Do you guys ever get burned out on band members?

[VOLVO)))]

When I started music, I did everything on my own. I bought all the necessary equipment, all of my own recording shit, rented my own jam space... all that, on my own. I'm in two bands, now, and I still pay for the jam space, supply all of the equipment and write 90% of the songs. It used to be a shitload of fun, now... it's... different. The only factor that has changed is that other people are involved... Dealing with these people's schedules is hard, and not having any financial help from any of them is pretty draining. They fucking forget songs we've played a hundred times, or fuck riffs up that THEY wrote. I'm always on time, and always ready to go. I always felt like finding people with proper equipment was hard, so I invested... at this point, something like seven grand in all of the shit that I own, just so people can walk in and have a fucking amp that will keep up with mine. I have a 900 dollar drum set so the drummers I jam with can play on something other than low end bullshit. Then you have to deal with people without a ride, or a ride and no gas... etc... It's no fun. This is all spurred by band practice being tonight, and me being there on time, waiting for an hour, and nobody shows up. Bass player rode his bike seven miles to hang out with a chick that I've been talking to, and the drummer is trashed, passed out on the floor at his girlfriends. I'm burned out. Share your experiences.

[Lumpy]

One guy would show up with a 5th of bourbon and get the other guy wasted too. He wouldn't know how to play his parts, week after week (parts he came up with). I would say "lets do this part 4x, then the other part 2x" and he would say "I dunno, why don't we just jam and let the changes happen naturally?" (passive aggressive). He just wanted the companionship I guess... we might as well have been bowling, or playing cards. He was there to hang out and have drinks with his friend.

People who can't help pay rent, people who show up and act bored, people who can't carry anything...

[Hemisaurus]

Sounds like you need a solo project  

[Mike_Sims]

I can relate somewhat to that experience. I started out doing music when I was like 12-13, keyboards, sampling, sequencing blah blah all that stuff. Started playing guitar and didn't have anyone to jam with so I just programmed drum & bass tracks and so on. Then I decided to really make it happen one day, man, met some really "interesting" people to say the least. I remember one dude who wanted to be our vocalist would sit in a chair with his arms crossed. Very Edgy59 but not as cool/good. I've had drummers who couldn't keep time/forget parts, a guitar player who couldn't play in 4/4 for the life of him, would always fuck up songs, basically everything you're talking about. He would only write shit in weird fucking time signatures, and they would sound really stupid and "hipster". I started my project with the vision of being a Doom band, not a Sword rip off or a folk metal band, it was really frustrating. One of the drummers would also ALWAYS have to have a 40 before practice.. Really fucking irritating. I was the only dude who drove too... eek, that can be a pain in the ass..

Luckily I met some dudes whom I have great chemistry with now, we're really closely knit, we all help each other out with the finances, we're more than a band of friends, it's kinda like a family/team-work thing now. Which is cool, it's definitely soothing to know I don't have to worry about certain aspects of shit that I shouldn't have to worry about in the first place. I say you ditch the moochers/dead weight/deadbeats/etc. and find you some real motherfuckers dude. Some like minded dudes who are serious about shit! Good luck to you in your quest my brother.

[Chovie D]

been there. no fun. what I could never understand is why they dont just call and say, "sorry I cant make it tonight".

had a guy show up over an hour late, we were all waiting for him. I had a pizza and offered him a slice even tho i was pissed at him. He goes "Oh no thanks man I just went out to dinner with my girlfreind before I came over".  So you mean, while we've been waiting here for you for over an hour, and you knew this was scheduled and we'd be here waiting for you , you were out having dinner instead?

drugs too, I dont even wanna tell the stories, they are horrible.

still these are my brothers, most of em, and i love em. Im no saint either.

