Need a musicians opinion

paul.fitz · 05-04-2012 10:27am #1

After a year of struggling to find and keep members (for various reasons) of a band i want to start I've decided to just go record an ep myself, so that it's ready to go once I find the right people to play with.
what I'm wondering is how most people would feel coming into a band where they don't get to play on the bands first recording and not having any input on those three or four songs, even if there name is on the record, and it's under a band name as opposed to a solo artist and backing band type thing.
Any opinions before I fork out for the recording would be great, thanks!

Esy · 05-04-2012 1:35pm

With the greatest of respect to them, I don't think that would be too much of an issue for the majority of drummers and bassists. You might find quite difficult to get other guitarists and a singer who'd be comfortable with that, at least good ones anyway.

paul.fitz · 05-04-2012 2:51pm

Yea That's kinda what I'm afraid of, finding a guitarist thats ok with it will probably be an ordeal.

Malice · 05-04-2012 7:19pm

paul.fitz wrote:

what I'm wondering is how most people would feel coming into a band where they don't get to play on the bands first recording and not having any input on those three or four songs, even if there name is on the record, and it's under a band name as opposed to a solo artist and backing band type thing.

Just to clarify, you've got songs written and you're about to record and release them on an album. Once released you're going to tour in support of that album but with hired hands since you naturally enough can't play all the instruments simultaneously. Is this correct?

If so, I would say it wouldn't really bother me assuming I liked the music in the first place. Mind you, people will probably play anything once there's money involved - look at all the cover/wedding bands doing the rounds.

paul.fitz · 05-04-2012 7:38pm

No definitely not looking for hired hands! the idea's great but who could really afford it? And any money from paid gigs, if got, would only be peanuts and wouldn't stretch across four or so members!

what I'm asking is, if I record an ep on my own since I can't find the right people to play with as a band right now, would most musicians be able to get on board and tour this ep as a band, playing the songs as they are recorded and then from there start collaborating.
In other words, would I be throwing away the guts of a grand to pay for recording because the people I get in the band may not want to play an ep they didn't have a part in recording?

Hope this helps clears it up a bit!

CrimsonSounds · 05-04-2012 9:08pm

Hi Paul ! It depends on a) how good you are at their instruments and b) their egos ! If you can outplay them, it shouldn't be a problem. If not, they may be happy to gig the tracks, but may have trouble with putting their names on it. Guitarists..........see b) lol ;-)

paul.fitz · 06-04-2012 8:41am

I'll be able to play all the instruments well, bar drums, I've someone else to play them. But Guitarists ego's are definitely gonna be the big worry. But to be fair as a guitarist I've been guilty of letting the ego get in the way as some stage, but only when I was younger and stubborn!

ShaneJah · 06-04-2012 12:20pm

I went that exact route. Wrote and recorded all the songs from the album (which'll be released later this month now!) and it turned out to be a great decision. After all, the guys you'll eventually get on to the band will know exactly how dedicated you are and will know what type of music you will all be making in future. It could eliminate time wasters too. I don't think many people would mind much about royalties or anything like that. That's not where you will make most of your money anyway. Lastly, if you are writing the songs, you have the best idea of what you want to hear on the tracks so just go for it I'd say buddy. I never looked back anyway

paul.fitz · 06-04-2012 12:31pm

Thanks for replying here man, bit of a relief to hear that from someone who's gone and done it alone. Good luck with the album too.

raindog.promo · 06-04-2012 1:42pm

I did kind of the same thing. Wrote a load of songs with guitar, bass and drums as putting a band together before that with incomplete songs proved to go nowhere.

Getting the rest of the band was a nightmare. People show up without having listened to the songs, or listened but not bothered trying to work them out, people pulled no shows, showed enthusiasm then wouldn't reply to phone calls/texts/emails, one person would drop out once you had everything else sorted, throwing a spanner in the works and another person would then drop out when you'd replaced the first person who dropped out. It was a waste of 6 - 12 months, although I did meet some good musicians in that time.

I decided then never again and incorporated loops and samples and playing multiple instruments instead. It cost a fair bit and was hard to put together but it's finally picking up speed and starting to show some results. Hope to be gigging very soon and I reckon it will be easier to get more dedicated and competent players to join up once the show is actually on the road.

Best of luck in your endevours, I do not envy you!

odonopenmic · 06-04-2012 7:25pm

Hey paul.fitz

Sounds like a tough call but from the perspective of the songwriter, I'd say time waits for no man so just go for it. You could be sitting on material for ages before all the personnel issues iron out and sometimes patience is not a virtue.

From a musician's perspective however, I would never be interested in something like this. For me, there's a balance that has to be reached. If I am playing exactly what someone has written, then I consider myself a session musician and expect to be paid accordingly. That's the pay-off.

If I am given some creative leeway to make something my own, from your initial starting point, then the creative process is the payoff and I wouldn't expect a dime.

I think it's less about egos and more about making the venture worth a musicians while, whether that's creatively or economically.

Good luck with it.

paul.fitz · 08-04-2012 7:44pm

Thanks lads for the replys, really helped me decide what to do. Think I'll just bite the bullet and go for it, record it myself and hopefully the idea of it being ready to go with no messing around will appeal to people that are in a similar situation and are serous about getting out and playing.
Thanks again for everyone's opinion

Deschain · 09-04-2012 3:20am

odonopenmic wrote: »

Hey paul.fitz

Sounds like a tough call but from the perspective of the songwriter, I'd say time waits for no man so just go for it. You could be sitting on material for ages before all the personnel issues iron out and sometimes patience is not a virtue.

From a musician's perspective however, I would never be interested in something like this. For me, there's a balance that has to be reached. If I am playing exactly what someone has written, then I consider myself a session musician and expect to be paid accordingly. That's the pay-off.

If I am given some creative leeway to make something my own, from your initial starting point, then the creative process is the payoff and I wouldn't expect a dime.

I think it's less about egos and more about making the venture worth a musicians while, whether that's creatively or economically.

Good luck with it.

This. Why would I want to come on board a project and play someone elses material for nothing when my contribution is only to learn what they have done and get nothing in return? All when and good when money is on the table, and lets be honest if money is on offer, a lot of musicians will play anything if it means getting paid to do it. Then again if the quality of the music being played is worthwhile and getting involved would mean earning money for gigging then my interest would increase. But initially, I would not blame any musician for not getting involved if it just meant being your 'backing band'. Only if you are prepared in the beginning to fork out money to pay the band for their services could you even expect a group of musicians to play for you. Which would mean making a loss in the beginning as the band members would have to be paid before you. Imagine asking a road crew to come on tour with you without money, exact same situation for a backing band.

Need a musicians opinion

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