Hey guys help me out!!! Its hard to get the right mix of musicians. One guy won't play a certain type of venue. One guy likes really obscure songs that the crowd wouldnt recognize or even relate to. One guy says he wants to play but yet has the same bad attitude every week. One guy only wants to practice 2 hours a week on a week night. Noone will practice on the weekends. Everyone wants to get the band going yet wont work on songs on their own time to get them "worked out" before practice. When you do practice its in between all the talk and jamming on songs that arent on the list. If something comes up and we have to take a week or so off, its like we never even learned any songs at all becuase everyone has forgotten their part or break. What a mess!!! I just can seem to get everyone on the same page and motivated. Does this sound familiar or am I alone here? I sure could use some words of wisdom.

Well first I would like to wish you all the luck with your band and hope things work out. It is very hard to keep a band It seems to me that either clicks or it don't. I feel you have to be good freinds in order to keep a band togeather but that alone is not enough. you also need to a be on the same plane when it comes to style and the sound your looking for.Just my two cent's worth again Good Luck Bill M.

Well if the guys like jamming on songs that are not on the list then put those songs on the list. Everyone should contribute to what goes on the list. If you have four guys then all four should pick an almost equal amount of songs. If you have a gig coming up then that is alway a good motivator to get the show together; wave some money at em! Plan out the next rehersal. Set a limit, say eight songs per session. If you have a two hour session then break it into 90 min rehersal and 30 minute jam, or longer. At last you get some work done. Set a date for getting the show together. If you can get eight songs done per week then in four weeks you will have thirty-two songs. Above all else stay cool and think of it as fun!

Kirk

Brad, here's my take...there's no room in a band for a bad attitude...So if you're taking charge of this outfit, you need to have a talk with this guy. And if it doesnt go away or get resolved...then there are other bands for him to be in. A succesful band is not one of em. When it comes to working on your list...The other guys would have to know that the stuff on this list is what we're working on...Once its fine tuned and everyone knows their part backward and forward, then yeah..maybe working on something else would do. And material selection can be negotiated and talked about. Our band practices on Sunday afternoon for about 4 or 5 hours. Everyone there with you are gonna have to select a practice time and stick to it...The way I see it, is if the only time you can get together is on a work night, we've made that sacrifice before...but its not fun when ya have to drive an hour home and it's really late...so we do Sunday afternoon..Set sometime that everyone can achieve. Venue can also be negotiated. The main thing in any band is communication...You have to be willing to openly discuss all problems. And if you're leading this band..then talk about the goals you have for this band...Seems like everyone has individual goals that have nothing to do with making a band a "band". Communication is the key Brad, in my opinion. Once that is opened up and you address these issues, I think results will follow, and anyone gets upset and leaves, then like I said there are bands for them, but a successful band has no place for individual agendas from its band members. Hope this all helps..If I can help out anymore, feel free to email me...Take care, and Good Luck

Well, after MONTHS of trying to get a project going, here's some of my ups and downs:

I quit the Salt Miners basically because I didn't see us progressing fast enough. We had opportunites for making a CD and getitng some press on it, but it took the band nearly 2 years AFTER I left to finally put out a disc.

With The Red Butlers, it has been a struggle to get enough musicians to constitute a band for 2 years. I finally have a decent lineup, but there are still lots of problems. The main struggle is the level of commitment from each member. I am highly committed, and have one other member who has relatively the same level. One is slightly lower, and one is wavering. I don't want to call him "henpecked," but he has missed a number of practices (and when you practice only once per week, that is bad), and the one time that we re-scheduled for another night, he was getitng calls from his wife to see if he remembered to set up the VCR to record a show.

As for choice of material, that is evenly divided between two who are interested in doing any originals that come along, while two want to strive to be a cover band.

The best immediate solution is to TALK with the other members at the same time (no behind the back stuff), and have your personal objectives stated. If there is one member who can't agree, then it might be best for him/her to move on. If the majority of the band looks at you as a dictator, then you may consider moving on yourself.

