Why bands bust


Gainer
Senior Member
Joined: 03/25/03
Posts: 234
Gainer
Senior Member
Joined: 03/25/03
Posts: 234
08/02/2003 6:39 pm
Hey i'm wonderin' what your opinions are on how bands usually break up and if you could share an experience that'd be cool too.
If I leave here tomorrow,
Will you still remember me?
# 1
Tele Master
Full Access
Joined: 08/02/02
Posts: 1,329
Tele Master
Full Access
Joined: 08/02/02
Posts: 1,329
08/02/2003 10:16 pm
My neighbours band kicked their guitarist out because he was always, ALWAYS late. Like 1 or 2 hours for practice, once he showed up just before they went on stage.

Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds because he wanted to persue a more blues career.

Bands break up or people leave for lots of reasons. Different musical tastes, not getting along with members, all kinds of reasons.
Electric Guitars are the inspiration for cries of "Turn that damn thing down"-Gibson website
# 2
Hootayah
Registered User
Joined: 09/30/00
Posts: 274
Hootayah
Registered User
Joined: 09/30/00
Posts: 274
08/03/2003 2:01 am
With me it was usually the same thing.
6 months looking for members...most of it trying to find a keyboard player and a vocalist with their own p.a.
6 months of practicing in somebody's basement, maybe twice a week cause that's all anybody could manage.
6 months of looking to book gigs and not being able to find any and not being able to get a booking agent.
6 months to realize that all the band really knows what to play are cover tunes and nobody can write after all.
Then somewhere about 2 years into it either somebody gets discouraged and quits or personality conflicts cause a huge blowup.
Then the whole process starts over again with the next band.
After about 25 years of this you finally resign yourself to the fact that even though you can play better than van halen, you're never going to get signed, or hear yourself on the radio or even play live in front of more than 300 people and you yell at your kids, kick the dog and crawl back into bed with your fat wife.
Hey you kids! Get outta that Jello tree!! :mad:
# 3
Pantallica1
Insert witty remark here
Joined: 12/14/00
Posts: 1,322
Pantallica1
Insert witty remark here
Joined: 12/14/00
Posts: 1,322
08/03/2003 3:47 am
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes I hit notes only dogs can hear.
# 4
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
08/03/2003 7:11 am
Originally posted by Hootayah
... and you yell at your kids, kick the dog and crawl back into bed with your fat wife.
Hey you could'a done worse. I'm still single, and I share my digs with two cats!
Lordathestrings
Guitar Tricks Moderator

www.GuitarTricks.com - Home of Online Guitar Lessons
# 5
hairbndrckr
Registered User
Joined: 03/23/03
Posts: 625
hairbndrckr
Registered User
Joined: 03/23/03
Posts: 625
08/03/2003 4:40 pm
WELL look on the bright side...
At least you got some pussy running around your house :)
So. If you throw a cat out of a car window, is it considered "kitty litter"?
# 6
Azrael
Gargoyle Instructor
Joined: 04/06/01
Posts: 2,093
Azrael
Gargoyle Instructor
Joined: 04/06/01
Posts: 2,093
08/04/2003 1:24 pm
hmm... seems like some peeps dont learn from their faults *LOL*

i guess that almost every musician has to go trough the process of enhusiastically forming a band to conquer the world only to see that it breaks apart after a few yearsof unproductiveness.

the sad thing about this is, that i´ve seen alot of talented musicians getting extremely discouraged by such an event. extreme enough not to enthusiastically forming a band again. i say NEVER GIVE UP! nobody said its easy - it takes some balls to make it to the "top" (whatever that means for you).

[FONT=Times New Roman]Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. What you decide to do every day makes you a good person... or not.[/FONT][br][br]

# 7
Fruitbat
Registered User
Joined: 07/24/03
Posts: 121
Fruitbat
Registered User
Joined: 07/24/03
Posts: 121
08/05/2003 10:19 am
Ive been in around 30 bands. Main reason for me quitting is that I actually have the attention span of a gnat. Boredom usually sets in around the 5th take on any song after which Im gagging to go to the pub.

Other reasons for band break ups are usually because there's an egomaniac who either wants to grab the limelight on stage and/or who only wants to play his own songs. It's also pretty depressing hawking tapes around record companies, venues etc only to be told youre too old, they only want covers bands etc etc.


# 8
LCD
New Member
Joined: 08/05/03
Posts: 2
LCD
New Member
Joined: 08/05/03
Posts: 2
08/05/2003 12:27 pm
Surely not THE Fruitbat!!

Multiple takes in rehearsal are the bain of the band member's life. They are the interval between cans of beer.
If a song doesn't work after two takes I'll generally suggest playing an Anti Nowhere League song and then going to the pub.

Noise is for heroes...
noise is for heroes...
# 9
Psycho Amram
Senior Member
Joined: 11/26/01
Posts: 136
Psycho Amram
Senior Member
Joined: 11/26/01
Posts: 136
08/07/2003 6:18 pm
well, i enthusiastically formed my band and we were over-productive, we could not get to record all the stuff we had all of the song were brand new - no covers (!!).
so, basically, we were on the glory road but could not find a bassist for 2 yrs (and a worthy vocalist. i had to sing and sounded real bad...:)).
the package finally broke up when the other members went to the army and me to studying... we didnt have time to practice and after 6 mnth with not a single take we decided that it's the end...
God sent meat,
and the Devil sent cooks.

