Those of you that know me or have read some of my previous threads know that I joined my first band last September and by mid January I was "let go" one week after our most acclaimed show to date.
I've been trying to figue out what I really want to do since then. I was asked to join another band and declined. I've mostly been doing sit-ins and open mic....and the woodshed.
A few weeks ago the organizers of our local Racks by the Tracks ribs, beer, and blues/roots festival contacted me to ask if I had an opening band, the first of four. I said yes without a thought. He asked the name of the band and I quickly used my nickname that some call me and came up with Catfish Frye Band.
It got me to thinking about all the best local musicians. Most are in bands and do not want to join another band, but when you ask them to play a gig as a special guest they jump at the chance.
So I am now a full fledged member of Catfish Frye Band...the ONLY member. I know enough local blues talent that I'm going to simply hire by the gig. The response is awesome. I have a bass, drum, keys, and guitar that I will pay the first gig at Racks. These guys will all sing a couple. I also have two girl singers, another guy singer, and a sax that just want to perform a couple for fun. Strange to be fronting a band and I don't can't won't sing at all. So, the festival was to have Catfish Frye Band first, then two very good regional folk/roots bands with Mac Arnold and Plate Full O Blues as the headliner. Awesome. Mac is great. So, I just get a call and Mac Arnold was double booked or whatever and can't make it. So they got a pretty good local blues band and added a great local horn group to be a big jam at the end. Anyway, Mac Arnold calls the organizer and says he wants to come thru early on the way to his late gig and jam at a few songs with Catfish Frye Band, then he must get back on the road. Why , you ask... (I asked the same thing.) Mac said he knew that Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith played on that stage three years ago and he just wanted to play on the same stage they did on his way thru. Blows me away! He sent me 3 songs he wants to do and his phone number. So my little venture seems to be starting out okay. Fronting a band and all that goes with what I'm trying to do spooks me a little, but the excitement is greater. Comments or advice from any of you are welcome. Love to hear from folks I have super respect for that have been there like BBq Bob and Walter...and anyone who is experienced at what I'm trying to do. I saw Mac with Kim Wilson 3 years ago. Super nice guy. This is one of the songs he wants to do.
I got fired from my band because of a schedule conflict. We had just been playing our biggest shows, too. I was judging the WV Harmonica Championship with Adam and Phil one Sat. last summer. We get a call to go on the Wheeling Jamboree that sane day. I promised to judge 13 months before the contest and the Jamboree called us up three days before. I said I'm going to the contest. I got fired. I'm still looking for good musicians a year later. The bass plater was my best friend and is still my friend, but now I gotta see all their promo stuff on Facebook, which always gets me riled. It sucks, man. I feel for you. Looks like you are getting it together very well. You should be proud of what you are doing. ---------- David Elk River Harmonicas
harpdue61: Congragulations on doing a knee jerk response! I have no advice but to keep doing what bursts out with out thinking. Music is a soul thing and not a head thing. Stay with the soul and you will be just fine. You are on the road to being a full fledged bluesmusician. Most of the greats lived their whole life this way-by the seat of their pants. Your gut reaction was immediately rewarded to show you that this is the path to follow. It may not always be so intense, but if you keep faith it will continue to direct you. I booked myself around the world for 25 years without a regular backup band. It got pretty stressful at times, like getting ready to go to europe for a tour and no drummer. I picked one up in belguim after my wife saw him playing with a local rockabilly band Teddy Levi. Living in a good music center allows you to have a wealth of guys to contact for gigs. I figure 90% of my gigs were booked before I had a band for the gigs. I had a great bass player for 10 years but other than that I was always going through my rolodex for guys to fill the drum and bass slots. It brought many world famous people into my band which opened up journies I never could have found any other way. How many people have driven down dark highways at night with guys like jimmy carl black in the back seat telling me about what it was like to play with hendrix/frank zappa/jimmy reed/dylan/zz top and how things were in that era, bobby keys sharing stories about the stones, chuck berry, and the like? Same goes for the countless blues stories I heard and lived with the old bluesmen because I walked up to them and asked to have a shot at getting in their bands.
I got signed to a record deal with out a band by giving them a demo tape I had with a band backing me. I am really happy for you! It keeps me inspired to hear such a story instead of the ones that dominate this forum- very thought out and calculated approaches to putting bands/songs together. I fell into Lousiana Reds lap one night and ended up living with him. Keep an open heart and the stuff that happens along your musical journey will never cease to touch your soul. I am off to a festival gig and this gives me inspiration to play some good music today-thanks! Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Thanks Walter! I try to absorb what I hear you say. Always great stuff for someone like me. I've told a dozen or so potential members that my rules are..No practices, be who you are, have fun, and feel the music.
