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Hey guys,

It's been a few days now that I've been thinking about starting a band. I love what we do with my main projet but I guess I'd like to spend more time making music and also maybe use this as an opportunity to go out of my comfort zone and meeting new people and stuff.

I've looked at ads and everything seems meeeeeeeeeeh. So if I want to pull this off, I'm gonna have to go from scratch.

What do I have to consider? What am I getting into? What are the logistics of creating and operating a band these days? What are your tips for cheap rehearsal spaces and stuff?

I remember the good old days of trying to recruit a certain number of musicians and bringing them into a place that was also hard to book which never amounted to much music making because well people will be flakes especially around age 15, but I'm hoping I could make it work out in the adult world. What are your horror stories of bands gone nightmarishly wrong?

TELL ME.

It'll be fun! No idea about spaces in france though, but here most people find spaces by starting a so called study circle and then gets cheap spaces. So a lot of bands here (one of mine included) are actually study circles officially. Jamming with people is fun and I think you grow as a musician while you do it.

Please post updates. I love these kind of stories. I've been in tons of bands but won't be emotionally ready to start my own until I'm at least 60.

if you have a loose idea of what you would like to do, put your own ad out there. getting people to pay rent on time for a practice space can be a hassle tho. i like to figure out other options. one of my old bands used to practice in the record store our bass player worked at after he would close for the night. my current drummer has a basement that we can practice in which is the best situation ever. one thing i've noticed that has changed as i've gotten older: i used to meet people that would want to talk endlessly about bands and music but never bothered to practice their instrument or write anything or fully learn our songs. now i meet folks that want to talk and talk about their gear without actually using it. find people that want to accomplish things and you'll have fun.

Give lots of positive reinforcement and bring snacks.

That should be read as kisses on the cheek and a large bowl of hard-boiled eggs.

can i be in yur band snoopelfretz?

If you bring the eggs.

But really, I'm thinking about doing an experimental noise-jazz type thing in the future. I have a possible drummer, so I'll keep you posted.

I'm in a similar situation. I haven't played in a band in 5 years, after playing for straight 10 years. I posted an ad for recruiting and I got nothing but weirdos and kids wanting to be famous... it was annoying and funny.
The other ads I see are also meh, everybody wants to play pink floyd and led zepeling, and I don't like that shit.

This year, I played with some of my old friends and band mates, but they only wanted me for drumming, and I hate drumming


Can I play guitar or bass in your band?

I'm in a similar position too! I've only just met someone cool after a while of looking and we've only jammed once so I've got no up to date advice on the full band situation or clever solutions to practice spaces other than finding the cheapest you can nearby.

In terms of finding people that click it's a bit like dating. Be prepared to meet and jam with people where it doesn't work out. Maybe it's super awkward, maybe the music doesn't gel, who knows. Don't see this as wasted time, see it as part of the process of finding the right people

Brandsmannen wrote:It'll be fun! No idea about spaces in france though, but here most people find spaces by starting a so called study circle and then gets cheap spaces. So a lot of bands here (one of mine included) are actually study circles officially. Jamming with people is fun and I think you grow as a musician while you do it.

Renting, I have access to two options which are: local government subsidized rehearsal studios operated by non profits; privately owned rehearsal spaces for rent. I have experience with both. The spots are hard to find and pricey. If a band member owns one (like a converted garage or basement or shed or whatever), it's easier on the finances but tied to the participation and availability of said member who, by design, gets some kind of "control" over the band's activity which can be a PITA. Renting offers shittyer gear often than owning and being able to leave stuff in, but to me, that's less and less of a parameter.

I'm more curious about how people make it work with other arrangements, like Eivind and UC. I'm really curious how it works with sharing expenses, defining hours and timetables, who's responsible if other bands leave and won't pay their share...

gnomethrone wrote:if you have a loose idea of what you would like to do, put your own ad out there. find people that want to accomplish things and you'll have fun.

This is what I thought about doing but I'm weary I might look like a controlling pernickety bitch if I just list my "wishes" and "requirements".

