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#31596 by gigdoggy
Thu May 15, 2008 6:45 am
This question is aimed to all bands and musicians who at one point or another ask themselves 'why do I bother'.

There are NO limitations to the word 'downside' here. All downsides are most welcome.


www.gigdoggy.com

#31602 by The KIDD
Thu May 15, 2008 8:32 am
Hey Gang,

Man , its 4am ..wheres everybody at? :lol: ...Yeah , I can remember when the 8 trk sequencer first came out... A few of my old road buddies did the one man band deal to get away from the adversities of being in a band...I guess if ya have an alternative, you can list a bunch of them...I wish I could remember the BIG LIST they ran down when asked why they were going solo...Man , just read the last few posts about flakes,irresponsibility,inconsisderation,dis-respect, inflated egoes,personality conflicts, drug/ alcohol probs etc...I guess I am at that "why bother" stage.Ive been in a band since 73 except for the last 5yrs.I know the respect that use to be givin to us by clubowners, promoters etc, is not there anymore ..Cant say we dont deserve some of that..Lets face it boys and girls . we're not the most stable group of people out here so the likely hood that things will run smoothly in ANY band is not the norm.
At least in my exp...I put up with alot for 400$ /wk salary and 250/wk retainer pay..I put up with the same for 100$ a weekend...We love to play so it isnt the $$$...People with short fuses either take yrs to learn the hard way, or quit...With all the file swappin,all the home recording going on and gas prices, I think the # working bands will diminish as a whole...I know I didnt address the topic directly, just wanted dance around it a bit... :lol: ...

John

#31609 by Axesligner for hire
Thu May 15, 2008 1:37 pm
Egos, 1st and foremost. It's tough to deal with someone that thinks they are the next bes thing to sliced bread in a plastic bag. Especially when that someone is unproven. Yeah I'm still a little bitter about our last singer walking off stage during sound check and leaving the band to fend for ourselves for that show.

The other thing that I consider a downside is working with someone that takes things too personally. I mean, it's supposed to be a collaborative effort, with every band member working for the better of the collective. When someone isn't getting something, or the group doesn't like the sound or something like that, and it's brought up to a member of the band; well it should be taken as constructive criticism. I'm not talking about, "Dude you really suck. Why in the hell did we hire you?" I'm talking about, "I wonder what it would sound like if you played it this way?" kind of stuff. Since everyone is supposed to be in it for the good of all, these types of suggestions are going to be made, and should be listened to and acted upon. I've been playing guitar for 25 years and am in no way shape or form perfect. I make mistakes just like everyone else, and if someone points them out to me I do my best to just correct them.

Non team players. Not helping set up/tear down before and after shows. Not coming to practices prepared, or even to shows prepared.

Ok I'm going to stop now, still a few scars itching over this subject.

Back to building the new band.

#31627 by gbheil
Thu May 15, 2008 3:29 pm
For me at this point the only down is the time away from my family.
Yet I am in so much a better mood when I get to play, the trade is worthy.
Oh and I forgot its EXPENSIVE. With any luck at all maybe one day I will be able to offset that aspect as well.

#31634 by Kramerguy
Thu May 15, 2008 4:10 pm
While the downsides don't negate the upsides, here's my list:

Things that suck (not in any particular order):

1. Playing a show and bombing, or as I call it: "Crickets".
2. Being away from family, much less personal time.
3. Gas prices
4. Having to buy new gear
5. Having to explain to my wife why I needed to buy new gear
6. When a member suddenly quits
7. Finding replacements for members who quit
8. Losing gear at a show because a drunk fell into your _____ and broke it.
9. Having gear stolen at shows
10. Band-mates who one day just stop caring and slowly lose interest, yet they just hang on and drag the whole band down with them.
11. Other musicians with big ego's who assume you have an ego when you don't (or at least try to keep it in check), yet don't really see that their presumptions are because of their own ego.
12. Bandmates with addictions.

Hmm.. I'm starting to depress myself.. best stop now

#31642 by philbymon
Thu May 15, 2008 6:45 pm
I've spent most of my musical life working as a solo.

