what is going on in your musical life

young weirdo musicians still adore the Velvet Underground ime

― example (crüt), Thursday, October 16, 2014 3:23 PM (8 seconds ago)

like, at this point i wouldn't even consider going over to a stranger's house to do non-goal-oriented playing. but i would totally do it if a good friend asked me. maybe.

xp ok cool

that's what i'm afraid of, that everyone i approach will be like "what's in it for me?" and i don't know if i have an answer to that aside from "a good time?"

i guess that, like dating, it's ok because you don't want to play with those people anyway, and the people that are interested will share your enthusiasm.

Good point.

Btw thank you all for confirming that this is a difficult task.

If I spent ~$100, I could have a decent-enough-for-basement recording setup -- worth it as added lure of "record this for posterity with me pls"? Weird story to tell ppl? I dunno. I'm willing to buy/test this thingamajig if it'd be sthg people might find appealing about this enterprise.

Or is that the worst possible thing to do -- add pressure bc I'm unknown quantity + it's recorded? Forget it.

I have a lot of terrible ideas!

LL what you're describing is something that I've mentally chalked up to this. People want musicians to be available to make music, and when music is available (buskers, in the club, in the store, get tickets here) they will make time to get the music they want. But they don't typically want to be asked to experience music. It puts people in a tough position. It's like being asked point-blank for affection, when love doesn't work like that. I am not ashamed to say that the feeling I get when I see people post links to new tracks on Facebook is largely one of pity and sympathy. When you hand out a flyer to a stranger (or even a friend) and ~ask~ them to experience your music, they won't want to experience it, they will throw the flyer away. Think about it here, when people say "check out my shit" outside of the "check out my shit" thread.

You can reverse that dynamic by putting yourself in a position where people want to see you play. Offer to play other people's parties, other people's houses, other people's shows, a friend's birthday. You think you're not ready to play "out" but who is? Many of my favourite all-time bands were friend-bands, a Casio duo who'd play exclusively in the showers of friends having parties, or a woman who'd talk in a deep voice about her childhood in wartime Serbia over top of classical music. If you feel like you don't have enough of a friend-circle to make that happen, you'd be surprised? There is no greater pleasure than seeing friends make music, ime.

Me, I am scoring a film! Not a big film, but a real film. One that's not looking for plinky-plonky-indie-singy-songy, which is a fucking relief

I think maybe you're misunderstanding what I'm asking for -- it's just a jam in my basement. I'm not asking anyone to watch or consume my original works, just participate. I'm familiar with the stench of desperation and I'm not really asking anyone to experience *my* music -- it's the Velvet Underground! This is helping me understand how people could completely misunderstand me though -- and avoid me as a result. This is one of the things I'm afraid of most honestly -- that I will strive to be my friendly enthusiastic self and as a result, people will actively avoid me.

Also omg lol NO ONE on planet earth wants me to drum at their birthday party -- but I could get my coworker to talk about her childhood in Soviet Russia in Russian, Spanish or English!

Why is this so complicated?!

Congrats on your film score :)

You'd be surprised!! I'd have you over to my birthday party in a flash!

Authorship isn't really a thing when it comes to what I'm describing, it's still an investment in people's time, and there's still the desire to respond, it's a lot of pressure on people to ask them to listen to your band! Even if it's just VU covers.

I will strive to be my friendly enthusiastic self and as a result, people will actively avoid me.

LOL tell me about it, this worry is my entire life

One of my favouritest-ever bands was three friends who held hands and sang Smiths songs over a drum machine, with their names in the place of Sheilas and Williams, they called themselves Kick Mouth You

LL, we have been looking for a fourth member for our band - either a guitarist or keyboard player - for what feels like aeons. I'd have thought by now someone from my area would be interested but no. Not even a peep.

the idea of living in an area where people host the kinds of parties where people play casio in the shower sounds like bliss to me.

i would host one myself but i don't think the neighbours would be having it.

I mean, hot damn, LL, what you are describing sounds like HEAVEN to me.

Because I would love more than anything to find an outlet to play the doo-dah bass (doo-dah bass, doo-dah bass, all the doo-dah day) in a chill, friendly, relax and have fun with friends kinda way. If I lived within 50 miles of you, I'd be turning up to your door with my bass case and a bottle of wine and Sweet Jane all tabbed out!

Low pressure, high fun, no "OMG we must MAKE IT!" no "you do all the work and write songs and book gigs and maybe we turn up if our social lives allow it" no "No Timewasters" because isn't having fun about wasting time in a happy way?

But do I even know how and where to go about trying to find that? No, no I do not.

oh! see, that's what i was hoping for! that a seasoned (perhaps somewhat jaded by experience) musician would think it sounded like a good time to just play some boppy fun familiar songs with no commitment beyond that. like a perfectly intuited dance with no awkward conversation.

i've thought about trying an open mic night or something but man the last time i did something like that i went WAY overboard
and the thought of singing and drumming on a stage by myself is
it's inconceivable and seems like a way worse idea than the one i am currently trying to flog to death

we played sweet jane at the first one and it was really fun, we all sang. i felt like i entered the zone. i really enjoy playing with other people too, so i am hungry for more.

LL, I don't know if this story/idea would be helpful to you, but it's something that happened a long time ago which you just reminded me of:

Back in the 90s, I was playing with a band who had a share of a dedicated rehearsal space in Chelsea (not the kind you hire by the hour, the kind that you rent like an apartment or workspace, so you can use full time). I used to go down there during the day before proper rehearsal and just test what stuff sounded like out loud, with pedals and everything (which obviously I couldn't do at home without bugging housemates/neighbours) because I was in the process of moving from playing bass full time to playing guitar and wasn't confident about my guitar skills.

