hey guys.
frat here with the 1st of probably many of blogs regarding my own personal band. i have a few things to get off my chest and would be delighted to hear back from you all
first off, let me begin with the bands name: Weekend Wars.
the name came from a song by well known indie/psychedelic band MGMT. an unreleased tune from their debut they released. we all thought the name had a nice, memorable ring to it.
so yea, it was around May time and i was bandless as usual. theres not many people where i live, the same age as myself who play in a band (not that im shit or anything lol). and i herd one of my best mates talking about auditioning to play in the Battle4Bella competition, which is a comp for bands in the scottish highlands to play at the belladrum festival, near inverness, which is a big deal.
so i thought to myself hey this sounds like fun, ill try start up a new band and get things going. so i aquired a guitarist/singer who i had herd a few weeks before at a party. my memory was hazy of how he sounded but i can remember thinking at the time "he will be in a band soon and ill have missed another oppertunity". so i got in contact with him, yeah sure he said. great. 1 singer and rhythm guitarist and a bassist (myself). next up: drummer.
i knew a guy for a long time who is two years older than me who played drums, but he was more into emo kind of music (not that i dislike it but i knew it wouldnt work for this perticualr band. the singer was alex turner daft) so i eventually asked him to play. he was reluctant to play at 1st but after a bit of persuasion he eventually agreed to join. all i needed was a Lead Guitarist.
thing was, i didnt know anyone, not already in a band. and i was determined to have a band in which i knew everyone would be 100% commited. then i remembered a guy from my college class. he is a year older than me, but i knew what his song choice would be like and his style of playing would be like, and i knew it wasnt exactly what i was after. never the less i asked him to join and he agreed.
after a few weeks of trying to get practices together and learning new songs we got our 1st practice.
not to say i wasnt impressed. certain things wernt going to plan such as the two guitarists playing different strumming patters and the singing wasnt lould enough. i assumed he was just a little nervous so i let him off.
i knew that if the same thing happend the week after i would need to bring it up. inbetween the two pracs i put weekend wars in for a possible audition for the Wick (where we live) heat to play at the batlle4bella audition. at the bottom of the screen it read "auditions are fully booked, only reserve bookings will be taken" meaning if someone pulled out i would get to play. thing was, the only band i had herd of that was auditioning was my best mates band. (i started playing bass after my mate started up his band, in which he also plays bass, for those of you thinking why dont i just try and join his band lol)
so no email or phone contact from battle4bella came through. not to this very day.
after a few crappy practices and our lead guitarists not coming to practices due to being religious and not prepared to prac on a sunday, the perfect day for the rest of us, and continuously going on shift at work for extra cash, without warning.
i had enough, we were playing a gig within the month at the Wick Harbourfest. an outdoor gig to celebrate the opening of a marina in the wick harbour. the gig featured a vary of musical performances and other stuff such as majourettes, pipe bands and poem reading.
i had to kick this guy out the band, he wasnt prepared to put the work in. at the cost of having no lead guitarist. i knew time was a factor so i brung in my best mate from the other band, who could also play guitar quite well, but is a way better bassist. he agreed to help out and i told him before we started pracing that it would be a one off gig, as his other band was getting a few big gigs and recording some stuff. i knew itd be a matter of time before they were off doing their own stuff.
so we practiced that entire month and had 5 or 6 cover songs learned perfectly. we were only getting a 20 min slot so i thought it would be better to learn all the songs right, then move onto new songs and try writing our own stuff after the gig. We were getting along fine then i went into the pub that was doing the appart wick audition for the battle4bella. there was a poster on the wall that simple said "battle4bella this friday" i asked a few people but they didnt have a clue what it was. that was all the poster said. literally. i thought what the fuck?! why wasnt i informed?
on the monday, before the battle4bella on the friday, my mate said he couldnt prac that week with me as his other band was practacing that week for the gig. it was own material only. i thought damn it as i was really hoping to play. then on the THURSDAY, i got a call from my mate, he said that there was only one other band auditioning. Weekend Fucking Wars!!?? man was i angry i wasnt informed. i lierally stormed to the pub, where the bar manager was also the comp judge for the Wick heat and demanded an explination as to why i wasnt informed. he blamed it on the lack of advertising and communications from the battle4bella guys. i wasnt so sure, why couldnt he have told me earlier than 24 hrs before the gig? he was also aranging gigs for my mates band. but i couldnt accept it was a scam and they were in on it the whole time......
anyways we played the wick harbourfest with my mate still playing lead. then fantastic news came! at last! we were voted best band of the night and was invited back to play the following day at the main day for the event. the harbourfest was over 3 days, friday being band night and saturday the main attraction. we also won a free 4 hour recording session with the music youth club i attend on a weekly basis.
