What's the hardest band member to find?

[Dew Knot Hump]

I used to think it was drums or a good singer but now I'm convinced that it's a keyboard player. I've placed 9 craigslist ads, asked three or four people if they knew anyone, reached out to my friend Eric who I've played in bands with before. He said he'd be way into it but he has a year old kid and owns a bagel shop which means he gets into work at 4am every day. One of my co-workers is married to the head of the music department at a college downtown and I reached out to him too.

Nothing.

[Flamencology]

Relocate to Vancouver and I'll do it.

[Mark Wein]

Finding a keyboard player who understands how to play "rock keyboard" is hard...we're lucky that we have Gary but if I needed another guy it would be a very short list of folks I could reach out to and I know a TON of musicians around here.

[Dew Knot Hump]

Relocate to Vancouver and I'll do it.

I appreciate the offer but at the moment I am going to have to pass.

Mark I apologize in advance because when I saw what I called the thread you now will be flooded with Viagra related parody threads like "How Can I Make My Member The Hardest?"

[Flamencology]

Finding a keyboard player who understands how to play "rock keyboard" is hard...we're lucky that we have Gary but if I needed another guy it would be a very short list of folks I could reach out to and I know a TON of musicians around here.

Fuck, there aren't exactly a lot of great rock keyboardists in history, let alone in a specific geographic space and time.

[cfgsteak]

I was thinking single girl with bi-curious tendancies...

*edit, missed the "band" part. my bad*

[Coda]

...I think the hardest band member to find is a good one...

[Mark Wein]

Fuck, there aren't exactly a lot of great rock keyboardists in history, let alone in a specific geographic space and time.

Too bad more folks don't idolize Benmont Tench. Or even know who he is.

[Denverdave]

I would say a great lead vocalist based on my bands experience, but you might be right with the keyboardist idea. Me and the keyboard player in our band are the only constants for the past 4 plus years so we have never had to look for one.

One issue I've run into in other situations (not this band) is that a lot of keyboard players are classically trained and while that is an advantage in many situations, they tend to have rhythm issues when switching to rock music. Not is all cases certainly, but enough that I have noticed it to be a trend....

[Dew Knot Hump]

I was thinking single girl with bi-curious tendancies...

I'd have no problem with that (actually I'm married so I would have a problem.) What I want shouldn't be that difficult, a mix of B3, piano and synth type sounds. I know a guy who would be perfect but he has two kids, just got divorced (from the drummer I was in a band with back in the early 1990's) and makes his money playing music full time and my band isn't a "money" band.

[huskerdude]

When I was playing keys in my last band, we were one of the only bands (other than the synthy dance bands) that actually had a keyboard player in town. I got offers after just about every show for either session work or to join another band full-time, and I'm not even all that good. So I'd say keyboard players are in pretty high demand.
It seems like most pianists who play pop/rock want to go down the singer-songwriter route, rather than play as part of a band.

[Dexter Inferno]

Finding a keyboard player who understands how to play "rock keyboard" is hard....

Definitely. Pretty much impossible up here. Locally there's only one guy up here - he's rare in the sense that he's both a really good jazz pianist and a good rock keyboardist.
He's basically impossible getting hold of though, since he's always booked for months.
I've tried several piano students and such in bands previously, and the trouble is when most of them start getting good, the jazz guys routinely play way too much and the classical guys are often incapable of (or at best helpless) playing without notes. Not to mention that a lot of them turn into genre nazis that can't do music "beneath" them.
Well, if they don't want the gig, their loss.

Occasionally a really good exception does indeed happen though.

[12Pack]

Too bad more folks don't idolize Benmont Tench. Or even know who he is.

* Googles Benmont Tench *

[Chad]

* Googles Benmont Tench *

The Heartbreakers Keyboard player. One of the best.

I have never tried to find a keyboard player. The one band I was in that had one, sounded much worse when he bothered to show up.

[Modern Saint]

Benmont is a freakin' awesome, a very humble player from videos and reads. I also like Reese Wynans.