For me, it's $150-200 a night playing solo vs. $50-100 a gig playing with a band. That's a huge difference.

Add to that the arguments, the compromising over material, the having to depend on ppl that may or may not be dependable, & I don't know why I bother at all.

As a solo, when it's a bad night I know who's to blame. (It's surely the audience, right?) When I'm in a band, I have to sit down & figure out what went wrong, & find a tactful way of solving it in the future.

Yep, there's a whole buncha reasons to go solo over working in a band, but still, I want to work in a band.

I'm SUCH a masochist!

#31643 by SirKrazyK
Thu May 15, 2008 6:45 pm
I would have to agree with kramerguy when it comes to people joining a band and then bailing. "Why the hell did you join to begin with?" Coming from a guitarist point of view, some singers out there that think they have a bigger ego than Vince Neil or sing better than ozzy or robert plant, doesn't necessarily mean that you're entitled to be an asshole towards the band.

One thing that still itches from my last band was the drummers wife. Why join a band when the broad doesn't want you to and why would you let her shred through it like a chainsaw. If "you're whipped," its ok, don't join a band.

#31703 by Kramerguy
Fri May 16, 2008 1:28 pm
SirKrazyKen wrote:I would have to agree with kramerguy when it comes to people joining a band and then bailing. "Why the hell did you join to begin with?" Coming from a guitarist point of view, some singers out there that think they have a bigger ego than Vince Neil or sing better than ozzy or robert plant, doesn't necessarily mean that you're entitled to be an asshole towards the band.

One thing that still itches from my last band was the drummers wife. Why join a band when the broad doesn't want you to and why would you let her shred through it like a chainsaw. If "you're whipped," its ok, don't join a band.


damn, I totally forgot to mention the "Yoko" effect.

Yeah, if you (bandmate) have to bail 1/2 early on practice b/c your sig. other wants you home earlier, or doesn't want you out til 2AM playing a gig, then perhaps you should re-think being in a band, the rest of us don't want to compromise the way you did, you henpecked sorry excuse for a man.

#31707 by gbheil
Fri May 16, 2008 1:44 pm
My wife and my family a most important to me. Still I never understood how a man or a woman would allow for a S.O. to control who they are.
Perhaps they just dont know who they are.
Diff strokes I guess.

#31718 by gigdoggy
Fri May 16, 2008 3:52 pm
very good points people
Now what i find hard to swollow is when i spend 3 to 5 days working non stop on a song (i tend to produce everything in cubase), find it incredible, or very worthwhile by my standards, and then present it to my band only to notice a negative reaction. Since they know i work hard, they try to hide the fact that they are not completely on board with my idea. which actually just makes it all worse in the end.

So then im thinking, man i love what i just did and they dont. I want to defend my way of creating music, of perceiving it, but they dont grasp it.
Whats next?

When this happens once every 6 months, thats ok , you can live with it and put your ego aside for a couple of songs, but when it happens on a regular basis you have to start thinking about playing with other people.
And wow! there you feel the heaviness over your shoulders, all the trouble you must go through to start over again. With the work i can deal with, but the time is takes is a whole issue. You need months to get a band going. and that in the brighter situations.
So here i am thinking and scratching my head, feeling very depressed cause my dreams of rock & roll stardome seem to be fading away....

Mruff to that yo!
(www.gigdoggy.com)

#31723 by Kramerguy
Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
gigdoggy wrote:very good points people
Now what i find hard to swollow is when i spend 3 to 5 days working non stop on a song (i tend to produce everything in cubase), find it incredible, or very worthwhile by my standards, and then present it to my band only to notice a negative reaction. Since they know i work hard, they try to hide the fact that they are not completely on board with my idea. which actually just makes it all worse in the end.

So then im thinking, man i love what i just did and they dont. I want to defend my way of creating music, of perceiving it, but they dont grasp it.
Whats next?

