i just started a new band recently. so far we have had a real hard time getting a dedicated rehearsal space but finally i think we have found one. now my next quest is to keep the fellas on point and make some good music. we won't be writing but doing funk covers. not your cheesy funk covers but the good ones like Marvin Gaye and Sly and the Family Stone.
i want to keep the band interested, dedicated and moving in the right direction. i'm allowing inout from everyone but i still want to maintain some kind of leadership.
organizing 4 other guys in difficult so if anyone has any good pointers, let me know.

Age old question and it depends on ego and if you are asking or telling people what to do. Asking is weak and telling is bossy, it's a fine line and when that doesn't work, use MONEY.

Yeah, EGO.

Keep the lines of communication open for all input from everyone. Let everyone stretch. Purple rain is a perfect example.

And if you're calling it your gig, calling the shots - prove it. Get the gigs. Get the publicity. Keep the band in motion. No band is happy continuously rehearsing without real gigs, feedback and gratification.

Personal:
You say that you'll be taking the leadership role.
Did the other members of the band unamimously agree to this or are you making an assumption?

Do all members of the band have similar lives away from the band?
a) Does everyone have "real" jobs?
If not, you may have someone who'll want to take gigs that may not necessarily be in the band's best interest just for the possiblility of making a little money.

b) married w/children or single?
You may have members with wives or a "significant other" who might resent the time away from the family that rehearsals and gigs will demand.

Might sound trivial, but if these things are not discussed in advance they can jump up and bite you in the arse at the most inopportune times.


Rehearsals:
Be respectful of your bandmates time.
If you've settled on the players, prior to any rehearsals, have a brainstorming session and pick out between 50 to 100 cover tunes that you all think you'll honestly be able to play. Once this is done, be prepared as the band leader to find out what tunes each player does and does not have access to and create appropriate charts (if you're readers) or CDs of the potential material. The next step is to pick X number of tunes that the players should show up at each rehearsal knowing. This number will be easier to determine after the progress of a few rehearsals is observed. Having players sit around while someone learns a tune is a drain on the other players and an incredibly inefficient use of rehearsal time (especially if you're paying for the rehearsal space). The benefit is that you'll have more time to spend working on the arrangements and organizing sets as opposed to learning songs. Practice your sets from start to finish and make sure that they flow well. Practicing the songs in set sequence gives the band confidence on stage in knowing what's next and contributes to developing that tightness people refer to.

Gigs:
~You're the bandleader but are you really the onstage front person?
There's a difference between the two even though it is possible to be both.
Depending on how much of a "show" band you are, the front person should be focused on entertaining the crowd and handling any between tune patter. The band leader should be making sure the band members are on course regarding what tune is next, getting it kicked off and avoiding the dreaded between song huddles that will make you look very unprofessional.

~If you're handling all the "bidness" should you get more $?
Another thing that should be discussed up front. IMO, if there's one person that's doing all this,
that person is entitled to be compensated for it. Think about it. More of your time is involved in calling or going to clubs (think gas money) and getting gigs, doing any promotion, whatever. Over time, these things add up.

The "all for one and one for all" attitude is cool if everyone is sharing the load equally.
Most of the time that's not the case.

~Spread the spotlight.
Hopefully, everyone has something that they're bringing to the party. During the course of the gig let the crowd see it. Some players don't want the spotlight and will go out of their way to avoid it. That will just be one less thing to worry about regarding any onstage animosity.

~Critique
If possible, before your bandmates get too involved in their after rock & roll sex and drug pursuits (just kidding), have a quick discussion and find out how everyone thought the gig went. What they liked and what they didn't. The sooner the better because the last thing you want is for any bad feelings to fester over time. Hopefully, there weren't any.

General:
~Is this band just for fun, profit or both?
Whatever you decide, the decision must be unanimous to avoid problems down the road.

~Are there any band rules?
If this is just for fun this may not matter.
If it's for profit then at least a mininum number of rules should be laid out.
Remember if at least part of the goal is making money, eventually you'll be taking someone's money.
Once you're doing that, rules are in order for a professional band for hire
(on time for rehearsals/gigs, dress code, etc.).
One of the things that will make or break you as a bandleader is how you deal with any infractions that arise.
All eyes will be on you.

If you look at bands that really know what they're doing on stage and have tight performances, pro or non-pro, none of this happened by accident. Somebody had to ride herd over all this and at times be the bad guy. It's part of the territory.

This might be more than you were looking for but maybe some of these things will be helpful.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

CRAP I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS! I just wrote a nice long ass reply but it got lost.


I think I said something like, thanks tA for that info, I have a band of pigmy tribesmen from Camaroon, and the best thing I found with them is to keep everyone motivated especially by having targets like when/where to showcase your stuff.



SHITE, well I'm sure I mentioned Pygmies somewhere.

Taureau said:

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

You want a long term answer?

A payroll!

There's only one way to be and stay accepted as the bandleader: work harder than everyone else. You've gotta know the tunes inside out, arrive on time at every gig and rehearsal, provide cdr's and sheet music, have a couple extra setlists and maybe a spare jack/jack cable with you, provide the most gigs etc. You can't expect to be a band leader by coming up with ideas and hoping someone else will execute them. The fact that most musicians are lazy is what will make you a leader. You'll have to live with the fact that the others will start taking for granted that you always take care of everything.

patience and destiny.

theAudience said:

It's posts like this that leaves me in awe and recognize the amount of experience and intelligence can be found on the Org if you look.

t/A you never cease to amaze

Slave2daGroove said:

Thanks for your kind words Groove.

I've been really, really lucky early on to have played in bands that always seemed to have an excellent bandleader.
So when i've had to assume the position (so to speak) it's been a question of just emulating the same things they did.

Maybe the biggest motivating factor was never wanting to suck onstage.

Now, gimme some more tunes to listen to.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm