How many original bands have you built?

Wow, at least 7 or 8, but probably closer to 10 or 12. (Some have happened at the same time as other bands.) I have been at it since 1991 or so. Some have done absolutely nothing while others have toured, played on the radio, released several records, etc... It's is always a toss-up as to whether or not the band will be successful. I love creating something new though.
 
I haven't really built any bands or even been involved at a band's inception, possibly except for Al (although he already had a good direction by the time I met him.) However I've been a member of 13 original bands over the last 49 years, and am still a full member of three of them. A few dozens more were short-lived, or my involvement was too brief to mention, or I'm a first-call sub and not really a member of the group. And of course there were cover bands, one of which I'm also still in (for a total of four working bands at this point in my life.)

Bermuda
 
One band that did relatively well locally speaking and in hindsight could have gotten close to having at least a song released (& thus opening up the "No Quality Control" NWOBHM nostalgia circuit to us 35 years later) if the two least organised members hadn't approached a record company without a plan and without telling the rest of us.
One band that I entered as member of a Spinal Tap style revolving cast of drummers. I gigged and recorded demos with them thinking they were a Thrash Metal band. Many years later the guitarist tracked me down and turned up at my house with a 12" vinyl album revealing that I was now not only a recorded artist but also a member of not only the first Hardcore Band from NE England but also a seminal Hardcore band in UK terms! At least that's what I read about them on the internet. They're still going strong too

Subsequently I took on the longstanding tradition of North East musicians which was to join covers bands, compare stories with other musicians, and plan the reformation after the second pint of beer whenever we go out on a Friday.
 
I’ve been a member of eight original bands, as in a full time member, since 1997. Not counting the ones where I was a temp/occasional drummer.

Was in four at the same time a handful or so years ago, that was a busy (!) but musically rewarding period.
 
I'll distinguish between "start" and "build." When we start something, it can be either partially or fully assembled yet never really gain traction. When we build something, it's prone to a lifecycle, adapting to a spectrum of conditions and weathering an onslaught of storms to achieve a battle-tested identity. Over thirty-six years of drumming, I've built two bands, both of which remained together for years. On the contrary, I've joined -- or sat in with -- more bands than I can tally. My session list is long.
 
Two. The first lasted a few months. The guitar player actually suggested I go jam with these other two guys as he was starting college. So I did, and we started a new band that still exists. I'm no longer a part of it, but that's perfectly okay.
 
I have taken four original material bands from conceptualisation to writing to gigging regularly (not a bedroom fantasy or rehearsal room distraction). With the right members it’s easy, with the wrong members it’s a massive pain. A key skill for the builder is spotting who will work together, a bit of rub is ok too much is disaster...
 
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That's great. When I hear people grumble about the lack of good original music, I wonder how much effort they have put in to growing it.
I would consider it building a band if one starts with them and stays with them, firming up a lineup and injecting your confidence in it and other skills to it.
 
That's great. When I hear people grumble about the lack of good original music, I wonder how much effort they have put in to growing it.
I would consider it building a band if one starts with them and stays with them, firming up a lineup and injecting your confidence in it and other skills to it.

There’s never been so much good original music out there and it’s never been so accessible with so many online music platforms a large majority can access.

Unfortunately people who make that comment usually are commenting on what they hear/are spoon fed on commercial radio and don’t tend to go looking for it.
 
One band that did relatively well locally speaking and in hindsight could have gotten close to having at least a song released (& thus opening up the "No Quality Control" NWOBHM nostalgia circuit to us 35 years later) if the two least organised members hadn't approached a record company without a plan and without telling the rest of us.
One band that I entered as member of a Spinal Tap style revolving cast of drummers. I gigged and recorded demos with them thinking they were a Thrash Metal band. Many years later the guitarist tracked me down and turned up at my house with a 12" vinyl album revealing that I was now not only a recorded artist but also a member of not only the first Hardcore Band from NE England but also a seminal Hardcore band in UK terms! At least that's what I read about them on the internet. They're still going strong too

Subsequently I took on the longstanding tradition of North East musicians which was to join covers bands, compare stories with other musicians, and plan the reformation after the second pint of beer whenever we go out on a Friday.
Do it again!
?
 
Zero, but I'm thinking now's a good time to try it. There's got to be a lot of really good musicians bumfuzzled by the pandemic, ready to take on something new. LOL

The plan is to collaborate online, doing covers, sharing tracks through a dropbox, getting together for a jam when enough material materializes. I just wish I had a real mixing board to plug people into. Right now, if I have rehearsals at my house, I'd have to buy an Octapre to expand my Scarlett to 16 channels, or eliminate the tom mikes, using the overheads. But that only frees up 3 channels.

And on top of all this is the reality that even if a band is formed, the market won't be there for a while yet.
 
2 from the ground up., One, in particular, was pretty much entirely my baby.

Another 3 I didn't necessarily start, but I became a key contributor too.

I really don't do well with just being the drummer.
 
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