Have you ever actually found anyone good through craigslist or other ads?

i just responded to a craigslist ad, here's hoping this person is not the wrong kind of freak. the posting was very well organized and concise and seemed to be the same stuff i was interested in doing, so i responded. my new strategy is to try everything until i find something that works. i never know if i'm aiming above my station, but when i look at the other ads on there it's like suburban old dudes who want to jam classic rock or young morons, who i do not have the time for.

also found this, which should go on a lol/sob craigslist thread for the cat picture and general state of music education http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/muc/4418923953.html

We found our drummer for the past three years via Craig's list. Of course our boozer not yet ex-drummer figured out it was us and he had a big tantrum leaving drunken nasty cell phone messages on my guitarists home phone and cell and it getting pretty middle school "I'm going to kick that guy's ass". In hindsight, it was both pretty funny and pathetic. I packed up the guys drums and took him to his house as the other member was going to clobber him if he saw him again.

that amounted to nothing btw

i'm thinking of posting an ad, but it sure would be nice to have at least one friend along. it feels so unusual to publicly solicit the company of strangers.

july 8 again, weird!

i'm still not totally into this, but i wrote another one (my first one yielded 0 replies)

questions --
1) is it necessary to put a link to my stuff in the ad? if yes, ignore the following q
2) is it rude to ask that someone send me their real name and a link to their stuff before i show mine? (my guess is "kind of" but i might be willing to risk that in order to protect myself)
3) should i list some artists i like in the ad or wait to hear from someone first? (i prefer to use descriptors rather than references but i'm willing to go with the flow here)

i don't know the etiquette at all and few things beyond basic safety precautions are 'common sense'
any other tips for not attracting ppl with ulterior motives and/or other basic incompatibilities?

weird that this thread pops up. I just started thinking about putting an ad out somewhere to find like-minded musical individuals interested in fucking around once or twice a week or something. I'm nervous as crap though due to social anxiety issues and not having played with anyone in nearly 20 years.

And then I also have a deep-seated distrust of craigslist. Is that what people usually use or are some of the more dedicated musician classified sites worth a go? Looking at initial google results, there are a few dozen of them. Are any particularly good? Fuck, it's the 2010s: should I be using an APP of some sort?

there is no app afaik
i've been advised (after asking explicitly how to find ppl) to "talk to people at shows, find people to jam with" and i did that once but i am encountering some dead air and i wanted to see if maybe i could just ask for what i'm looking for and then poof, that person would materialize

most likely no one will answer and the anxiety will dissapate
worst case scenario i get a weirdo on my case and that is what i am trying to avoid

you should not worry about not playing for xx years
i've only been playing for 2 years and i'm willing to put myself out there

I haven't been to a show since 2006, much less talked to someone at one. I do understand that it's mostly just a matter of putting yourself out there, at least in terms of finding people to jam with/work up some covers or whatever. I've been busy with family and shit. I haven't had a lot of time that I can call mine. I still don't! But I really want to try to carve it out. I'm so bored only playing with myself.

Yeah don't sweat it -- everyone is in the same boat! Your situation is not unusual. That's why moving past the anxiety and into action is the only solution.

Unless you don't want to do it that badly, and in that case spare yourself the worrying about it :)

I do want to. I have to. I think it's a survival thing. The grim alternative is rollerbrushing myself in shades of beige and becoming quietly subsumed by my office.

That's the spirit

I wouldn't say it's necessary to link to your own stuff in the ad, but it might help.
I might think it was a little weird if someone required me to send my real name and my own music before I got to hear anything they're doing, especially if they're the ones looking for collaborators. However, it'll probably happen this way even if you don't require it. Probably what'll happen is you'll put up the ad, and when people respond they usually include their first name at least and by default link to some stuff they've already done. That seems to be the standard.
Listing artists can be helpful if it can allow you to more specifically describe what you're interested in doing - it can also serve as a gatekeeper, which can be good if you like want to play psychedelic rock but don't want to do Grateful Dead jams.

I feel like Craigslist/dedicated music ads depends on what you're looking for. Responses from dedicated music ads are probably going to be more muso/careerist types, so Craigslist might be better if you're looking for a more casual thing.

Good tips, thx !! What's a dedicated music ad?

I'm just trying to be careful about my identity but I'll put anything useful out there if it helps me find a compatible person/people.

And then I also have a deep-seated distrust of craigslist. Is that what people usually use or are some of the more dedicated musician classified sites worth a go? Looking at initial google results, there are a few dozen of them. Are any particularly good? Fuck, it's the 2010s: should I be using an APP of some sort?

― how's life, Wednesday, July 8, 2015 9:16 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was referring to this. I'm guessing he's referring to something more specifically focused on finding band mates than Craigslist.

oh ok
i thought that was a specific thing you were referring to, a "dedicated music ad" haha
99% of the ads in chicago craigslist are so abysmal that i'm hoping mine stands out to someone who reads them like i do but also never finds anything suitable for their needs