The Struggle is Real

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Just sign up for BandMix, put in your details and set it to send you weekly notifications with any bands looking for guitar players in your area. Pretty soon you'll start getting emails with a list of bands looking for flutists and harmonium players. Everyone in these bands will be either 15 or 85 years old. There will also be a list of a dozen people at the bottom of the email with names like gary048278326 who have no profile information at all, and one drummer who is clearly on the sex offender registry.

I miss the days of legit CL ads ...had a lot of luck with that. Looked at band mix and didn't really like how it was set up...and yes ..just... weirdness.....but I suppose we must do what we can.

I have had an ad for whatever site, written in my notes for the exact thing id like....but just too realistic to post it....makes me sound like a kid.... but here it is.

__________________

Looking to pay tribute to a period of music, which is currently experiencing a revival.

Looking to recreate and honor original recordings of music from late 80s to early 2000s.

This includes but not limited to the Cult, Pearl Jam, Faith No More, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, RATM, Radiohead, The Black Crowes, Queens Of The Stone Age...as well as more obscure bands such as Hum, Sunny Day Real Estate, the Melvins, Fugazi. Can also cover Metal ground too, as the sets I work on include Refused, Mastodon, Every Time I Die, and Killswitch Engage.

Also open to more.

Essentially, this is a high level, detail oriented project, celebrating the many varied corners of what would eventually become alternative/grunge/heavy era we all know and love.

I have played music for over 30 years. I always loathed cover bands. What I am looking to accomplish isn't just a cover band...it is essentially a tribute act...without the hokey look. Looking to make audiences happy, by recreating these classic sounds live.

It is understood that certain vocalist are difficult to replicate, in spite of this, this is the aim.

Looking for a handful of capable, disciplined, and hard working individuals to get this project going.

Needs - 2nd guitar. Bass. Vocals. Solid drums.

If this was done right it could lead to something. What, I Am not sure.

Execution is of the most importance.
This isn't for those that ignore the details. This will be a very detail oriented project. But if all goes well, horns and secondary percussion could be involved.

Let's work hard and
recreate cool sounds!

____________

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

@likitlikeyoulikeit i feel you man…

I have had various quits and starts over the years, most of them in the recent years many times because of the similar reasons as you.
Don’t play out anymore, no friends to play with anymore, since 3 years. Been dad for 14 years and husband since 18 years.

My biggest struggle during these home playing years (did infact play in a band, rehearsal studio, recording, with friends projects during these 14 years) has always been justification towards owning stuff.
As a consequence I could never find a balance with the gear. Naturally this ends up in never being happy.

Last year I had get rid of everything except my 1 electric guitar. I also had to quit coming to this forum even though I love the people here and even though they almost certainly would help me through. But it wasn’t enough. I really had to just quit, pack the guitar up, and stop everything (including this lovely forum). Otherwise I would never be able to “reset” and get out the “beat myself up” behavior.

So the plan was basically to don’t plan, just slowly come back when it feels right and when I’m naturally drawn back to something out of spontaneous interest. It took a year… now I’ve slowly come back to this forum, but keeping distance to pitfalls. Even a forum as good as this has traps for my minds.

Guitar is still untouched. I see that case everyday when I come home. It’s deliberately placed in a corner of my view when i get home. When the day comes that i really want to get it out and just noodle on it, it will feel right. This restraining method seems to work for me, to kill the ghosts in my head kinda. Slowly one step at a time. Because there is only one thing that matters in all of this that is my story.

It’s that I can’t and won’t quit music, no matter how i end up doing it.

And that’s the message I want to give to you. How and why should be guided naturally by your instincts. But your mind needs to be free from ghosts (whatever they are). Because we all have them. We should, and deserve to enjoy music in positive ways.

I can tell you I panicked emotionally when I realized I just have to stop everything for an unknown time. Panic about what if I don’t ever can come back. But I took the steps I needed to do and it felt better than ever.

So yeah. Feel you. You’ll get back into a enjoying place.

Dude...this ...so much....

Thank you.

 

[TSJMajesty]

I sound better now than I ever have....and I have no one to play with ...

