Getting A Band Together

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You know how it is, you move towns, you have an itch you need to scratch: how do you go about finding others with which to make beautiful music (NB this is not a romance thread ;) )?

Share tactics, anecdotes....

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 08:55 (twenty years ago)

Just realised that I completely forgot to do a search for if this has been done before, apologies if so...

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 08:56 (twenty years ago)

When I went to university, I just put up posters in the halls of residence with a little tear-off strip with my number on. I got a full band together but we fought about what music to play.
You could always advertise in the local music shop of course.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 09:00 (twenty years ago)

Well, the easiest way used to be those ads in the back of the local listings paper, but I'm not sure that local listings papers exist any more since the invention of the internet and all...

The other time-honoured way is to tack up a notice in the local musical instrument store or indie record shop. (Though I'm not sure local indie record shops exist either any more!)

― Super-Masonic Black Hole (kate), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 09:01 (twenty years ago)

Find hip music store/record shop, post flyer, sit back and wait for Jack Black types to call. When they do, ask if they know others. If any of the others are referred to negatively, they're probably exactly who you're looking for (because chances are good they've also turned the aforementioned person down). People who answer to flyers are usually tools.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 09:03 (twenty years ago)

The only problem with the pinning-up-notice-in-shop option, of course, is that they are all open whilst I am at work, and shut when I am not. Curses. (x-post)

Sister-thread: where are all the eligible band-members in this town hiding???

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 09:05 (twenty years ago)

What town are you in?

― Super-Masonic Black Hole (kate), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 09:21 (twenty years ago)

Cambridge (the UK version)

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 09:23 (twenty years ago)

Hrmmm... I actually know quite a few musicians in Cambridge. Well, at least, I did, about two years ago. The music scene seemed to revolve around R*E*P*E*A*T fanzine and the Portland Arms or something like that.

― Super-Masonic Black Hole (kate), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 09:28 (twenty years ago)

Cheers for the heads-up, Kate--turns out that the Portland Arms isn't too far away from me at all, so maybe I'll have to pop in and check it out. The R*E*P*E*A*T fanzine still seems to be going strong, too.

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 09:34 (twenty years ago)

Here's how you get a really good band together:

1. Be a really, really good player who is easy to work with.
2. Contact every good musician you could imagine playing with.

Everything else is irrelevent, including geography.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 10:27 (twenty years ago)

Thinking about this, any ILxers in Cambridge? (Considering some kind of FAP, maybes. I need ~~more~~ some friends here)

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 10:58 (twenty years ago)

But! But! We just had a Cambridge FAP last month! We went PUNTING and everything! PinX0r and James and a couple of other folx are in Cambridge! I would happily FAP there again, it was awesome!

― Super-Masonic Black Hole (kate), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 11:07 (twenty years ago)

Arse Arse Arse only been here just under a month!!!111

Would it be bad etiquette to suggest another one so soon you reckon? Should I just bide my time... waiting for them to come to me... bwahahaha etc

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 11:10 (twenty years ago)

You would have to ask on ILE - I'm sure Pink would love another one! Well, once her new house is all sorted out and everything.

― Super-Masonic Black Hole (kate), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 11:11 (twenty years ago)

ROCK LOTTO, of course.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 13:08 (twenty years ago)

Put up adverts at all the local haunts that aren't shit. Make them good-natured but idiosyncratically worded and specific to try and filter out the Just Wants To Be In A Band, Any Band types. Even if you don't get a lot of responses from the perfect bassist straight away or whatever, there's always the chance somebody who likes the sound of it will give you some advice or put you in touch with someone they know.

When talking to people in clubs relate everything back to your planned band.

― Fergal (Ferg), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 13:31 (twenty years ago)

The problem I have at the moment is a) finding the local haunts and b) going to them without looking like a sad billy no-mates. Also worried about the "Just Wants To Be In A Band" type--can't help but feel my desperation to start one again puts me smack bang in this category.

