Band members playing in other bands

[sudancat]

Is it just me or do any other bands dislike band members playing in other bands or startiing there own band.
I have 2 members who like to play out with other bands and now they want to start their own band, a 3 piece, bass,drummer and guitar
They claim this will not interfere with our band and they will only be playing in small bar venues, playing the same thing we do as a 5 peice.
The way I look at it, I think they should take that energy and and apply it to our band and be faithful and dedicated. I foresee problems.
Am I right or wrong, I'm to the point I'm thinking of telling them I dont need them anymore.
Advice, quick

[strat56]

I play in multiple bands, as do a lot of players in my area. One band just can't seem to get enough work to keep guys happy that like to play more. I tell them all, the first band to book a date is the one I play with and it's worked out very well. Also the bands I play in are all different, keeps things fresh.

For me anyway, the days of playing in one band exclusively are over.

[RockerDuck]

My band got rid of our drummer for irreconcilable differences. We auditioned several drummers and most all had issues of some sort. The good ones we found want to play in our band and one or two other bands. Go figure, right now we have 3 drummers on call to play with. They are good, but with every gig, we call and see which is available. Each will practice with us enough to learn songs and get tight.

[getbent]

you are being jealous.

I think you are closer to 'breaking up with them before they break up with you'....

Life is so full of rules and requirements and responsibilities... music should set people free... if they feel like they want to explore some other things.... bless them and move on...

is your band everything you want it to be? are you fully doing what you want musically? if the answer is No, then go look for it... you owe it to yourself.

If the answer is yes, then you need to realize that everyone is different and obviously your current band isn't all that these guys want, they want more and different...

no harm or shame in that.

I'd wish them well, keep playing with your current band and start looking for the kind of folks who are doing exactly what you want to do or want the same things as you do and get it going with them....

Bands come and bands go, if you are lucky, you'll play in some good bands with some of the same guys over and over again... the fact that they don't stay together forever is a testament to growth and trying new things...

Get upset when your wife wants to join a threesome without you, not your bass player...

[delb0y]

When I was kid, (way back), you were in a band and that was it. That was your band. If someone left or someone was fired you had to find a replacement which often meant stealing them away from another band. Sure you jammed with everybody, but you only played in one band.

That was then.

Maybe it was an age thing, or maybe it was an era thing.

These days just about every musician I know plays in more than one band. We dep for each other as and when required, but luckily (!!) there are so few band gigs around now that the odds on dates clashing are pretty low. Maybe that's the issue - not so many band gigs, it's almost all solo / duo gigs with folks playing cover tunes with backing tracks. It's cheaper (for venues), the licencing laws are less stringent (for the venues), and for the average punter it sounds better (i.e. closer to the original!). So to get any amount of 'proper' band gigs these days membership of multiple bands is a must.

Or maybe it's just as you get older you get less precious about things.

Derek

[Mike Bruce]

A rocking blues/country rock cover band, an Irish contemporary singer/songwriter type band, one fiddle/guitar duo, one concertina/guitar duo, one community men's choir/band, one church choir, plus students (60+), sessions, and my solo projects.

I make my living as a musician, and I don't take kindly to others telling me how I can do that. If I need or want to play with other bands, take recording gigs, work on solo stuff, do kids camps, teach or whatever else, I don't need someone else telling me I can or can't. I join a band with the stipulation that there will be competing activities. Hell, half of one of my bands take off at any time of the year for vacations south and I wouldn't dream of telling them they can't, I simply fill in the calendar with other work. I figure if the band doesn't like my attitude, they are free to replace me, seriously, there are lots of guitarists around.

As for faithful and dedicated, I'm both, but it isn't a marriage and it isn't monogamy. I'm not going to sit home when I can make a living AND/OR have fun. The networking that happens between my bands has resulted in other great music too, with and without me. I have no ego to stroke, empire to protect, and I'm only control freak when it comes to me, not my bands.

Peace, Mike.

