are you/ have you been in a band?

[b i o n i c]

just curious how many bbmb'ers are musically inclined..

i havent really LISTENED to rock as much as i used to since i was in college and played in bands. i listen to rock more passively now, but i was ALL about it back then.. everything i'd hear id be thinking about how to play..

playing in bands was a huge part of my life from the age of 14 to about 22, then i put away all my gear, moved and kind of just forgot about it completely.

i was looking around the other day and watched a tape of my last band and its like the floodgates opened up - all this shit started coming back. i completely forgot how much i loved playing music, being in a band.

so i went to the guitar store yesterday and just started looking around. i am in love with a butterscotch pbass and im thiiiiiiiiiiiis close to going to get it now.

i played my acoustic for a little while, god do i suck right now.. i wanna rock the fuck out! *SHRIIIEEEEEEKKK*

[b i o n i c]

id like to point out that my bands, except for the last two, generally sucked. but damn it was so much fun.

fuck it, i think im gonna get that bass.. i dunno.. i can't stop thinking about it! that doesnt happen to me a lot..

im waiting for someone to tell me this is retarded and i shouldnt impulsively spend $700 on a daydream

[Freebasser]

I play bass (the clue's in the screen name) but I've never been in a band.

Well... I turned one band down to be an another, except that the band I 'joined' never started and the one I turned down went into the studio :/

[Caribou]

I've been in a band, but I don't play an instrument.

I was a bit like the Meg White of the band.

[ericlee]

2 bands actually. One band was with a group of my hometown friends and I and a female singer. The band consisted of 2 bassists- my pal and I, a guitarist, and a drummer. We called ourselves "Skillet" because all of us had worked at a mexican restaurant and the dishes were served on skillets. The singer's uncle worked at a radio station in Cleveland and he actually gave us some airtime on a keep or lose type deal where the listeners could vote whether they want to hear us make it and 89% voted yes. We didn't do much after that because everyone started moving away.

The second band was a group of friends that I have met while in Cincinnati and we were called "House of Usher." Again, I was the bassist and there was a singer, guitarist and drummer. We played a lot around Cincinnati, mostly at small clubs and such. We had a very similar sound to Black Sabbath but it was all original material. We broke it off because I had joined the military.

I'm kinda in a one man band right now but it's a little boring doing all the shit myself and I would like to have fellow musicians to play with to hear their ideas. Been trying to get a band together but craigslist hasn't been working out.

B, get that bass and play with me yo!

[b i o n i c]

I play bass (the clue's in the screen name) but I've never been in a band.

Well... I turned one band down to be an another, except that the band I 'joined' never started and the one I turned down went into the studio :/

i always thought freebasser referred to cookin drugs.. what did you have?

i had a shitty ibanez bass and a black les paul, both of which are completely wrecked.. the bass i had to tune with a wrench and the guitar has the knobs smashed into the body and a crack in the body (which actually my dad did when he threw my guitar when i came home late or something)

eric, we listen to completely different music! do you remember band fights?? haha

caribou, doesnt she bang on the drums or something?

[Caribou]

caribou, doesnt she bang on the drums or something?

Yeah, which is what I did.

I was at first supposed to be the bass-player, though I didn't really have any bass skillz and then I asked the drummer (who was absolutely shite) if I could have a go and I turned out to be better than him, so I became the new drummer.

Oh and I once had to play bass on stage for a school thing. We played 'gay bar' and my (male) friends were all dressed in really tight outfits and leather and fishnets and all that. It was traumatic.

[ericlee]

yeah, we had a few band fights but most of the musicians aren't all on the same sheet of music. That's how different ideas of material gets done.

I mean, the guitarist of the band I was in while in Cincinnati had a mullet but he could fucking lay some solos down!

[Echewta]

no, but i have played instruments: trombone, saxophone, snare, baritone, bass guitar, and currently learning piano.

[jabumbo]

i have been on a slow conquest to learn just about everything.


looking to get a guitar now.

[Freebasser]

i always thought freebasser referred to cookin drugs.. what did you have?

Crack and PCP... oh, um, you mean instrument wise?

Back then I was learning and only had a Squier P-Bass. Piece of shit that it was. Now I have a Fender Mexican Precision Bass (Only slightly shit) and a Fender Jaguar Bass (shit-hot).

