i need some tips, it'll be the first band i start on my own,
i already found a possible drummer,
but im not sure how to go about finding other members,
how do i solicit for musicians? and whats a good way to go about meeting them?

I've never had a band. but maybe i could offer some suggestions for what it is worth!

* friends of other musicians - put the word about to your friends, perhaps they know somebody who plays something. Does the drummer know anybody?

* Think what style/sound you want your band to take, then put an advertisement up in local musical intsrument stores - we have a place near us that has a window full of 'Band Members wanted' signs. just give a brief description of what you are looking for.

* hold jam style auditions - informal get togethers, get newcomers to audition by jamming over your arrangements or a song you are all familiar with

* Go and check out local live talent/bands. Network, speak to bands. You'll soon get hooked up wit people looking for a gig



"if you call them, they will come"


Good Luck

Craigslist.com

Just be honest and sift through the responses and meet with anyone who listens to your music and still wants to bring their stuff and set-up

thx guys, im doin it as we speak

Here's a tip:

Make sure you know how to deal with people and personalities! Running a band is major work, mainly because you've got to juggle people's priorities, feelings, etc.

I'm going through some drama right now with my band. Looks like I'm gonna have to let one of our members go. You gotta be comfortable with the FIRING as much as the HIRING!

NuPwr319 said:

interesting,

question!

now how do you balance their priorities with yours,
example shuld i just be a tyrant and do the music i envision,
have them partake in the creative process
or the elington method and use their talents as a means to creating music?
or all three?

As someone who's done the band thing, here are some pointers (we learned the hard way):
Make sure everyone has their share of the money for rehearsal studios before you get there - band members would "forget" we had to pay...

Try to get bandmembers who have transportation or else you will be a part-time chauffeur who, more often than not, won't get any gas money.

Make sure everyone agrees on a set rehearsal time.

Be upfront about how money is going to be split from gigs and if anything will be taken out for band promotions (websites, business cards, equipment, gas)

Make sure you're all on one accord about any songwriting royalties and how they will be split amongst the band members (major issue).

Make sure you get band members who are similar in outlook as far as what they want out of music. We had some band members who were content to stay at their levels of instrumental mediocrity, while the rest of us wanted to continue to expand musically (major issue which was a factor in the breakup)

Personalities - that's a tough one, because you might get someone who's an amazing player, but a pain in the a** to deal with on a personal level. On the other hand, you might have someone who's great to get along with, but not that great of an instrumentalist. Again, that goes back to what everyone wants out of music. Many times, I've had to play the part of referee/babysitter.

Hygiene - practice good hygiene. Clubowners don't ask bands back whose member or members funk up the place in more ways than one...Besides, it makes rehearsing with said offender very uncomfortable - and smelly(very important)

Females - in bands can spell trouble. Men and women in close proximity can open up a whole can of worms. Romance can break up bands. Also, having more than one female in a band can result in rivalries/jealousies. (it was a BIG issue)

On a related note - having a couple (boyfriend/girlfriend) in a band can cause problems, too, especially when they have an argument and the other is too upset to play (happened to us before a gig).

Lastly - have fun! It's hard enough getting a band together where the members jell and are on one accord. There have been good and bad times, times when I was so pissed I couldn't see straight. Still, being in a band is cool! So, enjoy the ride

Theres a saying over here that we give to couple just about to walk down
the isle of wedded bliss.....

DONT DO IT!!!!

interesting thread...

Histories....

Fleetwood MAC
Rolling Stones
ABBA
BUCKS FIZZ
KISS
OASIS
SPICEGIRLS

they all have interesting histories....
just wondering if you have thought about
adding yourself to a band looking for members
EmbattledWarrior...might be just as good an experience...

your sound list of instrumentals make an intersting reume...

EmbattledWarrior said:

These are exactly some of the issues we're having right now. I've been in four bands and each band always seemed to get only so far, and then be stuck. Either the band members couldn't agree on the vision for the band, or they did agree and there was no plan on how to proceed to get there. Either way, communication was not good.

I think you have to decide whether you're going to run your band like Prince, where everyone does YOUR music (maybe with some creative input), or you decide whether it's going to truly be a group effort, like many other bands. In my group, I am the leader, but everyone is allowed to be a part of the creative process. I try to be pretty democratic, but ultimately, they know I have the final say on things we can't come to an agreement on. However, I've got one or two people that don't like it when I say it's "my project" (I'm putting up most of the money for the CD). They don't mind me being the leader, but they want to "feel" some ownership.

Anyway, we're going to have a meeting where we iron a lot of things out. Communication is KEY.

You know, if you have *this*:

JesseDezz said:

Then you may not have *this*:



Being a woman, I can tell you that MEN spell trouble just as much as women can. The four bands I was in were mostly male and seemed to have more trouble making decisions and getting along than the women. Only *one* of the bands I was in was there a jealousy problem with a woman. There were jealousy problems in the male band, too.

I don't think it's necessarily a gender thing. It's a PEOPLE thing. If you get good people, which I have now (my band is half-male, half-female with ME in charge), you may not have petty jealousies and love triangles. Our drama has more to do with the band process than the interaction with each other.

That being said, I *did* have a guitarist in my band who left partly because he couldn't deal with a female being a band leader.

JesseDezz said:

We have a band contract to take care of some of this, but Jesse, I'm curious as to how your band handled these issues (especially the songwriting royalties).

NuPwr319 said:

Well, we (myself and the band co-founder/co-songwriter)encouraged the other members to contribute to the songwriting process. No dice - the others just wanted to show up and play. So, we copyrighted our songs for the band as a duo, which was a BIG mistake, since we subsequently broke up. Now, say if I wanted to perform the songs I wrote with another band in the future, they would be our songs not my songs. So, what I did was re-record and rewrite my songs, ala what Prince was going to do to his Warners catalog.

If any royalties would've come out of our time together, I would've split the profits with the other band members, because they did add their respective talents to bring the songs to life. That whole royalty issue is the main reason for the rift between John Fogerty and the other members of Credence Clearwater Revival. He is the sole owner of the song copyrights. The other members aren't happy...It's a touchy subject.
[Edited 3/5/07 0:07am]

My advice
- Keep the band as small as possible. Add only what you really need. You'll go crazy trying to arrange even the simplst things in a 9-piece democracy.
- If someone's no good, don't let them join. They won't get better. They won't. They really won't. You can always hire a pro for a gig. It's expensive but it is the better option.
[Edited 3/8/07 6:23am]

I won't play in a band unless it's known that I am the boss. It's just too hard to have all these guys who don't really have much direction in the first place but plenty of attitude. In fact, I will only work with pros from here on out. Amateur musicians just don't have any of the people skills to get through the process. Then there are the problems of drugs and alcohol. Just too much BS. I had a jazz teacher who can lead a large band but he has to be a total dick to gain control, and it works for him. I'd rather not have to do that so I think my approach would be different. Bands really don't work, that's why I do everything myself, people really don't know how to get along and more importantly, they are generally so small minded that it's not worth the time. You know, it takes months getting involved with people and feeling them out, well, as musicians, we really don't have that kind of time, especially when you need your time to survive. So, I can't and don't give advice but as for me, if I can't afford to pay top dollar for the best out there, then I would just as soon play alone.