Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

I made the decision in November of 2000 to never depend on a band again and started going solo as a singer/songwriter. That has worked out well for me and I've been touring about 300 days of a year for the last 7. Often I will use local folks wherever I am to join me on a few songs toward the end of a concert set, but it's not a regular band.

For about 14 months starting in 2008, I toured with my 2 oldest sons as a trio. It was the most fun I've ever had in my life and we spent all the money having that fun.

Besides that, for the last 12 years I have not had a band. Mostly because I haven't found any who were worth all the hassle it takes that I could afford.

But I met a Producer and concert pianist from Poland last March and asked how much it would cost to bring him over for a tour. Fortunately, he was recently married and was looking for a "paid vacation" to bring his wife over and see America, so we agreed to tour for the month of July 2013. What I didn't know was that his wife was a fabulous singer/sax/pianist also.

I picked them up in Newark July 3rd and before our first gig, he saw an Israeli rapper and drummer that he had worked with on a production in Jerusalem and we added him to the tour. So we had one short rehearsal and since July 5 I've been touring a "variety show" of a concert that's just knocking people out.

It starts out doing about 6 or 7 of my folks songs, then we have the Israeli doing 3 rap songs, and then the Polish couple plays their jazz/soul music for a few songs, and we end it with one of my songs.

I've only got another week with them for this tour. We'll be in Manhattan & a couple of places on Long Island. (GLENNY you MUST come out and see this!!)

I'll go to Warsaw at the end of August to record an album with these guys and we'll tour again from Phoenix to San Francisco in September.

Next Jan/Feb we're adding one of the biggest stars of Poland to join us, and a famous Jewish folk artist to tour from NY to Kansas. These guys are all way above my talent level and it's just amazing to stand on a stage next to them.

I think I could get used to touring in short one-month spurts with a band. One thing is for sure....it's going to be boring in spaces in between when they go back to Europe!

And now I'll have 2 CDs coming out by the end of the year that will both be quantum leaps above anything I've done before. Maybe playing with a band ain't so bad after all?

Excellent news! If you can find the 'band' that works out right, go for it! What kind of venues are you playing with such an eclectic lineup?

Since 2003, I've built a network of congregations/venues that basically cover my lodging and give me a room to set up and play for an offering & merch sales.

Here's a tip that's true no matter what you do: If you try to help someone, there will always be someone helping you do that.

It's a long story but from 2003-2006, I invested a lot of time helping small (congregational) music teams that didn't have much talent. I would spend a couple of days with a different congregation every week, identifying ways to help them improve. In 2005, I released an album of hyper-basic songs that any moron should be able to play (gave away chord charts to music teams) and before I knew it, there were congregations all over America who were playing those songs. From there it just blossomed and now there are at least 400+ congregations playing several of my songs every week.

People invite me to do a concert and I put their info into folders organized by states. Then I'll decide where I want to go for a particular month and contact places along that path. Their only decision is "yes we can do it" or "it doesn't work this time".

By doing things this way, I can route a tour that keeps expenses down, and I'm basically just traveling around visiting all my friends.

If you're an adventure junkie like me, it's a lot of fun to change residence every day. Otherwise not so much...

Exciting times Ted. Let me know when you hit the West coast again with your tour and I'll be there. And you always have a place to stay in my Dude Room if you just want to crash for the night.

Awesome Dave! Did you see your picture on my facebook page at the studio?

We'll be doing The Cultural Exchange Tour from Phoenix to San Fran in September. The Polish singer I've been raving about will finally come to release his album in America, and we'll be doing a Rolling Thunder Revue kind of a variety concert.

I think we may have stumbled on the way forward for the music business using this concept.

yod . . . your either one of the coolest dudes on the planet . . .
Or your the biggest Texas liar I never met.

One day I will have an opportunity to shake your hand.
And by instinct, I'll know which one.

sanshouheil wrote:yod . . . your either one of the coolest dudes on the planet . . .
Or your the biggest Texas liar I never met.

One day I will have an opportunity to shake your hand.
And by instinct, I'll know which one.

For the longest time I've been seeing "Kilgore" in your profile, but thinking "Killeen" like you were down around Austin?

OK...go to any messianic congregation in the world and ask them to play something from me in their music service. They will have a long list to choose from. I've served this small community for long enough to create my own musical genre and dominate a small pond that keeps getting bigger as it makes inroads into the greater church world.

But I was a professional musician/songwriter before I started doing that, so I can also compete in the secular realm and am finally going back into that arena with my next CD project. It's not "crossover" though...it's an invasion.

Your path and the one I pursue, are not dissimilar, except for that professional musician part.

I think you are wrong George.

The amount of time you spend on your band is equal to a second job. If you were working nights at QuickTrip you'd be a pro right? Same Same.

Talbot