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#145474 by slanoue
Wed Apr 27, 2011 5:37 am
Thanks, Don!

I think some people can drink socially with no problem, but if you are drinking on your job or while rehearsing, you definitely have a problem.

I used to think I couldn't sing without drinking because I had such bad stage fright, but eventually I got over it and can sing without drinking. Also, just getting up there and doing it over and over, eventually you feel more confident. If you're solid in your musicianship, you shouldn't need to drink or do drugs to feel capable.

Look at all the famous people who feel they need it, though, including singers, actors, musicians etc. Very sad.

Suzanne

#146248 by drag57
Sun May 08, 2011 4:09 pm
doneaster,i could`nt agree with you anymore.
#294119 by schmedidiah
Sun Feb 17, 2019 3:01 pm
people are flaky. musicians even more so. you're welcome. good luck. :mrgreen:
#294128 by Mordgeld
Mon Feb 18, 2019 6:33 pm
I feel the pain. Our singer plays percussion on our acoustic sets and bass on our electric sets but she can only do one of those things at a time. If I could get just one more musician to show up regular like, I'd have a lot more latitude in booking. Been exposed to a lot of flakes in California. It is the norm here. Lots of ppl talking a good talk, few that actually show up if scheduled. I'm pretty tolerant. My standards are: show up a reasonable amount to practice (and to all gigs), and don't f-up too much. If you need a couple of shots of whiskey to get loose and you sound great, more power to ya.

I saw somewhere in this thread that this difficulty can be due to problems with the material or band. Granted, you need this type of introspection. It can make you question yourself when you endeavor to forge a new path. It is often easier to obtain members when you are following whatever the trends are. I do try to clearly define the objectives for incoming members. I figure if they think we know what we are doing, they are more likely to work with us.
#294909 by toneguy86
Thu Sep 19, 2019 4:29 pm
Don't give up for sure. Those people are out there. They just haven't found you yet. One thing I have learned is not to just settle for someone, OR (worse) bring someone in as a "project." If there are yellow flags early, it will get worse. I guarantee it. I have also stopped seeing a band as a democracy. We (my wife--a bass player--and I) are emphatic that this is our band, it is marketed as such, we are the faces, singers and front people and you may be a part of the band, but you are here because it is working for us personally and professionally. Drama, inability to shift with the needs of the music as requested, showing up late for practice or gigs, showing up drunk, getting drunk, getting combative, bad overall attitude--especially on stage, etc? You are done.

I am also fine with reaching out a fair distance from where I live to find the right people. After some big, but necessary changes early this year we have a rotating crew of dependable professionals with several great options to come in permanently. This year I've used 8 different drummers, 2 keys players and 3 second guitarists for recording and some of our mini tours. It is a bit stressful but it works. The people we have are pros and learn the material, show up when asked and do their jobs. I like that. Just this past week, one of the keys players (one of the best I know of) agreed to join permanently. We have 3 drummers who have answered ads to try out and a guy who has been filling in for a lot of local shows who we want to give first right of refusal for the job. It isn't easy to find the right people, but they are there. As I said, they just haven't found you yet :)
#295849 by t-Roy and The Smoking Section
Wed Oct 18, 2023 2:38 pm
Want the bad news now? Putting a band together isn't nearly as difficult as keeping a band together.

Go solo. Nothing happened for me until I stopped depending on musicians.

I mean, it's hilariously dumb to put your future in the ability of any drummer/bassist/singer/guitarist to be dependable.
#295855 by Planetguy
Wed Nov 01, 2023 1:04 pm
It's like anything else. Being in the right place at the right time and being there when the stars DO align. I've been lucky (and skilled) enough to have some very long term and satisfying ongoing music relationships.

I would have missed out on those had I given up hope of finding the right players. I've been playing w PLANET JAZZ for over thirty yrs. Drummer, sax man, and myself all original members.....the bass player has been with us close to twenty yrs. Great people, all. Super talented players.

My other gig, SARAH & MARK, now into our 6th yr is a duo w a very talented lady who is just a blast to play with. We'd been playing together in a BG band for about five yrs before packing that in and going duo.

I've always been a band guy and I love the interaction of musical conversation w other like minded players. I've done lots of solo gigs, but for me......there's nothing like riding the wave created by working w other talented musicians.

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