I want a Gibson bass at some point in time, but I can't afford one right now.

Alas, I have no guitar playing, drum playing, or singing fweinds :(

[b i o n i c]

i think im going to definately go the P-Bass route. i was looking at this butterscotch (yellow) 1951 reissue one with the chrome metal bridges over the strumming part of the strings. i went back yesterday after posting and almost bought it..

basically i liked the bridges, i think theyd be really handy for playing a long set.. i have slight arthritis... but the dude told me i could buy those bridges and put them on everything. the bass sounded NICE... the high strings sound less twangy and more rich.

i want to find one with a nice deep full sound all around the fretboard (1), i think i prefer a fender (2) and some interesting color would be nice


I mean, the guitarist of the band I was in while in Cincinnati had a mullet but he could fucking lay some solos down!

im considering starting a jazz band that dresses up like a metal band

[b i o n i c]

Yeah, which is what I did.

I was at first supposed to be the bass-player, though I didn't really have any bass skillz and then I asked the drummer (who was absolutely shite) if I could have a go and I turned out to be better than him, so I became the new drummer.

Oh and I once had to play bass on stage for a school thing. We played 'gay bar' and my (male) friends were all dressed in really tight outfits and leather and fishnets and all that. It was traumatic.


so you play the drums! i can see you playing drums and being all meg white. i saw a tama drum set on craigslist for like $250, the whole kit and even an extra high hat... and i want it BAD, but dont have the space >:(

[b i o n i c]

i have been on a slow conquest to learn just about everything. looking to get a guitar now.

if youre gonna go cheap, i always tell my friend i think a used better brand is better than a new crap brand.

[b i o n i c]

no, but i have played instruments: trombone, saxophone, snare, baritone, bass guitar, and currently learning piano.

can you play all of them now or are you rusty? how's your trombone

id love to learn to play the trumpet! (y) i couldnt even make a sound last time i picked one up

[Ty Webb]

i played guitar/screamed in this band for like 3 years: http://www.myspace.com/abbeydowns

starting up something again next week.

[b i o n i c]

you guys sound fucking great, dude - - 'best laid plans' (y)

how often did you guys play out? tight

[abcdefz]

I was in a band many years ago. Lead singer. Being onstage in front of people who paid to see us is one of the best feelings I've ever had.

[easy 3]

I was a scratch DJ for a London-based Hip Hop band called 29 from 2005 until it kind of fell apart some time last year. It was live bass, Drums, Guitar/Keyboard, 2 MCs, and me on the cut. I had a wicked time and miss it if I'm honest. At our peak we put on a pretty good live show, even if I do say so myself. We had all sorts of technical issues musically, but the group dynamic was interesting and there was a lot of energy in the band. We had plenty of shortcomings but we built up a reasonable chunk of material, and I think we all developed as musicians and performers over the course of the band's history. I think we never really quite managed to do the group justice in terms of recordings unfortunately, but some of the memories are priceless.

Like eric (I'm still down with the frequent flyer stuff man!, - That Abbey Downs stuff is wicked BTW Ty), I'm kind of doing my own thing now and have done for years, but would love to find the right people to work with. I work a bit with session musicians for my beats and stuff, but it's not the same as sharing and developing ideas, and then performing them together.

Otherwise I've been in a few other hip hop things, only one of which involved live instruments and could therefore be considered a band in the traditional sense ("Run DMC first said a DJ could be a band...."?). In 94-97 I had a group called Midnight Product (with my long-time friend B-boy Slamski) and for a while we worked with live bass and guitar, with programmed drums and live turntables, but the guitarist from that group has sadly died since. Probably the most successful thing I've been involved in was a hip hop thing called 360 Physicals with beatbox Killa Kela and a whole bunch of other people back in 98-99.

I'm really not a great musician at all, but I'm fascinated by fiddling around with sound and recording, and enjoy crafting tracks together and the whole learning curve.

If you do buy the guitar bionic, I doubt you'll really regret it in the long run:)(y)

[b i o n i c]

the worst part about being in a band was the logistics.. too bad about your guitarist friend. all i could find was koaste, sounds good(y)

i dont think i will regret getting it. ill probably check out some music stores downtown, i was thinking of bargaining online for a minute but its better to play it before you buy it


I was in a band many years ago. Lead singer..

