a few originals. If the gig was going well we would put a couple in and back anounce them.

Rowby1

Be realistic, are you looking for world domination? 

No? Okay, just get out and get some gigs doing mostly covers, chuck in a few originals from time to time and see how they go down. Just enjoy the gigs.....if people enjoy your originals then that’s a bonus. If they really enjoy your originals in a big way then maybe you’re on to something.

TTBZ

Rowby1 said:

Okay, just get out and get some gigs doing mostly covers, chuck in a few originals from time to time and see how they go down. Just enjoy the gigs.....

As in your typical pub cover gig? I'd rather just play by myself to backing track, genuinely enjoy that more than a cover set these days! Well actually I'd rather just play with a decent band in a good rehearsal room.

When I was doing the cover band 10 years ago pubs were a lot livelier and gigs were fun, but anything I've done recently has been dead - maybe it's just the area I'm in. Wondering if Covid might have given the scene a kick up the arse though, imagine all pubs will be pretty busy this summer and there should be a big appetite for live music.

I've only done a few original gigs with my old band but it was a totally different atmosphere. The venues were still pretty empty but those who are there are like minded and supportive rather than pissed up idiots requesting another shit oasis song

trikelops

I'm 73 and still playing. I have played many different types of music since the early 60s, I'm a bass player. Most of my musical life has been broken up by spells away from playing due to work commitments but since retiring I have played pretty much all the time. Most of what I do these days is blues stuff, not Allmans or that sort of thing, but Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf etc. It's what we love and enjoy playing. Gigs are surprisingly well received  most of the time considering we are a bunch of old farts, but what the hell, we enjoy what we do and as long as we are able and people want to hear what we do, we are carrying on as we are.

PolarityMan

monquixote said:

Are you planning to be a rock star?

If not just to the fun bit writing songs and don't bother with the boring bit of promotion.

Thing is though it's kinda soul destroying to put all your creative energy into something and then basically no one to even notice you know. I have a kind of neurotic need to write so I'd do it anyway but there are definitely times that I question why I bother.

Cirrus

It doesn't have to be fun, but it does have to be inspiring. I can cope with something that's hard work if it's giving me something meaningful, but if a situation is boring me or not motivating me to put in the effort, then it's time to move on.

digitalscream

Yeah, all the time.

Thing is...I like hearing nice noises made with guitars, but I don't like most music. Therefore...I'm gonna have to make it myself.

Can't really get away from that.

Jota

I've been writing for the last couple of years because I want to make a band. I much prefer doing covers but no one wants to play the shit I like so, I thought maybe some originals would make it easier to find the people to play.
I don't think my songs are good enough for me to have fun playing them and to have others get on board with it so, I don't think I'm gonna be able to do it... And for me, having a band to play every other weekend at rehearsal space would probably be enough. I don't have the will to go after gigs anymore. I just want to play with people. That's what I miss the most. 

Rowby1

TTBZ said:

Rowby1 said:

Okay, just get out and get some gigs doing mostly covers, chuck in a few originals from time to time and see how they go down. Just enjoy the gigs.....

As in your typical pub cover gig?

No, I mean good pub gigs in pubs known for live music where people go along specifically to hear live music. 

Avoid chain pubs where you'll be booked to make background noise for the pissed up idiots. I've no time for any of that either.

Musicwolf

If you are no longer trying to 'make it' (It is the most shattering experience of a young man's life when one morning he awakes and quite reasonably says to himself: "I shall never play the Dane.") then why bother with all the social medial crap?

The best time of my musical life was when I was in a great band who had gone beyond their sell by date (wives, kids, mortgages, careers).  We were our own audience, we made the music that we wanted to make and didn't care what other people thought.  As it was we created something of a following without trying, which was good for the ego, but we really didn't care.

Do what you want to do, if you no longer enjoy it stop and do something else.  Just be sure that it's what you want because holding a band together is not an easy task so, if you quit, it's very hard to go back.

TTBZ

Musicwolf said:

If you are no longer trying to 'make it' (It is the most shattering experience of a young man's life when one morning he awakes and quite reasonably says to himself: "I shall never play the Dane.") then why bother with all the social medial crap?

