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
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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
@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!
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
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
@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.