finding a band: biography of a moron

alright, i can positively assume that i am not the most experienced or most talented musician on this site, but ive noticed alot of people complaining about having no idea on how to form bands. this fact makes my brain hurt for good reason. come on, people! i know some guitarists learned easier and faster than others on how to get a band; some of us learned to play guitar from being IN a band. others may have turned their noses to the "musically incompitent" and thought that their hard work woudl pay off with a highly-technical band of musical masterminds in a few years down the road, and now that that hasnt happened, what do you do? well, sorry to tell many of you, but being a member of a band is like starting over in some respects. you have to go back to the basics of playing and jamming, even if you are embarassed that the neighbors will hear your god-awful blues progression solos with a half-assed drumbeat and bassline following you. nothing is fun about being a good musician with no social skills, and it will affect you more than you think.

upon jamming with a few musicians who excelled at their craft, i found that almost every one had absolutely no idea about the ins and outs of a band, how to present yourself, and how to have BALLS. first things first: there are tons of good guitarists out there, and the majority of people that go to shows dont give a flying **** who can sweep pick better than the other (unless its interesting, and it usually isnt.) the trick of the trade for being in a band is TOLERANCE. to find a half-dozen people that have the exact same ideas and aspirations as you do is almost impossible. learn to live with the fact that even if you find a band that all loves the same bands, has the same influences, and is at the same ability level, they surely will not always have the same social and political views, monetary dependance, and personality. and in fact, the latter are sometimes more important than if every musician can play amazingly good. ive said it a million times to a million people, but ill say it again. i would rather be in a band with guys that arent the greatest musicians, but ones that i can hang out with, drink with, and write songs with; rather than the musicians that can blow my mind musically, but have nothing to bring to the table but music. bottom line: a band is a group of performers, and if people wanted to see antisocial virtuosos with no spunk, they would go to guitar center. onward!

i find it surprising when guitarists are down and out because they cant find a band when they have nothing to bring to the table. again, no one is going to care how accurately you can play the solo to "mr crowley", honestly. when i jam with people and they cant give me anything interesting, i cant get excited about creating new stuff. yes, you can become an excellent novelty player by memorizing tons of songs and entertain yourself and your friends for years, but nothing more than that can be drawn from doing covers all your life. i understand that not all musicians are good poets or writers, but you have to TRY. you know how? read a damn book, look at some poetry, or just immerse yourself into some art. just as football players do track to increase their agility and whatnot, a guitar player must immerse him/herself into other artforms in order to gain a broader spectrum of ideals. having strong political views might seem cheesy and "punk rock", but its a hell of alot more intelligent than just being a good guitar player. bottom line: be unique! be intelligent! be open-minded!

lastly, when you have your band together and youre prepping for your first show, dont be so goddamn worried about perfection. you know what you should worry about? not looking like a pussy. depending on the venue, things vary, i understand. its always more uncomfortable opening for a bigger and better band, especially when you know none of the other band's members. when i first started playing scene shows, i knew alot of the guys i was playing for, which made it more comfortable to get upt here and kick **** around. given, i have also played shows at church venues and bars, where you cant get so rowdy. you have to use disgression. stage props are great, but dont make it seem forced. if youre tossing homemade demo cds of your band at the audience and theyre dodging it, you know that your stage antics either suck or your band sucks, so cool it and play it low until you get a little support. remember: its okay to have an attitude, to think your better than otehr people, and to give paople the finger when youre onstage. this is your spotlight; own it. bottom line? dont be a little girl who is afraid to interact with a crowd and get nasty in front of people.

Thank you so much!

+11

Great motivation bud. You know a thing or 2. Just wondering though, why did Schmange edit it?

no idea. i dont even know what he edited. im too lazy to re-read it.