I'm right there with you, both in gear and ability, but that 2nd part..., I have come to the point where I accept it, and I just don't give a...., I thought we had a poop emoji!

 

[la szum]

One more thing, and then I promise to STFU! Enough TEDtalking from me.




I am a firm believer that we should always be working on our skills. Always! Be it
playing, writing, singing, drumming, or connecting. Whatever it is.

If luck is defined as "Preparation meeting opportunity," then it only stands to reason
that the more prepared we are, then the luckier we can potentially be. Plugging in and
following our bliss (or our angst!) is a surefire way to make ourselves more prepared,
so we can be more opportunistic.


Besides, this is fun! Even if it's not.

 

[la szum]

Haha! More like.....

 

[la szum]

...my BS meter is hard to ignore .

Oh man! I made a Mute button for mine..... and I am not sure if it has been to
my detriment or not.

I am sure it has.

When, and if, your ready hit me up. I know a bunch of players the area.
Maybe we can meet up at an Open Mic somewhere. I know where the
least cheesy of these are. No. Really. They do exist. Kind of.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

One more thing, and then I promise to STFU! Enough TEDtalking from me.




I am a firm believer that we should always be working on our skills. Always! Be it
playing, writing, singing, drumming, or connecting. Whatever it is.

If luck is defined as "Preparation meeting opportunity," then it only stands to reason
that the more prepared we are, then the luckier we can potentially be. Plugging in and
following our bliss (or our angst!) is a surefire way to make ourselves more prepared,
so we can be more opportunistic.


Besides, this is fun! Even if it's not.

I totally agree with you, and to an extent this is what I was doing ...but you get to a point that you are taking it all so seriously, and improving so much that I fear becoming too much for whomever I may play with in the future.

Some are not as persnickety about playing shit right, and sounding right....so then I feel like I may over prepare and over analyze and stress myself out...for essentially no reason...if only to be prepared, which is a valid reason....but...see....it all cycles into a pit.....

 

[FuzzyAce]

I don't know about you all, but the #1 reason I'm here on this forum is because I love music and playing music. #2 is cool people to chat and joke about gear and other things with. So coming here keeps me in a music mindset with side-effects including humor and too much GAS. But no matter what happens just keep playing your instrument because you love it first and foremost, and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[Warmart]

I totally agree with you, and to an extent this is what I was doing ...but you get to a point that you are taking it all so seriously, and improving so much that I fear becoming too much for whomever I may play with in the future.

Some are not as persnickety about playing shit right, and sounding right....so then I feel like I may over prepare and over analyze and stress myself out...for essentially no reason...if only to be prepared, which is a valid reason....but...see....it all cycles into a pit.....

I honestly think you're just overthinking everything. Relax, chill for a bit. Let a little time figure things out for you.

It's easy to do, lawd knows I'm guilty as hell! I'm a software/database developer/architect/imposter and i have to fight to keep it out of the rest of my life. Logic can take a strong hold on you and it's not always a good thing.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Oh man! I made a Mute button for mine..... and I am not sure if it has been to
my detriment or not.

I am sure it has.

When, and if, your ready hit me up. I know a bunch of players the area.
Maybe we can meet up at an Open Mic somewhere. I know where the
least cheesy of these are. No. Really. They do exist. Kind of.

Thanks ..I will hit you up, I promise.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

So ..not to Necro bump...but ...

So I turned on my modeler today and grabbed an electric....not gonna lie, it was annoying.

Headphones....nope.

So now I am ordering a set of new replacement speakers for one of my spare 2x12s. This will force me to turn on, plug in...and get after it in earnest.

I have been wanting to a lot lately, thanks guys!

But the heat is not my friend....and I don't enjoy sweating profusely while playing...this is why the headphones for try 1..... well, temps come down next week......so then I can rock in the morning comfortably....and test my new cab....and hopefully start working on a new 80s &90s r&b setlist....yep.

This is my new challenge for myself. To help me focus on precision and inversions, along with rhythm, I am preventing myself from playing heavy music for a minute.... to focus on deficiencies.

Anyway, thank you all for the support....and I will update all when I can ....have a great weekend!