When this happens once every 6 months, thats ok , you can live with it and put your ego aside for a couple of songs, but when it happens on a regular basis you have to start thinking about playing with other people.
And wow! there you feel the heaviness over your shoulders, all the trouble you must go through to start over again. With the work i can deal with, but the time is takes is a whole issue. You need months to get a band going. and that in the brighter situations.
So here i am thinking and scratching my head, feeling very depressed cause my dreams of rock & roll stardome seem to be fading away....

Mruff to that yo!
(www.gigdoggy.com)


Wow dude, sounds like you are playing with the wrong people. If you like your material and the band doesn't then there are two possibilities: Either you are right or they are right. You should post a few of those songs up here and ask for some critique regarding the arrangements and style and stuff. Most here will give you honest criticism without beating you up over recording and engineering shortcomings. It IS all about the music.

However, I will use an example of this chick I know, she sings along with the jukebox, sings karaoke, and even tried to sing open mic. She really believes she has a great voice and a promising music career someday, yet she is completely and utterly tonedeaf and can't sing worth a crap.

Where I'm going with this is that you may be a good player, but a terrible composer, but who knows? We all would like to think we're talented in many ways, but we got to know our limitations, what we can improve upon, and what we can't.

In the end, find out from others if you got promise as a songwriter, don't depend on the opinions of a band whose musical tastes might be interfering with good criticisms.

#31728 by gigdoggy
Fri May 16, 2008 5:42 pm
hahaha
I was just explaining a situation a had encountered in the past, just sharing some feelings. But i didnt have a sissy fit about it or anything.
In that band we all had very precise ideas about what we wanted. Truth be told nobody got along with anybody composition wise. but we still had a blast.
I not self centered to the point where i will impose my ideas to others.

Anyways if you want to listen to some of my songs, check out my Myspace

www.myspace.com/gigdoggy

Oh and by the way, I already posted this a couple of times on these forums, so here goes agian: we have a blog that could interest you guys.

www.gigdoggy.com

Its based on band quotes and music related articles. Actually Kramerguy, i quoted you from this discussion. Its the last post up to date. check it out and tell me what you think. I was going to tell you about this you know...:)

#31731 by jw123
Fri May 16, 2008 6:18 pm
Gigdoggy,

Maybe as Kramer says your songs suck.

Ive found thru the years if you are going to have any success in music that all the players have to be on the same page. Maybe when you get into writing some material get some of the other people involved, so they feel like they have some input. Also a third party might say that song your working on stinks before you sink a lot of time in it.

Something Ive always done is throw a song down and just forget about it for a while, then revisit it and see if it still feels good. A lot of times stuff I thought was great the first go round turns into fluff when I listen again from a distance.

I dont know whether your songs are good or bad so dont think what I said was negative just trying to shed light from the outside looking in.

#31747 by Kramerguy
Fri May 16, 2008 8:11 pm
gigdoggy wrote:hahaha
I was just explaining a situation a had encountered in the past, just sharing some feelings. But i didnt have a sissy fit about it or anything.
In that band we all had very precise ideas about what we wanted. Truth be told nobody got along with anybody composition wise. but we still had a blast.
I not self centered to the point where i will impose my ideas to others.

Anyways if you want to listen to some of my songs, check out my Myspace

www.myspace.com/gigdoggy

Oh and by the way, I already posted this a couple of times on these forums, so here goes agian: we have a blog that could interest you guys.

www.gigdoggy.com

Its based on band quotes and music related articles. Actually Kramerguy, i quoted you from this discussion. Its the last post up to date. check it out and tell me what you think. I was going to tell you about this you know...:)


Hey thanks for the props on your blog-

Anyways, I did take a good listen to your stuff. I can say that you, without a doubt, do not have any notable shortcomings when it comes to ideas and arrangements. So pretty much your problem is the other guys-

And JW.. I never said he sucked, I said MAYBE he sucked lol. Now that I got a taste, I retract that statement :P

#31750 by Crip2Nite
Fri May 16, 2008 8:29 pm
..when 2 members of the band take such advantage of the bands bar-tab that when it come's time to get paid...... we're the ones doin' the payin' :shock:

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