[samato]

Originally Posted by sudancat

Is it just me or do any other bands dislike band members playing in other bands or startiing there own band.
I have 2 members who like to play out with other bands and now they want to start their own band, a 3 piece, bass,drummer and guitar
They claim this will not interfere with our band and they will only be playing in small bar venues, playing the same thing we do as a 5 peice.
The way I look at it, I think they should take that energy and and apply it to our band and be faithful and dedicated. I foresee problems.
Am I right or wrong, I'm to the point I'm thinking of telling them I dont need them anymore.
Advice, quick

From a business standpoint I think you have a legitimate concern. If they are playing the same stuff your 5 piece is playing in the same town then they are creating competition for your band. Since they are doing it as a 3 piece it's likely they can charge less than your 5 piece.

I don't think any of us can tell our bandmates what they can or can't do outside of the band but when they are directly competing with the original band and possibly undercutting it - I think I'd have a problem with that. I would probably explain the problem I have with it to them and if that can't solve it I'd have to decide if it makes sense to keep working with them or not.

[Jimo]

Originally Posted by RockerDuck

My band got rid of our drummer for irreconcilable differences. We auditioned several drummers and most all had issues of some sort. The good ones we found want to play in our band and one or two other bands. Go figure, right now we have 3 drummers on call to play with. They are good, but with every gig, we call and see which is available. Each will practice with us enough to learn songs and get tight.

That sounds like a resonable solution---win/win for all concerned....Cheers! JIMO

[blargfromspace]

Originally Posted by sudancat

The way I look at it, I think they should take that energy and and apply it to our band and be faithful and dedicated. I foresee problems.

How much are you willing to pay them for this dedication? As for being faithful, its a band, not a marriage. The only problems that are going to happen is that there is the possibility that they might be double booked on a given night. Gigs are generally booked at least a couple of weeks in advance so getting around this should be easy.

Originally Posted by sudancat

Am I right or wrong, I'm to the point I'm thinking of telling them I dont need them anymore.

I'm afraid you're wrong. Playing in other bands is only going to make them better players and performers. Until your band is at the stage where you're gigging a couple of times a week and you can pay them a steady wage for their services then I'd suggest that you hold back from firing them.

[Dave Hopping]

I think Sudancat has a right to feel the way he does,but the reality of the local music business is that gigs are sooo hard to come by that everyone pretty much has to spread himself out.Time once was that one band would keep a player as busy as he wanted to be,and if someone did play an occasional outside gig,it was as a sub. That's obviously not been happening most places for some time now,and we talk about it here on the TDPRI fairly often.

[tiktok]

Most musicians like to stay busy, but there aren't that many gigs to be had and they don't pay well, so everyone tries to find enough bands that they can play about as often as they're comfortable.

Around here, unless you're in your early to mid-20's, one practice a week is all you can get out of people (I'm talking about original material bands--where rehearsals are also songwriting/arranging sessions)...but everyone's in three or four bands, so they're busy three or four nights a week. I mean, it's obvious that people have lots of time available for music, they just don't want to put all their eggs in one basket when a single (originals) band can only play out once a month or so.

Easier to score three 3's than one 9, seems to be how a lot of folks view it.

Until about a year ago, I was in three or four bands as a sideman, but I got tired of feeling like I was busting my ass for someone else's half-assed band, so I started my own trio. The bassist has one other long-standing project that plays four or five gigs a year, but the drummer is in like five other bands playing guitar (his main instrument)--two cover bands, a blues band, an originals band that keeps on wanting to bring in covers because they're easier to work up, and singer-songwriter project where he plays lead. Between that and teaching, he's busy at least five nights a week. The only way I can hold on to him is that it's the only opportunity that he has to drum, I've known him for fifteen years, he likes the music, and I pay him per gig. If I lost him, it'd be difficult to find another drummer for my thing who, aside from a busy schedule, has no other issues to work around.

[samato]

Sure, lots of guys have multiple gigs with multiple bands and that's just how it goes but here we're talking about 3 members of the same band playing the same material in the same bars as the other band.

That's quite a bit different than just a musician playing whatever gigs pop up or in multiple bands.

