trying to get players

carvinplayer · Post by **carvinplayer** » Tuesday Oct 21, 2014

why is it so hard to pick up players anymore ? Used to be easy to find a band to jump into or pick up players to jam and put a group together. What happened ? It's like freaking pulling teeth anymore ! I've had an ad on here and elsewhere for a good while now. Had a few bites but nothing serious. I am a Bassist, and have seen several Bassists looking without results, same for other players. So what's up ?

ToonaRockGuy · Post by **ToonaRockGuy** » Wednesday Oct 22, 2014

Don't get too frustrated, man. It could be that most projects have their lineups in place currently, that does happen from time to time. Also, there are WAY fewer places to play out now than say a decade ago, so there are actually fewer bands that have stuck it out over that time and still exist. Hang in there, utilize things like this site (even though it's not traffic-heavy anymore), Craigslist, and social media to get the word out. The best way to go, though, always has been and always will be networking at shows. Go meet some folks at shows and hand out your number and email to other players. Best of luck to ya, and hang in there!

kayla · Post by **kayla** » Wednesday Oct 22, 2014

ToonaRockGuy wrote:The best way to go, though, always has been and always will be networking at shows. Go meet some folks at shows and hand out your number and email to other players. Best of luck to ya, and hang in there!

i like kevin's suggestion. networking at other gigs got me a lot of results. its just more personal to shake someones hand and introduce yourself, rather than sending something over the internet.

i don't know what it was like years ago, because hell i only started a few years ago. i do know there are a lot of players in the altoona area. but most already have projects lined up. it took me close to 4 years before i found an actual band. patience is the key imo.

floodcitybrass · Post by **floodcitybrass** » Wednesday Oct 22, 2014

I think it's because there are more flavors of rock played by bands today. I would guess that in the 70's, most rock bands played top 40 songs. They probably played mostly rock and mixed in whatever other type of top 40 music was on (soul, funk, disco)....

Nowadays I think bands are more focused. You have bands that focus on certain genres say on punk, alternative, metal, rockabilly,etc.

So maybe there are less players available for a particular genre a music that your band is playing.

RamRod 1 · Post by **RamRod 1** » Friday Oct 24, 2014

Kevin said:

The best way to go, though, always has been and always will be networking at shows. Go meet some folks at shows and hand out your number and email to other players

.

Great point! You see thm and they meet you.

I think it's because there are more flavors of rock played by bands today. I would guess that in the 70's, most rock bands played top 40 songs.

Another good point! So called "Rock n' Roll is in it's 70th decade! Lot's of different kinds of bands.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Saturday Oct 25, 2014

The scene around Central PA, unfortunately, is nowhere near where it used to be. We can sit and speculate for all of the causes of why that is. However, the scene is nothing like it was 10 or 15 years ago. Whenever I think that I may just be looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses, I take a nostalgia trip through JP's Corner and see how more lively things were back then. I realize that I'm not just having selective memory.

With that said, this musical inertia seems to really be regulated to Central PA. I traveled a lot in PA and its contiguous states in my last project, and there are definitely people who still want to experience live music in other areas. However, traveling with a band to gigs is not the same as having to hike a few counties over to join a band. I'm sure there are a ton of awesome projects in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Lancaster, but it's not realistic for most people here to join a project out of those areas due to the obvious logistical concerns.

StumbleFingers · Post by **StumbleFingers** » Monday Oct 27, 2014

What puzzles me is that you talk to so many players who can't find a band... and so many bands who can't find find players. There's a disconnect there somewhere.

Part of it is that we live in age where there are too many ways to communicate. There's no one sure fire way to reach a wide audience. So you have to spam every possible outlet. You might get one or two responses from Rockpage, a few from Craigslist, a few from Facebook. Eventually one of them pans out if you're lucky.

Don't discount music stores. They're still a great place to hang out and talk music, and the folks who work there can be a great source of leads.

carvinplayer · Post by **carvinplayer** » Tuesday Oct 28, 2014

StumbleFingers wrote:What puzzles me is that you talk to so many players who can't find a band... and so many bands who can't find find players. There's a disconnect there somewhere.

Part of it is that we live in age where there are too many ways to communicate. There's no one sure fire way to reach a wide audience. So you have to spam every possible outlet. You might get one or two responses from Rockpage, a few from Craigslist, a few from Facebook. Eventually one of them pans out if you're lucky.

Don't discount music stores. They're still a great place to hang out and talk music, and the folks who work there can be a great source of leads.

Good point there, also I think logistics has a good bit to do with it. I'm in State College area, but someone who is in need is in Gallitzin or Johnstown.....just doesnt work out... or age differences too, younger bucks dont want an old fart like me...LOL

floodcitybrass · Post by **floodcitybrass** » Wednesday Oct 29, 2014

StumbleFingers wrote:

Part of it is that we live in age where there are too many ways to communicate. There's no one sure fire way to reach a wide audience.

IMO, nothing beats word of mouth.