Where to find band mates?

[The_Løst]

I've been looking for a long time for people to start playing with and get a band put together. Craigslist isn't helping at all, is there any other place where you could post your band and say your looking for memebers? or maybe you guys know a good way to find people. I don't mean going to the bar and asking every person there if they play brutal metal.

http://soundcloud.com/the-l-o-s-t

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-LOST/246812002059507

[GSingleton]

Just do what you can. Publicize as much as possible man. Get your name out there anyway possible...AND DO NOT BURN BRIDGES!!!!

[The_Løst]

Since we can't exactly gig with two people and non pro gear, is there any other sites to help me promote? I have here, soundcloud, facebook, and a reverbnation apparently. I was thinking about a YouTube but..eh.. is it really worth it?

[Konfyouzd]

Can't gig w/ non pro gear?

"Is exposure worth it?"

Read that sentence, assess and you'll have your answer. Talentless hacks get famous every day on Youtube. If you believe in yourself even a little bit I think you'd say Youtube is worth it if it means getting your name out there.

[ozzman619]

maybe talk to local bands and see if they know anyone or something like that, also music stores up in canada have these things called bulletin boards, its really great space age technology, you put ads on it and stuff of that nature, maybe try something like that

[The_Løst]

Ended up making a Youtube. Thanks konfyouzd :P

Ozzman619 - There aren't many metal bands in KS its mostly country and classical. I also don't know any local metal artists. We also don't have many guitar shops here I only know one and they don't have a board I've checked.

[Konfyouzd]

I got lucky in finding band mates although I'm only just recently piecing one together. I happened to know a keys player when I was in school that I jammed with. He and I just kind of kept in touch (in keeping with a previous poster's advice to "not burn ANY bridges"). Through the keys player I met a few non-musical friends who happened to know a drummer.

I now play with both the keys player and said drummer. I play bass and guitar (more bass than guitar with these two it seems).

The drummer says he knows a good rhythm guitar player--the best guitar player he knows, so he says. I trust that this is true as when I met the drummer he told me this: "I am REALLY good at drums. It's pretty much the only thing I actually think I'm good at." And he's done noting but prove it ever since...

But I think I've begun to ramble...

Basically I managed to meet band members through friends of friends and I kind of actively seek the friendship of other musicians and more or less no one else.

[The_Løst]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Basically I managed to meet band members through friends of friends and I kind of actively seek the friendship of other musicians and more or less no one else.

Lulz In my group of friends no one really has any musical talent. I know one person but he said he wants to keep playing in his own band, basicly everyone I know is doing their own thing. I'm trying to find metal/rock places around KC. kinda hard for me because I'm only 19 XD

[Konfyouzd]

Originally Posted by The_Løst

Lulz In my group of friends no one really has any musical talent. I know one person but he said he wants to keep playing in his own band, basicly everyone I know is doing their own thing. I'm trying to find metal/rock places around KC. kinda hard for me because I'm only 19 XD

Was in that boat for a little while. It's almost depressing--for me at least.

[The_Løst]

Oh, no it is.. depressing.. as hell.. No one to bounce ideas off of, no other voice putting in their own style. I want music to be a blend of everything, and you need more than just two people who are strictly guitarists making music. Our drums, in my opinion, sound like SHIT and I mean from just a composition stand point since it's a drum machine.

[Konfyouzd]

Does one of you play bass at all? I've been playing guitar for 15 years and bass for about 3 and I've been playing bass far more lately and it seems easier to jam with a least one rhythm section instrument.

I actually play bass more than anything with the pianist and drummer and use a loop pedal to layer guitar over after the fact.

Seriously though... Drummers seem to be kind of difficult to come by.

[The_Løst]

I agree drummers are a rare.. let me rephrase GOOD drummers are hard to come by. We both play bass, and by that I mean we can play along with the guitar. I've been playing guitar for 8 years now and I've had and played a bass for 5 of them. Not a real bass player but I know what sounds good on a bass. I have a trusty old fender squire and I think.. 20 watt Drive amp we use to record our bass tracks.

[broj15]

Local shows are the best place to meet other musicians. usually there are some other people already involved in the scen that know a few people. Make sure your getting people who are dedicated and reliable though.

[iamdunker]

How did i meet the guys in my band? Local shows and such. Gotta prove that your are worth jammin with.

[Konfyouzd]

Originally Posted by iamdunker

Gotta prove that your are worth jammin with.

Now I know YOU don't really mean anything by this comment, but I remember one time I went to jam with these kids... You know. Those ppl your friends always say "So n so is the best I know... You gotta go play with them!"