[MikeSRV69]

Not to be weird, but why should other people be dedicated to you and your band? Usually, players are dedicated to bands that keep them busy and make them money. If you don't have enough gigs to do that, you can't fault them for doing other things, especially if they do this for a living. I play full-time and have been on both the bandleader side and the sideman side of this conflict. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I had to realize that those top-shelf guys I loved to play with because they were so good had other bands that wanted them for the same reasons I did and, if they could do the gigs and make the money, they were going to do that no matter what I thought about it. It kind of sucks, but remember what everyone told you about how hard the music biz is? They were right. Now, there are times when I have to tell people who want me to play that the gigs don't pay enough or my plate is too full for them. I am dedicated to my main band because it keeps me pretty busy most of the year and very busy in the summer. In one of my side gigs, I am one of 3 or 4 guitarists that are on the short list when someone is needed. If I can't do it, they call someone else, no hard feelings. I have come to believe that this whole situation is rather Darwinian: the bands that do the best get the most gigs and keep the most stable lineups. The ones that can't keep work coming in steadily can't keep players and struggle to survive. Want to make them dedicated? Book so many gigs they can't play with anyone else. Peace.

[Tarnisher]

My brother and I write all our own material, and we are lucky to have a group of excellent musicians who like what we do and want to play with us. Most of them play in other bands, but they play very different stuff. As long as they continue to be available to practice and gig, I have no complaints.

On the other hand, in a former band, the bass player and drummer started playing with the drummer's singer-songwriter girlfriend, then started their own duo, then dumped me.

It really depends on the situation and the personalities. If they're starting their own thing because they aren't happy with you, then their days are numbered either way. If they do find their time with you is worthwhile, then you don't have anything to worry about.

If they're stealing your gigs, though, that's a different story.

[T Prior]

If your band is not staying busy,( gigs) eventually everyone will leave ! As long as members understand that "THE" band comes first and checks for date conflicts before booking, no big deal. I'm talking about fill in gigs...

Now ,being a member of more than one band can be a issue..make that is an issue..bands need a commitment from each member to even have a chance of survival.

I recently booked a few fill in gigs, in between our band gigs . Considering prep time , rehearsal time , scheduled gigs and just plain "being busy" time ,I'm really glad I am at the end of the road with the current fill in schedule..

[RockerDuck]

My band members and I have been together so long its stupid. We record together and read each others minds. We play live and we have people standing around us. Granted we are old and attract and older crowd basically. Yesterday, we played for 30 and 40 year old parents and their kids who I thought wouldn't like some of the old stuff we played from the 50's and 60's. Darned if they weren't singing along with us. I don't mind calling on good players to sit in with us, most are top notch. Actually, most would rather play with us.

[TeleTim911]

This type problem keeps coming up on this forum (and several others) because it will cause problems of one type or another eventually. Usually starts with hard feelings and escalates from there.

When starting or joining a group everyone should have some type agreement between them on how things will work, and that way they know what's expected of them, and what they can expect in return. Then if people break the agreement they get replaced.

Sounds to me like Sudancat's band members are trying to take jobs out from under him, and make more money since the split will only be 3 instead of 5.

[jjfatz42]

If you guys are all "full time" musicians, shouldn't be a problem. Pros are called pros for a reason. If it's a "part time" or "more for fun" situation, in my experience it probably won't work out. We just had to "fire" a bass player that in reality was already on his way out. He found another band that plays music more to his liking. No hard feelings or anything, he wasn't making rehearsals, & didn't know the tunes cold, so we decided to let him go play the music he really wanted to, & not have to worry about our band.

He is a good guy, & I won't hesitate to shake his hand when I see him around, or even check out his new band when/if they have a gig.

[Telenator]

People just like to do things differently. Some guys I know have this thing where, once you join their band, you're in it for life and that's just how they do things. Other people float around alot.

There's no right or wrong to any of this. It's just different people going about the same thing in different ways.

[Sharp5]

If it's not causing problems with your dates I don't see it as much of a problem. Most guys around here do it all the time. What kind of band is it? I think this is fairly common place for cover/party/bar bands.

I think the romantic idea of a group of guys/best friend is best left to 13 year olds. If you make a living from, it work is work. It doesn't mean they dislike you or anything.....unless they dislike your or something.