I forgot about Bill Hollmann who just cooks with the late great Danny Gatton.

[Denverdave]

The Heartbreakers Keyboard player. One of the best.

Benmont is a freakin' awesome, a very humble player from videos and reads. I also like Reese Wynans.

Yep. The 'Heartbreakers' are probably the best backing band in modern rock history.

[Chad]

Yep. The 'Heartbreakers' are probably the best backing band in modern rock history.

Mike Campbell could be the most underrated guitar player ever.

[Dew Knot Hump]

Benmont Tench is exactly the type of player I'd be looking for.

[Phil513]

Finding a keyboard player who understands how to play "rock keyboard" is hard...we're lucky that we have Gary but if I needed another guy it would be a very short list of folks I could reach out to and I know a TON of musicians around here.

Yeah, you are lucky to have the Doc. Some of his keyboard solos i have heard were jaw dropping.

[Cheese Grits]

This reminds me I should really call and check up on Smurfco.

[Mark Wein]

Yeah, you are lucky to have the Doc. Some of his keyboard solos i have heard were jaw dropping.

The best part is that while he can play that way he knows how to craft a part that fits into a song or even when to leave some space.

[12Pack]

Why not just find the guy that did the keyboard riff for "The Final Countdown" ?

[Phil513]

The best part is that while he can play that way he knows how to craft a part that fits into a song or even when to leave some space.

Yeah, i have noticed that. And all the while he makes it look so completely effortless.

[Dexter Inferno]

Why not just find the guy that did the keyboard riff for "The Final Countdown" ?

Ironically enough that keyboard riff was written by the singer in Europe, Joey Tempest.

[Kerouac]

Why not just find the guy that did the keyboard riff for "The Final Countdown" ?

I'm sure he needs work anyway.

[Sad Navigator]

Drummer who isn't a total basket of penises is pretty tough. Good drummer. Crazy drummer. Mediocre drummer. You can find these folks pretty easily. Finding a drummer who is good and not a candidate for forced sterilization--like looking for a unicorn.

[Coda]

Why not just find the guy that did the keyboard riff for "The Final Countdown" ?

...I dunno, whos gunna run the 7-11 if he starts giggin again?...

[OGG]

3. A keyboard player who isn't a prima dona.
2. A drummer who isn't a flake.
1. A vocalist who isn't a egocentric douchebag.

[John Watt]

I first remember Benmont Tench from Jeff Becks' "orange" album.
He was hot hot on everything.
Lyle Mays is amazing, even if he never was just rock, and even though he was "New Chattauqua".

I'll trade three rock keyboardists for one bassist, or 265 guitarists.

[eloydrummerboy]

Too bad more folks don't idolize Benmont Tench. Or even know who he is.

My band covers this song and I had to learn the key/organ parts to teach our other guitar player. Great stuff. Nothing crazy difficult but it makes the song.

[eloydrummerboy]

This makes me think, Hump, that another option is to get a talented drummer/guitar player and teach them key parts. If you're not looking for a guy to tear up the ivories, but just a littl boogy-woogie or hammer chords and a few runs here and there who needs Herbie hancock? The Frankenstein that you create isn't going to worry about the key parts being beneath him because he's not that good. Just barely good enough to play them. He'll give space to the other musicians because he is one of them.

That's what my band does. Me and the other guitarist take turns on synth\keys duties. It's an idea.

[Dew Knot Hump]

This makes me think, Hump, that another option is to get a talented drummer/guitar player and teach them key parts. If you're not looking for a guy to tear up the ivories, but just a littl boogy-woogie or hammer chords and a few runs here and there who needs Herbie hancock? The Frankenstein that you create isn't going to worry about the key parts being beneath him because he's not that good. Just barely good enough to play them. He'll give space to the other musicians because he is one of them.

That's what my band does. Me and the other guitarist take turns on synth\keys duties. It's an idea.

I already tried that, I had a guy who plays guitar and sings who I was in a couple bands with trying that but it didn't work.