Matt Merta
Boomba Records
Member of the Americana Music Association
Member of SPBGMA

Brad--as you can see you're not alone. The problems you have with your band are shared by many of us.

To me, part of the problem, as you've mentioned, is commitment. Some guys, and gals, get in a band as a social thing, something to do once a week, and aren't committed enough to bother to practice on their own. I think that's probably the hardest thing to work out.

Personality conflicts, unless they're really severe, can usually be worked out. Differences in style, material to be worked on, and things like that always pop up and can be resolved by compromise.

Someone does need to take charge though, keep eveyone focused, and on track. It can be done tactfully, but it needs to be done! I like Kirk's idea of a schedule--1/2 hour for new songs, 1/2 hour for old songs, 1/2 hour for jamming; whatever it takes to keep people happy.

But you also need to know when it's not working, when to either get someone out and replace them, or get out yourself. That's always the hardest part.

So hang in there, and just keep on picking!

This sounds like a microcosm of the very world we live in sometimes, it's hard to get everyone together and working together. A good group is gonna be filled with excellent musicians who all aspire to grow and succeed as individual musicians and as a group. Usually these are the kind of people who are ready to play at the drop of a hat and practice at least 8 hours a week on their own time. If a person habitually shows up with an instrument that hasn't been out of it's case for a week then they are going to struggle, period. I teach full time and I'm worn out every ady but I practice because It's hard to walk by my fiddle without wanting to pick it up.
I agree with someone's comment about a good band leader, unfortunately their few and far between alot of know it alls and ego-maniacs. Good leaders communicate with every single one of their band mates and never conspire in secret with one or two other guys as it so often done. Talking to each other is good share the problem with your friend and be willing to help them fix it or find a solution. It's just not enough to say somethings wrong and wait for the whole system to fry, it happens all the time. Good leaders respect their musicians, themselves, the music and they are motivaters and problem solvers.
I have played with groups where things were destined to fail because of scattered leadership, gossip, and conspiracy. In retropsect I'm glad I moved on. If you work hard their are lot's of bands out their. For a long time I thought nobody wanted a fiddler, so I just locked myself in a room and stuck a don't fret it on my fingerboard and worked on my intonation, I sought teachers to help me with my bow arm, and I wore out CD's and drove my girlfriend crazy but I determined in myself that the next group I approached would want to hear me play. Stay determined and your enthusiasm will become infectious with everyone else in the group.

Hey Brad -

Not that you need another opinion, but here's a few things to think about.

Band members: Find fellow musicians who have the same goals as you. If your goal is to be a decent garage band and play when you can, great. Go find them. If it's to be a respected regional band (or national...gotta dream big!), then again, go find people who can help you make it happen OR you help make it happen for them. You can't be selfish in this thing and make it work. These people that share your goals are out there and will pop up when you least expect it, but always keep an eye/ear out for them...they can slip by you! Also, be firm with what you want and believe in, but also be willing to bend when you have to when it's in the bands best interests.

Practice: Do it and do it ALOT! And here's a biggie (I was hoping someone might have already said this) and that is record your sessions and make sure everyone has a copy before they leave that day/night...VERY IMPORTANT!!! This is a great way to have each person be responsible for their part and there are no excuses...and besides, it's a great way to practice when you're wawy from the band. Also, recordings don't lie. If you suck, then everyone will know it and it will allow the guilty party(s) to "fix" the issues before the next practice session. Good musicians know when they suck and need to work on things...this is what makes them better musicians & band members And communicate between practice sessions and refer to the recording when suggesting fixes or improvements. Not only will you tighten things up, but you just may find a better arrangement buried in that practice tape/cd. Also, if someone needs work on a vocal part, there's no need to bring the band together for the fix. Have one or two people over and work on it on the side. Have the tune recorded with just his/her vocal part on the chorus and they can take it with them and work on it during the drive to and from work or ? One quick note - practice with a minimal amount of gear. In other words, one mic and a tape deck or a boom box or ?? If it's a pain to set it up, it might not happen. But I GUARANTEE that you will find it to be an invaluable tool for the band.

