Band Relations

Hey, Note Boat...

What you're saying can't be faulted. When yer right, yer right. And, YES...I have been lucky. I see what's going on not just with my friends, but with the world, in general. Really, all ya have are your friends. And they are so by choice. (Basically, you are stuck with your family! :? )

But maybe I've misled everyone. We're NOT a band...we're an associated bunch of musicians that have heaps of other things going on for decades...'cept when we get together for a project...99% of that being commercials. Even doing this, some particpate, some don't, it depends upon who brought in the client. But that's done. Now we're doing something devoid of any other motive (money, whatever)...a Grammy! The whole idea got some laughing up their sleeves...probably many reading this post, too! :lol: ...but, one by one, the penny dropped. Why not??? Nobody plays any better than we do...pick any platinum you want. However, Note Boat...all the stuff you outlined could bring this thing to grief! This is quite true :shock:. So we're leaning into the "fun" side of it...and fun goes rather well with friendship. Oddly enough, only our singer (a gal) is new to everyone and we are still finding out how she gets along with everybody...so, yeah, big dittos to your view...and YES, I'm a bit paranoid about this new dynamic worrying about everything other than the singing, per se...like how "the wives" like a young gal entering the mix!!! :(

Ya can't hitch oxen to a plow each facing opposite directions and expect to get a row started, let alone done. Friends put up with you despite yourself...family because they have to. There's a difference...

So I hope "Pipe Dreams" comes off well! A rather appropriate name for this project!

And, hey...great set of posts, everyone!

Cat

Cat, I think you've probably got a good shot at a Grammy. You've got the musical chops, a realistic view of the industry, and connections you've built up over the years.

On top of that, commercials/jingles are actually more demanding than pop songs, I think. It's like writing haiku - you've got a really limited amount of time to make an impression. That kind of tight focus in the work you've done sure won't hurt your chances.

I'm working on a similarly outrageous goal of my own... I want to write a symphony and have it performed by a major ensemble. It's a huge task, so I gave myself 15 years. I roughed that out at 4 years for really learning how to do it right, 8 years for the actual composition (I figure I might need to write 3 or 4 to have one that's good enough) and the last three getting it on somebody''s performance calendar.

I'm closing on one year into the project. And I'm having a blast doing it - really studying scores of the masters and taking apart their counterpoint and orchestration is sometimes intimidating, but I can feel what I write is getting better.

Ya gotta have big goals. Without them, you won't live any longer (and you'll end up living less while you're busy with little ones!)

So! NEITHER of us are really talking about "bands", huh! :shock: Evidently, we are both dipping into a GREAT resource base and shaping something from diverse talents. Hey, I can only I agree with that. Friends will ALWAYS let you get away with more of a spec call on the budget you have, but strangers will ALWAYS want a bank cheque. This has been the case since I was a 14 year old learning in a Larchmont basement.

My post about electronic music being done by one guy/etc...is what I meant as balanced against what you (and I) are trying to do. When a human is that far out of the equation, (as in electronic stuff) it worries me. I gotta admit that Chris is juggling all the right stuff in the air and working on getting better...and he certainly is...but it's still "him" and not a machine doing all the juggling. Nothing wrong with that approach, either. I do the same thing ALL the time...EXCEPT...when I'm sure I've gotten somewhere good and saleable...I ALWAYS redo it with old friends that can play circles around anything I can do!

Again...as per this thread..."band relations"...ya gotta work with someone you won't wipe the beer bottle off with your shirtfront before you take a chug out of it, yourself...

...or say "so what" about your new grandchild.

That's pretty much my slant on band relations!

Cat