I found this article on Harmony Central and it touches on many topics on The Art of Keeping Band Members
http://www.harmony-central.com/Bands/Ar ... d_Members/
The Art of Keeping Band Members
By Cliff Suttle
cliffnotes@harmony-central.com
So, you have finally found all the members you need to create your perfect band. Now all you need to do is practice a lot and you're ready for the big time!
Nice dream, but if you have ever put a band together, you know that keeping the musicians together long enough to even play your first gig can be a real challenge. Staying together long enough to get some local attention is even harder. But does this really need to be the case?
Let's review a band through its short but typical life span. The band starts in January with two friends and an idea. Bob plays guitar and Jim plays drums. By March they find three other members; Mike, Zak, and Susan who play bass, keys, and sing respectively. Now the fun starts. In May, Bob, who has always felt that he was the star of the show, starts to get irritated at Susan for grabbing too much of the spotlight. He wants to get rid of her. But she has started dating Mike so Bob can't get rid of Susan and keep Mike. In the meantime Zak feels he isn't getting enough leads and has been complaining to Jim about Bob. In June, Bob decides he has had enough and quits. The band decides to stay together and starts looking for another guitarist. In August, still without a guitar player, Jim decides that Bob leaving is all Zak's fault and tries to get rid of him. But, Zak has been very busy making friends with Mike and Susan. The other members support Zak and Bob quits. Now without the ideas that started the band in the first place the band dies a quick death. Susan breaks up with Mike and keeps half his CD collection. Everyone but Zak and Mike hate each other. Zak goes back to school to become an accountant and Mike starts taking Prozac for his nerves.
If this sounds like a band you've been in, you're not alone. For every twenty bands that form, only one will survive long enough to play it's tenth gig. This is a sad state of affairs, but welcome to the world of music. Please keep in mind that professional groups like wedding bands that play all the time in order to make their primary living don't have this problem nearly as often. However, most bands fall into the categories of part time, hobby, or original music, and they will have these types of problems.
Before we look at some possible solutions to this dilemma, lets review the types of band structures that are out there. I like to refer to band structures as political formations and name them appropriately.
The Capitalist: They'll play anything, anywhere, at anytime if the paycheck is right. Professional top-40 club bands or wedding bands fall into this category. These bands are normally quite stable due to the fact that everyone just wants to make money. Normally there is very little ego involved in this type of band structure. The musicians treat the band as a job and for the most part are very professional. The band is normally run by the person who sets up the gigs. This article will probably not help this type of band and if you are this type of band you can probably quit reading now.
The Dictator: This band is run by one person. Basically it's his/her way or the highway. Often these types of bands are named after the dictator (e.g. Bert Billings and the Bills). Dictator bands have members coming and going all the time, but the band goes on. The dictatorship often plays a lot of gigs due to the longevity of the group. As long as the dictator is going strong, so is the band. The advantage to this system is that things get done fast. The price to be paid here is usually in the final product: the music. With at least one band member ready to quit at any moment and players being replaced often, the group usually doesn't get very tight. The other problem is that the side players usually don't contribute much in the way of creativity because they don't feel like they have much invested in the band.
The Socialist: This band is set up to be for the good of everyone in the band. In more cases than not, it is run by just one or two members. The goal of this type of band is that everyone is a star or else no one is. The top, or lead members, of the band make all the decisions and the rest of the group usually goes along with it. With more than one leader, the band is more stable due to the fact that way out ideas don't get implemented. As long as the main members stay together the band will continue. These types of bands will suffer most in one instrument (e.g. "Why can't we ever hang on to a drummer?"). This problem is caused by the fact that Socialist bands usually need followers and not more leaders. A good example of this type of band would be Kiss.
The Democracy: Everyone has a say and everyone is important to the band. In a perfect world, all bands would be like this. However, in the real world this type of band is very difficult to keep together. Once you can get a band like this to stay together, it will probably be together for a long time. The main advantage of this type of band is the final product. With so many creative minds in action, a lot of good ideas get generated. Bands like Queen and the Who are perfect examples of this type of band.
The Anarchists: There is no leadership. Everyone is doing whatever they want. While these types of band can be fun to play in, they will never get very successful. Without direction, you just can't move ahead. Unless you're just playing for fun, run - do not walk away - from a band like this. This article is designed for people who want to get ahead and may not apply to this type of band.