The band I was in constantly said play this way like so and so or that way like so and so..and if not , we will sound like a jam band. So what! A traveling jam band is what I have and I love it.
I can never thank the memebers of the forum enough for their help. Walter, BBQ, hvyj, and 5f6h have been super helpful. If you are a young player utilize, the knowledge available to you thru this forum. Priceless.
Last Edited by on May 12, 2012 11:12 AM
I am in the same situation (well not being fired) but since I cannot commit to a band full time, I have developed a larger association with a lot of musicians. When they need a harp player, I'm there. When I need a few guys to back me, I can get folks to come. I have had some Amazing experiences that way. It makes for a lot of cool and interesting gigs, and many times some out of comfort zone stuff which many times ends up more fun than straight blues because you need to listen so closely. Just keep yourself out there and meet as many good musicians as you can. I would suggest either - you sing (there is always hope) OR hook yourself up with a regular singer who likes to sing the stuff you like to play. You will at least be able to manage the song selection instead of a free for all every time you get together.
man if they at least had the courtesy to actually fire you, that is not all bad. first band i was invited into, we played 8 gigs and then the guitar player/leader and the drummer would not return calls and the bass player claimed he wasn't hearing anything from them either. i never did speak with any of them again. i didn't sing back then so i was stuck. the bassist didn't either, but bass players are much more necessary in a typical band, so he may have gotten some work on stage. i was in the wind. after some time i joined another outfit which was really a wreck of a band. we never got paid once. then- like you harpdude, i booked a job with no band behind me. it was a 4th of july happy hour into the night deal and it paid really well. then i got a crew together. i actually was not singing at that point and 2 of the guys took on that duty.
i co-founded a band with a bud and we added a guy on 2nd guitar who more or less subtly took over. my bud quit and he was the good singer, so i stepped up and learned to sing in a hurry. that band rocked along for a year and a half or so. the drummer and a new lead guitarist took it over from the guy who originally took it over, and they pretty much edged me out. talk about a tough pill to swallow- i was dumped out of my own band!! but what choice do we have? quit? never! what i did was, i learned from my mistakes and worked on my shortcomings as a musician and as a businessman as well,and i got deeper in it all. i improved both my vocal chops and my harp work, and along with that i learned how to book at a few places where i was known. i got hired into a band with a gal singer up front and then did that again with another band and gal. i formed a band to do a jam night at a local restaurant. i reconnected with my old bud and we put another band together. i hooked up with a solo guy and we formed a duo and gigged smaller places. that was all when i lived in texas. i left that all behind and moved to arkansas. what a change that was! nobody knew me here and i think being from up north originally worked against me for a while. i did get some work. after a few years i re-formed a band with my old bud from texas and we played some, wrote and recorded some, and ultimately fell out. my wife learned guitar and then vocals and we have worked on stuff and gigged for 5 years + now. we've recorded 2 cd's, one all original. more on the way. recently i got picked up by an old school slide guy as well and we're getting busy. wife and i are doing some fun stuff as well.
the whole point here is, you keep going. if you get hurt you walk the pain off and come back stronger. if the situation works you keep it as long as you can. if not you do something else.
my only other note is, if you sing you get to pick material. if you don't you have much less say-so in a band over all. it's not so hard. a voice coach and some yoga related exercises will help you find your real voice. that's my 1/50th of a measly buck.
Congratulations, HarpDude - great story. The route you're taking will allow you to experience a variety of better musicians and refine your sense of what works for you and doesn't. And if the show is a hit, the chances some of those guys WILL want to be part of the Catfish Frye Band (cool name, BTW) goes way up. I think it is a WIN-Win. Have a great Festival! ---------- /Greg
Kingo...I know what you mean.I'm pretty much taking control of the music selection. Lucky that I have a pretty good pool of singers..and those offers to sing a few for free really make it easier.
jbone...I'll keep plodding along man ..whatever happens.Having too much fun and life is short. My mom and dad were both bad singers. Not one good singer in the family and my genes are the same.
Greg...Thanks for your kind words. It is a win/win situation. Sure, we won't be as polished as some bands, but the musicians I am chosing love to jam and have fun. It would be pretty awesome to have a demand to be a part of the band....and a few decent show offers along.
I have never spoken into a public mic in my life and I'm going to front a band in front of a couple thousand people, with a blues legend sitting in a few tunes. I would rather play the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl than to speak in front of 15 people.
