Getting in a band question

slacker

If you've never been in a band, stick with this one until you do some gigs. If it's an existing gigging band then I assume the songs are picked on the basis of what works live. If it's a start up then it will be very obvious if the songs don't work.

I played in an alternative covers band for 4 years. We did 2.5 gigs with no pay at friends parties. None of the venues gave us gigs and none of the party goers gave us any either. . I consider my musical tastes to be eclectic but when we are doing  cover versions of  obscure covers of obscure songs that I haven't heard of, it doesn't really matter that I liked playing them.

I did some deps for a wedding band and the band leader would pick the set on the fly depending on what worked on the night. Modern songs not working, all the grannies dancing to the Beatles? Looks like it's a 60's set then.

I'm currently doing a start up and I pick the songs but gauge the drummers reaction (we've got a number of interested bassists but nobody full time). He plays better if he likes the song. We are working on getting some interesting songs and a mixture of styles. However I'm fully aware that we might have to learn Sex on Fire and Mustang Sally just in case.

TheOtherDennis

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the songs in question - been a Neil Young fan myself since my big brother bought After the Gold Rush and Harvest - but as a collection they're a bit samey.

It's a start-up, so we'll have to see how it goes. I just think we should be playing stuff that an audience will like and get down to as well as know, that's all. IMO a gig should be more "get up on your feet"-ish than a warm, comfy blanket.

robinbowes

As others have said, it's all about the performance. They'll only be samey if you make them samey.

R.

hotpickups

Funnily enough this has happened to me recently. I already run a band but I have a bit of time to do other things also like join another band. I was asked to join a Blues band that someone was setting up which I was a little apprehensive in doing because it's not what interests me so much these days (although it's all Blues innit really LOL) but also I didn't really want to be in another start up band and see it fail like many I've been in at the start The thing is he too chose all the songs and they are all unknown and boring if not played by the original artists themselves i.e. Joe Bonnamasse, Derek Trucks which I am certainly not. Even so, I joined and had a go but at the first rehearsal it was quite apparent that this band was never going to groove and be interesting enough for me plus the band leader keep telling me to turn down – I was on my lowest setting, honest

So to cut a long story short I decided to bail out because if it isn't enjoyable then one would get bored and one wouldn't give one's best performance/s. Also time is too short to waste. Get into a band that you love being in and where you can have fun. 'Cos lets face it it's not for the money why we do this malarky

fretmeister

There are many many bloody awful songs that suddenly become fun to play when the audience is bouncing around to them.

But there's got to be some give and take. No one person should be picking all the set list. If they want to do that, then I want paying, because all that person is looking for is session players.

p90fool

TheOtherDennis said:

The trouble is the guy who's leading it wants to pick all the songs. That's not an issue, someone has to take charge to avoid chaos.

But the songs he's chosen are really dull. They're big hits, but fuck me, I got bored listening to them once, never mind the severalty times I'd need to in order to learn them. Really stodgy west coast stuff. Not even the exciting west coast stuff.*

Is this an existing, working band, where the bandleader already knows that these songs work in a gigging environment, or is he just picking music he likes and is hoping it will work on a Saturday night with a load of pissed 20-something girls who just want to dance?

If it's the former, go with it, if it's the latter, go with it anyway for a while then steal the drummer. 

TheOtherDennis

@hotpickups - It's not quite that bad, and he actually wants me to turn it up a bit to give the sound some beef so it can get across to the audience.

@fretmeister - Nah, he's happy to take suggestions. Whether he'll accept them or not is another matter, but he has asked for them. So I suppose I do have an opportunity to change the situation at least a bit.

@p90fool - Excellent advice, I shall definitely bear that in mind.

hotpickups

TheOtherDennis said:

@hotpickups - It's not quite that bad, and he actually wants me to turn it up a bit to give the sound some beef so it can get across to the audience.

@fretmeister - Nah, he's happy to take suggestions. Whether he'll accept them or not is another matter, but he has asked for them. So I suppose I do have an opportunity to change the situation at least a bit.

@p90fool - Excellent advice, I shall definitely bear that in mind.

Yeah don't worry I was just projecting and a bit of venting so probably has no relevance to your band problems really. Hope you sort it out though