The singer just left my band & everyones called it a day

Why is that just when you got a good thing going, it all falls apart. I love to play music but its the damn politics that comes with being in a band I cant stand. Ive been practising 6 hours a day at my drums, Ive been playing 17 years but recently it seems like no body gives a fuck. Its like 'oh so your an aspiring musician & you've worked damn hard at something all your life & you can play the drums, so what?'

Sorry for my little rant but I just feel like time is running out for me. Im trying to make it so hard & I aint gonna be a young fella forever

When you gonna test your vocal chords on some of your own tracks? Go on! You said ya would ya said ya would!!!

I know what u mean Lewis. I am a geezer now and still trying to make it in the biz.

I hear you. Although it CAN be a pain in the ass at times, a great band that plays well live is the next best thing to sex (IMO anyway). There's nothing like the interplay between players to create that "magic". And it IS magic when it happens. That power that gets generated when all the players are really listening to each other, throwing ideas at each other, inspiring each other to do things they never would have thought of alone.

Time is running out?
Time is all you have for something you truly love to do.
What does "trying to make it" really mean to you?
If you truly love it, you'll continue to "make it" (music) on some level because you can't help it.

Hang in there.
There's always another voice.
(it may even be your own)

Tribal Disorder

You know,

What you're encountering right now is exactly why I initially
pulled up my bootstraps and started doing everything myself.
Its really not easy to get something together all of the time
and when you do, something like this happens.
I personally think you're on the right path in doing it yourself
Cloud9, with the idea that if you continue to make great stuff,
the right people will come along at the right time. That's my
belief anyway...

Hang in there bro!
Just follow your path...





Jshua

The difference between a full band and a one man band is like night and day.

I would say don't give up on it, the feeling you get playing with a whole band is so much better than the feeling you get from working all night on a recording. I LOVE recording, I love playing in a band ten times as much. It's just twenty times as hard to get going.

How old is to old.I first got a guitar when I was 10 and mucked about with it for 15years then I started taking lessons a year or so ago and I've made fairly good ground,I've always wanted to be in a band and feel my singing and guitar skills are adaquate though not my confidence I also think I am getting to old.Though should age matter I'm 26 and I still have the desire.Please tell me it aint to late,I also look fairly young for my age peeps always think I'm about 22-23.

I'll say what I always do - musicians are just soooo damn flakey! It's so hard to get everyone on the same page. That's why I'm doing the acoustic gigs by myself! That will always be there when the band's not. Of course, so far so good with this current band. I really like the guys - they're pretty easy to get along with and, of course, they think I'm tha shiznit. That helps!

cloud9mission said:

Tru dat! That's the same way i feel even thoiugh i cant do 1/2 the things u can do, but i try my best. Sometimes i feel real bad incorporating guitar licks and drums and i cant even play one.

If I was you i'd feel the same way. I had a little group called "The Chances" from 1992 - 1998 (which just included me my brother and my friend), it was fun..but we used 2 fight about everything..but we were kids back then, i guess that doesnt count 4 where u stand.


Got dan i wish i can play a sax, i had a damn fucking good groove in my head.

It is the greatest musical feeling when a band comes together and creates outstanding music, especially on a stage where people dig it and are connecting. Unfortunately, more times than not, the continuous aggravation is not worth those moments. Most bands self-destruct. Be it local or platinum acts. I mean.....U2, Aerosmith....how many are walking around 10 years into their career with the original line-up? With local bands, most of the non-musical issues fall into one person and start to override anything involving the actual music. I am sure many of the people on this board can relate. Booking with amateur club managers, wishing your bandmates would keep their personal life in order, fighting scenes that are dominated by cover/tribute acts, flyering venues, sending out constant emails for your gig when the venue does nothing to promote their own draw, waiting on the steps of a rehearsal space for that late drummer...again.....and on and on...

Yes, bands are excellent during those times on stage with a packed house when the mix is great. And I would join a band again if EVERYTHING lined up right. But finding 3-4 drug free, talented people that are responsible, motivated and on a similar page as you....you could spend the rest of your life searching for something that might never come to you. Even then, never join a band unless you are mentally prepared for it to end some day. The odds dictate it in that direction (unless you are Bono).

Setting up house with a great studio and learning how to produce solid recordings might not be as glamorous, but you will move forward and you will control the tempo of your output. You will also spend a lot less time being aggravated and a lot more time being productive.

I recently went through the same thing with my old band, though I was the one to walk away. Things were so stressful (add to that an associate editor's position at an nyc newspaper) that my health started to suffer. As stated earlier, it's one of the best feelings in the world when you're onstage (or even during a jam/rehearsal) and everything is just flowin'. Unfortunately, though, there's the business side of things - in my band, that came down to myself and another member. The others simply wanted to show up, play and be paid. Everything else -promoting, creating a website, correspondence, manufacturing cds, talking to club owners, sending out emails, shelling out money for studio time, rehearsal space, renting vans to transport equipment - it usually came down to the two of us. Add to that the usual personality conflicts, and you have the perfect ingredients for band burnout. When our lead singer and drummer pulled two no-shows at two VERY important gigs, I had had enough. There were other issues at well - when you have two creative heads of the group and they have differing opinions about where things should be headed musically, it's time to go... So, I went...