Now let's look at ways to keep the group together. Note that different techniques will work better or worse with the different band structures. I will note the advantages/disadvantages of each structure when I feel it is significant.
The Band is a Business
Many musicians will claim that they want to play music full-time, but are not willing to treat the band as a job. Showing up late, not showing up at all, showing up drunk, and not knowing your parts are all behaviors that would get you fired from a regular job. Many musicians, however, act as if this should be considered normal behavior. I guess that this can be considered normal behavior if all you want to do is play in your basement all your life. Musicians who display this type of unprofessional behavior are also the ones most surprised when they get kicked out of the band.
A band is a business. You invest money (equipment, demo tapes, press packs, etc.), you advertise (calls to clubs, flyers, radio spots), you work hard on producing a product (the music), you perform market studies (what type of music will your target audience want to hear), and hopefully you collect revenues for your efforts. A band is a business, a strange business mind you, but a business nonetheless. Employees of this business (musicians, stage crew, managers, etc.) need to be held at least to the same standards that they would be if they worked at Burger King.
Showing up on time, with a clear head, and ready and able to work is not much to expect from someone who wants to get a million dollar contract with RCA Records. If you are a musician who treats the band like a second job, you should expect this from other members as well. If you do not treat your band this way, maybe its time to evaluate what you really want from music and your musical career.
In a dictatorship, or capitalist band, treating the band as a business is the only way it can be done. The other three types of bands would benefit greatly if all the members would behave in a business-like manner.
If it is made clear to all band members, in the beginning, that this business-like approach is to be used in this band, problems will diminish. Any musician who has been around a while knows the frustration of sitting around waiting for a player who is an hour late.
Tolerance and Communication
This should go without saying, but a lack of tolerance and failure to properly communicate is a big problem in most bands. A successful band will be tolerant of members' needs and quirks, and make adjustments for them. The communication issue becomes important so that everyone in the band knows your needs and quirks, and you know theirs. This is the best way to avoid blow ups.
Let me illustrate my point a little better here. Let's look at a dialog between a guitar player and a bass player who are refusing to communicate.
Guitarist: "I've been working on Behind Blue Eyes by the Who. Here's how it goes."
Bassist: "I hate that song, I don't want to play it."
Guitarist: "Tough, we're playing it anyway."
Bassist: "Maybe you are, but I'm not."
Guitarist: "Don't be an #$$(*&*# just follow me though the chord pattern."
Bassist: "Hey, you don't run things here and I'm not playing it."
Guitarist: "You know what the problem is with this band, you're all a bunch of #$%$#@. I QUIT!"
Ever been part of or heard a conversation like this? Lets look deeper at what is really happened here. The bass player has an ex-girlfriend and Behind Blue Eyes was her favorite song. When the bass player hears that song it makes him sad, but the guitar player doesn't know this. The guitar player, on the other hand, was in a band once where every song he wanted to play got shot down and he is still bitter about it. Being that these two musicians brought emotional problems into the band with them, the band is now ready to break up over an issue that could easily be resolved. By talking it over, being open and straightforward about your feelings, the break can be averted. Let's look at a tolerant conversation on the same subject.
Guitarist: "I've been working on Behind Blue Eyes by the Who. Here's how it goes."
Bassist: "I hate that song, I don't want to play it."
Guitarist: "Why not, I love that song."
Bassist: "I don't know, I just hate it."
Guitarist: "If you have a good reason, I'm willing to discuss it. You can't just shoot down my song for no reason."
Bassist: "Tammy really liked that song and it bothers me to hear it."
Guitarist: "OK, that's a good reason. Can we do a different Who song? I really like that band."
Bassist: "How about Who Are You? I know that one."
Guitarist: "Great, show me how it goes."
Same situation, much better results. Lets analyze this conversation and note the important points. The bass player starts with a careless sentence about hating the song. The guitar player shows tolerance and doesn't freak out. However, it is fair for him to need a reason for the bass player's request. The bass player doesn't hide the reason and talks about it openly. The guitar player (putting himself in the bass player's shoes) concedes that it would be unfair for the bass player to have to play that song. The guitar player suggests a compromise to which the bass player accepts. The bass player doesn't have to be sad, the guitarist realizes that the band is not going to kill every song he likes, and the band has a new song to add to the set. In addition, the guitar and bass player now realize that they can work out such issues without a problem.
Discussing situations before they get you to the point that you want to quit is important to band unity. All problems, no matter how small, should be discussed openly and resolved. Nothing is worse than letting little problems build up to a big bang sometime in the future. Most musicians want their band to be a fun place to play. Underlying tension is not conducive to this situation.
