General meaningless rant about band member availability

DiscoStu

My band is the same. We've got practice tonight and it's the first time in a couple of months due to availability. 
Similar to the OP, we've had to turn down gig options for later in the year cos we can't all do the dates. 

I'm mostly ok with it, before we started this band it had been nearly 30 years since I was in a gigging band so I'm happy that we've managed to do a handful of gigs already, and folk want us to play more. 

Why can't singers learn the words though? The rest of us learn our parts, put in the hours of practice, but the singer just turns up with his phone and reads the lyrics.
Now THAT fucks me off.

mike257

lustycourtier said:

Genuinely cannot imagine rehearsing for over a year with no outlet.
 In all the bands Im in, if first rehearsal clicks with the members, you book a gigs and be gig ready by the first one. Even tribute bands weve been out gigging at decent level after 4 rehearsals, not a chance of £10 each every other week or whatever for a year. 

Dave nailed it here. Most pub gigs I ever did as a working player (and a lot of the high end functions too!) were with no rehearsal at all. I don't think I've ever done more than two before a run of gigs for a covers band. 

Also, if someone wasn't available, we found a dep for that show and cracked on with it. If you want to get a regular run of work for your band, it might be something you have to do - sounds like it might be the difference between you getting a few gigs each or all of you playing none at all!

supes

I'd have a chat with them about it and if things didn't change I'd walk. If you're in a band to gig and then can't make yourself available most weekends then it's never going to end well.

AntonHunter

100% agree with the posts suggesting getting deps, if there are dates that everyone bar one person can do, for example. I've often suggested that for gigs I can't do; "no point holding the band back juat because I can't do this one date." With others though, you'd be surprised how quickly people move things around if they think they're going to be missing out.

I'm no longer on Facebook, but there are several groups on there for finding deps.

allen

Thanks folks for all the input. Obviously touched a nerve here!

1. @EricTheWeary Yes, we are both all a bit shit and also mildly perfectionist (not kidding).
2. Regarding deps, it seems unlikely to me that the others would agree. It's not 'my' band. Plus I'm not sure that organising deps is totally without stress unless you already know reliable people.
3. @Stuckfast I work with young people sometimes - and I am not surprised!
4. Impressed with the people who can just turn up with minimal rehearsal!

I will have a chat with everyone at our next rehearsal, but I think it will just be some shrugging of shoulders without any real progress.

I am a bit loathe to find another band because it took me quite a few months to find this one - guitar players are ten a penny, and I'm not the greatest player in the world!

TheBigDipper

allen said:

Thanks folks for all the input. Obviously touched a nerve here!

1. @EricTheWeary Yes, we are both all a bit shit and also mildly perfectionist (not kidding).
2. Regarding deps, it seems unlikely to me that the others would agree. It's not 'my' band. Plus I'm not sure that organising deps is totally without stress unless you already know reliable people.
3. @Stuckfast I work with young people sometimes - and I am not surprised!
4. Impressed with the people who can just turn up with minimal rehearsal!

I will have a chat with everyone at our next rehearsal, but I think it will just be some shrugging of shoulders without any real progress.

I am a bit loathe to find another band because it took me quite a few months to find this one - guitar players are ten a penny, and I'm not the greatest player in the world!

Only you can decide. Playing in an amateur/hobby band requires comprise from everyone or it can turn sour very fast. I'm going to quote the bridge lyrics from one of my own songs - one I wrote after the demise of my last band. 

It didn't last, they never do
We ran at different speeds, and couldn't talk it through
We wanted different things, no-ones to blame
And if we had the chance, I think we'd do it all again

Good luck! :-) 

Snags

You definitely need to have a conversation about people's expectations, desires and realities.

I fell into a band situation, and when we started it was weekly rehearsals because there were already gigs booked and we all had to learn the singer's set list in short order, and the singer had to modify what they were doing now they had a band. Through that we agreed that the ultimate goal was one gig a month, and one rehearsal a month, once things settled.

This has now morphed into no more than two gigs a month, and we still rehearse every week. Partly because one band member seems to have no other social outlet in their life, partly because it's fun, and partly because the rest of us have multiple commitments to family/other things that mean we simply don't want to be gigging every week. But also because every time we play somewhere, they want us back, and new venues want us, and so we keep squeezing dates in to be helpful. Which is why we're in the middle of a four week run of solid gigs (but then a gap, we've kept to 24 for 2026 overall, just in clusters).

Whistler

allen said:

... guitar players are ten a penny, and I'm not the greatest player in the world!

Heed the advice given by Emory Gordy Jr. to Vince Gill when Vince was a young player, "Whatever you do, don't be the best player in the band - you'll never learn anything."