so we played again and had a blast! thing was, at the end of the gig my other 2 band members invited my best mate to stay in the band. exactly not what i wanted. i wanted a commited band. at the risk of losing another band i kept my mouth shut and just accepted he was here until he eventually told me he couldnt play anymore, due to commitments to his other band. he even refers to weekend wars as "your band" when he speaks to me about it.
nearly 2 months on and we got offered another gig, a rolls royce prize giving event (i work for them) infront of all the apprents and families. we accepted and started learning new song.
then my mate came up to me and said that his band got straight through to the semis because no1 else from wick audtioned. but there was no public announcement made, no quarter final gig, no one knew they were in the semis until the day they turned up.
they won the semis and got into the 4 band final a week later. fucking up all weekend wars practices. as i predicted.
we got into the recording studio and recoreded for 4 hours, not getting done but since we were regular memebes of the club we would just get it finished for free the next week. My 1st 2 track cover demo to give to pubs and get more gigs. i was so excited to go round all the bars and give them our cd. when the next week came around. typicall fratelli decieded to show up. we were setting levels to record the vocals, then all of a sudden, out of knowhere, the producers cars handbrake cable snapped, rolling into a wall. recording was pushed back for another week then. For Fuck Sake!!! i have no luck.
then last week, my mates were involved in a controversial winning of the belladrum festival. they play the saturday morning slot and won a free recording session down south in inverness.
the other bands found out about the dodgy dealings up here with my band ( i have no idea how ) and had a go at the band and they guy from the pub, accusing them of cheating. i went on and defended the band as they were my mates but i felt something wasnt right too.
we had our 1st prac in weeks on sunday and i was largely dissapointed and dejected. the singing had gone downhill. his voice is starting to sound more like speaking than singing and the drummer is playing way to heavy for the songs we are doing. hopefully this week we can sort ourselfs out at prac because if we are going to be playing infront of my workmates i dont wanna look shit. this sunday we are going to the hall where the prize giving will take place, to make sure we are not too lould as the place doesnt have a music licence. but if we're quiet enough we should be able to play.
im just so tired of bands im in disbanding because of other band commitments. im considering dumping the lead guitarist after the prize giving in 3 weeks but we'll be back at square 1. i really wanna make it as a musicain but im just a bassist in a county (state) with a very low population, in the very, very north of scotland, and making it like my mates is probably not gonna happen. and it sucks! but then again, thats just my luck i guess.
thanks for reading.
a lot shorter blog will be up next week lol
frat here with the 1st of probably many of blogs regarding my own personal band. i have a few things to get off my chest and would be delighted to hear back from you all
first off, let me begin with the bands name: Weekend Wars.
the name came from a song by well known indie/psychedelic band MGMT. an unreleased tune from their debut they released. we all thought the name had a nice, memorable ring to it.
so yea, it was around May time and i was bandless as usual. theres not many people where i live, the same age as myself who play in a band (not that im shit or anything lol). and i herd one of my best mates talking about auditioning to play in the Battle4Bella competition, which is a comp for bands in the scottish highlands to play at the belladrum festival, near inverness, which is a big deal.
so i thought to myself hey this sounds like fun, ill try start up a new band and get things going. so i aquired a guitarist/singer who i had herd a few weeks before at a party. my memory was hazy of how he sounded but i can remember thinking at the time "he will be in a band soon and ill have missed another oppertunity". so i got in contact with him, yeah sure he said. great. 1 singer and rhythm guitarist and a bassist (myself). next up: drummer.
i knew a guy for a long time who is two years older than me who played drums, but he was more into emo kind of music (not that i dislike it but i knew it wouldnt work for this perticualr band. the singer was alex turner daft) so i eventually asked him to play. he was reluctant to play at 1st but after a bit of persuasion he eventually agreed to join. all i needed was a Lead Guitarist.
thing was, i didnt know anyone, not already in a band. and i was determined to have a band in which i knew everyone would be 100% commited. then i remembered a guy from my college class. he is a year older than me, but i knew what his song choice would be like and his style of playing would be like, and i knew it wasnt exactly what i was after. never the less i asked him to join and he agreed.
after a few weeks of trying to get practices together and learning new songs we got our 1st practice.
not to say i wasnt impressed. certain things wernt going to plan such as the two guitarists playing different strumming patters and the singing wasnt lould enough. i assumed he was just a little nervous so i let him off.
i knew that if the same thing happend the week after i would need to bring it up. inbetween the two pracs i put weekend wars in for a possible audition for the Wick (where we live) heat to play at the batlle4bella audition. at the bottom of the screen it read "auditions are fully booked, only reserve bookings will be taken" meaning if someone pulled out i would get to play. thing was, the only band i had herd of that was auditioning was my best mates band. (i started playing bass after my mate started up his band, in which he also plays bass, for those of you thinking why dont i just try and join his band lol)
so no email or phone contact from battle4bella came through. not to this very day.