[VOLVO)))]

These ARE my friends, that's why this is so frustrating. I don't drink, or smoke, or do drugs... shit, I don't even fuck around on my women. I have my own business, pay my own bills, and I lug these sorry motherfuckers to every show that I go to. The problem ones are both really smart dudes, they're just shitbags. No motivation, parents pay their way... they feel like I should be honored to have them in my band, is the vibe I get. I'm not ragging on them, but if I can do all of these things, and have all that I have, there is absolutely NO reason they can't do the same thing. I'm not a fucking rocket scientist, or some kind of money guru, but I can handle my own shit. If I get really fucked, short because I bought something I wasn't supposed to, I go and find the extra money that I need. Be it doing instrument repairs, or electronics repairs, cutting grass, picking up cans, I don't give a fuck. Finding real motherfuckers in this town is fairly impossible. I'm currently using the cream of the crop, and it's these douchebags. It's either them, or no band. I'm kind of leaning towards no band, at this point. Fuck it.

[justinhedrick]

man sunn, where are you at? we should jam!!

i have been in bands with super fuck ups. (that's a good name for a band!) now, i have 3 pretty goo guys. bass player likes to get a bit too drunk sometimes at practice, but not before shows. the drummer is good and productive, but he doesn't really ever bring ideas to the table. just drums. the synth player and i are the ones who bring the ideas. but, we all show up to practice on time. have gear taht works and understand each others crazy schedules.

good luck man!

[mortlock]

ive had the good and the bad..currently ive got perhaps my best band yet..we only play when we are live..no rehersals..you really cant get sick of eachother.. haha..and we are all totally into doing anything that comes down the pike..everybody is on board with doing shit..unlike previous bands where doing things like actually traveling and playing shows was out of the question.. 

[Jor el]

I don't even fuck around on my women.

That made me chuckle.

Where you at?
I'll be there in 20 minutes, and I'll bring my own shit.

[VOLVO)))]

Florida. Probably a bit oot of yer way, eh?

[Ranbat]

I've jammed with alot of guys that like to talk about doing shit, but when it comes down to it there is always an excuse. Just something as simple a hitting the road a little bit. My last band had some chances to do some "mini tours" and they started wanting to know how much they were gonna get paid and what kind of room them and their girlfriends were gonna get. I'm thinking we (the band, not their girlfriends/wives/kids) just get in a van take some tents and maybe get lucky enough to sleep on some floors once in awhile. I just wanted to go play for the adventure. I'm 44, I figured it was kind of a 'last chance' to do the heavy rock thing like that. I'm working on blues stuff now thinking I may be able to do it that way. Maybe work up a set and just take my guitar a small amp and go. Yeah, I'll probably finance it myself, but it's not about money. I just want to play in a bunch of different places and see them a little bit. It sounds way more fun to me than a Disneyland vacation.

[Jor el]

Florida. Probably a bit oot of yer way, eh?

Did I say 2o minutes? Make that 20 hours.
I used to be able to drive from Ann Arbor to Cocoa Beach in 18 hours.

[Discö Rice]

SunnO))) - You got no girl, you got no band. Come to NYC, we can start a band. I show up to practices, I remember my parts, I pay my own way, and I think you're an incredibly sexy chick when you shave.

In all seriousness though, kick every one of those assholes to the curb. People that behave like that are not band mates or friends. No more chances, just dump them and move on. You'll be fine, they'll be fine.  This is of course unless you want to have these arguments 5 - 10 years from now, as opposed to actually touring and making records...

[Volume]

I gave up finding the "perfect band" a long time ago. It's an illusion, all people have their quirks. Some are great musicians, but have low motivation or very annoying persons, others put in lots of time and effort on the band, but are horrible musicians and others are awesome people, but chronically broke, late or both.

[Mike_Sims]

You should just break out like Walter in your Avatar and yell at them "HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE CRAZY!?!?!" but instead of rules, change it to "AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THE TONE ANYMORE!?!?"

Florida? Hopping in my chopper now dude, see you in a bit. Seriously though, that's a fucking bummer man, and I totally know how you feel. Hell, even when I'm OUT of a job I STILL have to find ways to hustle up money and survive, thinking about getting into tattooing or some shit. Anyways, over here in the Bay Area (in Oakland at least) there seems to be a lot of serious dudes. I never knew how big the music scene was here until I got involved in it, everybody fucking knows everybody. Not to mention we're all miserable scum bags so being in a serious band is kind of a good thing for us all the look forward too. Fuck this state!!

