Forming a "Band"

mmulcahy1

Platinum Member
Following Mary's lead from a few months ago, I posted last week that I put up an ad on Craigslist looking for other musicians... guitar, bass, keys, vocals. I got plenty of responses, but they really lacked the detail I was hoping for. For example, I got one reply that said: Seasoned guitar player here.... let me know if you want to play. Wow, really!

Who responds like that. I mean no info about who they are musically and what they play. Ok, you play guitar... Great. Do prefer to play an electric or acoustic? Are you a rhythm or lead guitarist?

I responded back to several of these people asking for clarification, you know, so I could seed if they met what I was looking for. I might have well been talking to myself for all the questions I got answered.

To those that did answer the questions I asked, I replied back and stated that we should get together and find out where we stand with each other. You know, let's have a beer and talk about what (genre) or who (artists) we like. What our musical influences are, etc.

One guy replied and said that would be cool, and the other two I invited never responded.

Now, I'm in no way implying to anyone that this will become an officially gigging band. If that were to happen, hey, cool. If not, no big deal. I just want to play with other musicians.

ON A SIDE NOTE:

When you get a group of people together to play, where do you play??

I play in my garage, but I don't have the room to accommodate anybody else... and even if I did, I don't have the ability to provide their electrical needs either.

Where do you practice or jam with a band?!?!?

Thanks for reading (and putting up with) my little rant.

- Mitch
 
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I've found it to be a lot of trial and error, Mitch. I know you saw my latest post today so you know how that turned out. One good, one bad and one unknown...lol.

Maybe you should meet with the one guy who did respond and if you two gel, he may know someone else that would want to join you.

As for practice space. In my second ad I actually put in it that anyone with practice space was a plus since mine was tiny. It was actually a deciding factor on which of the respondents I chose to meet with this time. I was lucky enough that two of the guys that responded both had full setups, electrical, amps, even drum kits do I didn't have to move mine!

Just remember, you'll probably have to cut out several losers before you find a winner or two. I'm finding out it's just all part of the process. Good luck!
 
Thanks, Mary! I was thinking, "What the hell, why is this so difficult?" You never really hear this side of the story.

The one guy - a guitar player - and I have decided to play by ear for a bit and see what happens.

I just wish people would be more descriptive when answering . . . . That's frustrating!
 
Thanks, Mary! I was thinking, "What the hell, why is this so difficult?" You never really hear this side of the story.

The one guy - a guitar player - and I have decided to play by ear for a bit and see what happens.

I just wish people would be more descriptive when answering . . . . That's frustrating!

It may be that you will get more serious and detailed responses by defining the goals of the group, rather than listing everything as "we'll see where it goes" or "just jam" or however you phrased your ad. Perhaps you're anxious about performing (who isn't?), and so you don't want to put pressure onto others or yourself, but I can imagine many players that wouldn't want to join an open-ended project for fear of having their time wasted.

But keep your goals reasonable. The first goal may be to learn 4 songs, and the next to play 4 songs at a local jam night. A long term goal might be to play 2 sets of music at the local pub in exchange for food and drinks. A pro looking for work will likely pass on the offer, and a hobbyist might think it's a good opportunity, which is what you want, right?

The studio where I teach has adult ensembles. They learn songs, play gigs, and even come out to jam as groups to a local dive where myself and other instructors perform regularly.

Does any place like this exist in your area? Most of the "school of rock" type places are geared towards kids, but you could approach one of these places and see if they have room for grown-ups. They already have the facilites (rehearsal rooms, amps, drums, and PA), and, presumably, the expertise and connections to local clubs. You'd just need to find a willing instructor (or not), and an weekday evening rehearsal time that works for everyone.

The adult ensembles here regularly share billing with the kids' ensembles, but we also book other gigs that are "grown-ups only".

One catch: because of city ordinances, there's no alcohol or substances allowed at rehearsals (a deal-breaker for some, I'd imagine, but you can always hit the pub afterward). Oh, and then there's tuition (gotta make the world go 'round!). But, the groups play all manner of gigs (outdoor festivals, rock clubs, street fairs, and jam nights), and the overwhelming majority have stuck around for years.
 
And what are you doing on Craigslist? Get a FB page, post some pics of yourself and your drums, and spread the word among people with which you may have some connection already!
 
I'm having a hard time with the idea of running an ad looking for people to play without actuallyhaving a place for those people and you to play.

Wouldn't it seem like a good idea to already have a place to play in mind when placing an ad seeking musicians?
 
It may be that you will get more serious and detailed responses by defining the goals of the group, rather than listing everything as "we'll see where it goes" or "just jam" or however you phrased your ad. Perhaps you're anxious about performing (who isn't?), and so you don't want to put pressure onto others or yourself, but I can imagine many players that wouldn't want to join an open-ended project for fear of having their time wasted.

The studio where I teach has adult ensembles. They learn songs, play gigs, and even come out to jam as groups to a local dive where myself and other instructors perform regularly.

Does any place like this exist in your area? Most of the "school of rock" type places are geared towards kids, but you could approach one of these places and see if they have room for grown-ups. They already have the facilites (rehearsal rooms, amps, drums, and PA), and, presumably, the expertise and connections to local clubs. You'd just need to find a willing instructor (or not), and an weekday evening rehearsal time that works for everyone.