(!):eek:(!)

[jabumbo]

if youre gonna go cheap, i always tell my friend i think a used better brand is better than a new crap brand.


yeah, i was lookng at a fender telecaster on craigslist the other day. they were real ambiguous on their posting, so im not sure how i want to word it. they stated a price but also said they are open to reasonable cash offers.

i think i might cut their suggested price back just a bit and see what they say.

[yeahwho]

I play triangle, I'm thinking of auditioning for Pearl Jam, their music really lacks triangle.

[hpdrifter]

yeah, i was lookng at a fender telecaster on craigslist the other day. they were real ambiguous on their posting, so im not sure how i want to word it. they stated a price but also said they are open to reasonable cash offers.

i think i might cut their suggested price back just a bit and see what they say.

Oooh, get the tele. Loves 'em.

I was also the singer in a coupla bands. Played a bit of keyboard and some guitar but like super minimal.

Also, why is everyone so hung up on Fender and Gibson? There are tons of other companies out there that make great stuff.

Schecter, Ibanez, ESP, PRS

[hpdrifter]

Also, I realize that the Telecaster is a Fender. I didn't say no Fenders, I just said think outside the box.

[b i o n i c]

just because i always wanted a fender.. im definately getting a charcoal strat as my next 6string.

my ibanez bass served me well.. it needs electrical work, i might just get that fixed because i kind of like how it looks all beat up. i lost all the tuning pins so i replaced them with regular old nuts and bolts, looks all industrial and they do the job. i dont like all the fancier guitars that studio musicians play.. i suppose if i was recording id think differently - but those wood grain basses with 10 strings and a 5 inch wide neck, i dinna like

so it looks like (thats not right) that 85% of the bbmb plays an instrument?

i can picture you as a kick ass front woman

[b i o n i c]

and yes i fucking LOVE telecasters, but if i was getting one guitar its too limited in sound i think

[hpdrifter]

There is something beautiful about that age old design. I've never owned either Fender or Les Paul (or Gibson) because I can't afford them but I have a few passable copies of both! Actually, one is more of a PRS copy. Swap out the pickups and ya on fiyah.

I like Andersons. They're a "studio guitar" type thing but man oh man if they don't play like buttah.

So if ya got a coupla thou laying around...

[b i o n i c]

pretty much everything i have i acquired in some way. one of the bass amps i have a pretty ok peavy bass amp actually, i got it in exchange for a beeper :P .. this crate bass amp my spoiled rich friend gave to me because it didnt work and i got it fixed. that shit is LOUD and it has a graphic equalizer on it (y)

actually i think i know what guitar you're talking about with the prs..

is it a les paul style? i knew someone with i think it was a prs.. it was like a les paul but a tiny bit smaller and had all these nice white pearly details. i think back then he wanted $500 for it but that was too rich for my blood then (id immediately give him $500 for it now)

[hpdrifter]

Yeah, PRS, ESP, Ibanez and Schechter are all pricey brands so my point is moot but I had fun making it!

PRS is sort of a Les Pauly style, it has the warm wood grain in the finish, a slightly longer and more pointy horn, but otherwise the body style is similar. Edit: the flame on a PRS is actually pretty distinctive, I guess it's not really wood grain, it does have a more speckled look.

I just like the way they sound, you can overdrive the shit out of it and it'll still be vivid and gutteral. Some other types get kinda white noisy when you push em too hard or too loud.

Pair it with a Rivera amp and it's dark and warm and velvety all the way to 11.

There's another brand I don't see much of anymore called Chevelle that has kinda the same sound with a little less on the bottom. Probably would sound great with an Orange amp.

[b i o n i c]

thats the one i have thats beat up... except mine is lefty and i had it strung righty. i got this one for a beeper too i think (dummies!) and some weed

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110471468901&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=4190b7f31290a0268112b422fff82ef9&itemid=110471468901&ff4=263602_263622

ha! im surprized costs that much, i thought it was much shittier.. like it'd be $100 used

dude, i totally forgot about orange amps! i remember they were expensive and seemed out of my league. the fanciest guitar amp i had was a peavy(?) with the built in chorus and the overdrive pedal.. that i acutally bought from someone for $300 i remember, it was a huge treat. i sold it not too much later for prom money (n)

[hpdrifter]

the worst part about being in a band was the logistics..


