Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

A female friend of mine had the idea that promoting an all-girl-band wouldn't be such a hard thing to do, and seeing how there wasn't many of them around- it should be pretty easy...right? I mean all those girl rockers out there would be simply dying to get in one...right? So, how hard can it be? I told her I would even give her a hand and see who was available on this site, and would pass it along.

Well, it turns out there is a very good reason why there are not many all girl bands around- actually there are many reasons. And I am not referring to the so-called myths about girl bands, such as: All girl bands can't cut it. All girl bands are made up of lesbians. There are no talented all girl bands. Girls are not as talented as guys. Girls can't write music. etc. etc. etc...... Now while some of the above holds true for some girls they are certainly not universal truths. Some girls can play a mean guitar, and I have seen some girl drummers that can beat the snot out of most of their male counterparts. And no sane person is going to argue about all the very talented female singers around. So what's the problem with forming an all girl band?

Plenty! First off- you have to separate the female singers from those that play an instrument. There are plenty of female singers on this site and plenty of them say they are looking to sing in a band. However, there are not many 'good' guitarists or drummers who are serious musicians. There are some, but outside places like NYC or L A- they are far and few between.

Which brings me to the 2nd biggest problem. They all want the band to be from their home area. Well that's fine for NYC- just jump the subway, but if you live in East Cupcake, NH you are going to be s**t out of luck. There is just about zero chance of finding 4 or 5 talented female musicians from East Cupcake- wake up. So, in most cases, some travel will be necessary- and few are willing to do it.

And here is another problem, and not such a small one. It seems many of the female singers are suffering from 'Lead singer syndrome' in which the other band-mates would be Her 'back up band'. And she wonders why there are not a lot of takers on that deal. Probably because you are not Joan Jet or Charlotte Church, sweetheart.

Last you have the debatable affliction of- girl band members do not get along as well as guys do. I'm not totally certain this is true but I do tend to lean in that direction, considering the short sprints of even the most successful all girl bands.

Lets face it- musicians are not the easiest people in the world to get along with. Egos loom large, girls and guys alike. But an all girl band makes me want to say- go f**k yourself, or, a nicer way to put it is- good luck on that.

LOL lol

yup-yup...

Can't argue with any point.

Thanks for the comments guys. You know I think all guys should try and start and all girl band- just so that everything else in life seems really simple. Just kidding.

About as easy as getting your wife to agree to a threesome with some 18-year-old nymphette. In other words, it might happen - at about the same odds as winning the lottery!

Hmm, there is an all-girl group here that has been trying to recruit me, or at the very least trying to persuade me to form an all-girl band. My thoughts are that if that's what I wanted, that's what I would have done.

The all-girl thing just comes off to be as being too much of a marketing ploy, a bit too much schtick (just my opinion, based on what I have seen around town).

While this group i know is comprised of older ladies (even older than I am!) and there is less drama (probably having to do with less estrogen running rampant), it just isn't my bag. Hell, I have a hard enough time just finding women to be friends with; think I want to spend all that time finding a bunch of female musicians that get along and have similar musical tastes? I just want to play music! </rant>


Just my 2¢ rattling in the jar.

Well it looks like you are agreeing that an all girl band is harder to form and maintain. As for an all girl band being a 'gimmick' (my word) I think that is often the case. But I think if you put together a group of girls that are really good musicians than it gets rather interesting- because it rarely happens- I can count the girl bands on one hand who were worth anything, but that isn't because there are no talented girls out there. It may not be easy to form a good all girl band, but it's certainly not impossible. Someone told me I couldn't do it- we'll see about that

Just in that you are starting with a smaller pool to begin with. I don't think most all-male bands set out with the goal in mind of being an all-male band; my first thought when someone says "let's do an all-girls band" is that it is somehow politically motivated. Meaning, it seems to be more to prove a point and less about the music.

More power to you if you can get this together, though.

It's about the music!

Actually, to put it in the simplest terms- it's about exposure and money, which is usually the bottom line expectations of most musicians. As crass as that sounds- that's the reality of it. Art for art's sake is fine- but it won't buy a guitarist his/her next set of strings if they can't find a paying gig.

As far as male vs. female- the truth is the guys out number the girls at least 10 to 1. Most bands are composed of all guys and if they let a girl in it is usually as a singer. There are exceptions of course but not many. In my opinion it is more difficult for girl to get into a local band as a musician than it is for a guy. People could argue that point until hell freezes over but the stats don't lie.

I think it gives girls a chance to do what they love without having to convince people that they worthy of a chance. Actually it doesn't HAVE to be an all girl band but how many guys are willing to play in a band with mostly girls in it. I might point out that two of the most respected female musicians today are Joan Jet and Lita Ford and they both got their start in the all girl band the Runaways in the mid 1970's.

My personal opinion is that a really good all girl band would rise faster than a male band of equal talent. Why? Because of the sheer novelty of it. In the end it's always about the music, but who wants to play their guitar alone in the basement all the time. Hey, it can be a touchy issue and everyone seems to have an opinion- This is mine.

If Kelly Johnson were still alive I'd care a lot more about all girl bands (GirlsSchool). But sigh...she's not.

Talbot

Yeah Kelly and Girlschool were great. I am not that up on the history of the band but why Kelly quit the band in the middle of a US tour to hook up with Vicki Blue in L.A is a mystery to me. Really liked "Play Dirty". They should make a movie about that band- very talented group.

The Go Go's and the Bangles were cool and all but not earth-shattering. There are lots of good female musicians now, and they are talented enough to play with the boys. These artificial barriers accomplish nothing.

WELL, I have experienced all those things /issues with female groups, but there's no Real didfference for Me to experiene issues with a male group.
The way i look at it..the Isuue starts with Me. Who am I, what do I do, am I confident, I love working smart, can I give and get good chemistry, am I business minded...ALL THE GOOD THINGS ABOVE! THIS Personal EVALUATION is so imperative with Any gig or even a Regular job that you apply for!!

WELL, I have experienced all those things /issues with female groups, but there's no Real didfference for Me to experience issues with a male group.
The way I look at it..the Isuue starts with Me. Who am I, what do I do, am I confident, I love working smart, can I give and get good chemistry, am I business minded...ALL THE GOOD THINGS ABOVE! THIS Personal EVALUATION is so imperative with Any gig or even a Regular job that you apply for!!

Try to establish / maintain a Christian Rock group . . .