 

[Warmart]

So ..not to Necro bump...but ...

So I turned on my modeler today and grabbed an electric....not gonna lie, it was annoying.

Headphones....nope.

So now I am ordering a set of new replacement speakers for one of my spare 2x12s. This will force me to turn on, plug in...and get after it in earnest.

I have been wanting to a lot lately, thanks guys!

But the heat is not my friend....and I don't enjoy sweating profusely while playing...this is why the headphones for try 1..... well, temps come down next week......so then I can rock in the morning comfortably....and test my new cab....and hopefully start working on a new 80s &90s r&b setlist....yep.

This is my new challenge for myself. To help me focus on precision and inversions, along with rhythm, I am preventing myself from playing heavy music for a minute.... to focus on deficiencies.

Anyway, thank you all for the support....and I will update all when I can ....have a great weekend!

Sounds like a plan, have a great weekend yourself!

 

[la szum]

Awesome! I love hearing without things over my ears, or in my ears, too!

And yeah, I notice I play less when I sweat profusely onto my gear. It is not
pleasant.

On a stage, or in a rehearsal with other folks, I am ok with it.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Awesome! I love hearing without things over my ears, or in my ears, too!

And yeah, I notice I play less when I sweat profusely onto my gear. It is not
pleasant.

On a stage, or in a rehearsal with other folks, I am ok with it.

Exactly! I try to explain it to my wife ..but she don't get it ....

Live or band practice..I'm drenched by the end of the 1st song.....that's fine ...just breaks concentration when I am focusing on learning and perfecting.

But I decided the modeler was making things worse and I kept fiddling with the sound...and not practicing.....which was exactly what I was trying to avoid.

It may have been a bit of self sabotage, as I don't like playing with headphones, never have ...

This is why I am hesitant about playing out with the new ways....
I need stage volume and monitors.....I am too old school.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Guitar Revival: What I'm Focusing on After Time Off

In today's livestream I talk about how I get back into playing the guitar after taking a long break. ð¸ The Guitar Virtuoso Bundle â $75 For All My Guitar Co...

www.youtube.com

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Well ....it cooled off and wife was doing something...so I fired up my rig.

Forgot just how good my stereo set up sounds at volume.....so much awesome!!!

Ran through some quick bits of old tunes ..knocked off some rust and decided to delete all my presets but 3 on my modeler....to force me to leave my old cover sets alone for awhile. (They are backed up. So I can get them whenever, if I need )

Anyway ... tomorrow starts the new journey.

Focus and goal is to learn 10 r and b tunes front to back...in 2 months. Mind you my harvest time is coming on soon enough, so this is a modest goal.

Also going to focus on more technical theory, and techniques from more of a jazz perspective, as to expand my chordal and tonal vocabulary.

These are all set to break me from my box, and focus on weakness...to give me tangible and reachable goals.

Thanks to you all for support, and I will update accordingly, more like a journal than anything. Hopefully it isn't too annoying.

Have a good one all!

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

So got the setlist
Downloaded playlist
Set up tab and chord charts
Ran through 1.5 times to get familiar and work on getting feel down.

Not a bad first day .. especially considering I was fiddling with some tones.
My one preset is a compressor into JC 120 model in stereo split path...using chorus and reverb in the model to save blocks, into a nice studio delay and reverb. Light mix, 12-17%

In 2 minutes had a really nice 80s r and b tone .... almost too easy actually.

Going good for now.

 

[cragginshred]

100% lived what your describing. Then previous band started to 'upgrade' members. Better drummer was huge then finally a good singer. Made a big splash locally then I got burnt out on doing Everything for the band and stepped down. Due to being in a popular local band I was recruited by even better players And I don't have to book gigs, provide the PA ect.

Suffice to say there are way more delusional 'musicians' who thrive on drama or just aren't very good.

 

[LeftyLoungeLizard]

Whenever the struggle gets to you, just remember that if John Daker can sing "That's Amore", so can you.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Whenever the struggle gets to you, just remember that if John Daker can sing "That's Amore", so can you.

This is killing me....doooooooooooooood!