New band Members and Maximum Gig-Getting

A guitarist in a semi-pro band contacted me yesterday about new band member he and his band mates wanted to bring in.

They'd auditioned him ( a drummer) and he was a cut above anyone they'd worked with before. What concerned the guitarist was making sure they didn't run into problems down the line with this new guy like they had with previous band members.

Typically, this had resulted in gigs drying up.

I told him that from the bands I've worked (and my own 4 piece) it's proved crucial to establish ground rules with any new band member before they join. I suggested a sit down discussion away from rehearsal rooms.

In this guitarists case, the area he wanted to cover were:

1. Set Lists - Getting agreement that the drummer had no issues with any of the current material and whether he had any suggestions for new numbers

2. Equipment - Agreement that any future general band requirements (ie, lights, PA, transport etc) would be met from gig monies and not any one individuals pocket.

3. Rehearsals - are not for learning. the work should be done in advance. See the blog post yesterday for more on this

4. Song Inputs - Like each band member, the drummer would be expected to create his own part for the original songs, not to wait to be told what to do.

5. Timing - Agree a date when the new guy would be expected to be "gig-ready"

6. Gig-Frequency - Al;though this should really be established very early on to avoid even auditioning unsuitable band members, the level of gigging activity they were aiming for needed to be agreed between all band members.

7. Type of Gigs and Minimum Payments 8. Set-up and Tear Down - all band members to arrive at each gig at the pre-agreed time and all to contribute towards the physical labour of setting up and tearing down.

9. No "hangers on" at rehearsals - The drummer had alarmed some other band members by arriving for his audition with a friend. The guitarist wanted to spell out the "band members only" rule for all future get-togethers.

Some of these are pretty good general rules. Ultimately, if a new band member has issues with any of the ways you operate, it's far better to establish that up front rather than waste everyone's time and have to cancel gigs then recruit again a few months down the line.

Watch for how he/she reacts when you spell out what's expected. Even if they agree to what you're asking, if they look uncomfortable about it they're probably just paying lip service and will disappoint you at some stage.

Ignore laying down the ground rules early - at your peril....