Thanks for your responses guys. Thanks for your vote of confidence Steve. I need to change my thinking. The video doesn't lie - can't deny it. I even point this out in the thread discussing dealing with stage fright.

We'll be starting this band from the ground up, so I'll have the advantage of being in on the ground floor and being able to grow with it. We'll all grow together actually. I guess my concern would have been more for jumping into an already established band.

It's funny, because I'm already using Markm's approach to solos. Where I can, I'll learn the real solo, otherwise I put together a framework that captures the spirit and improvise. I did it more as a way of being able to keep up with a rapid rate of learning songs, but it actually makes things more interesting...for the audience too I think.