Being in a band...What does it mean?

Funny stuff.  

so what  is the truth then? 
I prefer  what my wife thinks I do...

Being in a band is about being able to nag.
Even if it is ignored.

bapu


Being in a band is about being able to nag.
Even if it is ignored.

Bapu I know you are a respected musician in these parts, and rightfully so......but that sounds like singer talk to me.

I joined my first rock band when I was 13, in 1968.
I knew nothing but had been playing/studying with teachers for 6-7 years so
it was simply more learning.

For the next 18 years up until I quit playing guitar in '86 it was still about learning.
The problem or issues was that having to deal with other people I was learning
more about them than how to make music with them.

Needless to say but people can teach you a lot of things you really don't want to know.
I found life and music was much better without them.
The cool thing is that the internet changed all of that. Computers are very easy to turn off
and it brought playing guitar back into my life although it hasn't replaced the energy that
is made by musicians playing together.

IMO the thing that I learned most about being in a band is about how to be a good
musician to work with and create music with other musicians.
The cool thing is that one learns many different things because the band isn't always
on the stage.
One learns from the practice sessions, the studio work, the jams, etc...if they're paying attention. I learned that many musicians have trouble with that part. :)
 
 
Oh...thought I should add...I know that I looked the same to all of them at one time or another as they looked to me. Part of learning I think.
 

Being in a band means that possibly a person or two will quit the band and think they can get into another band that suits them better.

In my case, spending half the rehearsal time trying to remind the guitarist how the new song goes again - great guitar skills / not so good memory skills.

Pretty much always the last pic for me. :(

Loved it all at the time, but wouldn't do it now.

Being in a band means "on the run" ~P. McCartney & Wings

Being in a band means "up on cripple creek" ~The Band

I miss being in a band. I haven't played out since 98. :( I started when I was 13 and quit when my daughter was born. Music was still calling me, so I went back a year later. My wife brought her out to a few campground gigs and private parties, and once in a while my folks would watch her and my wife would come out. So for me, family was always included. We played 50/50 bars and private parties/weddings. But, by that time, live bands were dying off and bars were closing, so we played less. It was rare that we played two gigs a weekend. By that point we were doing 95% private parties and weddings on Saturday nights.

Family is everything, but it's not everything ... if you know what I mean. You can't be a musician, gig for 15 years straight, cut it off at the head, and expect to be happy sitting at home every weekend with your family. If you are, you were probably ready to quit the band anyway.

All these years later I still get butterflies in my stomach on New Years Eve because even though it's been 14 years, I still feel like I should be playing some big New Years gig. It was the highlight of the year for us. Our families came out, we made a BOAT load of money, always played at a private party so the food was great, no bar scene ... it was really great and I really miss it. We never once played a bar for New Years except at private clubs such as Elk's, Moose, Fraternal Order Of Eagles, Legion's, those kind of places.

I was fortunate in that I played with people who did it because we all loved music and the money was secondary, maybe even thirdendary. (Is that even a word? HEHE). The first band I was in SUCKED. We did a few good songs, but it mostly sucked ... BUT ... we had a huge following because we had a good time, laughed, told jokes, interacted with everyone, laughed at ourselves when we screwed up, and people love that. Now, if you're at a hot nigh club in Manhattan, no, that wouldn't fly. But in rural Norther NJ, we were a hit. We used to have Halloween parties every year and 200 + people would show up.

I like the virtual band thing.

I can NagBap and be told "Ya, I'll get to it mate" and not have to see the truth in their eyes.

Good times.

bapu


I like the virtual band thing.

I can NagBap and be told "Ya, I'll get to it mate" and not have to see the truth in their eyes.

Good times.

well, tbh, I'm a bit sick of 'the cheques in the mail' Daryl

daryl1968

bapu


I like the virtual band thing.

I can NagBap and be told "Ya, I'll get to it mate" and not have to see the truth in their eyes.

Good times.

well, tbh, I'm a bit sick of 'the cheques in the mail' Daryl

My preference is to owe it to you rather than cheat you out of it.

Mesh

bapu

daryl1968

bapu


I like the virtual band thing.

I can NagBap and be told "Ya, I'll get to it mate" and not have to see the truth in their eyes.

Good times.

well, tbh, I'm a bit sick of 'the cheques in the mail' Daryl

My preference is to owe it to you rather than cheat you out of it.

Man with envelope pushing eithics?

Shure.

I haven't played in a band in a long, long time.... but when I did.....

The band was a party on wheels. we were in it for the fun of it.... and the money that kept us from having to work a day job. 

I've been in a few pretty decent bands and we played because we loved playing music together, and that made it fun. the fact that we made good money and didn't have to work a daytime job was frosting on the cake. That was a little 3 piece traveling band that was working every weekend and quite a bit throughout the week. 

After that broke up, I did a solo gig for a few months and quit playing live for quite a few years.

A phone call one night resulted in a house band gig which lasted for 2.5 years. That band had some very talented folks and several really good singers but none of them wanted to quit their day gigs so we were in that band for the music and the spare pocket money we made by playing every weekend at the biggest and most popular private club in town. 

that band crashed and burned a few months after I quit..... they started having personnel changes like a fast food joint does..... I have not played live since. And I don't miss the drama one bit.