Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

so this will just be a small update for those who might be wondering what happened to the prog project.

So, after about 9 months and some of the best song writing I have ever been involved with, we surprise me again by writing what I consider now one of the better songs I have listened to. Everything was on track for stardom and we were all very excited to get playing shortly.

Our rhythm guitarist leaves after it becomes apparent that proper steps were not taken to full introduce him into the band and the combination of the tension between the two guitarist.

In the following 2 months we have 3 practices, each one worse than the last. So the band is dissolved, effective immediately.

So what happened to the greatest project I have ever been in? Why did the best band I had ever been in never see the stage when one of the worst bands I was in got a record deal (that we turned down) and played near 50 shows? I only have speculation. There must just be a cluster of problems.

Sorry that I didn't have a success story for you to read. I'm afraid that I don't have any advice or wise saying that came out of this, that there was nothing to learn. I have weighed on this for almost 2 months now and I can't pin point a reason.

Is it time to hang up the bass?

Sorry for the dissolution. Don't give up on music!

You could analyze why what happened, happened. You mention that the rhythm guitarist didn't get integrated in - why? What other issues led to the problems of no rehearsals, etc?
To avoid repeating mistakes, one must recognize what they were.

Sorry to hear that.

There is a really good picker in this town that carries what must be a curse around with him. He would get a group of really good musicians together and they would practice for hours several times a week for months. Just when they got really good, the band would break up over some trivial squabbles. Sometimes right after booking their first gig, sometimes just a couple of gigs later. I never could understand why. At least they had fun practicing.

Sorry to hear the news. Sometimes the hardest thing about a band are the human factors and not necessarily creative differences. Please don't hang up the bass. Keep playing for yourself and honing those mad fusion chops! Another opportunity will arise in the future. Best of luck.

AirViking wrote:so this will just be a small update for those who might be wondering what happened to the prog project.

So, after about 9 months and some of the best song writing I have ever been involved with, we surprise me again by writing what I consider now one of the better songs I have listened to. Everything was on track for stardom and we were all very excited to get playing shortly.

Our rhythm guitarist leaves after it becomes apparent that proper steps were not taken to full introduce him into the band and the combination of the tension between the two guitarist.

In the following 2 months we have 3 practices, each one worse than the last. So the band is dissolved, effective immediately.

So what happened to the greatest project I have ever been in? Why did the best band I had ever been in never see the stage when one of the worst bands I was in got a record deal (that we turned down) and played near 50 shows? I only have speculation. There must just be a cluster of problems.

Sorry that I didn't have a success story for you to read. I'm afraid that I don't have any advice or wise saying that came out of this, that there was nothing to learn. I have weighed on this for almost 2 months now and I can't pin point a reason.

Is it time to hang up the bass?

When sh*t hits a fan, that only means the walls got slopped up.. Dont give up yer music... SOng writing and Band Admin are two different beasts..

-- The best songs in the world often emerge under murky conditions... mid stride of chaos... and under fire.

--The song is not the band. Therefore, writing the song does not administrate the band...

-- Two guitarist/ musicians...at odds with each other? I've never heard of this... <cough> But two disparate axe handlers normally dont dissolve a band.

My opinion for whatever that's worth... I think the sights being set on "stardom", rather than 'advancement' is what might have done you guys in...(as a cohesive band) Like any other kind of relationship, members in a band relationship might start to drag in their own individual definition of stardom, and subsequent version of expectations. If the members aren't in alignment with their thinking/goal visions, then that's usually a recipe for failure.

Also, the attitudes about 'creative licence' surrounding collaborations on song-writing are often misaligned.

I have found that one workable approach to songwriting is to adopt a willingness to let a song get trashed... (Its another way of saying, let the partner get his meat-hooks into it) In the end, you come up with much better material for it (I believe). Then, Let the public decide then if its a classic or not. (I've been told on good authority that if they pay money for it, its likely to hit that mark)

Dont give up ... Give in...Adapt, Modify... try again

PaperDog wrote:
Dont give up ... Give in...Adapt, Modify... try again

Amen!



If it weren't for the struggles we go through, we'd never get stronger.


Then again, I finally gave up on bands for the reasons you've mentioned. I hated re-tooling a band every 6 months.

But there is a reason why most of the greatest rock bands in history only had one guitar player.


Why not try a power trio with a singer if you must do a band thing?

Thanks guys, but honestly there isn't even much to reflect on. There was nothing I didn't already go through with other bands and the band didn't end rough or sudden, it fizzled out with a whimper.

The good news is that I already received another offer today for a position for bass and vocals.

To Yod: My most successful band yet was a power trio, they were just new musicians too.

It seems like most of being in a band is failure with the few shining moments making you forget how much you have already gone through.

sh*t happens ... move along ... move along.



P.S.

Really good to hear from you.

Bad news. Sorry to hear it.

I imagine this has happened to most of us - it certainly has to me. I hate being the most determined guy in the outfit....

However, it makes me wonder - do some guys just sort of lose their nerve in the end? You don't work that hard for something to just blow it off over a squabble.

Playing live is pretty intimidating for some. It wasn't for me so I think I might have missed it in others who hid their timidity behind massive egos.

Power trio sounds right up your alley.

Talbot

Man, that's just the way the music business is for most people. Bands sometimes break up for inexplicable reasons. Don't worry about. You've got a passion for it so just keep on playing. The next band you're in might be the big one that lasts.

another forum thread that makes me even more content to hunker down in the basement studio....
fighting with myself is pretty easy..

CelticPiping

But remember, the first rule of fightclub: don't talk about fight club!

Tyler Talbot

Isn't it obvious?
Go grab the guy that left and get rid of the guy that he had tension with.
If each practice was worse than the last, after he left... That should paint a picture of who was the glue.

Sorry to hear it, you got to decide what you want,
and then go for it with all you got whether its music
or something else.

Not many players make it to rockstar status(or even
honky tonk status) if you don't practice come on 3 times
in 2 months, you gotta work harder at it than that to
even play on a praise team.

I'd set the bass down and pick up a guitar or sit down at the piano,
even though both is the best way, and learn the fundamentals of music,
become deeply involved with note relationships, ther's 7 notes
that 's 7 factorial melody possibilities without even adding in
rhythm notation, there's alot that can be learned musically.

Bands are hard, now you know

Good Luck to you which ever way you go, I thought
you had a real interest in theory.

I do love my garage studio, I'm just lucky

celticpiping wrote:another forum thread that makes me even more content to hunker down in the basement studio....
fighting with myself is pretty easy..

Is that a picture of you or do you just look a lot like Bonn Scott?