General Music Chat

Tell a tale!
Your first "band" even if you never gigged.
How long did you practice before ever "jamming" with a band
Did you start with people of similar skill levels? Or all over the board?
How did you find your band?
Etc etc...

1st band?....Hmmm, we used to get together in 70 and jam but it really wasnt a "Band".Id have to say 73 was the 1st workin band playin real gigs.I was the baby at only 14, but was 1st chair drummer in JR High so I had some jazz /concert exp. under my belt.The other guys were OLD at 16-17 and they smoked (cigarettes).They heard about me in their HS and came over unexpected one evening.OMG, they were a bad infl. as far as my parents were concerned..Little do THEY know , I was drinkin like a fish already and a full blown alki by 18. ..Yeah we covered Black Sabbath, Steppenwolf,CSN&Y ,Hendricks,Eagles, Bad Co,Deep Purple etc. who were all on the charts then.We were lucky in havin a Cat who could really sing this stuff.Played School dances, Pep Assemblies,and Block Parties.We were all about the same skill level I guess..Practice once a week.I read bass clef then and drum charts BUT, that didnt do me any good with this stuff.. 35yrs later, still playin alotta this material each week..

John

My first band lasted about two weeks (after about two months of putting it together). I was the singer-something I wouldn't attempt again for ten years or so. We needed a bass player, and I was volunteered...I didn't even know what the instrument was supposed to sound like! They would get ready to start a song, and when I turned my back to my amp, THEY TURNED IT OFF!
We played three songs (all originals) over and over.
The guitarist would inch up his volume just a bit more day by day. We recorded our "practices" on an old tape recorder. On the final day, we listened during a break and couldn't even hear the drums!! It was one solid guitar part!
The keyboard player looked at me and said "Well, are we done here?"
Reluctantly, I replied "Yeah, I think so." Then we both laughed and packed up our stuff.
The drummer went on to become a chef. The guitarist still plays (when he's not in jail).
The keyboardist and I played together for many years before kind of growing apart. We are currently playing in a band together again-and having a blast . It was a bit of a rough start, but, looking back, it could have been worse.

1st band?....Hmmm, we used to get together in 70 and jam but it really wasnt a "Band".Id have to say 73 was the 1st workin band playin real gigs.

Actually, I want to know about your first band period (or first bandS) gigging, and/or working.....NOT gigging or working...no matter. Looking for first experiences.

H#LL, even your first steady jamming buddies count here!

The Pigz, circa 1974. We did Stooges and Hendrix covers. Never played anywhere, first gigging band was 1979.

My first band was in junior high Three black girls...organ...flute...and tambourine. We made up this crazy R & B tune. We played it at the talent show. Regina's dad brought her organ monstrosity to school. Our outfits were satin hot pants ( mine was purple ) with hose and black shoes We also danced to whatever that song was
That song we wrote is floating around in space somewhere...never to be heard again. I don't remember the name of our trio or the song but it was the beginning of things to come. Regina, the organist, and I were both accomplished musicians, considering our age. We were both taking lessons on our axes. Regina was the substitute organist in her church. Janet, the tambourine player knew nothing musically but she also play in her church. Janet and Regina had the most experience when it comes to playing publically.

My first real band was called Voyages. It was back in Ohio and we played for weddings, festivals, charity. I had the best bunch of guys in that band. They new their music and made me sound really good. My favorite gig was playing for Mother's Day at Mill Creek Park in Youngstown. The first set was classical and the second set was jazz. Now, I am in a rock band "The Amusements". I think that the name is lame, however. We play at a bar and grill from time to time. We do a lot of originals, which is good. After the new year, we will be working on Manic Depression as an instrumental featuring the flute...can't wait.

With Voyages, I found my pianist through my own wedding. I hired him to do the reception and we even performed together at my reception...impromptu. He loved music and he didn't even take a break. My kinda guy. We kept in touch and would call eachother for various gigs. He knew a bassist and introduced him to the group who in turn knew a drummer. Excellent players.

we were "The Violators" and we were all at the same skill level - HORRIBLE!

the first time I sang w/a band it was "The Spiders"...it was a guitarist named spider (he had 6 in. fingers) his dad on keys (retired music teacher who taught Ian Anderson to play the flute) and my drunk ass buddy on drums.

we did cat scratch fever in his back yard; it was a huge super ritzy retirement village. the Rangers came and shut us down twice ( i guess "make her pu**y purr" didnt go well w/the snobs over the PA system...lol
I was a rock star already...(and that's as close as I ever got to it)


www.myspace.com/blunderingeye
http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/6039/
http://bandmix.com/hayden-king/

hayden_king2000 on yahoo messenger (Jamm Pudding wed's 8-10 pm)
*show resumes Jammuary 7th w/ Roger Yelton & TBA

Some time in the mid eighties... I was hanging around a band because the guitarist was one of my best friends.... The bassist was a flake... pulled no shows, primadonna hissy fits and stormed off alot...
He did that one day but left his gear, Bryce told me to pick up the bass and jam along.... he showed me a couple AC/DC songs and Metal Health by Quiet Riot ....

