Building The Band - Part 1
The Gear and Your Ability To Use It
By James

In my time doing this web site, I have encountered many young bands that were just starting out. I have seen the mistakes they have made and I have been witness to their successes. I feel that I know what works and what does not, when it comes to making your band successful, if only on a local level. This guide won't apply so much to experienced musicians who have been doing this for a long time, but more to the kids, out there, that are just beginning to chase their dreams. The young guys still in high school who think they know what's up and go out and get slaughtered by the crowds, because they just suck. It is not their fault, though. They just do not understand how much work truly goes into building up a great band. Even if you spend a year practicing and getting as tight as you can, you're first show in front of a real audience is probably still going to be weak. However, by the time I finish writing all of this, I hope you will have a better idea of how to make that first show as great as possible.

I am not going to tell you how to put the band together. That is something you will have to figure out on your own. There are too many X factors involved to tell someone a sure-fire way to put together a solid line up. I will say that is a good idea to stay from anyone with serious drug problems, regardless of how god like they are. If they miss every other show, because they are strung out, they are not much good, to you. Instead, I will start with the gear you use and how to make sure you are using it, right.

First thing is, if you are just learning how to play an instrument, do not go out and spend 3000 dollars on the best equipment out there. Instead, spend what it takes to get something to learn on and spend that other money on some lessons. I am sure you think you are the Second Coming and a complete natural, but a little musical education never hurt anyone. You also have to think about the fact that you may get a good ways into learning your instrument and decide it is not for you. Then you are sitting there with a fancy DW drum kit that you probably are not going to be able to sell for what you spent on it. Go to some pawn shops, buy some used crap that makes noise and worry about getting that Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, at a later date. You can always keep the cheap crap, at your house, to practice on, when you are trying to work something out, on your own.

Ok, now, you have some gear and you have some guys to jam with. What next? Practice, practice, practice. How long you practice ultimately depends on the style of music you are trying to play. A simplistic punk/hardcore band will not take near as long to be tight as a complex death/grind band will. If all you are playing is power chords and two minute songs with no major timing changes, then odds are good that you will be ready to go in two or three months. The important thing, really, is that you are tight and you have a long enough set to make it worth taking the stage. To open a three or four band bill, you are going to need a 25-30 minute set, but my recommendation is to have a good 45 minutes of music written, before you start gigging. That way, after you start playing shows, you can practice more on getting your set tighter, instead of trying to write new stuff, as well as being able to mix up your set list up. Even when you open, you will find yourself with the occasional opportunity to play longer than normal. It would be a shame to waste it by only having 25 minutes of material. If all else fails, learn a few covers that you can throw out, now and then. Speaking of covers, let me finish this by saying you should never, EVER, play more than one cover in any given set, and that cover should not be the latest, coolest single on the radio. Try and find covers that mean a lot to the band, as far as influence, and have not been done to death by five thousand other bands, just like you. No one is allowed to cover Pantera's Walk, again. Ever.

If you take all this into consideration, you stand a good chance of your first show being pretty damn good. I saw Loop 13 play their first show, ever, and they were better and tighter than some bands that had been playing shows for months. It made quite an impression on me. I have talked to so many bands that have admitted they started playing shows, too early. You just do not realize how much harm it can do to your momentum, as a band, when you play a show and the crowd just stands there, staring at you. Many people that see your very first show will never see you, again. You do not want to leave a bad impression with them, because it will never fade. No matter how good you get, down the road, your image will forever be tainted, because they know you used to suck shit. Better to start out good and become bad ass than to start out shitty and never shake that image.