What would it take for you to leave your comfort zone. More money?, just a change of scenery?, getting to set in your ways? with your current band?. Ive had an offer to check out another local band looking for a drummer and its enticing but there are things to consider. The current band im in will be travelling a bit much this summer (week-ends) which is a concern of mine, im burnt on the material, etc but there are positives also. Anyone made the mistake of changing bands?, made a change for the better?.

In the past 18 months I have auditioned/played with 5 local bands.

The first, lead nowhere, and due to the complete disorganization of the leader, I left.  Oddly enough, we palyed a gig with them opening for the Bullet Boys back in December. Since then, they are looking for a new drummer, I know not why.

The second, is the band I am in now.  We play alot of 70's and 80's metal, which is really not my comfort zone, but we are now playing about 2-3x  per month pretty regularly.

The third was an americana-type...it too went no where mostly due to the complete disorganization of the "leader". Though I did meet a great local singer-songwriter (Mark Smilor) and am really trying hard to stay in touch so when he decides to record his next cd, he won;t use a drum machine.

The fourth (southern slide blues) decided to go back with their previous drummer, dispite past "issues". They played a few gigs during the summer, put out a cd, but don't seeme to be playing this winter, I think due to conflict with day jobs,

The last, was a local band called Chemical X. Great musical talent...especially the guitar and bass player.  They are still looking for a drummer and now have "taken the winter off". 

The lesson?  The grass always looks greener, but if the band I am in is the only one playing gigs for the forseeable future, then it would take alot to leave...even if the music were more to my liking. 

So, finish the statement:

A gig in the hand is worth.................................. .........?


Cheers, Bob

To date, my rule has been "be content with my circumstances".  Even though things aren't exactly perfect, I'm grateful for the chance to create and play with the band I'm in.  There are downsides - I'm not sure we'll ever get a CD done because our leader is not well organized and we're still looking for the right bass player & another great backup singer.  Fortunately, I'm not trying to make a living do this and there is a lot of joy doing what we are doing.  To make a move to another band would require a significant change - maybe a burning bush experience .  I've known folks who are habitually looking for the next thing and can never stick with a project for any length of time so I try to take a long view..... BUT... wonderful things can come out of left field so I try to keep my eyes & ears open and not get too settled or stuck in the rut.  Hopefully this makes sense.