This was what did me in finally. We went through so many lineup changes, couldn't find a guitar player that fit. I think it was because our rhythm section was a challenge to play with. The drummer had a massive kit with acoustic and electronic together and a double pedal. He even had a pedal board unto himself loaded up with loop stations and stomp boxes because for some reason the brain didn't give him enough options. Last time I saw him play he inexplicably had two snares. I still have to ask him what that was about.

And our bass player played a six string bass like it was a guitar. Lots of chords and riffing, not so much with the runs. Though he did slap like a mofo.

It was hard for me to find room to sing half the time. I think if we could have found someone who played really good slide it would have been sweet. But you can't do that all the time on every song.

[hpdrifter]

thats the one i have thats beat up... except mine is lefty and i had it strung righty. i got this one for a beeper too i think (dummies!) and some weed

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110471468901&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=4190b7f31290a0268112b422fff82ef9&itemid=110471468901&ff4=263602_263622


Yeah, Ibanez is a solid brand. Maybe they stole it from someone so didn't know or care what they could get for it. What guitar was it you had strung righty on a lefty? You mean the Ibanez?

dude, i totally forgot about orange amps! i remember they were expensive and seemed out of my league. the fanciest guitar amp i had was a peavy(?) with the built in chorus and the overdrive pedal.. that i acutally bought from someone for $300 i remember, it was a huge treat. i sold it not too much later for prom money (n)

Yes, orange. They are expensive but a girl can dream...

[b i o n i c]

was everyone too loud? the whole mixing thing is a bitch too when everyone starts out balanced... slowy.. little by little, everyone puts up their volume a little bit and a little bit more.. then someone asks someone to turn down and turns themself up and everything starts sounding muddy and someone ends up with a black eye

[b i o n i c]

What guitar was it you had strung righty on a lefty? You mean the Ibanez?


yeah the bass... i know its probably a no no to do that, but it worked. i just noticed the neck is really narrow compared to the fender (i like)

i also used a piece of rope as my strap, sometimes occasionally a broken guitar cord tied to the knobs..
id always lose my straps, i think someone was taking them

[hpdrifter]

was everyone too loud? the whole mixing thing is a bitch too when everyone starts out balanced... slowy.. little by little, everyone puts up their volume a little bit and a little bit more.. then someone asks someone to turn down and turns themself up and everything starts sounding muddy and someone ends up with a black eye

Welcome to every rehearsal of my tenure with those two. At least I can sing loud as fuck now, not sure if that's a good thing.

[hpdrifter]

yeah the bass... i know its probably a no no to do that, but it worked

Ah, I'm all for the customization, leads to lots of cool new sounds.

[hpdrifter]

So one was a 13" and shallow and tuned up high and had a trigger for the electronics and the other was a 14" and deeper.

Two snares and he was playing them both.

[b i o n i c]

i could see having a couple of snares, a tight picollo snare (was it?) for that tight like spin doctorsy (im sure therers a better word for it) thing and the fat loose one for the richer bap..

i would really like to be a drummer but drum sets are too much.. i can play ok basic stuff, but i always had to sneak in practice like when we were set up in my garage and everyone went home. too many different parts.. a decent-good snare can cost hundreds of dollars..

which is one reason why all drummers hate it when anyone even breathes their shit, which i can understand now

[hpdrifter]

Yeah, I have a kit I probably couldn't sell it's so beat up. Except the hardware and symbols were new. It was a really old kit our drummer had left over and it works for my purposes. I can't really play, I just like learning beats but I probably can't sustain them for longer than 45 seconds at a stretch. I haven't played it in freaking forever, though. It's in my garage.

Thing is, the snares are almost the same size. Oh well, I'm probably just giving him shit because I played with him for so long and had to help load out what seemed like 100 drums and that hardware case which outweighed me by like 200 pounds.

Oh well, he's incredibly good, though. For all the shit he has he uses it all.