after a few crappy practices and our lead guitarists not coming to practices due to being religious and not prepared to prac on a sunday, the perfect day for the rest of us, and continuously going on shift at work for extra cash, without warning.
i had enough, we were playing a gig within the month at the Wick Harbourfest. an outdoor gig to celebrate the opening of a marina in the wick harbour. the gig featured a vary of musical performances and other stuff such as majourettes, pipe bands and poem reading.
i had to kick this guy out the band, he wasnt prepared to put the work in. at the cost of having no lead guitarist. i knew time was a factor so i brung in my best mate from the other band, who could also play guitar quite well, but is a way better bassist. he agreed to help out and i told him before we started pracing that it would be a one off gig, as his other band was getting a few big gigs and recording some stuff. i knew itd be a matter of time before they were off doing their own stuff.
so we practiced that entire month and had 5 or 6 cover songs learned perfectly. we were only getting a 20 min slot so i thought it would be better to learn all the songs right, then move onto new songs and try writing our own stuff after the gig. We were getting along fine then i went into the pub that was doing the appart wick audition for the battle4bella. there was a poster on the wall that simple said "battle4bella this friday" i asked a few people but they didnt have a clue what it was. that was all the poster said. literally. i thought what the fuck?! why wasnt i informed?
on the monday, before the battle4bella on the friday, my mate said he couldnt prac that week with me as his other band was practacing that week for the gig. it was own material only. i thought damn it as i was really hoping to play. then on the THURSDAY, i got a call from my mate, he said that there was only one other band auditioning. Weekend Fucking Wars!!?? man was i angry i wasnt informed. i lierally stormed to the pub, where the bar manager was also the comp judge for the Wick heat and demanded an explination as to why i wasnt informed. he blamed it on the lack of advertising and communications from the battle4bella guys. i wasnt so sure, why couldnt he have told me earlier than 24 hrs before the gig? he was also aranging gigs for my mates band. but i couldnt accept it was a scam and they were in on it the whole time......
anyways we played the wick harbourfest with my mate still playing lead. then fantastic news came! at last! we were voted best band of the night and was invited back to play the following day at the main day for the event. the harbourfest was over 3 days, friday being band night and saturday the main attraction. we also won a free 4 hour recording session with the music youth club i attend on a weekly basis.
so we played again and had a blast! thing was, at the end of the gig my other 2 band members invited my best mate to stay in the band. exactly not what i wanted. i wanted a commited band. at the risk of losing another band i kept my mouth shut and just accepted he was here until he eventually told me he couldnt play anymore, due to commitments to his other band. he even refers to weekend wars as "your band" when he speaks to me about it.
nearly 2 months on and we got offered another gig, a rolls royce prize giving event (i work for them) infront of all the apprents and families. we accepted and started learning new song.
then my mate came up to me and said that his band got straight through to the semis because no1 else from wick audtioned. but there was no public announcement made, no quarter final gig, no one knew they were in the semis until the day they turned up.
they won the semis and got into the 4 band final a week later. fucking up all weekend wars practices. as i predicted.
we got into the recording studio and recoreded for 4 hours, not getting done but since we were regular memebes of the club we would just get it finished for free the next week. My 1st 2 track cover demo to give to pubs and get more gigs. i was so excited to go round all the bars and give them our cd. when the next week came around. typicall fratelli decieded to show up. we were setting levels to record the vocals, then all of a sudden, out of knowhere, the producers cars handbrake cable snapped, rolling into a wall. recording was pushed back for another week then. For Fuck Sake!!! i have no luck.
then last week, my mates were involved in a controversial winning of the belladrum festival. they play the saturday morning slot and won a free recording session down south in inverness.
the other bands found out about the dodgy dealings up here with my band ( i have no idea how ) and had a go at the band and they guy from the pub, accusing them of cheating. i went on and defended the band as they were my mates but i felt something wasnt right too.
we had our 1st prac in weeks on sunday and i was largely dissapointed and dejected. the singing had gone downhill. his voice is starting to sound more like speaking than singing and the drummer is playing way to heavy for the songs we are doing. hopefully this week we can sort ourselfs out at prac because if we are going to be playing infront of my workmates i dont wanna look shit. this sunday we are going to the hall where the prize giving will take place, to make sure we are not too lould as the place doesnt have a music licence. but if we're quiet enough we should be able to play.
im just so tired of bands im in disbanding because of other band commitments. im considering dumping the lead guitarist after the prize giving in 3 weeks but we'll be back at square 1. i really wanna make it as a musicain but im just a bassist in a county (state) with a very low population, in the very, very north of scotland, and making it like my mates is probably not gonna happen. and it sucks! but then again, thats just my luck i guess.
thanks for reading.
a lot shorter blog will be up next week lol
but i suppose since its only a demo if 2 covers we got to record as a demo to give to pubs and concert orginisers it doesnt really matter 
will be up on friday. i just hope the producer has bothered to go into the studio and finish it, and i hope you will like it