So I get there and it's a whole band...

They told me "Why don't you go ahead and play so we can see if it's even worth it to plug in." DAMN... Okay, then.

So I play for maybe 2 minutes or so and ask them if it's worth it to plug in and they told me they "couldn't play that fast" or something really stupid and wouldn't play anyway.

[The_Løst]

^^^ Lulz "Well .... you guys then.. IMMA GO PLUG INTO YOUR MOM THEN!"

I actually found agood list of local rock bars around my town so I'm gonna start gettin my name out there!

[Gabe_LTD]

CRAIGSLIST! PUT UP An Ad ON CRAIGSLIST!
OR LOOK ON CRAIGLIST.COM, MUSICIANS POST ADS ALL THE TIME.
AS LONG AS YOU CAN DRIVE YOU COULD HAVE A BAND !

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Does one of you play bass at all? I've been playing guitar for 15 years and bass for about 3 and I've been playing bass far more lately and it seems easier to jam with a least one rhythm section instrument.

I actually play bass more than anything with the pianist and drummer and use a loop pedal to layer guitar over after the fact.

Seriously though... Drummers seem to be kind of difficult to come by.

Im lucky by best friend, ( im 16 hes 17)
is a drumming prodigy, I ....ing go over to his house and he's like " oh here is a insane polyrhythm groove I got inspired from After the burial and meshuggah,"
Like seriously ? what 17 year old can play after the burial/ periphery/ Lamb of god/meshuggah??

[pentecost]

Originally Posted by Gabe_ESP

Like seriously ? what 17 year old can play after the burial/ periphery/ Lamb of god/meshuggah??

i work on a side project with a kid who's 18 and definitely on that level... problem is i'm 26, and i love the dude but he can be a precocious little twat.

to OP, it's tough around here too but i'd definitely agree that it's about making the right friends. finding a vacant slot in an existing band is a lot easier than just forming a band out of the ether and not knowing anyone. i'd start there, make some pals, and then see if they want to do your thing on the side. rome wasn't built in a day and all that.

[Najka]

Craigslist!

[fassaction]

Musicians Wanted - Search Local Musician Classifieds : BandMix.com is hit or miss....

I found my current band through that site, but the kicker was that I had jammed with the other guitar player before when we found each other on craigslist, but things didnt pan out the first time.

Bandmix can be a great site, if your local area is good for music. Otherwise, it can be one of the biggest wastes of time. Its like an internet dating site, for musicians.....so expect that there is THOUSANDS of inactive profiles that are still on the site getting peoples hopes up.

[CTID]

My first band I was in we'd all known each other from high school and after we broke up my current band formed up from connections that I'd made from other bands that my first band played with. Once you form a band and meet people and make connections, it all gets easier because you have a starting point already.

[Painhawg]

Back when I was a wee musical lad, the place to find folks was the local guitar store pin up ads, and music stores . And of course local shows. I wasn't anti social then like I am now, and I met a lot of people that way.

[Weimat01]

Musolist.com is really good too

[Augminished]

Originally Posted by GSingleton

Get your name out there anyway possible...AND DO NOT BURN BRIDGES!!!!

Sometimes bridges burn themselves.

I had a drummer that wanted to do cocaine in my house and when I told him "no go outside" he got pissed.

I had a drum teacher that started going on and on about the world ending and I said "there is a lot of stuff that could kill us that is why we have to live life now". He got pissed threw his drums and said "do you want to do something"

My final example is, I own a DJ business and my partner was a total flake. He contacted me 3 days before a gig and said I am going to be out of town (not the first time he had done this) and I fired him. He of course got pissed.

With this business we all deal with musicians who don't have the same passion as most of us or who are down right crazy. Burning bridges is just a part of this business. We all try not to do it but it happens. People have said to me "you didn't burn those bridges they did" they are right on the one hand but, I still have people out there who say don't record with him, he's not a good player etc.

Sorry for the off topic rant. It is important IMO to know this when you are first starting bands though.

Edit: When I was talking about my drum instructor saying "do you want to do something" I meant he wanted to fight me. I think he was on some hard shit too.

[cGoEcYk]

It almost takes stars crossing to randomly find a great group of musicians when you are starting out.

If you are 19 try posting ads at the local university/community colleges. Also try to make it to local shows and see if you can connect with people. I think that a lot of dudes who are involved with local scenes end up pretty well networked.

If things don't pan out and you are getting impatient, take whatever gig you can find to get your foot in the door and eventually the momentum will catch up with you.

If you want to find a singer start somewhere that has karaoke.