By Joe Vickrey
What does it mean to be in a band? More than just a weekly jam on your favorite songs from Guitar Hero 3, being in a band often requires a willingness to communicate goals and ideas with others on some level. If the singer wants to tour out of a van, that might not work for a drummer who just wants something fun to do after work on Wednesdays. Both of those reasons to form a band are great, and starting with the end goal in mind will save you a lot of frustration early on. Let’s take a deep dive into how to form a band – and keep it together.
Where can I find bandmates?
Provo Music Magazine gets asked this a lot, so just know you’re not alone! As a Utah transplant, I’ve tried hanging ads around town, talking to people in music shops, and going to open mics. Those may work for you, but there are two ways that I’ve had more success with.
Going to local shows and introducing yourself to people will make you more friends than you know what to do with. Saying something as simple as, “Hey, nice guitar. Are you on Spotify?” or “Have you seen this band before?” will help start a conversation and break the ice. Try continuing with something like, “My friends call me Frog Paste [or whatever], and I’m trying to put together a bedroom pop band. Do you know anyone who might be interested in joining?”
If talking to strangers in public isn’t for you: that’s okay, too! While I’d still recommend immersing yourself in the music scene, there is a solution for those of us who would rather text it out. The best bandmates I’ve ever had came from a KSL ad (love you Sam and Matt).
Circling back to the idea of communication, an online ad is a great way to find likeminded musicians. Listing details about specific influences, genre, commitment level, expectations, band goals, material, or anything else that might be important to you can help you spark conversations to find the right people for your project without the dreaded pains of social interaction!
Disclaimer: Be safe with online ads. Tell a family member when you’re meeting someone from the internet and where you’ll be. Bringing a friend with you is another good idea to ensure safety. Public first meetings are also a great idea.
How do I work with bandmates?
Band structure is a case-by-case situation for each band, and it should be talked about openly as often as needed. If you want everyone to put in equal work, then they need equal respect. If the songwriter(s) wants most of the say in decisions, then they may need to do more of the work. Whatever you decide will work for you is fine as long as everyone is okay with that decision. If that discussion needs to happen more than once or if there needs to be a change in the way things are handled: welcome those conversations. In my opinion, a band starts dying the day it stops communicating.
It’s okay if everyone has different ideas of how to get something done. It’s not a popular opinion, but I welcome compromise. Some of the best moments for my band, English Budgies, have come from me compromising what my original idea for a song is. When we were working out our song “Had Enough,” our drummer, Sam, insisted that the second half of the verses should have this halftime feel. It just felt wrong to me. We tried it a few other ways, but a few days into the process I finally let go of my preconceived notion of what the song should be and I realized he was right. He lifted the song in a way I wasn’t willing to. That type of thinking took me some getting used to, but it was well worth it.
There are many ways to find bandmates, form a band, and to make it work. At the end of the day, what makes a band truly special is that people from different backgrounds choose to come together to work on something they believe in enough to see it through.