[jabumbo]

there is no need for 2 snares!



i've thought about the whole lefty things a bit myself. i feel that i might be able to handle it a bit better that way. although, i don't really thing that either of my hands are stronger than the other

[Kid Presentable]

Yes. Rhyming with two other cats, one of whom took far too many shrooms and wound up in an asylum. The other who is a trust-fund baby and hosts an extreme-left leaning political talkshow on student radio. I had a better time rhyming with the first dude.

Did a couple of 'shows' but mostly I used to rap in cyphers. Which sounds stupid even reading it but it is what it is. The cool thing about hip-hop is that aside from rhythm you can be completely amusical and still do your thing. Which is good when you have no money.

[abbott]

18-22 was in a band and we hit the road, i miss it on occasion.

went to college and got my BS in Radio Television, Film from A&M in 96

currently have 3 guitars, 2 basses, drum kit, 2 keyboards and a bunch of other shit. I might get out there with my friends and have a few drunken jams before Im done

[Whatitis]

I recently got together with an old band we had 13 years ago and I'm really enjoying playing again. Even if it is just old punk stuff. We started practicing last Sept. and it was real rusty since the drummer and I hadn't picked up our instuments in almost 8 years or so but it feels great now that we can bang out 20+ songs. We don't expect much from playing except paying for our practice room and free beer :) and that has worked out great from the gigs we have played. I have an Ibanez CT bass that I like a lot. Fenders are nice as well but I've always prefered the action on the Ibanezes although I'm eyeing a MusicMan but dropping $1,300+ is tough at this point.

[b i o n i c]

Yes. Rhyming with two other cats, one of whom took far too many shrooms and wound up in an asylum. The other who is a trust-fund baby and hosts an extreme-left leaning political talkshow on student radio. I had a better time rhyming with the first dude.

Did a couple of 'shows' but mostly I used to . Which sounds stupid even reading it but it is what it is. The cool thing about hip-hop is that aside from rhythm you can be completely amusical and still do your thing. Which is good when you have no money.

didi you keep any recordings of your shows/rehearsals? i tihnk i was the only one to actually hold on to tapes, its really a huge treat to be able to listen to now..

[b i o n i c]

18-22 was in a band and we hit the road, i miss it on occasion.

went to college and got my BS in Radio Television, Film from A&M in 96

currently have 3 guitars, 2 basses, drum kit, 2 keyboards and a bunch of other shit. I might get out there with my friends and have a few drunken jams before Im done

where did you guys go when you hit the road?

[b i o n i c]

I recently got together with an old band we had 13 years ago and I'm really enjoying playing again. Even if it is just old punk stuff. We started practicing last Sept. and it was real rusty since the drummer and I hadn't picked up our instuments in almost 8 years or so but it feels great now that we can bang out 20+ songs. We don't expect much from playing except paying for our practice room and free beer :) and that has worked out great from the gigs we have played. I have an Ibanez CT bass that I like a lot. Fenders are nice as well but I've always prefered the action on the Ibanezes although I'm eyeing a MusicMan but dropping $1,300+ is tough at this point.

i got in touch with a few of my old hs bandmates. they're all married with kids. they tried to get it back together a couple of years ago, but i didnt feel into it then. i wouldnt mind playing some kind of hs band reunion show now though

[Junker]

I have. When in high school but it only lasted for 2 years.
I was the lead singer.

[paul jones]

I have played in/managed/flicked the lights on and off really fast during gigs and tour driven bands.

[abbott]

Texas & New Mexico ... never got to far from home. Dallas, San Antonio, Denton, Lubbock, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Austin, and other random small towns

[GreenEarthAl]

in case I haven't mentioned it before... I am in a band.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BldThrstyVgns

We've probably done about 100 shows together in the last two years.

[Ty Webb]

you guys sound fucking great, dude - - 'best laid plans' (y)

how often did you guys play out? tight

thanks. we played a shit-ton of shows, never really toured though.

stoked on starting something new this wednesday night with new dudes.

[Dorothy Wood]

i do some music stuff, at the merch table now at a show, it's boring. nobunny's here. sold 2 tshirts tho.

[Turchinator]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnWoDu8X1yo

[Myu-to]

Have been. Would like to be again. Prolly too old.