The Band is a Team!
Recently, I received this letter from a reader:
Mr. Suttle,
I recently read your article about finding band members. I only need a drummer to complete my four piece band and I'm having a hell of a time finding this person. But I feel we will eventually find him (or her). My question to you is this: I am the front man (vocalist and rhythm guitarist) for our band. I am also the main lyricist. I am not one of those egotistical, inflexible band leaders (at least I hope I'm not) I feel that my band's input is vital to making good music that gels well. But I do often think certain ideas don't fit or should be done differently. How can I remain open to other ideas and still keep a big piece of the creative process? Better yet, how can I tell my band members that certain ideas just don't fit the mood of the song without getting everyone offended? Thank you for your time.
[I kept the readers name off the letter on purpose to protect the innocent (mainly the letter's author).]
At first glance, it seems that this is a caring individual who really wants the band to work. However, without knowing it, he could be a big part of what may be pulling his band apart. The first thing I noticed in the letter were some subtle clues that the writer might be a part of the problem. They were little things, but I had a feeling that he wanted to be the head of a Dictator band not a Socialist or Democratic group, even if he didn't know it. Such phrases as:
"I am not one of those egotistical, inflexible band LEADERS"
"I feel that MY band's input is vital"
"BIG piece of the creative process"
"How can I tell MY band members"
I was sort of sensing a theme here. It's time for him to realize that he is not the leader, but part of the team. A front man isn't the leader, he is just the quarterback. Quarterbacks don't do well without line men to protect them. A lot of players resent the singer anyway, just because they get a lot of the spot light (by necessity). Unfortunately, the way he was talking about them makes the other members of the band sound like they belong to him. If you do this with a band, they will stick to their ideas to the last just to spite you. Give in a little. Listen and try all ideas. You may find that some of the ideas you don't like at first can be molded into something better than any one person could have come up with alone. That's the team approach.
Remember to always refer to the band as WE/US/THE BAND (not MY BAND) etc. For most musicians this will be difficult, at least at first, because face it - as a group, we are all pretty egotistical. Every time you use the word WE instead of I, it will become easier for you to do so. Each time you use the word US, your team will become stronger.
I once heard Patti Smith get introduced at a record signing session. The store owner proudly announced that Patti Smith was here to sign records. Ms. Smith quickly grabbed the microphone away from the store owner and proclaimed "Patti Smith is not here, but Patti Smith GROUP is". You can bet that her comment went a long way with the band.
The band I'm in, "Armed to the Teeth", is a socialist group. The lead guitarist and myself pretty much run things, but Jeff, our drummer, is really important to the sound, image, and idea generating machine that is the "Teeth". To lose Jeff would be a major blow to our band and so it is important that Jeff realizes that he is as important as anyone else in the band. I make sure that no one in the group gets second billing or is made to feel like a second class citizen. However, as I mentioned above about socialist bands, we have a problem finding and keeping a bass player. As discussed earlier, Socialist bands have a hard time with one or two spots in the band. For the Teeth, this is because we have a hard time finding a bass player to which we will be loyal to and will have loyalty to the band. This leads me to my next topic.
Loyalty
A band must believe in their players and themselves. Players should be ready to stick up for other members who may be verbally or emotional attacked. If a musician feels secure in a band he/she will perform better and be happier in the group. Isn't this what we all want? Happy players don't go looking for other groups.
You need to believe in your bandmates and protect them. This works in the army, it works on a hockey team, and it works in a band. I don't know how many times I have heard a good band, then during their break I overhear the drummer bad mouthing the singer. I'm normally not surprised to hear about that band breaking up. As the musketeers said, "One for all and all for one".
Don't settle for band members who you can't feel this way about. If you don't feel as if you can be loyal to a band member, then you shouldn't be playing with them at all.
Capitalist and Dictator bands will not really need this quality. But then players come and go quickly in these types of bands. For the rest of us, believing in the other players will make them believe in you and probably create some good friendships along the way.
Closing
A band is sort of like a marriage. There are always going to be problems in a band, just like in a marriage. How you react to those problems will determine whether your band lives or dies. With almost half of all marriages in the United States ending in divorce, it doesn't bode well to keeping a band together. However, for those willing to work hard on the relationship, there is always room in music for another successful band.
The Art of Keeping Band Members
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