One of the things I’ve encountered in my career playing in bands is the importance of keeping everybody on the same page. One thing that is constant is the fact that things constantly change. The band may have started out with one vision, one goal and a clear path to get there. As time goes on and people grow and the band gets out playing in front of people those things will most likely change. Before long, the band that started out as a rock-n-roll roadhouse band is playing a bunch of country music and not everyone in the band is happy about that. Another thing that happens to bands is personality conflicts. They’re inevitable and unavoidable. Sometimes there are hurt feelings because of things that have been said or done in the heat of the moment. You can make it through these things as long as the band keeps the ability to talk to each other openly and honestly.
The best way to get through these things is to have regular band meetings. You don’t want to have meetings at band practice because band practice is the time to work on the music. You definitely don’t want to have a band meeting at a gig. At gigs your entire focus should be on the show and the audience. The best way to have a band meeting is to set up a time and place to sit down, have some food and talk. It’s good to have the band leader have some sort of agenda in place. The most important thing to talk about are any problems that threaten to tear the band apart. The life of your band depends on you being able to work through those problems. It can really clear the air in the band if you can address problems that the individual members are having. Maybe the singer is being a jerk all the time because of all the pressure at work. It’s little things like that which don’t usually get addressed during the normal course of band operations. So a meeting is a good time to air it all out.
You’ll also want to discuss where the band is at and where it wants to go. That’s the time to decide if you’re going to stick with being a rock-n-roll roadhouse band or if you’re really going to switch over to country. It’s always the best thing for the band to have a clear, single vision of where the band is heading. Having a set of goals to reach will go a long way toward keeping your band healthy and together as well. If you get these things settled at a meeting then your practices and gigs will go so much smoother it will really pay off.
So don’t forget, keep talking and your band will keep moving forward towards greatness!!
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