Start selling drugs, you'll know all the musicians in town real quick. (Just kidding... or am I?)
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
How are you supposed to play gogs if you don't have a band??
I have done this over and over and over again...so listen tight...
Option #1: The Cheap Way that Requires Work, but WORKS
1) Check with live venue places and find out what style of music they tend to book. This'll give you an idea of what kind of music will sell. This'll give you two or three styles you can pursue.
2) Go to concerts and jams at local clubs and find good musicians. You'll learn their abilities there -- with no audition necessary! Get to know the ones you like on breaks and find out their goals and availability. Approach the subject of money to determine if they are the kind that are in it for the music. Make sure they aren't the kind that won't go our for anything less than a million dollars. If it's a fit, both money-wise, musically and personality/situation wise, ask them to come out and play together at your rehearsal space sometime. You are putting together a group, and all they have to do is learn three songs and do a video. But you need to decide if you are a good fit after playing together.
2) Get together and see if the magic happens.
3) Rinse and Repeat Steps 1 & 2 until you get the right band together.
4) Make a video of three songs, and then STOP REHEARSING. Yep -- I said it -- STOP REHEARSING. YOU have other priorities now -- selling!!! Put the video up on a website like Yola or Weebly with stills from the video shoot. I wouldn't use Facebook yet as your lack of likes will scream "no following" to your eventual clients.
5) On the website, have a performance history page, and put "These are the places our musicians have played". List all the months and venues the experienced members of your bands have played. Remember -- you recruited from working bands, so they should be able to list a lot of places. The more scrolling everyone has to do, the better. You are not lying -- it's true -- these ARE the places your musicians have played in the past. Just don't emphasize this PARTICULAR band hasn't performed together yet. You need to show performance history to get booked. My performance history page is one of the most viewed pages according to the analytics.
6) With your video in hand, even on your phone or tablet, and your business card, approach club owners about hiring you. Don't skip this step and get sucked into rehearsal cuz its easier. Put all your efforts into selling. GET OUT AND SELL. But have a CONCRETE plan for getting people to the bar gig. You have to convince the bar owner you can draw a crowd. There are strategies for that -- I have all kinds of things I have tried. That is another thread. Post on it or search on it. There are strategies.
7) Book the gig 2 months out "because you are busy as a group". You are busy -- rehearsing now that you have proof of concept. You need the time to get the repertoire together. But don't tell the owner that. Only do this, if you know you can pull it off -- that is what I do.
Get on the phone and practice like heck to be ready for that gig. With money on the table, the musicians will rehearse hard. Pick EASY, GOOD SONGS to get off the ground, and promote like the devil to get people there. I get the owner to give away gift certificates and print postcards or 1/4 page flyers for me to distribute. I go to concerts where my style is being played and promote it to everyone there. The gift certificates are on the postcard. I have my birthday party there that month, I celebrate my latest accomplishment there with my friends, I do EVERYTHING I CAN to get people there.
7) Do the gig. When you raffle off the gift certificates get email addresses because you are sending it electronically. Share them with the bar owner (clear all that in advance with them). Use the gig to build your emailing list or social media.
Option 2: The more expensive easier way.
Same as Option #1 but:
1. Pay the musicians to do the 3 song video.
2. Pay the musicians for the first gig, and play for free at first so the owner doesn't have to pay, or pays a reduced rate. He'll book you.
3. Get the money back on future gigs.
Option 3: Sell an existing band's services on the condition you get to play the gig.
With this strategy, you find a band that is decent, has a website and stuff in place. Ideally, the band should be decent, but doesn't have a full schedule. Or has no one who likes to sell. A really busy band doesn't need you...
Build a relationship by coming to gigs. Write down their set list.
After they get to know you, approach the BL and indicate you are willing to book gigs for the band -- find out pricing they need.
But make it a condition that you get to play the gig if you book it for the desired rate of pay. Don't be afraid to report back with gigs if the payer is lower than desired -- you will be surprised what they will take if they are not overly busy.
Make it EASY for you to be the sub by learning their material based on the list you generated. Even record certain songs on your portable recorder at the gig so you can learn independently. Ideally, being able to just walk into the gig and play it is best, or on the strength of one rehearsal.
