Being in a band (ups/downs)

I'm fronting a local band after 4 years of just writing and playing (rarely) on my own. Only been about a month so far, but damn if it isn't stressful. Anyone else in a band, and if so, how do you guys approach practices etc?

You hear of these bands where everyone just gels and the music comes out effortlessly...I've never found it to be that way. In my case, I'm having to go around and work with everyone individually, deconstruct songs and work with them in parts until everything gets pieced together at the end. It's a long and often laborous way to make music, but I'm hoping the result will be worth the effort (i.e. dynamic songs)

I feel like a total control freak about it, but the thing is: if I let them just jam out to everything, the songs become too fluid and I can hear the character draining out of them. Only problem I've having is with the guitarist right now: he feels I should project louder over his leads (crunch sound on a blue's driver) whilst I want him to play loud in the spaces between the vocals or during the chorus. I also want him to concentrate on notes and be consistent: he wants each time to be different and says we should rely on a sound guy to control our sound. My stance is that we are upstarts and won't have a sound guy with us at the start and we need to work on dynamics now so we aren't one of those bands who suck live.

Man, it's a real pain in the ass. I'm hoping that the pay off is good music or else I'd rather do something less stressful and keep this as a hobby.

How is it with the rest of you? effortless music making, a little drama or a shitstorm of pesonalities clashing?

If there isn't drama in a band, you're doing something wrong!

Of course people have different opinions on how things should sound and you'll never get away from that, and nor should you.

It sounds to me that you seem to be the leader of the band at the moment which as long as everyone goes along with it will be fine. Because you are new playing together it will take a while until you get an overall "sound" so try all the ideas out or fights will break out. You want to put the framework down now how you want it, but you'll always have to go with the collective discision. There always seems to be a hierachy in a band and you 2 seem to be fighting for top dog. See you on Jerry Springer ;)

I have found that the best way for a band to develope is playing live. You learn or write the soungs in practice, but tightness and dynamics comes from playing live. The first band I was in, we would all jam all the way through the songs, but we evolved and learned to play off of each other, and that came from playing live.

Interesting Minstrel. Catch 22 for me is that I want us to have the goods going before we go live. Gotta find a compromise I guess.

DDS: I hear you about the hierachy thing. If I feel much more of that shit I'll just boot him. I don't have time for it.

I'm only in a band to get with hot womenz.


Needless to say there's a LOT of ups and downs

Been thinking about this a lot lately. I hear what some of you are saying about drama being typical in a band, but then again; some of the best music comes from bands that feature a leader that is almost dictator-like in the way they approach music (Radiohead, Kate Bush etc)

Unfortunately, I don't work with a team of musicians that have identical tastes. Therefore, if I compromise the sound of the songs I write for egos, I'm compromising the music. Only option I foresee is to boot the people who cause me grief. If the music I write isn't to their tastes, then it's good for them and me.

Only one person is really causing me problems right now, and I'm close to giving him his marching orders. He wants to throw some jam session together and go out and gig. IMO it's because he's more in love with the idea of being part of the music scene and being observed to be a musician than caring about the music. He's got talent, but he's lazy, stubborn and too interested in sounding like his favorite groups to be worth a shit. How the hell do you truely develop your own sound if you are stuck on being anyone else? I'm not trying to do something that's never done before, but I never base the songs on other bands.

Damn I'm mad about it. He's a friend, but I refuse to throw a band out there that is half-ass. I could give two shits about being a musician or doing it for attention...to me, if I wouldn't pay to see the band I'm with perform, why the fuck bother?

Sometimes you have to be a dictator to get shit done and truth is, I'd rather boot everybody and quit music than be a part of something done and plain

Been thinking about this a lot lately. I hear what some of you are saying about drama being typical in a band, but then again; some of the best music comes from bands that feature a leader that is almost dictator-like in the way they approach music (Radiohead, Kate Bush etc)


I have been in both types of groups. I have been a supporting musician for one guy who needed players for his solo stuff; and played (drums) the way he wanted. I am a better drummer than he is, and can write much better parts, but it was his gig - not my place to say.

One of the bands I fronted years ago was one where I was the musical director. The members all had input, but I kept them on a pretty short leash. There was a lot of turnover in that outfit.

I have been in many collaborative bands, too - and those seem to have turned out the best for me. You get a lot of opinions and argue a lot, but in the end it seems like we were more creative.

No matter what, you're going to wind up with personality conflicts and differing priorities. If your one guy is talented but less committed than you are, then you have to draw the line somewhere and decide to either kick him out, or if that's not where you want to go, make nice with him and understand that he's different from you and get used to it. But don't hate on him; that just creates a bad environment.

I used to clash with my singer in a band I'm in a lot. We both have strong opinions about which direction to take the music. We've matured a lot together, though, and although we still disagree, we resolve those disagreements a lot more civilly now. I can remember one incident where I literally kicked him out of my house, slamming the door practically on his ass. Good times :)

You can make great music without drama, though. I think the misconception people have is that for a band to be great, it has to be dysfunctional. GnR? Sure. They hated each other. Rush? They're like brothers. Both made/make great music. Dysfunction wasn't part of it.

Well my current band we run pretty smoothly. We are all great friends & I think when musicial taste is around the same area it helps a lot. As long as a band works as a band & everyone writes the music it should be fun, and the joy of being in a band is playing live & getting your cock sucked by people who love you.
:D

I have been in both types of groups. I have been a supporting musician for one guy who needed players for his solo stuff; and played (drums) the way he wanted. I am a better drummer than he is, and can write much better parts, but it was his gig - not my place to say.

One of the bands I fronted years ago was one where I was the musical director. The members all had input, but I kept them on a pretty short leash. There was a lot of turnover in that outfit.

I have been in many collaborative bands, too - and those seem to have turned out the best for me. You get a lot of opinions and argue a lot, but in the end it seems like we were more creative.

No matter what, you're going to wind up with personality conflicts and differing priorities. If your one guy is talented but less committed than you are, then you have to draw the line somewhere and decide to either kick him out, or if that's not where you want to go, make nice with him and understand that he's different from you and get used to it. But don't hate on him; that just creates a bad environment.

I used to clash with my singer in a band I'm in a lot. We both have strong opinions about which direction to take the music. We've matured a lot together, though, and although we still disagree, we resolve those disagreements a lot more civilly now. I can remember one incident where I literally kicked him out of my house, slamming the door practically on his ass. Good times :)

You can make great music without drama, though. I think the misconception people have is that for a band to be great, it has to be dysfunctional. GnR? Sure. They hated each other. Rush? They're like brothers. Both made/make great music. Dysfunction wasn't part of it.

Informative reply, thanks.

Last practice was very positive. Drummer can drum better than me (I barely drum) but his rock style wasn't fitting the song, and I had him go bosa nova and it worked out nicely. That's what I love about him, he isn't insecure about trying something different to his natural tastes, even from someone that doesn't play his instrument half as good as him. I think when you write the song, you have a good idea of what you want, it's a gift when people will work with you to find that 'sound'

Lead guitarist did some cool stuff on slide guitar, but he's way behind everyone else. He called the following song "shit folk":

oOWO7MRJ1yw (fuck, Singer: Sam Roberts, Song: Bridge to Nowhere)

I e-mailed him tonight and asked him to get on board or step out. Guess we'll see.