People like Walter have encouraged me to use instincts, go with the flow, and let things happen. We'll see....
I guess ya don't know until you try. Maybe I can find some good tips online for audience interaction when leading a band.
Last Edited by on May 13, 2012 7:22 AM
"The response is awesome. I have a bass, drum, keys, and guitar that I will pay the first gig at Racks. These guys will all sing a couple. I also have two girl singers, another guy singer, and a sax that just want to perform a couple for fun. Strange to be fronting a band and I don't can't won't sing at all."
If you've got gigs, you don't need to sing or front to be a band leader, so long as you've got working relationships with competent compatible musicians. Hire the best and most experienced players you can. Be business like and punctual in your dealings with the club owners/ venue owners.
Btw, you don't even need to work the mic yourself--if you've got a player or vocalist who is a decent front man/woman, let them talk to the crowd. Being a band leader means you book the gig, talk to the club owner, handle the $ and pay the other musicians. you don't need to MC the gig or even be a featured player. I'm not saying don't, I'm just saying you don't need to just because you're the bandleader. BUT you do need to worry about the PA (do you own one, will you rent one, can another band member provide one, or is there a house PA?). Also, mics.
Be careful about a taking a "the more the merrier" approach. It's perfectly possible to put together a blues band for a particualr gig with musicians who've never played together before and have it go well. But you have to be careful. It's one thing to have experienced musicians sound professional. But allowing various people to sit in just to play one or two for free may make your performance sound more like a jam session which means amateurish.
Also, will there be a set list or, if not, who's going to call the tunes? You don't want long delays between songs while the band figures out what to play next. Pay attention to pace--don't start too high energy (it leaves you no place to go) and mix up the keys and tempos or everything starts to sounds the same. Whoever calls the tunes should always also call out keys to be sure all the musicians are on the same page. And get the best drummer you possibly can. A kick ass drummer will cover up a lot of sins--and with an unrehearsed band, there will inevitably be a few.
Last Edited by on May 13, 2012 9:00 AM
"The band I was in constantly said play this way like so and so or that way like so and so..and if not , we will sound like a jam band."
It all depends on how good the soloists are. The guitar player in my duo also plays bass in a rock style jam band (2 guitars, bass, drums & keyboard). Neither guitar player in that band is a strong soloist, they noodle endlessly, and, yeah, they sound like a jam band.
My blues band has an extremely strong guitar player. We never play the same tune exactly the same way twice and the guitar player and i often play extended solos. Nothing sounds jammed (in part because the groove is always tight) but also because the guitar player and i are each pretty good at structuring solos so they move through the chord progressions and take the audience somewhere and bring them back. Where we go, how we get there, and how we get back may be different each time, but the journeys always have structure. I also find myself devoting a lot of effort and attention to making sure i stay out of the guitar player's way when he's on a roll. After all, it's about the music, not about me finding as many excuses as i can to blow harp.
Frankly, I get sideman gigs precisely because i can consistently structure extended solos without noodling. I sometimes get hired to do this because it gives the primary soloist (usually a guitar player/singer) a break and adds a different voice to the instrumentation, whether or not i use pedals. (A wind instrument really adds a texture to the music that guitars and keyboards don't have). Btw, most of these sideman gigs have involved a substantial proportion of minor key material, and I'm real comfortable soloing in minor keys.
So, if the instrumental soloists are competent strong players who solo with discipline (no noodling) and play with sufficient economy to stay out of each other's way, you can be pretty spontaneous and not come off like a jam band. Of course the band has to carry a tight groove for this approach to work.
Last Edited by on May 13, 2012 10:53 AM
Most excellent. I started my first band in a similar way 30 years ago. Got to talking to a pub owner about his stage. He tells me he had a band for a while but after 6 months of the same band every week it didn't work out (duh). I told I had a band that could do well for him. One thing led to another and I walked out with a 6 week Friday night residency at decent money. Walking to my car I thought, "Cool. Now the only problem is , where do I get a band?" That's when I learned that if you have gigs you can always find musicians. later I found the inverse was true.
As for advise: Pay attention to the details. Things like what the venue provides;PA -what sort, sound man or not etc; bar tab if any; what times -load in, start, finish, etc. Never assume anything from the venue. Ask then ask again.
