Any of you guys ever quit a band...

[BleedingWhiskey]

...just because you don't feel like putting the work into a gigging band? I've been mulling over bailing on my current original band. While I love music and the guys in the band are all cool dudes, I'm just not feeling it anymore. Rehearsals feel like a chore and shows are starting to feel this way, too.

The band is a post-punk/pop punk kind of band (think Thursday, Saves the Day, etc, etc). While I do like this style of music, it's not what I typically play in bands, nor my writing/playing style. So during the writing process, I do very little in the band. Our singer writes most of my guitar parts. I think this is the root of being burned out in the band. It's not a creative outlet for me, so I feel that I'm not invested enough in the project to put myself into it.

All I know is I'm unhappy and bored. Anyone else know the feeling?

[Lloyd Blankfein]

So quit?

[Elessar [Sly]]

It sounds like you need to leave and spread your creative seed elsewhere.

[indienoise]

Yeah man, I think I'd search elsewhere. If your heart's not in it, you're not doing yourself or your bandmates any favors. Better to do it now, when everything is under control and you can do it on good terms, rather than when they are really counting on you and you are at your last straw and potentially mess some stuff up. Cause I've been there, but on the other side. And it sucks when you've got someone you really are friends with, who decides their heart isn't in it when you've got a van with a blown motor, 600 miles from home.

[sleewell]

music is supposed to be fun, i have a job that pays my bills. when the fun stops it doesnt make sense for me, at least, to continue. seeing people dance to stuff you have written is a great feeling and playing live is rush. i miss it and am trying really hard to get back into it but if it wasnt fun i wouldnt do it just to do it.

[BleedingWhiskey]

Yeah, it sucks, especially since I'm good friends with all the guys, minus the drummer (he's new, so I haven't gotten the chance to know the guy).

Fortunately, we were about to start preparing for recording, so they didn't have any shows booked for a while and I won't be leaving them high and dry. I also offered my services to fill-in for shows or recording if need be.

I'm not tired of music or playing live, I'm just not wanting to invest the time needed for a working band. Writing, trying out members, and extensive practices sound like way too much work for me right now. Hopefully I'll get the bug for it back down the road. I'll just stick to woodshedding and learning covers by myself for a while

[Telephant]

Whats up mang! If you're not happy its time to go. Pretty much the reason I left BCB. Well that, and we all kinda started to hate each other.

[headlessdeadguy]

I'm in a similar situation myself. Rehearsal is a drag and the only time I have fun is playing live. The drummer is my best friend of 35 years and he's the reason I'm hating it.

[GuitarBilly]

I'm kinda in the same situation but maybe not as bad, just getting bored with the music style we're doing. But I've been around long enough to know that the grass is greener on the other side, except that it really isn't.

If something considerably better falls on my lap I will switch bands, or else I am staying where I am at and chill out.

Quitting without a plan B is not recommended either. It usually lends to long periods of not doing shit.

[benjamin801]

music is supposed to be fun, i have a job that pays my bills. when the fun stops it doesnt make sense for me, at least, to continue. seeing people dance to stuff you have written is a great feeling and playing live is rush. i miss it and am trying really hard to get back into it but if it wasnt fun i wouldnt do it just to do it.

Exactly what he said, only capitalized where appropriate.

[Telephant]

Quitting without a plan B is not recommended either. It usually lends to long periods of not doing shit.

Which is exactly where I'm at. Well said.

[Sasquatch]

Life is too short for you not to be happy with your hobbies.

[BleedingWhiskey]

Well after talking to guys in the band, I've decided to leave the band and take break from being in a band for a while. They were supportive and really cool about it. I feel like a big weight has been taken off of me, so I'll take that as a sign that I made the right decision.

I'm not too worried about not having another project to go in to. I haven't had a break from being in a band in about 6 years. I'm going to take the time to start practicing more and get back into songwriting. I've got a few different style concepts already going through my head that I want to try out. I'm always going to be a musician and I'm always going to be creating new music.

[Sasquatch]

you made the right decision broseph

[Devin]

I'm kind of in the opposite boat - i write everything for the band (except lyrics now, though I did write a lot of those too) but my band mates are flaky as fuck and I'm just tired of dealing with it.

I think I'd be happier just playing for my own enjoyment and recording my lil solo shits when I feel like it, instead of it being an obligation.

[RSBro]

When creating and playing music becomes a "chore" or a "job", it's time for a break for me, personally.

My original outfit just split after about 3 years of hard work, but we got a good album recorded and done and had fun, so it's whatever. I'll prob take a year off and get back into something else next summer.

No sense in being miserable whilst jamming.

[100 watt]

I just wish I could find people to play with, with similar taste. Everyone around here either wants to play REALLY cheesey covers, Bro rock covers, Punk, hipster douchetard stuff, screaming cookie monster, coffee shop artsy accoustic stuff, or country. Not to mention, finding dudes in my own age group. I'd really love to play original material, but I dont want to play "mixed genre" stuff at hall shows for "crowds" of 10 people (usually friends of the other bands) in the 12-18 age group. The music "scene" here is a joke. There's a pop / punk band here thats been around 15 years or so, and everyone seems to be a copy of them.

The metal bands are 14 year old cookie monster scream tards.

[NinjaRaf]

I felt like that with my last band. Everything got so focused on the business aspect of things that the band as a whole just kinda slowed down on writing music. It was retarded. I was in it to have fun anyway, not make it a career, so I left. 7 months or so later I was discussing rejoining with them and got a fuck you, youre a horrible person, your wife is a whore and you shouldnt have kids email back from the other guitar player lol. Good fucking riddance. Now Im in a band where I feel inspired to play, Im allowed to write, and every one is on the same page. Its kinda the same thing as GFs...the next one will be an upgrade from your last one.

[benjamin801]

fuck you, youre a horrible person, your wife is a whore and you shouldnt have kids

What the fuck?

Am I remembering correctly that these were the same guys who tried to dictate your gear choices while you were in the band?

[zach]

fuck you, youre a horrible person, your wife is a whore and you shouldnt have kids

What the fuck?

Am I remembering correctly that these were the same guys who tried to dictate your gear choices while you were in the band?

they did more than try. homeslice bought all kinds of stupid shit because the band "required" it.

i bailed on a band once because the other (original) guitar player liked making decisions about stuff that affected my money without talking it over with me. he wanted to split everything five ways, but wanted to be the only decision maker. i was like "dude, if you want me to be an equal partner with expenses, i'm going to have equal say. if i'm expected to show up and play what you tell me to, which makes me a hired gun, where in the FUCK is my check?".

he effectively said that he does all the writing and makes all the decisions, period. i said "good luck finding someone worth a shit that's going to be down with all that, i'm out". i think they eventually quit trying to find another guitar player...now they're looking for someone to do keys/samples LOL.

[Dickarms]

is that IWBT? were you and raf in a band? im confused now

[benjamin801]

is that IWBT? were you and raf in a band? im confused now

If you're talking about me, no, I was never in IWBT or any other band with Raf. I think I used the term "the band" and left it ambiguous. Sorry!

[Dickarms]

meant zach and raf

because it seemed like you asked raf about a story and zach answered, like maybe they shared that story.

[zach]

no, the first sentence was about raf's band quittage.

the rest was my story about the last band I quit.

[Dickarms]

ah, im retarded. still, raf