lefty
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Post by lefty on Dec 3, 2008 14:12:26 GMT -5
Taking inspiration from gmello's new band, I have decided to chronicle my adventures in finding a new band. A couple of years ago I decided to switch over to bass since there were more opportunities. Within a couple of months of getting a bass, I was already in a band. The results are here: profile.myspace.com/doubletruckWe all shared a love for '90s indie rock like Superchunk and Yo La Tengo. We are all weekend warriors just looking to have fun. But I wanted a bit more dedication. Even if I do this once or twice a week, I want to achieve the most I can. The songs you here were never mastered or mixed properly. We were supposed to go back to the studio, but the others though the songs sounded good enough. We booked 4 hours originally to record those songs, and half of the band showed up late (one was adopting a puppy). If I am going to spend $35 an hour, I want to start on time! So even though I was having fun, I eventually quit the band. This past summer, I re-attempted to start another band. I got back together with guitarist from the old band and a new drummer. We have been jamming once every ten days or so, and have written a handful of songs. But the songs are not to my liking. The guitarist is not great at songwriting, and I have a hard time showing song ideas on a bass. I also started playing with a bunch of killer guys doing harder music. Great guitarist and drummer, and a loud singer that hasn't sang in a band in over a decade. More of a vocalist than a singer. But the guitarist has been flaky since he is doing a reunion show this Friday with a band he played with in the '80s (one of the first NYHC bands ever). The drummer is gone until Xmas, so we are on hiatus. What I don't like up this band is the guitar is very metal, tons of riffs, where I am more of a chord guy (Jesus Lizard, Barkmarket). |
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lefty
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Posts: 30
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Post by lefty on Dec 3, 2008 14:16:51 GMT -5
Going to split this entry up. Last night I decided to play out with another band. They are new and just needed a bassist. They asked me to learn Lenny Kravitz's "Always on the Run" and gave me two songs that had just guitars and vocals. Anyways, the guys are very nice, and good musicians too, but the songs are just not doing it for me. Many of the songs had the same chord changes for the verse and chorus. Played differently, with a different melody on top, but the chords on the same. Plus, the sound was more mainstream rock, which is something I don't care for. I don't want to make it big, playing in bands is just a hobby. Tonight: playing with a duo that do slowcore (very slow music, sometimes heavy). They are very accomplished, have their own studio (wowowowow), but the songs as is are not doing it for me either. If they incorporate more noise flourishes, maybe it would sound great. www.myspace.com/bathyspheremusic |
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Post by efnikbug on Dec 3, 2008 15:30:05 GMT -5
I know you're just sharing and not asking for any comments, but I'm going to anyway.
First, lookin' at the larger picture, you're very involved in your "hobby," which I think is more than what many can ask for. I wish I had the chops and the luxury to play in many different bands.
I think Doubletruck, a band of "weekend warriors just lookin' to have fun," accomplished a lot. I like the raw un-mixed sound and even the off-key singing. Not my kind of music but to me it captures a kind of spirit. I think you were right in quitting the band because it seemed like the rest were more than comfortable with what they had accomplished, hence, there was no need to re-mix the songs. You wanted more from a band that already felt fulfilled.
For your summer band, I wonder what prevented you from borrowing your guitarist's guitar to express your song ideas?
Not much to say about the band that's on hiatus.
On the band that uses the same chord progressions for the verse and chorus: again, what's keeping you from inserting your ideas?
On the "slow-core" band: I personally like this one the best. I guess I like slow and moody stuff. Can you bring in a little synth? Some pads in the back, some trailing appregios, y'know? Why can't you play guitar too and have no bass? (Which reminds me of a band I saw on ACL called Explosions in the Sky.)
Despite the frustrations in finding the right shoe that fits, I think you're acquiring an immense amount of experience which makes you not only a better musician but a better person too. I'm not experienced in this stuff to be saying anything with authority, but it's not hard for me to imagine that unless you've been in a band from the beginning, then you're basically a foreigner trying to fit in what in most cases can be a dysfunctional family.
This is going to sound cheesy but, "rock on!"