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 14:15 (twenty years ago)

Ads are totally sketchy, every single good band that I know has gotten together through friends in the scene. Either they know who each other are or "Know any good bass players?", etc. The problem with this is that if you move to a new town without knowing anybody, you have to do a lot of hanging to make some connections.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 14:21 (twenty years ago)

Then it moves to the question of how to do the hanging when you're effectively on your own...

― the impossible shortest special path! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 14:26 (twenty years ago)

I wouldn't write off ads completely. It really depends on the scene. In NYC, I frequently found bands through ads in the Village Voice. I've never found a band through the NME, though, so it really does depend.

Ideally, yes, you do find bands through friends or finding the local scene - which is why I mentioned the Portland Arms/R*E*P*E*A*T connection above.

― Super-Masonic Black Hole (kate), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 14:26 (twenty years ago)

what about in dc? any suggestions? Or is the 'scene really a myth?

― dc_person, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 16:09 (twenty years ago)

I would do everything in your power to avoid classifieds. It's a lot like online dating - people often misrepresent themselves. They can't play or have no gear or they're 15 years younger or older than you, ect.. I've had great luck just going to lots of shows and introducing myself to other musicians. For instance, when my band needed a new drummer we just asked I guy in another band who we were in awe of. To our dismay, he said yes. It may take a little longer to form a band this way, but I think you may have more satisfying results.

― darin, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 18:04 (twenty years ago)

Oh, the classifieds are fine if you just leave an email address and know how to read between the lines.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 18:06 (twenty years ago)

Easy...

Go to as many gigs as you can, if you see a band you like, talk to them, but maybe not right after the gig, that always sucks. Talk about bands you like, general music chit-chat, mention you play, carry around a few cds of your stuff. You're bound to meet loads of people. Just keep showing your face.

Also...get a job at your local hip music venue, bar, record shop or something, everyone's a musician these days.

― TomB (TomB), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 18:28 (twenty years ago)

However, in the defense of ads in the paper, one should not forget the day Kim Deal decided to answer an ad. Who knows what could happen.

― Yorkshire Terrier, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 20:02 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, shit can go wrong but it's a decent way to get the ball rolling and be proactive and at least let people in the area know you want to start something. If you're careful to not get dragged into a band with somebody who obviously hasn't got the mission there's not that much to lose.

― Fergal (Ferg), Wednesday, 1 September 2004 22:34 (twenty years ago)

I concur with darin, looking for fellow musicians in the classifieds was a nightmare. Two separate times we auditioned 6 keyboardists/singers and 5 drummers. Turns out we decided that we didn't need a keyboardist/singer after all and the drummer we found was a guy who played in a prior band with a couple of us and the one that replaced him was in band we had gigged with a couple of times.

We just lost a guitarist who also played some keys and sang and I'm hoping a friend of our drummer's will be able to take his place. Otherwise, I'm afraid we're going to have to go to the ads.

I remember once going to a show to see a band whom I kind of knew. I walked up to one of them afterwards and let him know I was looking for a bass player. Well, just so happened a high school friend of his had just moved to town and he played bass.

― righteousmaelstrom, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 22:43 (twenty years ago)

http://wizardishungry.com/kitty.mp3

― ())(())()()()(()(LASER)()()()LA(Z)E(R)()()()((L)()()(A)(S(E)R()()()) (ex machina, Wednesday, 1 September 2004 22:47 (twenty years ago)

Probably not the best way to get a band together, but the funniest

― Asthmatic Cajun (Asthmatic Cajun), Thursday, 2 September 2004 14:39 (twenty years ago)

haha, "and mix it"

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 2 September 2004 14:41 (twenty years ago)

For instance, when my band needed a new drummer we just asked I guy in another band who we were in awe of. To our dismay, he said yes

Yep, this is probably the best thing I've read on this thread.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 2 September 2004 14:50 (twenty years ago)

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