I've been doing stuff on my own - it's less stressful and I get to hear things the way I envisioned them. Played a gig this past weekend - it was cool, but I don't miss being in a band. That feeling hasn't returned - y'know, that "us against the world" solidarity that comes when you're young and full of hope. Maybe it will in the future - right now, I'm glad to be away from all the arguing and bulls##t.

Whatever you do, don't give up making music. There's no age limit to making good music, only if you want to get on American Idol or somethin'

I'm tired now...

I THINK that finding good musicans that turns out to be REAl friends is the first step. I know exactaly what is this, as i am a band guy and not a one man band. My band is formed by close friends besides the drummer, it is the third drummer we have and none of them worked. Come to brazil and lets funk. eheh
Serious, all de drummers in my town are arrogant and stupid. I hate all of them bastards.

I can relate L. I'm 25 and I already feel like a relic, or that I will have 2 do something virtually superhuman to get continually noticed.

It ain't an easy game this music lark. But U R VERY multi-talented. It ain't too late 4 U my friend.

Just don't lower yourself to appearing on "Music Idol" God 4bid the show will ever be made!

'dre

Thats the thing with music its quite age predudice or appears that way at times,I suppose there are people who make it late say The Darkness for example and they are pretty massive in the UK. I guess if your good and you have something to offer age shouldnt matter.

richierich said:

Actually, that whole age issue is vastly over emphasized.

It really depends on the music style.

If you're doing hard rock, and you're over 20, you're doing what they call college rock.

If you're over thirty, it's called progressive rock, and if you're over 40, it's called Americana.

If you're over 50 it's called, "Jesus get that man off the stage, he'll break a hip".

The only place that age is a critical issue is these stupidass IDOL shows, and pop music in general. if you're in pursuit of a Brittany career, then yeah, you better be 18 with fake boobies. Maybe hip-hop too, but other than those two MTV-Video-dependent music styles, you can be any age doing what you like to do, and be accepted by the masses, which is what we're really talking about here.

Cuz, as long as you're holed up in your bedroom making songs, you can be 85 doing hip hop and dont nobody care. But if you're looking for public appeal, I really think that Pop and Hip Hop are the two genres that actually care if you're over the age bracket. Look at Madonna and Janet for instance, two, "grannies" in the pop world, (well, there's CHER too, oh, and now Prince too i guess) trying to continue to push hits into the pop mainstream. While it's getting out there, I get the feeling that the records are still only being purchased by the original fans for the MOST part.

Now, if Madonna had the balls to go back into some oddball music styles, or if Janet had the savvy to leave the girl-crooner market alone and go into Jazz or ANYTHING else, they might see something happen to their career.

But I'm going way off on another discussion.

All this is to say, age dont matter in ANY underground music style, any style that probably wont end up on MTV. As soon as you try to hit mainstream, THEN you're screwed into having to look like your target audience so they'll identify and the suits will feel comfortable pimping you out.

MAN I need some coffee.

otan said:

Ye I agree with what you are saying,it is more of a mainstream music problem,Blues players dont seem affected by age if anything these guys are more appreciated as they get older.

cloud9mission said:

Man, you're only 19!!!! Give me a fricken BREAK! I'm 25 and still think I'm gonna make it! Don't give up hope dude....you're still very young...heck 25 is a baby, I think, so you're like an ovum or something! Give it all you've got and keep playing and refining and make sure you get with the right musos!

I'll second that emotion on flunky bands...with proof that they know not what they are doing when it comes to anything...but playing their dayum music. Here's what I dealt with this week.

Major rock band. Put them in the world's top 10. Ditched their record company 2 years ago. Decide to tour and announce 20 solid dates. I call them and propose an 18 week....EIGHTEEN WEEK on air radio promo with a number 1 rock station, plus - web presence, plus heavy heavy rotation. VALUE: APPROX. $150,000+ in promo. That's gotta be a huge perk for a band with no label promo. All I want in return from the band is to overlay the promotion with a contest for two people to attend a show in North America past their extended tour dates (as they said they were announcing more dates) and offer the same perks that they are already offering on the confirmed dates (soundcheck, program, t-shirt, backstage party). They come back with "if we had a new release this would be perfect promotion for us, but at this time we must decline". HUH!?!. Are they crazy?!? I theorize the concept that there's a whole new genre of kids out there that grew up with their parents or sisters and brothers records on their band and they have a huge catalogue to work from, with these kids buying their product". Plus, we're not asking for anything they're not already providing on their tour dates. Go Figure!!!!

THEY DON'T GET IT! A perfectly grand missed opportunity for them.

So Lewis...your bandmates are in good company. Even the established are flunked up.