Right now, the guidelines I've defined of what I want to do look like that:
- it's gonna be my secondary project, not my main one, so I'd like to compose/rehearse/play for 2 to 3 hours every 2 weeks;
- rehearsal shall take place on a week night;
- only originals in some kind of alternative genres, no dad rock or covers allowed;
- no flakes, I'm not gonna share expenses and book a night for people who won't show up or pay their part or whatevs...;
- people shall be chill.

monkeydancer wrote:I'm in a similar position too! I've only just met someone cool after a while of looking and we've only jammed once so I've got no up to date advice on the full band situation or clever solutions to practice spaces other than finding the cheapest you can nearby.

In terms of finding people that click it's a bit like dating. Be prepared to meet and jam with people where it doesn't work out. Maybe it's super awkward, maybe the music doesn't gel, who knows. Don't see this as wasted time, see it as part of the process of finding the right people

Oh yeah I know, it took me about a decade of making music and trying to form bands and projects to find a satisfying one which is still my main one and I defo want to keep as my main one because I love every piece of music in our discography.

To be honest, it's not all about wanting to spend more time making music. It's also a little personal project. I'm gonna be honest about it because it's also a goal of mine to be more honest with others about it and being ok with the fact that it makes me look "vulnerable" or "lame", but I'm of a rather anxious nature especially in social situations and I have a hard time making new friends and relationships in general. I figured it could be a cool and less stressful way to meet new people than to chat up strangers, which I've done in the past but is extremely mentally exhausting because I have a hard time relaxing and letting go of trying to be perfect and making sure I'm perceived positively by the other party. I have a tendency to overanalyze everything and my brain and inner critic are just fucking relentless. It's funny though because it's totally a quality in the studies/workplace. I rarely if ever lose composure when faced with difficulties, analyze criticism and situations rather fast, adapt, and always look "professional". Just like everything it's a blessing and a curse.

That sounds like a plan and a half Lachance. I very much want to jam with other humans again but have no idea where to look/find people. I am old enough to where I have professional and family responsibilities during the week so that leaves limited time on weekends. ( sometimes ) All the craigslist ads I have seen look either sketchy or blooze dads. I do better in a group dynamic when it comes to music creation for sure. Left to myself I am easily overwhelmed by all the options these days.

I haven't played in a band since I was a fucking teen man. LOL! I've been playing for 20 years now and I don't even know how I'd approach it. I've thought about it from time to time, but the music scene in my area is so shitty. There are some decent bands but they are all looking for either a drummer or a singer, not a bassist. I'm not learning the damn drums and I actually can sing, but the music has to be something I'm really interested in. My preference in a band situation would actually be to sing, funny enough.

I've thought about hitting some of you dudes up for like a drop box band. Or something like that. We could share files and compile shit.

I'm in a similar boat, trying to find something new after a long break which was preceded by years of being in bands.

In my opinion, the trick is just to keep searching until you find something/someone that clicks. Give everything a chance, but don't be afraid to move on if a situation isn't working. Above all, I think the most important thing is having fun and enjoying yourself. I've made the mistake of having too lofty goals and thinking too much about what people will think of the material... it's best to forget about all that shit and just make something.

When it works, it's wonderful. Glad you're pushing forward into something new!

I'm really wanting to get back into the band thing as well.
Having a wife that works nights and kids to watch makes it pretty much impossible to do anything but weekend warrior it though, and most jerks won't do weekends.

I hate all the ads in my town as well.

Ideally, I'd just like to find a drummer that worshipped Chris Haikus and Des Kensel and call it a fucking day.

Some things I've learned in the past year:
-If you post the ad or do the activate reaching out to people to get together, you will be expected to lead the group. Maybe not forever, but for at least the first few get togethers.
-Things that we think are really normal and common are totally not.
-It'll be fun! There will be some total misses and sort of awkward jams, but it'll be great. Eventually you'll connect with people and have something going on. I'm in a spot now where we all got together through craigslist and there is one guy that I think will ultimately end up quitting. Hopefully it happens without causing the whole thing to fall apart.
-I've rented a personal practice space and it was nice but kind of expensive. Now we are part of a musicians co-op, where we don't have a personal room reserved all the time, we reserve one of their several rooms through the website. It's a lot cheaper and might be a good option to look into, especially when just meeting people for the first jam or two.
-Last one is lame, but the more info you can give in the ad the better. More bands listed as influences, links to stuff, all that. Helps weed out people that might use similar terms to describe what the want to do when really it's super different. More communication is best at the beginning.

You probably knew all of that. Hopefully something helps