[I,Galactus]

Most definitely.  I used to play in three bands; now I play in none.

[mortlock]

I've jammed with alot of guys that like to talk about doing shit, but when it comes down to it there is always an excuse. Just something as simple a hitting the road a little bit. My last band had some chances to do some "mini tours" and they started wanting to know how much they were gonna get paid and what kind of room them and their girlfriends were gonna get. I'm thinking we (the band, not their girlfriends/wives/kids) just get in a van take some tents and maybe get lucky enough to sleep on some floors once in awhile. I just wanted to go play for the adventure. I'm 44, I figured it was kind of a 'last chance' to do the heavy rock thing like that. I'm working on blues stuff now thinking I may be able to do it that way. Maybe work up a set and just take my guitar a small amp and go. Yeah, I'll probably finance it myself, but it's not about money. I just want to play in a bunch of different places and see them a little bit. It sounds way more fun to me than a Disneyland vacation.

well said..i dont care about the money..or lack of it in my case. i just want to play for the experience of it. new people, new places. you cant put a price tag on that..

[eddiefive10]

Sunn I feel your pain!!! Last band I was in the guitar player always had some excuse why he couldnt jam this week, we had a set time each and every week and it always seemed like he was chasing that piece of ass he had at the time around.  The real kick in the balls was the week I said fuck it and just went to jam with the drummer, he said he I wrote 90% of the music and they could never remember anything, so when we started new songs it took forever.

[LogicalFrank]

And I get pissed when the guys in my bands take a week to get me rent money...

Also, don't complain about the guys in your band who get too drunk. Be the guy who gets too drunk. Much easier and more rewarding.

[hayseed]

My last 2 bands had 2 consistent members: myself on guitar and the drummer. For 4 years+ we hashed it out in clubs around PA, MD and OH. HE was a pain in the ass when we first started but in my area drummers are few and far between, so i dealt with it. He hated the music we played, hated the shows, hated all music that wasn't Dream Theater, Tool or Rush, and cared ONLY about his drum parts in the songs and not at all about the songs themselves. He wrote some lyrics but the songs were mine and i did all of the bookings/business for the band. I sucked up my pride and dealt with it until i could take no more. I haven't played a show since last April and i am still hesitant about being in band.

[LogicalFrank]

My question is why on earth did he stick around if he didn't like the music. I mean, I am just assuming you're not making huge money on this shit.

[bloodofkings]

Man after reading some of what you guys go through to be in a band makes me glad I have the members that I have. My last band had solid members. Missed rehearsal occasionally but they were there when it counted. Me and the singer/guitar player were pretty good friends. Rode with me to shows typically. We got to a point where we weren't having as much fun and agreed to hang it up. My current band I have a couple guys that get in my nerves in little ways. Inconsistent playing and a little whiny about their life stuff going on and letting it affect them but for the most part they're there and do what they gotta do. We've been having a little problem with the lead guitarist rock starring it up a little too much at shows and playing like shit but we let him know and he takes it in stride. Now my band before my last band I would need a post as long as a novel to even get into that shit with the members.

[Danny G]

Sounds like you need to upgrade the level of people you involve yourself with musically, Sunn)))

"Build an army of professionals" -- Sun Tzu, 'The Art of War'



Yeah, all it takes is one motherfucker to derail the entire process. People like that piss me off, and are either cast aside or left to wallow in their own mediocrity.

[hayseed]

My question is why on earth did he stick around if he didn't like the music. I mean, I am just assuming you're not making huge money on this shit.

Honestly...I think that no one else would put up with him! His attitude was shit! He had the chops, and a 4 year degree in percussion. He said to me on several occasions that if he wasn't playing in our particular band he would never get to play his drums because he lives in an apartment and can't set them up and he has no people skills to go out and find a band. yeah......he was very strange.

[Hemisaurus]

Sorry, misread the topic, I thought you were looking for people who were turned on by their band members

Now if only I could be in Bolt Thrower