I pawned everything I could and sold even more to buy my own bass... been playing since even though Bryce died within a year of that in a tragic accident...

Now my second third and fourth bands have more stories... nothing breeds drama like musicians lol....

I met this guy in HS, who wasn't my usual sort of friend. He was heavily into country & bluegrass, while I was a rock/folk type. Still, I was learning to play, & he had some very good skills, so somehow we teamed up. Found another guy who was gonna learn bass, & the next thing I knew we had a band of sorts. I was 15 or 16 at the time.

I made concessions & played Tim's country & bluegrass, & he made concessions & played my rock stuff. Since Tim was from Cumberland, TN, we called ourselves the Cumberland Crusaders. Our 1st gig was for the Anne Arundel Coonhunters' Association. We played at Pumphey's Pond for a pig roast. We got payed $25 plus all the pig we could eat, & then they passed the hat around, too. We got there at 10 AM, & we finished up & broke down around 10 PM. I think we made around $8 apiece.

I had a '64 Vox acoustic/electric 12 string (factory bolted-in p/u in the sound hole), & played rhythm & sang all of the songs. Later on we got a regular gig at the bar where I worked as a dishwasher. Good times.

Barn band. Late 70's early 80's best I remember. Been a lot of dope and booze under the bridge. Four guys making noise and getting lit.
Had some real talented musicians come out and just jam with us.
Fun and non productive it was.

It was the bogyman band in winchester VA. I wasnt an member of the band I was about fifteen years old and the lead guitarest Randy Richards lived on my block and they let me stand in on beer drinkers and hell raisers in a little dive called the little corner. And I would go to rehersals and they always made me feel like part of the line up. Ill never forget that, it was great. peace

Great stuff!!! Keep it coming!

My first band was in secondary school (grade 8 I think) in 1964. I played accordian and organ we had drums, 2 guitars and bass. We played school sock-hops dances. I played for a year with this band then got pickup by a bunch of 20 yr olds (because I had a Hammond and could learn songs fast) and started playing clubs and strip joints.

First band, all beginners, me singing and playing harmonica. About a year into sounding dreadful we get wind of a world class harmonica player seeking a blues band. I switch to bass, the bass player switches to guitar, our guitarist leaves the band, and two months later we're GIGGING for real. The very frst gig we get is a last minute deal. A Led Zeppelin tribute band cancels at the last minute and the desperate bar owner calls me to see if we could play THAT NIGHT! Everybody is available so we go and play. The place is PACKED, everyone expecting the Led Zep cover band, the bar owner announces to the crowd that we're filling in. We manage to hold over half the crowd. After the show the bar owner asks us what kind of music we're playing, she never heard a blues band in her life. (Before playing there I told her we played old rock and roll, there was NO blues bars anywhere in New Jersey at the time.) We end up playing there a bunch of times after that and a few other places in New Jersey and New York City. Then in 1987 I move to Kansas City area and lived here ever since. The first band I was in ended up being pretty good once we got a world class front man.

My first band wasn't really a band at all, more like a bunch of 14 year old kids in 1984 trying to act like rock stars. During our practices, we would all just stand around talking about how great it will be when we got signed. Nobody even wanted to actually play their instruments lol. I think the only song we knew as a group (and I say that loosely) was cocaine. So we would just play the rhythm over and over, with no vocals, and me and the other guitarist would just take turns playing the most horrible and out of key solos you ever heard.

My next ten bands were about the same.

At 16, I finally got a band with a county fair gig lined up, the band was terrible, but at least had 5-6 songs and the other guitarist (leader) was pretty good. It was horribly cold out and my guitar went out of tune so bad at that fair, that I ended up turning it all the way down and faking it lol. We split up after the show.

The next few bands in my life were a whirlwind of drugs, etc.. but that's another thread for another day.