How many Rockpagers are in more than 1 Project

[Hawk]

It seems I am talking to more and more musicians who are playing in more than one band these days.

Likely for various reasons. Like playing with different people, different genres, or perhaps to be able to play more often ?

Are you in more than one band ? Without naming names, do you notice more people in more than one project ?

How is scheduling managed ?

I think it's cool. As long as the schedule juggling / balancing works for everyone.

Any thoughts ?

[Gallowglass]

I'm doing two projects these days.

In the Hawks Blues Band, I get to do something that I have wanted to do since I was in my early 20's, which is namely, to be in a dedicated BLUES project that isn't afraid to go out there and play three sets of authentic blues material each night we play. I remember being blown away (and a tad bit jealous) when I was in The Flame Sky and we played on the same bill as The Hawks at the Easter Seals benefit in Geeseytown (I believe it might have been The Hawks first actual show). Anyway, I was completely enthralled by the fact that The Hawks were doing what they were doing. They weren't throwing a few "blusey" tunes into what was otherwise a classic rock (etc.) set-list...they were throwing down some real hard-core BLUES! As the band played on and just kept doing number after number that I had often wanted to do, my fascination grew. As we all know, fate often weaves a wyrd thread, and a few years later it was you, Bill, that was calling me (out of the blue) to see if I was interested in joining the project. Needless to say, I jumped and here I am. Not only do I love playing the music, but I love all the guys in the band and it's been a real joy...really a dream come true.

My other project, Black Sun, is totally another dream come true. I absolutely NEED and REQUIRE a creative outlet for my metal/prog/doom/fusion influences (some of which have been festering in me since before I was even a teen), and while it's taken some patience and a lot of love (for example, after FINALLY finding the right bass player after a year and a half of searching, he went to school in London for 8 or 9 months, putting the whole thing on hiatus), I'm really happy with where we're headed. It's a hand-picked group of persons and they're all fantastic people who put up with my weird eccentric writing and work really hard at the material. This band is where I always wanted The Flame Sky to go. I get to play weird heavy shit and write about strange Anthroposophical and Irminic esoterica...what else do you want?

For me, I guess it's about being able to play a diversity of material without sacrificing the integrity of either genre, and about getting to hang out with really cool people. That's good enough for me. Scheduling hasn't been an issue as of yet...in fact we've done a few "Black and Blue" bills where both bands have played at the same event. Those nights were a real blast. I think I have the best of two worlds going on. Right now, I really wouldn't change it if I could.

[kayla]

Any thoughts ?

personally, one band is enough for me i applaud the musicians who can learn enough material for two bands. not to get off the topic (but i saw a music thread and thought, wow on rockpage? ) anyways, managing a band is a lot of freakin work. i dont have much time for anything else. learning the material, scheduling gigs, keeping practices on time, getting demo cds done....its crazy!!! but i love it!!

so to the guys/gals in multiple bands, much respect.

- kayla.

[ToonaRockGuy]

I'm a one-band guy, unless you count doing fill-ins and one-offs as multiple bands. I've always been of a single minded purpose, and dedicate myself 100% to whatever project I am in, from Half Tempted all the way back to Banditos. I will always, however, be available to fill in for Bobby with The Hurricanes, as I have been for about the last 15 years, LOL. Like Kayla said, mad props to those who are in 2 or 3 different bands.

[Skate Toad]

I'm in 3 right now.
Without Zerb
Rik Golden Band
D.D. & The Pub Crawlers

I do most of the scheduling or dates are run by me first so that no conflicts pop up.
I do it to play different styles and also to be able to play as many days as possible. I have found that most people i play with like some time off so they don't want to play every weekend. Me on the other hand need to play every chance possible so playing in multiple projects helps with my addiction. I think as long as you are up front with everyone it works and everyone i play with is super cool. We all know what we want out of our projects (most just want 3-4 gigs a month). I have been lucky to have very few conflicts and tons of understanding. I think it works for some and for others it's not a good idea. It helps that i have played with top notch understanding group of guys and gals for the past 10 plus years.
Now i've been adding lots of sound gigs ontop of the work load. It helps to have some guys(Steve,Zilly,& Danimal) i can trust with my gear and to do a good job for a band if im playing that night.

[sstuckey]

I've played for multiple bands at the same time and it usually only caused conflict with the other members. Not that I wasn't holding up my end of the deal but one band was always afraid I was gonna leave them to go to the other band, which was never the case.

If anything it made me improve my chops. Playing strictly metal you basically get locked in to a certain style. Playing that but also doing classic rock taught me techniques I never would have learned if I boxed myself in to just playing heavy metal.

It's probably a lot easier though being a drummer. I can learn a lot of songs in a small amount of time, but couldn't make that same claim if I was a guitarist. In fact I'd like to take this time to give a shout out to all you guitarists out there. Being a good guitarist is A LOT tougher than being a good drummer. I cant figure out that damn instrument to save my life. And I've been trying to play it as long, if not longer, than I have been playing drums. So kudos to all you guitar players, that's where the real talent is.

