Starting a Band
By Steve. Filed in wedding band |Tags: forming a band, hire a band, musical, playing weddings, pop covers band, songs
OK everyone, I’ve been practising for quite a while now, so I’ve made the decision to start a band. You notice I said start one not join one, there is a very good reason for that, and that is quite simply if I joined an existing one they would already have certain songs which they do, be it covers or originals, but either way I would have has no input, and I don’t want to feel like someone else is running the show. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be running it either, but I feel that it’s important (for me at least) to be equal partners in it. Although I suppose further down the line if we lose someone they will have to be replaced, but then that is their dilemma not mine, and they may not mind joining a band who already have a load of songs on the go, their decision.
Oh by the way, you can’t contact me through this blog, so this post is really for any friends, acquaintances and colleagues who check in here from time to time, basically as you will live near by, I can’t be bothered travelling far for practice and rehearsals, so wouldn’t expect anyone else to either.
So what do I have in mind? Well, seeing as my own interests and skills lie in playing some classical guitar, blues solos on the electric and mixing and scratching, you can assume that it’s going to be an eclectic selection of sounds, add in the fact that a friend who is going to be drumming used to play in a hard rock group but was classically trained and specialised in Jazz, then throw in the fact that it will all be recorded onto the computer and messed around with from there, it could get quite interesting. You know I don’t even know what we are looking for really, I guess another person who wants to experiment with their music and not be afraid of abandoning something a long way in if it turns out to be non-melodious junk, as inevitably some tracks will be. Unfortunately you have to push things a bit, before you can reign it back in and come up with something truly original, a bit like the old adage about kissing a lot of frogs to find a prince, I mean the rich royal, not the squeaky pop star from the eighties.
Musical influences, Hmmmm where to start,,, As I mentioned before I like playing classical guitar, although to be perfectly honest I don’t really ever just sit down and listen to a classical or flamenco guitar player, infact the last few times I have done it’s when I’ve been listening out for samples. However, I do like the Leonard Cohen style, but then he is a bit of a musical maestro anyway. I also like Dire Straights and Marillion on the rocky side, Janis Joplin and Big Brother on the bluesy side, but I like to DJ hip-hop and a bit of dance music and still can’t help myself from playing old American grunge from time to time, so I suppose if you could merge all those musical genres together you might come somewhere close to what I have in mind, confused? you should be! I am and it’s my idea!
What about the bands image? Well I don’t want to look like some boy band who just fell off the latest Simon Cowell TV show, but then again I don’t really do the whole band image thing anyway, I guess just look good standing there is a good image.
I must admit though after all I said about it being my own stuff, I wouldn’t mind joining one of those good, professional wedding bands, you know the type of band for hire which you find playing at corporate functions. A party band who play corporate parties and discos, actually I think being in a wedding band could be great. I might have a look at how to book wedding bands and see how it all works.