The drummer of our band, he said, he had a friend (who funnily enough shared the same first name as me) who was learning to play the drums, and had asked him if she could borrow his kit to practice on. And I don't remember if he suggested that we play together (because he was amused by our names) or we just turned up at the same time one afternoon, but as it turned out we decided since we both wanted to play, why don't we play together. So we had a whale of a time just mucking about together.

So maybe the suggestion is, spend more time hanging out at other bands' rehearsal rooms and seeing who turns up? Or asking around other musicians you know, if they know anyone else who is also in the process of learning and wants to muck about with someone at the same level?

dammit LL i wish I could be in yr irl band. Our long distance garageband collabos have been so great for me. I know wishes do not equal fishes and it is presumably cold comfort that you have like an entire band worth of willing ppl itt who do not live in the state of Illinois.

Me, I am scoring a film! Not a big film, but a real film. One that's not looking for plinky-plonky-indie-singy-songy, which is a fucking relief

― fgti, Friday, October 17, 2014 9:09 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Awesome! What kind of forces dyou have a budget for? Chamber? Orch?

xp Man I don't know if you hear this a lot or never enough but it is always so good to read a Branwell post <3 <3

Re: the film, it's medium-budget. It's ambient jazz, which has been super-fun because it's been a cool opportunity to prove to myself that "that fucking Talk Talk record could've been made for $500 in two days"

omg that sounds super monster killer, u better make sure there is at least a download OST release!

or put me on the comp list for the oscar promo or w/e

it's reassuring in that there are people out there in the world who think making music with me sounds like a good/fun idea :)

If you want to come to Montreal for NYE and play White Light/White Heat at 3:30am I know just the place and I will play viola too

Once we move there, LL, I will gladly/happily supply guitar and/or bass.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah! -- you're on. MTL might be a stretch but if I could borrow a drumset I would consider it.

I am really getting different perspectives in here -- glad I asked! Thanks for your help.
Also let it be known that I am really grateful for the time my friends have already given me. Time and energy are both valuable commodities.

im sorry that i was mia on this thread after saying i could maybe help

LL, it sounds really fun to me and if someone did that in my town i would be desperate to be involved tbh.

im trying to think if i would have approached it differently - maybe would have invited specific people like it was a party and not handed out flyers asking for later contact? like that might put a lot of onus on the people reading the flyer - they might feel like they arent the person being targeted by the flyer and might feel like they were being pushy or something by responding and asking to be involved

i started with the idea that i could form a different supergroup each time by inviting specific people, but then i realized that i am basically inviting people who don't know me AT ALL (like I am a total 100% nobody -- although I do have mutual acquaintances, but no real ties) to join me at this event.

oh what the hell, the absolute worst thing that will happen is that people will laugh at me behind my back
which is inevitable iirc
the best scenario is that inviting strangers works and i make new friends! i just need to choose nice cool ppl.

i just invited a stranger
it was terrifying and my stomach jumped when i clicked send but i did it

i personally would be delighted to receive a msg inviting me to something like that, even from a stranger

it's so weird to try to anticipate people's reactions
i guess it's always a crapshoot?! he wrote back already with follow up q's though, i consider that a good sign

god this whole thing is so nerve wracking
it takes way way way more diverse skills than just being able to play an instrument

Putting a band together is way more anxiety-inducing than anything I've bashed my head against.

Would totally skype in some guitar drone to "Sister Ray" at LL's party

i might take you up on that! it is looking to be the most poorly attended publicized event i've ever been to (that is to say it's gonna be me and the spiders) so having a drone beamed in from space would be a nice touch.

he didn't write back after the initial question
i have acknowledged defeat on this front tbrr, ready to move on

also it has been a valuable learning experience
at least i know that it takes way more effort, and maybe a different kind of effort than i thought

i woke up at 4am last night and was obsessing about this one track that is 'done' but just not quite good enough, or not the right thing for the album. eventually, i had the freeing realization that i could just take the chords and melody and build a totally different sort of piece around them.

i'm sure everybody does this from time to time, but realizing when to stop banging your head against the wall is so important, huh? arranging is always more fun than writing for me, so it helps to get to the point where i can treat the raw materials like someone else wrote them.

asking people to play music with me is not unlike asking people to dance
it feels REALLY risky and succeeds infrequently

i find it baffling

an even slightly together drummer in my town would be without a band for approx 30 seconds

i'm starting to think that the less i say, the better

i need to find people to play with (in NYC so there should be at least a few people)

Karl, do you have a practice space?

i don't. right now my drums are stacked up in my kitchen. i've talked to a few people in my neighborhood about possible practice spaces, but the most plausible options involve splitting a monthly rental space with 3-4 other people, and i don't know 3-4 other people interested in splitting it, as of now

an even slightly together drummer in my town would be without a band for approx 30 seconds

this is so true. every competent drummer I know is in like 3 bands. always.

shared practice spaces are a good way to find people to play with.

unfortunately, i have a free comfortable practice space in my basement! there's no way i'm going to pay for one just to meet people.

ok pressed send
phew

i also placed my first craigslist ad mostly for lols but if it garnered any response i would consider it a minor miracle

btw if any bay area drummers on here are looking for a band to play with...

xp

xpost i've always been warned to stay away from craigslist but i'm getting antsy so i'm taking a look right now as well. it's really depressing! everything's like "looking to form alt-rock indie band, influences: filter and bob marley"

oh it's REALLY bad
still there doesn't seem to be a better option so why not