Just do it and hope for the best.
Post an ad in your local music store or ask the guys there if they know of anybody.
Then hold auditions. After you find the people you're looking for it's kind of a subtle mind game as you're learning material etc. You'll be able to tell as you get to know them whether they're just dead weight or really contributing.
If you wanna write your own material, start straight away or you just might discover after spending a year learning cover tunes that nobody in the band has any writing talent. Learn material that's suited to the types of venues you want to play in. (ie, no point in learning metalica then playing in a trailer park town where the locals all love Bob Seger) Before you book your first gig, practice the material in sequence, including breaks etc.. learn what order you're doing the songs in so you aren't discussing that on stage, and time everything so you have three 45 minute sets and an encore. Don't forget to include slow tunes in each set.
As far as getting bookings... hire somebody who knows what they're doing and get a signed contract.
Don't ever take the word of a bar manager.
One trick they like to pull is telling you they'll pay you X number of dollars per night... then at the end of the weekend they say "no you must have misunderstood...I said X number of dollars for the whole weekend".
Oh yeah... and have fun ;)