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lefty
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Post by lefty on Dec 4, 2008 14:27:51 GMT -5
I know you're just sharing and not asking for any comments, but I'm going to anyway. Please do. I want others to make comments. First, lookin' at the larger picture, you're very involved in your "hobby," which I think is more than what many can ask for. I wish I had the chops and the luxury to play in many different bands. Trust me, I don't have the chops, but it's only rock'n'roll, not classical music. I think Doubletruck, a band of "weekend warriors just lookin' to have fun," accomplished a lot. I like the raw un-mixed sound and even the off-key singing. Not my kind of music but to me it captures a kind of spirit. I think you were right in quitting the band because it seemed like the rest were more than comfortable with what they had accomplished, hence, there was no need to re-mix the songs. You wanted more from a band that already felt fulfilled. It was hard leaving the band since my main goal was too have fun, and we did indeed have fun. The off-key vocals are part of the fun punk spirit. The "singer" was very charismatic on stage. For your summer band, I wonder what prevented you from borrowing your guitarist's guitar to express your song ideas? I'm a lefty! Plus, I don't want to write anyone elses parts. There are times when I go through some chord changes and he just looks at me with a blank stare. All he does is non-stop strumming, and I would love to hear some single-note lines, like a riff or melody. On the band that uses the same chord progressions for the verse and chorus: again, what's keeping you from inserting your ideas? They are open to ideas, but I think the "spirit" is not there. They have a very mainstream sound and lyrics, which while I don't mind it, is not for me. On the "slow-core" band: I personally like this one the best. I guess I like slow and moody stuff. Can you bring in a little synth? Some pads in the back, some trailing appregios, y'know? Why can't you play guitar too and have no bass? (Which reminds me of a band I saw on ACL called Explosions in the Sky.) I like EITS, I saw them once about 5-6 years ago. I don't want to do instrumental music. I like their music, but I wish there was more too it. The hope was that everyone played different instruments since the drummer plays bass keys while playing a simple drum kit. I don't think the band is for me either. I will write more about that jam in a bit. Despite the frustrations in finding the right shoe that fits, I think you're acquiring an immense amount of experience which makes you not only a better musician but a better person too. I'm not experienced in this stuff to be saying anything with authority, but it's not hard for me to imagine that unless you've been in a band from the beginning, then you're basically a foreigner trying to fit in what in most cases can be a dysfunctional family. I agree, which is why I am going to these "auditions" and chronicalling them here. It is like a job interview, even if I didn't want/get the job, is still is a valuable experience. I have never learned how to do home recording, so I might stay out of bands and learn stuff at home. |
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Post by gmello on Dec 4, 2008 23:06:25 GMT -5
my personal take on this is that is a situation where you are 100% satisfied with the people and the material is VERY rare especially after your turn 30. The best thing to do is work with each situation and get the best out of them. Most bands are normally 4 people biting their tongues 3/4 of the time and having the best time of their lives on the remaining 1/4. Don't wait for the "perfect" situation, it doesn't exist, as long as you get to do some of your material .. it's OK to play a couple of tunes you're not too crazy about. The important thing is to keep playing and creating music.
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lefty
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Post by lefty on Dec 10, 2008 12:54:31 GMT -5
I forgot to talk about my rehearsal with the band last Wednesday.
They schedule a jam at their personal space at 9pm. I actually prefered the later start because it meant I could go home, eat dinner, then go to rehearsal.
Show up at 9pm and call them since I need entrance to the building. The one guy I have been e-mailing with said he is running a bit late, he is on a bus 5 minutes away. No problem. He told me to meet me at one of the bars across the street. Talking before jamming also is no problem. Shows up 10 minutes later and we start talking. Apparently, the drummer is even more late. So we talk about things, music, jobs, etc and eventually go to the practice space. They then proceed getting some stuff done like making a pot of coffee, opening a package they receieved on Amazon.
By the time I left at midnight, we maybe played 30 minutes of music. They are just very relaxed. Considering they have been friends for over 20 years, it is like they were married and had no rush to do things. Ultimitely, I would love to be in a band like this one. Our own space, some jamming, some hanging out. But as a first jam, I thought they were unprofessional. I could see ourselves never bothering to get gigs.
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Post by gmello on Dec 10, 2008 20:43:21 GMT -5
... and eventually go to the practice space. They then proceed getting some stuff done like making a pot of coffee, opening a package they receieved on Amazon.  Actually they sound like cool guys to work with.. hows the music?? |
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lefty
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Posts: 30
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Post by lefty on Dec 11, 2008 16:13:14 GMT -5
I linked the myspace page in one of my posts.
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Post by gmello on Dec 11, 2008 20:44:27 GMT -5
oh that's the band you linked.. I got confused for a minute here.. it sounds good to me.. I can totally see that being played by some laid back guys |
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lefty
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Posts: 30
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Post by lefty on Feb 16, 2009 12:15:06 GMT -5
The saga continues...
I decided to work with the "bunch of killer guys doing harder music" again. Although the guitarist was great (and a lefty!) he proved to be too flaky. So we have been playing with various guitarist found on Craigslist.
One time a guitarist took off his shirt 5 minutes into meeting us. He was covered in tattoos including one of those belly arch (is there a name?) tattoos. The rehearsal room was not hot.
During the same time, another guitar said after meeting us for two minutes: "I breed dogs and grow pot".
This past Friday, we had another two guys coming down at different times. To minimize downtime, I switched on the guitar amp before the guitarist came in, but left it in standby. When he finally came, he setup his gear, and said "the amp isn't working". Me: "did you take it off standby?" Him: "standby?"
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Post by efnikbug on Feb 16, 2009 14:37:46 GMT -5
What's funny is that you didn't mention whether they were any good or not. I guess they were pretty good at being "characters" more than guitarists.
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lefty
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Posts: 30
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Post by lefty on Feb 17, 2009 11:08:10 GMT -5
What's funny is that you didn't mention whether they were any good or not. I guess they were pretty good at being "characters" more than guitarists. The shirtless guy and the dealer were good, but the style wasn't fitting for us. They still thought it was 1989, while we are thinking toward 2019. As far as the guy that doesn't know how to turn on a tube amp, I think you can figure out his abilities. BTW, he was a very nice guy. |
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Post by gmello on Feb 17, 2009 20:34:53 GMT -5
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Post by gmello on Feb 19, 2009 0:31:01 GMT -5
I love it how people say guitar players are a dime a dozen...
yeah sure, unless you want to find somebody who can play worth a shit without acting like a complete dork.. then they're pretty rare...
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Post by efnikbug on Feb 19, 2009 0:35:09 GMT -5
I love it how people say guitar players are a dime a dozen... yeah sure, unless you want to find somebody who can play worth a shit without acting like a complete dork.. then they're pretty rare... That's so true~. I never thought about that. I better start practicing again. When my kids grow up, I'm gonna join a world touring band and make money! |
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