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Our Blues Band gets the Blues

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(@danlasley)
Posts: 2118
Noble Member
Topic starter
 

... and not in a good way.

After a year of rehearsing pretty well, but only getting one real gig, Cruisin' for a Bluesin' has disbanded. There were two main causes. First, I'm not sure that there is a real market for blues bands in the paying clubs in the Philly area. And second, our bandleader really wasn't a good leader. The rest of us have been bandleaders in the past, but we all agreed to let him run this one, as we are all classic rockers, and he wanted 99% blues. As has been discussed elsewhere, many bands do best with one leader and supportive players.

I've learned a lot, and become a better bass player, and I really enjoyed the camaraderie and structure of once-a-week rehearsals. For now, I'll take the winter off, and then reconsider my options. According to craigslist, Philly is really short of bass players, so I should be able to find work if I want to.

So don't be sad for me. You know the old saying, one day a door closes, and the next day, the roof blows off. :wink:

 
Posted : 04/12/2010 5:26 pm
(@vic-lewis-vl)
Posts: 10264
Illustrious Member
 

Hmmm - maybe the mistake was letting the "minority interest" run the show? If 3/4 of the band want to play classic rock and the other 1/4 wants to play blues, surely it'd be better going with the majority? Better off if you're all singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak?

'Tis a pity, Dan - but I'm sure other opportunities will arise.
You know the old saying, one day a door closes, and the next day, the roof blows off. Nah - it's "one door closes, another slams in your face." Or is that just me?

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)

 
Posted : 05/12/2010 12:44 am
(@danlasley)
Posts: 2118
Noble Member
Topic starter
 

Vic - we took it the other way. None of us were active in another band, and he "recruited" us. It was his band and we played his song list. It was fun, and I thought we sounded good. I really think the problem was the lack of opportunities - gigs always seem to make things seem better.

 
Posted : 05/12/2010 2:15 am
 cnev
(@cnev)
Posts: 4459
Famed Member
 

Well Dan it must be contagious I'm in the same boat myself. Things never seemed to straighten out after we lost our guitar player. Tried a couple guitar player, drummers and singers and couldn't get anything going. Taking a break right now myself but I'm getting the itch to play with a group again, that's what I enjoy the most.

We'll see I'm trying to get my buddy the bass player who has a drumset to try and get a jam or something for this weekend. I can only play along to CD's for so long.

Let's hope 2011 is better!

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!

 
Posted : 06/12/2010 3:43 pm
(@nicktorres)
Posts: 5381
Illustrious Member
 

I thought you all sounded pretty good myself.

 
Posted : 06/12/2010 7:59 pm
(@rparker)
Posts: 5480
Illustrious Member
 

I'm sorry to hear about your band's demise. Lots of hard work for seemingly nothing. Cnev's right. Must be something in the air with GN members and their bands this year.

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin

 
Posted : 07/12/2010 12:07 pm
(@gnease)
Posts: 5038
Illustrious Member
 

sorry to hear this, Dan. are the 3 'rockers' still thinking about doing it as a trio? W seems kind of unstoppable.

-=tension & release=-

 
Posted : 10/12/2010 2:33 pm
(@danlasley)
Posts: 2118
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Topic starter
 

sorry to hear this, Dan. are the 3 'rockers' still thinking about doing it as a trio? W seems kind of unstoppable.

W was most interested in trying to carry on in some form, but the Big Guy was done with it. We all agreed to take some time off, and to stay in touch. M still doesn't understand how he messed up. Mrs Laz and I are still plinking and plucking in the basement, and there will be more jams. I keep trying to convince her to play some open mics, but she's reluctant.

The Philly market is tough. Partly because there are lots of colleges, so there are lots of garage bands. Basically, there are more bands than bars, and the classic rock genre is both most popular and most over-served. On the good side, there seems to be a shortage of bass players, so I think I could get work if I looked for it.

 
Posted : 10/12/2010 4:54 pm
(@apache)
Posts: 301
Reputable Member
 

Hope u get something sorted soon, althoug if there are a lot of bands, then I'm sure somethign will happen fairly quckly :D

 
Posted : 12/12/2010 10:01 am
(@danlasley)
Posts: 2118
Noble Member
Topic starter
 

Hope u get something sorted soon, althoug if there are a lot of bands, then I'm sure somethign will happen fairly quckly :D

Thanks, but I'm definitely taking a break. We'll see what happens in the Spring.

 
Posted : 12/12/2010 6:44 pm
(@trguitar)
Posts: 3709
Famed Member
 

On a similar note ..... (no pun intended) when I vacationed in St.Augustine Fl we saw a few bands and one was a jazz band. Not your norm. I think a blues band would be a refreshing change and we play classic rock. I suppose the scene is what it is though.

"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --

 
Posted : 12/12/2010 8:04 pm