General Music Chat

Mike is the expert on how it works here.

But like any place, the level of musicianship varies greatly...then there is the level of ambition within that smaller group, then there is the problems of location and band vision...then.....well you get the idea. It's a crapshoot and you shouldn't put all your dice here.


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Welcome!
FWIW two of the four members in my band The Road Dogs came from our discovering each other here on Bandmix. It hasn't always been that way but it is true today. Because Bandmix is international and finding bandmates is very regional it can sometimes be overwhelming. Figure out what a band might look like for you and go hunting. Begin to develop relationships with players that live within 20 miles of you because any further will become a hardship for regular rehearsals. Hit CL, local open mics, go to other's gigs, and be available for a jam session on any given night.

I am no guitar hero but I have been out gigging for a very long time. Yep I am one of those 100s of gigs guys. I understand how a band works, how to communicate and work with other musicians, how to keep a band moving forward, and how to get regular paid gigs. Over the years we have developed a circle of musician friends who stay in touch and trust each other. When life gets in the way for one player we have another talented player in the wings who may be a good fit for our current lineup. Good keys and drums are the most in demand and guitarists are a dime a dozen. If you are a guitarist, learn how to get regular paid gigs. You will become a valuable band mate and that will attract good players to you. Ninety percent of players out there are waiting for someone else to hustle the gigs. Be the guy who brings home the bacon! Good luck!

I think there are quite a few members who stuff the zucchini down their trousers when it comes to their resume, but a lot of others are timid and just want someone else to take the reins and put the band together. Hopefully, you find a middle ground.


How does it work?

Go to search (on bandmix, not this forum). Choose an instrument you're looking for, or band in your case. Enter your zip code, choose a radius size for your search.
When you find members you're interested in, message them (sounds like you're a premium member). A common complaint here on the forum is that almost no one replies to messages/ requests for digital auditions. That means you need to message a lot of members for any worthwhile returns. Always note whether someone has visited their profile in the last month. If not, they could be completely oblivious to the goings on of this site, especially with no email notifications turned on. That seems to be the case with the majority of membership here.

Good luck!

Good advice from everyone.

To summarize:
1) Get plenty of information, music samples on your profile. Understand that a lot of people who browse the profiles don't have premium membership, so can't message you - figure out how to make it easy for them to find you (BM deletes any links you put in your profile). I think you're right regarding people who don't have music/photos on their profiles - these days any excuse is just than - an excuse that to me put the person out of the running. Every time I've given someone 'slack' and auditioned them despite no music samples it has been a waste of my time. Of course sometimes when there are samples, they are deceiving and it was a waste of time again.
2) Use the search feature to find others in your area, make note of the 'last active' date shown. Pay for membership for at least one month so you can send messages to others.
3) Don't rely on any one place (Bandmix) to find people. Craigslist ads, get out to local jams and open mics to meet others in your area.

The first rule of Bandmix is .....don't talk about Bandmix.

other than my previous post...there was lots of good advice offered up.

i'll add one other thing that has been useful to me. as was mentioned above....samples/recordings of people's work can be misleading. so whenever you can....try to work off of actual videos of live performances cos' the camera don't lie.

best of luck....and always strive to have fun w your music, wherever it takes you.

3) Don't rely on any one place (Bandmix) to find people. Craigslist ads, get out to local jams and open mics to meet others in your area.

Mike- I would normally agree w/ you but local scenes are often very cliquish. Established musicians often diss anyone outside of their 'circle' for a number of reasons I won't mention here. if you are an 'outsider', look for other 'outsiders'.

I was quite fortunate to get into the circle back in the 90s because I met a very nice guy but he was the exception to the general rule.

You're right, and its easy to figure out that's what they are when you go. Cross that particular place off your list, but the one down the road may be totally the opposite.

Another thing that has worked well for us is to set up a casual jam session with the possibility of working together in the future. We do this several times a year and bring in musicians we have met or seen around town. This is a very low pressure way to get to know each other and see if there is some good common ground to build on. I find this a lot more effective than the formal "audition" where one new guy is under the microscope of all the other members who are waiting for that fat-fingered chord or intro so they can give the thumbs down.

Sometimes during these jams we get spinoffs where a guitarist and drummer didn't really fit our lineup but they liked each other enough to go and form their own band. Sometimes we like the musical talent but realize the player has personal issues like drug or alcohol abuse, or a cling-on girlfriend who will wreck the band at a later date. These personal issues are more easily discovered in a casual jam where folks are just having fun playing together and let their guard down a bit. Try it and see what you think.