Excuse me while i keep this eye
# 10
Azrael
Gargoyle Instructor
Joined: 04/06/01
Posts: 2,093
Azrael
Gargoyle Instructor
Joined: 04/06/01
Posts: 2,093
08/08/2003 6:21 am
the simplest wa to find a working band: go record all the tunes you have on your own - make it a demo - ask someone to sing for you just for that demo in order to have a decent voice on it. then go and search for gigs with that demo - once you have like 10 gigs fixed, you´ll find the peeps you need.

[FONT=Times New Roman]Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. What you decide to do every day makes you a good person... or not.[/FONT][br][br]

# 11
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
Lordathestrings
Gear Guru
Joined: 01/18/01
Posts: 6,242
08/08/2003 6:36 am
Originally posted by Azrael
... once you have like 10 gigs fixed, you´ll find the peeps you need.
Or you'll have to learn some rill nass footwork on the controllers for a bunch of samplers!
Lordathestrings
Guitar Tricks Moderator

www.GuitarTricks.com - Home of Online Guitar Lessons
# 12
Josh Redstone
Registered User
Joined: 07/16/02
Posts: 838
Josh Redstone
Registered User
Joined: 07/16/02
Posts: 838
08/10/2003 9:23 pm
I've been in one 'successful' band, and two little short lived bands that failed for two reasons. Lazyness and a huge ego. It seems to me there are lots of people who say they want to be in a band, but then dont set up rehearsals, dont practice their tunes, argue with everyone, or try to wrench the controll of things soley into their hands.
Not everyone is like this, but in my experience there has been one in every band I've been in. Anyway, I've tried to learn from experience, (I have repeated a bunch of mistakes though, thinking I could change people, silly me :rolleyes: ) so my advice to anyone would be to do just that, be very carefull not to repeat your mistakes, otherwise you'll be going in circles, which sucks. :(
And God said, 'Let there be rock!'
-And it was good
# 13
Fruitbat
Registered User
Joined: 07/24/03
Posts: 121
Fruitbat
Registered User
Joined: 07/24/03
Posts: 121
08/12/2003 9:21 am
Originally posted by LCD
Surely not THE Fruitbat!!

Multiple takes in rehearsal are the bain of the band member's life. They are the interval between cans of beer.
If a song doesn't work after two takes I'll generally suggest playing an Anti Nowhere League song and then going to the pub.

Noise is for heroes...


No..a sheer coincidence. It's my nickname going back to schooldays. Why? because I had and still have a tendency to snack on fruits like others do on sweets, burgers. I go through around a couple of pounds of lychees a week.
# 14
jumpback
New Member
Joined: 08/16/03
Posts: 1
jumpback
New Member
Joined: 08/16/03
Posts: 1
08/18/2003 9:17 am
Ithink it is primarily because of ego. I had two leads in one of my old bands, and after the initial Maiden, Priest and Skynyrd covers they couldn,t find another common ground, so they went separate ways.
Do anything as if it was the first or the last time, then truly you'll be happy
# 15
Gainer
Senior Member
Joined: 03/25/03
Posts: 234
Gainer
Senior Member
Joined: 03/25/03
Posts: 234
08/23/2003 2:25 pm
I might quit my band because on the guys aren't showing up/aren't committed but i'm afraid he might steal my songs.
Can anyone help me?
If I leave here tomorrow,
Will you still remember me?
# 16
Josh Redstone
Registered User
Joined: 07/16/02
Posts: 838
Josh Redstone
Registered User
Joined: 07/16/02
Posts: 838
08/23/2003 4:08 pm
Just look at it this way. If your band doesn't have the drive to go to meetings, how could they ever steal your songs and rehearse them again with another band? That would take too much effort. :rolleyes:
Besides, you could write down or record your songs and send them to yourself through registered mail. I'm not sure about the legalities of that in the music biz, but its a good way to make sure people know you wrote the song first.
And God said, 'Let there be rock!'
-And it was good
# 17
iamthe_eggman
Grizzled Spellchecker
Joined: 05/09/00
Posts: 2,233
iamthe_eggman
Grizzled Spellchecker
Joined: 05/09/00
Posts: 2,233
08/25/2003 2:20 pm
Check out Pink Floyd's history... If both of you had a share in writing the songs (e.g. You wrote the music, he wrote the lyrics, vice versa), it may be that you will both leave the band with the same songs.

Sure, it sucks, but it's better than staying in a band where everyone hates each other (e.g. Pink Floyd - Roger Waters vs. everyone else).
... and that's all I have to say about that.

[U]ALL[/U] generalizations are [U]WRONG[/U]

[/sarcasm]
# 18
Jolly McJollyson
Chick Magnet
Joined: 09/07/03
Posts: 5,457
Jolly McJollyson
Chick Magnet
Joined: 09/07/03
Posts: 5,457
09/17/2003 9:33 pm
Why do bands bust? I usually find that drummers are jerks and usually the cause of breakups. Honestly, I've only met one drummer in my life that I can stand. I don't know what it is, but when drummers start giving me a hard time, I don't feel so jolly.
I want the bomb
I want the P-funk!

My band is better than yours...
# 19
Gainer
Senior Member
Joined: 03/25/03
Posts: 234
Gainer
Senior Member
Joined: 03/25/03
Posts: 234
09/17/2003 10:49 pm
Originally posted by Jolly McJollyson
Why do bands bust? I usually find that drummers are jerks and usually the cause of breakups. Honestly, I've only met one drummer in my life that I can stand. I don't know what it is, but when drummers start giving me a hard time, I don't feel so jolly.

I'd have to agree, one of the reasons that my band was on the edge for awhile was because of the drummer.
If I leave here tomorrow,
Will you still remember me?
# 20

Please register with a free account to post on the forum.