The best time of my musical life was when I was in a great band who had gone beyond their sell by date (wives, kids, mortgages, careers).  We were our own audience, we made the music that we wanted to make and didn't care what other people thought.  As it was we created something of a following without trying, which was good for the ego, but we really didn't care.

Do what you want to do, if you no longer enjoy it stop and do something else.  Just be sure that it's what you want because holding a band together is not an easy task so, if you quit, it's very hard to go back.

Yeah we're definitely all in that "beyond sell by date" phase. I still want to play some gigs but I don't think it's easy to get them without some kind of social media following as I understand it. Saying that my last band with no social media managed to get a support slot at O2 Academy3 just because the singer knew the promoter, so I guess it can work and build from there. We hadn't even decided on a band name til a few weeks before, then changed it again the week after

Keefy

At some point you do the mental arithmetic and work out that life is too short to be wasting your time on stuff that isn’t fun. Sounds like you’ve already done this!

AndyJP

It's got to be fun buddy.   Doesn't sound like your feeling it.   Could you not rope in someone else from the band to take up some slack?  

To me it's important to write original stuff (whatever that is) to feel creative.   Cover bands I can do and can be fun but I don't get any creative fulfilment from them. I know that sounds a bit w@nky but its true.

Bezzer

My 2p ... if you want a decent tribute act to get off the ground you're going to need to do a lot of the same work.  Hell even pub bands need to do some of it.  I suspect the frustration is coming from having put all the work in and now it feels like little to no progress is happening.  Socials will help actually, when you start getting nice feedback it can add a little spring in yout step ... some validation if you like.

My advice on the socials is ... don't make it a chore, and outsource what you can.  The ballache is the set up ... so get your Facebook, Twitter and Instagrams set up. You don't need to be super active immediately ... think about how often you're on other social websites and ... twice a week pop onto the band ones.  Don't sweat taking loads of new photos, look at what you have.  Pop one or two up on instagram a week, make a Facebook post or two with the same pictures and a link to some music or video.  Same on Twitter.  You'd be surprised how often the content on these platforms is regurgitation ... it's really just making sure the info is available on the users preferred platform.

Divide and conquer as well.  OK, the rest of the band don't take photos and make videos.  They can log into Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and upload things.  Drop a load of files into a shared storage like Google Drive and let them take from there.

Its only as big an effort as you make it.  Key thing is ... don't go in and just smash it, it'll wear you out, you won't immediately have enough followers to justify it and ... even when you do, content overload / boredom is a thing.  A post every few days / twice a week will keep you on radars without introducing fatigue.

As I say, that's just how I view it and it's worked to the extent I've needed in the past.  YMMV obviously, but if it starts gaining traction then maybe it won't seem such an effort.

Good luck either way though, hope you do find your mojo ... wherever it may lay.

IMC1980

I am 90% of the way towards convincing myself that I want to get out and play originals in a band again; I haven't played in a band since I was in my late 20s and 3 of the four people who were in it are up for getting something together, one of the guys has a mate who is a decent drummer, so I am just waiting for restrictions to end so we can get in a room. 

I think a 14 year break from live stuff combined with having zero expectations outside of having a good time means that I am looking forward to playing some gigs. The last time I played, Facebook wasn't a thing; we put gig posters in record shops, guitar shops and venues, gave out CDs to try and get gigs, feels quite old fashioned now!

TTBZ

AndyJP said:

It's got to be fun buddy.   Doesn't sound like your feeling it.   Could you not rope in someone else from the band to take up some slack?  

To me it's important to write original stuff (whatever that is) to feel creative.   Cover bands I can do and can be fun but I don't get any creative fulfilment from them. I know that sounds a bit w@nky but its true.

Yeah I know what you mean. In the past I used to play covers for paid gigs, then just write/record at home for my own fun rather than ever trying to make anything of it. I may just revert back to that sort of balance. I've tried for years to get original bands going but nothing ever lasts as we're not all musically on the same page, have other commitments, or people lose interest (now that person is me!), I'm a bit jaded I suppose!

@Bezzer yea I get that the tribute thing will need as much work going into it - I guess for me it's worth putting that effort in because it has a chance of leading to paid and decent sized gigs, so there's a reward for it.

Bezzer

@TTBZ ah, I see what you’re getting at. Sorry, misunderstood a little.