Now, make sure everyone is cool with this. As a BL, I would be very cool with this, as disloyalty from musicians has forced me to work with a ton of subs, so I cant' even tell you who is regular in most of my bands. But makes sure everyone is good with it.
After your first gig, keep doing it. Guess what == you are the business motor and bass player in a a band now.
I have done all these options, they have all worked. The times it didn't work was when we couldn't sell the band in Options 1 and 2 so I just abandoned the idea and started a different one in a different style until I got it right.
Wait, aren't you trying to form a band? If it is not going to be of random strangers, then they must be your friends, in which case just ask them to be in your band.
Am I missing something here?
Venue owner asks what the band's called and if they can check out some YT or audio samples so they don't buy the proverbial cat in the bag - can't supply because there's no band. No band, no booking.
The only way around that, apparently, is to fake your way into their books. Nice prospects.
So you want to start a band only with people you already know? Pretty much every band I've formed or joined has been through craigslist. The key is to have a phone conversation prior to meeting.
Every band i have ever been in was done by word of mouth...i knew someone who knew someone that needed a bass player or i knew someone that played something and they knew someone that played something and a band just formed....put the word out and "they will come".
I have an email box I use just for CL. When people reply it goes to that box. At the bottom my signature says "this isn't my real name....but until I know you CL can be a scary place...". It's worked out fine for me, I don't like people googling my real name.
Most folks I play with now have been through CL. I know more folks now so maybe next time not. I get pretty good a screening out the folk I don't want to talk to.
Most folks I play with now have been through CL. I know more folks now so maybe next time not. I get pretty good a screening out the folk I don't want to talk to.
If you are going to be the band leader be prepared to spend more money than anyone else involved. It does happen.
Bands tend to form by themselves if you have the right musicians and apparently you don't know any.
I suggest starting there, get to know other musicians, jam around, once you click well enough with somebody projects emerge and you just follow from there.
I suggest starting there, get to know other musicians, jam around, once you click well enough with somebody projects emerge and you just follow from there.
they can be strangers, but not RANDOM strangers -- you want PURPOSIVE strangers -- people who have been vetted. You can use Craiglist but be really specific about what you want as you get a lot of tire kickers. And spend forever on the phone.
Your best source of good musicians is referrals from other musicians. I get almost all of my new musicians from referrals now. This means, again, building a network of friends in the music community by going to their gigs, open jam nights, etcetera. So you can ask them for referrals (in case suitable people aren't at the performances or jam nights).
That sounds like a "No" regarding step 1.
If you aren't able to secure the gig, then you have to change something about what you are selling. If you don't have the reputation and connections yet to get the gig without a band and materials locked down, you need to play more and be more connected with the buyers/owners.
I don't know your background or how long you have been playing out professionally or semi pro, but if I had to guess I'd say you need to develop more and stronger connections to do this.
There's nothing wrong with joining someone else's band, either!
go to open mics and meet some people. especially as a bass player you'll get some stuff happening quickly.
craigslist is fine, but i've never found a musician i stayed in long-term contact with via craigslist. i've met some good ones, infact some really fine players, but craigslist musicians in my experience (been there about a dozen times i'd sasy) are either professionals that are desprate for work, or shady/sketchy/'off' people claming to be musicians.
craigslist is fine, but i've never found a musician i stayed in long-term contact with via craigslist. i've met some good ones, infact some really fine players, but craigslist musicians in my experience (been there about a dozen times i'd sasy) are either professionals that are desprate for work, or shady/sketchy/'off' people claming to be musicians.
Sorry, I'll specify. What I meant by "random stranger" is someone I haven't met face to face. I'd prefer to meet the person before doing anything more.
Sorry for the miscommunication.
Are you certain? It seems almost impossible to me that a college town wouldn't have a single party house where bands play. No fraternities?
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Nothing wrong with that - bandleaders often do that - offer to meet at a Tim Hortons or whatever to discuss your goals, and feel the person out.
In short, you need to go (and advertise) anywhere you can find musicians. Are there any music stores in the area where they give guitar and drum lessons? Also, you know better than us what internet resources there are there for musicians.
No matter what, it's not easy. It took me over a year to find what I wanted when I wanted to change bands. Good luck.