The "new" band - progress report

A couple of months back I started a thread about how I booked a gig just to get going (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bad-dog-cafe/206161-booked-gig-just-get-going.html). Here's a little follow-up on that.

The OP in that thread ended with:

"I'm stoked! I hope I'm still stoked in a few days, after first rehearsal...".

A few days later, after first rehearsal, I was still stoked. After the next two rehearsals I was all but stoked. I felt kind of depressed. It's funny though; The other two guys are the ones I have played the most with during 26 years. We played together when we started out. Still, those are the guys I play the worst with.

I think we're often dragging each other down. I just can't explain it! We seem unable to communicate through our playing. Everything has to be discussed, explained and agreed before execution. Nothing can be improvised (not talking solos here, but group interaction). I have hardly ever experienced this when playing with others...

With a gig booked we just can't back out so we did a few more rehearsals. Suddenly something happened! I don't know what, but the pieces seemed to fall in place. Now we have been good during last three rehearsals! Pretty damn good! Something has happened. Bass player seems to start playing bass now, as opposed to playing guitar on a bass, and drummer plays less but more efficient.

Efficiency has been the key word when I have been trying to tame them. "We tend to be like a poorly tuned 454 with open headers; Lot's of noise but not really going anywhere. Let's make us a well tuned 302 instead!". Why am I lecturing them? Because I'm the only one of us that has played anything else than loud punk rock.

One week to the gig. We are rehearsing tonight, probably last time before the gig. I feel confident!

Gernre-wise we could call it Honkybilly or Rockatonk. Mostly older country and rockabilly performed quite traditionally but with a slight edge of punk, like a "We're not making excuses, you know!" attitude.

The setlist will probably be:

(Tele)
Folsom Prison Blues
Six Days On the Road
Sixteen Tons

(Acoustic)
I Got Stripes
Me And Bobby McGee
Smoke Along the Track
That's Alright Mama

(Tele)
Boxcars
Every Little Thing
Hey Good Looking
Route 66
Wicked Game

(Acoustic)
Be Bop A Lula
Jambalaya
Lost Highway
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (revved up Rockabilly version)

We will most likely do just one set now. We're sharing the bill with a Rockabilly act that will do two or three sets.

Getting ready and stoked (again)!

I know what you mean about the disappointment you can feel after a bad rehearsal - you start to question what you got yourself in for, and then you don't look forward to the next one because you think it's going to be another bad one. Then, somehow, it just clicks for the first song, and that inspires you all for the rest of the session. I've experienced this before, in fact just recently, when the band I'm in had our last session at the weekend. The guys are enthusiastic but still relative beginners, and in the sessions leading up to last weekend it was starting to show. My own performance hadn't been great - I sing some of the songs but was feeling down about my vocal abilities. I was starting to question whether I should be spending time in this band and whether I should look for some more experienced musicians to play with. But the other day things seemed to hang together somehow and every number we played was much better than it had been before. It was clear we'd all put some effort in to learn the songs better this time. This started to get us going and we began getting creative, working out harmonies and arrangements, and for the first time some of the songs sounded, well, not bad at all, certainly good enough to perform in front of people.

Good luck with the rehearsal and the gig Guran.

Thanks MLC!

I can't decide how to do Lost Highway. Mid-tempo like Hank, up-tempo rockabillyish or real slow, with lots of twangy fills. I like singing it in all three versions... I guess we could wait until on the stage before we decide. Just do see what kind of a number we need the most. However, if we would do it slow I'd like to play electric, and that would place it somewhere else in the set. Probably as number four, which is a bit early to 1: decide what we need and 2: play a slow number.

I guess I will have to decide now that it's on acoustic and near the end. So, I decided it! :lol:

Very cool!

(TEAR IT UP)

Thanks MLC!

I can't decide how to do Lost Highway. Mid-tempo like Hank, up-tempo rockabillyish or real slow, with lots of twangy fills. I like singing it in all three versions... I guess we could wait until on the stage before we decide. Just do see what kind of a number we need the most. However, if we would do it slow I'd like to play electric, and that would place it somewhere else in the set. Probably as number four, which is a bit early to 1: decide what we need and 2: play a slow number.

I guess I will have to decide now that it's on acoustic and near the end. So, I decided it! :lol:

You may want to listen to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers version of "lost highway" its pretty cool.

Punkabilly!

Last night's practice didn't go too well, but right now I'll take that as a good sign. I prefer to get the backlash at practice, and that can help keep us alert for the gig.

We played through the setlist as on a gig and It's about 52 minutes. That's a decent set. However, I don't think that we make Route 66 and Hey Good Looking really work. They may have to go. Replacements? I guess we could do Move It On Over and Dead Flowers insted. And/or Pipeline... We'll see!

Now I'll have to think about the between-songs talking. I won't be doing a lot of talking, but a few words to keep it all together, maybe even say something funny...

Besides a few things that nedd some though, we're pretty much set and ready to go!

Listen to the "Mavericks" cover of Hey Good Lookin It rocks pretty good

I know what you mean about the disappointment you can feel after a bad rehearsal - you start to question what you got yourself in for, and then you don't look forward to the next one because you think it's going to be another bad one. Then, somehow, it just clicks for the first song, and that inspires you all for the rest of the session. I've experienced this before, in fact just recently, when the band I'm in had our last session at the weekend. The guys are enthusiastic but still relative beginners, and in the sessions leading up to last weekend it was starting to show. My own performance hadn't been great - I sing some of the songs but was feeling down about my vocal abilities. I was starting to question whether I should be spending time in this band and whether I should look for some more experienced musicians to play with. But the other day things seemed to hang together somehow and every number we played was much better than it had been before. It was clear we'd all put some effort in to learn the songs better this time. This started to get us going and we began getting creative, working out harmonies and arrangements, and for the first time some of the songs sounded, well, not bad at all, certainly good enough to perform in front of people.

Good luck with the rehearsal and the gig Guran.


I know exactly how you feel. I'm in the same exact situation. I've been playing the longest of the group. 16 years vs. 1-2 years for everyone else. VERY frustrating sometimes, but heck I'm no musical god or anything & this is my first band too. Now we have a pedal steel player coming in with 25 years of playing experience & I'm hoping I don't look to him like the other guys in my band look to me:oops:

"rockatonk" love that one! can I steal the prhase?

I wouldn't sweat "bad" rehearsals ... struggling is how you develop your sound. The first 15 minutes of the gig will tell you more about the band than all the rehearsals combined. Going from the practice room to the stage is a crapshoot for any new band — sometimes it flows together perfectly, but sometimes all the principles you've worked on fly out the window and it's every man for himself.

Try to record your set so your band has a real-world starting point to work from.