I have a ton of other suggestions, but here's my last...lose the ego's, if there are any. There's simply no room for it. If one person has it, the rest will resent him/her. If everyone has it, then eveyone tries to be top dog and so in their opinions, there is no room for improvement within themselves...and there's always room for improvements. KNow your place, your weaknesses and most importantly, your strengths.

And just have fun with it! Good luck.

Mark

Brad, Mike and Mark really tell it how it is. We got lucky enough to get a fiddle player like Mike. You have to remember one thing and that is if you are the only one taking seriously you might want to go ahead and put your foot down. If they dont' like what they hear then they can quit or if they are all against you then I suggest you take your talent and keep looking. It there are so many factors in making a solid regional band that this one problem you are looking at is just a small one. But it will keep you from going anywhere. If you can get them to focus on a quality practice and then stepping it up a notch at your shows than everything else will fall in line. You are always going to have something coming up when you get 4-5 musicians together, so don't sweat everything that comes your way. Some things you can't change you just have to learn to work around them. Good luck either way.
Lee Surgener
Just Bluegrass

Hey guys thanks for all the words of wisdom. Things have chilled out some but I am having serious doubts about the whole project. I just don't think I have the right click because there are some mixed feelings in the band. I think maybe the thing to do is bow out myself and let the other guys carry on with what their intentions are. Problem is there are just not enough bands or pickers in my area so I end up kinda stuck with what I got. Not alot of bluegrass bands want an electric bass player, and while I can play guitar its only rhythm and no lead. I do have a few guys that want to jam but not I'm sure if that will go anywhere either. Maybe I will just go to the festivals this year and hope something comes along. Anyhow thanks again and take care. Brad

Here's something else to remember: BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING! That goes for musicians, management, booking, whatever.

Why I mention this: Besides my regular bluegrass project The Red Butlers, I'm currently working on a another project that is combining folk and bluegrass with some heavy Goth overtones. I have two great female singers right now, but am having a heck of a tough time finding acoustic musicians (I was hoping to make this project all-female, but right now I just need decent acoustic musicians). OK, so I've been running an ad in the local alt-weekly, and the response has been lousy. In fact, for the demo of the band, I pretty much played all of the instruments. So I got a call for the ad this past weekend. It wasn't from a musician, it was from a producer in Los Angeles. I won't mention a name, but this guy is BIG. He's worked with The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Alice Cooper. KISS, and Helen Reddy (how's that for a resume?). He happened to get a copy of the paper because of an interview he did with it. He read the Musicians Classifieds and saw my ad. He called me 3 times this weekend. We talked for over an hour about the project, and he wants me to send him demos.

I can't get a gosh-darned guitarist for this project, yet I can get a famous LA producer to pay attention? Too weird.

It's not like I'm complaining. Believe me, I'm sending the demos ASAP. But things are so strange in this business.

Matt Merta
Boomba Records
Member of the Americana Music Association
Member or SPBGMA

Matt, GOTH overtones???? Is it like the dawn of the dead does bluegrass kinda thing or what? My banjo player loves anything off the wall like that. Let us know when you get it finished, I am sure he would want a copy of it. LOL

Lee Surgener

www.justbluegrassband.com

Seriously, Jeff loves anything off the beaten path.

Hey guys, got a call tonight and its come to an end. I kinda figured it would just be a matter of time. Another guy in the band agree's with me that it seemed like a lost cause so atleast i know it wasnt just me being paranoid!!! A few of us still plan to jam around but we think its for the best to part ways. Anyhow i will still be at the jams in Ashland and any others around. I plan to go to alot of festivals and just have a good time. Hope to see you all there. Take care. Brad