You're right, I should be more detailed in what I'm looking for. I don't want to waste the time of others and this first attempt proved to be a big waste of my time.

As far as "School of Rock" type places, I have absolutely no idea if this concept exists here in Albuquerque (this is where I live ;-) I guess a little research will provide the answer, however.

And what are you doing on Craigslist? Get a FB page, post some pics of yourself and your drums, and spread the word among people with which you may have some connection already!

I do have a Facebook page, but I keep it private.... you know, for "friends" only. I'm a middle school Science teacher and I learned the hard way that Facebook isn't the place for me to be public. I get students trolling all the time. Little brats!!

Also, I'm not a Facebook geek. I find the whole FB thing really weird!!

I'm having a hard time with the idea of running an ad looking for people to play without actuallyhaving a place for those people and you to play.

Wouldn't it seem like a good idea to already have a place to play in mind when placing an ad seeking musicians?

You have a very valid point there. I simply don't know how to go about solving this problem.

All this is completely new to me. I imagine that if I were some pimply kid in high school this process would be a lot easier. After all, teenagers rarely care where or when they play... Adults do!



So if all you wise and seasoned people out there have some more ideas for me, let me know.
 
All this is completely new to me. I imagine that if I were some pimply kid in high school this process would be a lot easier. After all, teenagers rarely care where or when they play... Adults do!

So if all you wise and seasoned people out there have some more ideas for me, let me know.

For me this has been the challenge of it all. I really think it's much harder starting at an older age because most people our age are either much more experienced and don't want to play with someone new or their lives are so busy with work, kids, etc that finding time is tough.
It's a tough game but keep your chin up....it will work out eventually :) And nothing wrong with CL. It's a great way to find new people. I'm on FB a lot and it's never helped in finding me others to play where CL has served that purpose well.
 
You should have a lot of things thought out before you look. It would serve you well to seek out established rehearsal spaces in your area. Around me, there are plenty of places you rent that have backline there already. And in your ads, narrow down the type of band you want to be in, state your age, and state the goals of the project (30 YO drummer looking to form a classic rock band (60's 70's 80's) with the goal of gigging once or twice a month) That way it weeds out the ones who don't fit right off the bat.

But you need a rehearsal space and a PA lined up beforehand. Why not your garage? Saves renting a place. Run an extension cord from your kitchen counter outlets or laundry or bathroom outlets (20 amp circuits at those locations, assuming a house not over 50 years old) to a power strip for the amps and PA.

The PA is a must. To be serious, you need some sort of PA.
 
You should have a lot of things thought out before you look. It would serve you well to seek out established rehearsal spaces in your area. Around me, there are plenty of places you rent that have backline there already. And in your ads, narrow down the type of band you want to be in, state your age, and state the goals of the project (30 YO drummer looking to form a classic rock band (60's 70's 80's) with the goal of gigging once or twice a month) That way it weeds out the ones who don't fit right off the bat.

But you need a rehearsal space and a PA lined up beforehand. Why not your garage? Saves renting a place. Run an extension cord from your kitchen counter outlets or laundry or bathroom outlets (20 amp circuits at those locations, assuming a house not over 50 years old) to a power strip for the amps and PA.

The PA is a must. To be serious, you need some sort of PA.

This is good advice! Peace and goodwill.
 
You have certainly hit upon a pet peeve of mind.

I don't understand why people reply to ads, or reply to ads answered, with such vague details.

About a year ago I saw an ad for some guys who just want to jam once a week, and their jam location was mere blocks my house. So I thought, ok, that would be fun just to have a different thing doing once a week that requires almost zero travel. So I wrote an email explaining all about myself. Didn't hear anything back for a while. Then a week or two later, I got a one sentence email, with an attachment that had their song list on it. But it was just song titles, with no mention of which artists or which version. And there are many different songs that share the same title. Runaway, the Del Shannon song or the Bon Jovi song or the Linkin Park song? If you can't talk about what you want to play, how can you expect anyone to play with you?


Several years I was in a band and we need a guitar player so we posted an add. And some people would reply with "ya, go to myspace (or whatever site) and search for "insert name" and my page will come up" And my thought is, no, you lazy bastard, how about you take the 30 seconds to cut and paste a direct link to your page! If you can't be bothered to communicate, why should I pick you to play in my band?

Ugh!
 
You have certainly hit upon a pet peeve of mind.

I don't understand why people reply to ads, or reply to ads answered, with such vague details.

About a year ago I saw an ad for some guys who just want to jam once a week, and their jam location was mere blocks my house. So I thought, ok, that would be fun just to have a different thing doing once a week that requires almost zero travel. So I wrote an email explaining all about myself. Didn't hear anything back for a while. Then a week or two later, I got a one sentence email, with an attachment that had their song list on it. But it was just song titles, with no mention of which artists or which version.....

Several years I was in a band and we need a guitar player so we posted an add. And some people would reply with "ya, go to myspace (or whatever site) and search for "insert name" and my page will come up" And my thought is, no, you lazy bastard, how about you take the 30 seconds to cut and paste a direct link to your page! If you can't be bothered to communicate, why should I pick you to play in my band?

Ugh!

All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not the only one. Misery loves company, I suppose.
 
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