[Jim Price]

Surprisingly, I guess I'm now qualified to weigh in on this topic, since I'm now in two bands of sorts.

I'm part of the St. Francis University World Drumming Ensemble, and also the acoustic trio with Rich Dasch and Harmonica Dave.

And outside of playing music, I also am emceeing trivia gigs 2-4 nights a week, along with college teaching, the Sunday night radio gig and my duties with PA Musician. Somehow, I'm managing to stay on top of all of it, and very few conflicts have arisen so far.

With the two live music gigs, they both have different scheduling set-ups and don't conflict with each other. The St. Francis gig (involving playing mainly west African, Caribbean and tribal rhythms) practices and plays its concerts exclusively on Monday nights, while the acoustic trio (doing classic rock and folk covers) gigs and practices mostly on Thursday nights and weekends.

Since I do different types of hand-drumming with both, I find that they both support each other in that the techniques I learn from one can help me with the other. The St. Francis gig got me comfortable playing alongside other people (40-50 of them), which made me a lot less nervous when I joined and started performing with the trio project. And tips I learn about playing djembe with St. Francis I can apply to playing bongos in the acoustic project, which is helping me hone my skills there as well. I also find it easier to lock into a groove without thinking about it, which enables me to enjoy what the rest of the band is doing and appreciate the total picture of what either group is doing.

So far I'm definitely enjoying all of it, and looking forward to continue to grow and develop my skills as I go along. Most importantly for me, it's fun.

[onegunguitar]

JP...I don't know how you have time to do anything,you're a busy man!!!

[Hawk]

Since my kids are grown, and with a push from my son to get re-involved in the local music scene, I've been having a blast !

I've been approached by different musicians who themselves are in more than one project. And it seems those projects aren't playing every weekend, leaving those musicians free to do "side" projects.

I recently got involved with Triple Threat and plan to do blues in other projects with some great musicians. For me it's about the people in the bands and the genres.

So as I embark on these projects I was curious how others do it and how it goes over with each individual project.

BTW J.P. Thanks for all of your support for LIVE LOCAL Music and welcome to the scene as a gigging musician !

[lonewolf]

How is scheduling managed ?

It isn't.

[Mysterytrain]

[/quote]

managing a band is a lot of freakin work. i dont have much time for anything else. learning the material, scheduling gigs, keeping practices on time, getting demo cds done....its crazy!!! but i love it!!

- kayla.[/quote]


Cheers to you Kayla! Keep doing that! i believe that saying "you can only chase one rabbit at a time". To get your band off the ground I believe every ounce of energy should go into your band. If you have several members they should do the same. Imagine 4 or 5 band members calling for shows, posting flyers, working on songs etc.


Back on topic...

That being said... After 3+ years of Mysterytrain being my only priority, I recently started an acoustic side project (during week nights) with guest musicians and just playing cover songs.

I also want to see if it opens ideas for my own songwriting in regards to arrangements, melodies and such.

Plus, I miss playing covers with freaks jamming on hand drums and acoustic instruments. The everyone jams that happen during the late night hours of our events have been a blast!

The first 3 years of Mt I didn't want anything to do with side projects of any kind. Just total dedication to practicing, writing new material and getting our band off the ground. I think it was our best approach and would do it all over again the exact same way.

I recommend to new bands to not get side tracked with distractions from outside sources. Imagine being offered a huge gig and then finding out someone in the band has another show that night.

I also agree with Jason and a few other posts about different genres and having a distinction of separate bands playing blues vs. metal, and other musical directions. Ya gotta feed your passions!

[songsmith]

I've been in the multi-band position in the past, and it can be pretty satisfying if you don't have a lot else going on in your life... but right now, that ain't me. Brucie plays in kBand, and Kelly plays in 7th Gear, and it doesn't seem to bother the main project too much, but we're only now getting really busy. Luckily, the bar scene cools off somewhat in summer, when the bluegrass deal is in high-gear.
That's not to say I would never consider a side project... I'm writing a lot of blues lately, and I'd eventually like to have some of that see the light of day, it's not fair to play much of it in the bluegrass band. I'd also make time for a Thin Ice reunion, we all want to do something, but we're all so involved with other stuff. Mama Corn's just at a place where 5 years of pushing is starting to pay off, and that needs to be the musical priority.
Kudos to those who can make it work!

[floodcitybrass]

I was in multi bands the past few years. For the most part, they were non-conflicting and non-competing with each other (FCB band, a Tuesday night swing band, and a happy hour small acoustic act).

My best advice is that you HAVE to choose a #1 band that supersedes the others. Pay loyalty to your main band and don't let your side projects cause conflict.

[bassist_25]

Side-projects that gig during the week or recording projects are cool. Trying to be in two projects with goals of gigging during the main gig nights generally doesn't work well. If you want to do that, then be a free-lancer, name your rate, and act accordingly. You can't serve two masters.