Be crystal clear when booking players exactly what the pay and conditions are so if they have a gripe later they can't say they weren't told. Also be clear what is expected - rehearsal, dress, volume. This isn't necessarily telling people what to do and can be presented in a laid back way. It's simply making sure they arrive prepared appropriate to the gig. Important if you want to be booked back. And trust me, the more info you give musicians, especially pros, the more they will know you have your act together and the more they will want to work with you. One of the greatest compliments I ever received was from a full time pro who had played with several blues legends. After our first gig together he said, and I quote, "I really enjoyed that. I like the way you go about your business. You're not a hack!"
I agree with not letting "more the merrier" be a guide. More people. More opportunity for chaos.
No rehearsal at all, though possible, is not the best idea. With a little experience you can rehearse 90 minutes of material in your living room in about 2 hours or less. Give them a song list, ideally in the correct running order so they can make notes and refer to them on stage. Go over starts and endings mainly. You don't need to hear every solo at rehearsal. Just go through the important bits that are likely to train wreck. Your players will feel more comfortable if they have some idea as opposed to no idea.
If you're going in with minimal or no rehearsal be sure to determine who is going to make the call on count offs,solos, and endings. Nobody likes looking around trying to figure out what the hell is going on and it's really messy when people are stepping on each other.
It's all common sense stuff really. For the rest, fun, fun and more fun. If it ain't fun don't do it. When in doubt, laugh. Nobody's getting killed. ---------- LSC
Here in Pittsburgh, they will periodically put together a bunch of well known blues players and call it the "Pittsburgh Allstars" or something like that and showcase their talent at a festival. It's always interesting hearing what they come up with and it is always a gas seeing those guys and gals on a big stage blasting it out to the masses instead of a little dive bar.
harpdude- i am the ONE AND ONLY singer in my family. i think maybe it does not matter so much where you start when it comes to blues singing, it matters how far you take it. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
LSC said more or less what I was going to say, and then some, in this paragraph:
"No rehearsal at all, though possible, is not the best idea. With a little experience you can rehearse 90 minutes of material in your living room in about 2 hours or less. Give them a song list, ideally in the correct running order so they can make notes and refer to them on stage. Go over starts and endings mainly. You don't need to hear every solo at rehearsal. Just go through the important bits that are likely to train wreck. Your players will feel more comfortable if they have some idea as opposed to no idea."
I strongly recommend at least a short get-together/rehearsal. You're going to want strong beginnings and endings to some songs, or you're just asking for a train wreck. Get your set list together, pick a song order and go thru the music in your head. Better still-if you have recorded versions that contain the starting/endings as you'd like them, burn a copy for everyone involved. At the very least, make some rough 'charts' of all the songs-add notes such as 'drummer starts', 'guitar starts on the V chord', etc. A little organization will go a long way, and you'll still not have to sit thru mind-numbing rehearsals. And also-you said you aren't the singer. Whoever is should give the go-ahead and keys for songs you've chosen to suit his/her voice. Transposing is easy for us-just grab another harp. Prepare to be flexible in that regard. Not everyone can sing in every key.
An argument FOR having at least one rehearsal, even if it is abbreviated: When you throw together a bunch of players, if they haven't played together at least a few times, they probably will want the opportunity to know how to 'read' each other.
BUT-keep in mind-those who play music as a sole source of income will probably request payment for rehearsals. Some will, some won't-I'm just trying to prepare you so you will not be blindsided.
Above all-HAVE FUN. If it isn't fun, change the formula. ---------- Todd L. Greene
The Line up of local blues musicians they put together as an "allstar" type band for festivals here in the burgh seem to have thought it through before taking the stage - the show they put on is as good as it gets.
But then again they have all played together so much - they may just be wingin it, rollin with the punches and have a wang dang doodle?
hvyj...You make some very good points indeed. I have been told I have good stage presence even though I have not talked much. I do plan on trying to front and do the talking, but I have two guys behind that are very experienced at fronting a band. I understand about the more the merrier not working. I would not bring anyone up unless I had done it with them before. Seasoned performers is what I am after. So far so good. Jam Bands are like any other band. Some are great some are not.
Good stuff LCS and Todd...I say no rehearsal, but we have all played the songs togehter at jams and when I have sat in with their bands. Is there such a thing as a seasoned jam band?
Frank. The festival is in Kingsport TN. If you have the right players, 20 seconds of talk and they know exactly what to do.
I also have ideas that I hope will make the players want to do it again. I'm going to pay them before the show so they don't have to linger. I'm going to buy the guests dinner gift certificates with my cut. I want it to work. The two young ladies I'm bringing up are powerful singers, but only know a couple of blues songs each. Maybe the blues will really get hold of them this show. racksbythetracks.com
Last Edited by on May 14, 2012 7:12 AM