[Modern Saint]

This makes me think, Hump, that another option is to get a talented drummer/guitar player and teach them key parts. If you're not looking for a guy to tear up the ivories, but just a littl boogy-woogie or hammer chords and a few runs here and there who needs Herbie hancock? The Frankenstein that you create isn't going to worry about the key parts being beneath him because he's not that good. Just barely good enough to play them. He'll give space to the other musicians because he is one of them.

That's what my band does. Me and the other guitarist take turns on synth\keys duties. It's an idea.

Sounds like me. Good for some pads, some simple leads and fills just to keep the groove going.

[Kerouac]

Hot *insert instrument here* with low enough self-esteem to sleep with me.

[Johnny N.]

*insert instrument here*

Oh my.

[Krish]

I'm in the process of putting a band together and it ain't fun.

Me and my music partner are gonna need some guys who wantto leave the songwriting to us but still want to learn and play all our songs. Heh. Basically we need a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist Who will be our bitch (who can play everything we play.... Due to the way we wrote the songs there is gonna be alot of instrument swapping)

I'm thinking we got a long road ahead finding the right folk

[Sad Navigator]

I'm in the process of putting a band together and it ain't fun.

Me and my music partner are gonna need some guys who wantto leave the songwriting to us but still want to learn and play all our songs. Heh. Basically we need a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist Who will be our bitch (who can play everything we play.... Due to the way we wrote the songs there is gonna be alot of instrument swapping)

I'm thinking we got a long road ahead finding the right folk

You can probably find the drummer, but that other person is gonna be tough. A talented multi-instrumentalist is likely going to want to have input and have opinions. You're probably hosed.

[Mark Wein]

Drummer who isn't a total basket of penises is pretty tough. Good drummer. Crazy drummer. Mediocre drummer. You can find these folks pretty easily. Finding a drummer who is good and not a candidate for forced sterilization--like looking for a unicorn.

True.

You can probably find the drummer, but that other person is gonna be tough. A talented multi-instrumentalist is likely going to want to have input and have opinions. You're probably hosed.

Also true.

[Krish]

You can probably find the drummer, but that other person is gonna be tough. A talented multi-instrumentalist is likely going to want to have input and have opinions. You're probably hosed.

Yeah, we actually got a few drummers in mind but we wan someone who can sing harmonies while playin. A mike portnoy of sorts

[Sad Navigator]

Yeah, we actually got a few drummers in mind but we wan someone who can sing harmonies while playin. A mike portnoy of sorts

Hump will be your porntoy.

[Dew Knot Hump]

Yeah, we actually got a few drummers in mind but we wan someone who can sing harmonies while playin. A mike portnoy of sorts

With the production style of your stuff you'd probably be better off getting (or trying to get) two or three female harmony singers.

[Krish]

A girl that played keys/synths and Sang would be totally bitchin. And if she played topless, that'd be pretty sweet.

[Kelly]

The hardest band member to find is usually the one inside a groupie.

[Mark Wein]

A girl that played keys/synths and Sang would be totally bitchin. And if she played topless, that'd be pretty sweet.

I like how you think.

[Krish]

I like how you think.

I like how she thinks! (or thought anyways)

[Mark Wein]

I like how she thinks! (or thought anyways)

Whos that?

[aliensporebomb]

Too bad more folks don't idolize Benmont Tench. Or even know who he is.

Yeah. The B3 was practically DESIGNED for a guy like him.

[huskerdude]

I'm pretty sure that's the girl from the Dandy Warhols, who used to play topless on stage quite frequently.

[Dew Knot Hump]

Speaking of bands I answered an ad a couple weeks ago from a guy wanting to do something with electronica type beats and traditional guitar. So he came over last Tuesday and we jammed and set the next jam for tonight. Last I heard from him was last Thursday when he asked me to send him the Mp3s from the last jam. Weird, you'd think since we've only jammed once he might want to confirm the next one. I hope he reaches out because we were supposed to get Teh Worst Storm Ever so last night I put every guitar, amp, the bass drum and toms and every cable up off the floor just in case.