Soooo, yeah. I've come to the point in my life where I'm finally gonna get into a band and play a few gigs and do that for the rest of my life, live in parkinglots and stray vans that kaput on the side of the road and eat the bread that Atlantic Bread co puts out at the end of the day because it's too old to sell. Music makes it that way.
But yeah, my friends and I have been in the process of putting together a ska band. It's been due a long time coming. Ska upstroke. Keyboard. African Drums. It'll work.
I've noticed how bands with female singers/players don't do well on the mainstream level. Maybe I can run it past my friends that we shouldn't actually tell anyone we're girls until we have a fanbase and get onto a mainstream-ish level. Most people automatically assume the male part anyway.
I thought Moon Unit Zappa was a man. I was wrong on that.

But how about you all? Bands? Advice for mine?

Play actual music. Please.

you insultin' ska there, buddy?
because if so I have a problem.

Me and my friend are in the lengthy process of getting together a band. I'm going to just play bass and think up most of the lyrics, while he plays lead guitar and composes the music. We still need a drummer though, and I need to actually get good.

drummers are the hardest to find. most everyone plays guitar because that's all they teach in public school.

Well, I actually know a few drummers, but they have bands already or are too busy too be in a band. One drummer I know is in like 2 or 3 bands, so I doubt he wants another, which is a shame, since he is pretty good.

I play drums. That does no one here any good, but I do.

I was in a Ska band 10 years ago when I was in high school. I played trombone in it.

Now, I play (lamely) play drums in a newly forming band. We play groove jazz/funk.

mechanical_lullaby
I've noticed how bands with female singers/players don't do well on the mainstream level.

*astonished*

I would strongly disagree with the accuracy of that observation.

Mainstream appeal isn't something a ska band will ever have to worry about anyway.
And that's a good thing.

Well, it's not that rock bands with female singers don't do well with mainstream success it's just that their vastly outnumbered by bands with male singers. The only bands I know with females as singers are Evanescense and Flyleaf. They're just as good if not better than the guys though.

Advice I have to your band mechanical lullaby: "don't suck live"

The local ska band at my school really has some problems when they play live shows. For one their vocalist can barely be heard, and that's an important part of ska (I think...) Every local band I've listened to locally has that problem, and they don't even bother to fix it which really annoys me. Make sure all your instruments can be heard equally and that they don't cancel out others.

Mystic Hand

mechanical_lullaby
I've noticed how bands with female singers/players don't do well on the mainstream level.

*astonished*

I would strongly disagree with the accuracy of that observation.

Mainstream appeal isn't something a ska band will ever have to worry about anyway.
And that's a good thing.

I can name two, maybe three bands with one female artist, but I'm talking about all female band for mine.

Dresden Dolls.
I Object.
Smashing Pumpkins.

I dare you to name an all girl band-- who play their instruments and sing-- and are famous on a mainstream level.
And while ska is accepted really openly, it's not going to be completely ska. Most of my favorite ska songs come from bands who rarely even play it.

MetalLuigi
Advice I have to your band mechanical lullaby: "don't suck live"

lol.
we'll be the greatest all girl band ever. don't worry bout that.

mechanical_lullaby
I dare you to name an all girl band-- who play their instruments and sing-- and are famous on a mainstream level.

A band with all female members is different from what you first said, but if you define mainstream success as getting radio play or being part of huge tour$, off the top of my head I can still give you way more than one example:

The Donnas, Sleater-Kinney, The Bangles, Luscious Jackson, The Runaways, The 5.6.7.8's, The Go-Go's, Indigo Girls, L7, Luna Chicks, Hole, Babes in Toyland, Throwing Muses, Belly, 7 Year Bitch, Elastica, Bananarama, Lush, Magnapop, The Breeders, Le Tigre, Dixie Chicks (and some other country bands that I'm not familiar enough with the genre to identify)

This is an out-moded way of classifying bands, though. Saying the success of people like Alanis Morissette is irrelevant because they have male band members is kind of silly.


Edit: I wasn't ripping on ska before, but rather downplaying the importance of mainstream appeal. "And that's a good thing" = it's better to play what you like, not what you think other people will like.

Mystic Hand
This is an out-moded way of classifying bands, though. Saying the success of people like Alanis Morissette is irrelevant because they have male band members is kind of silly.


Edit: I wasn't ripping on ska before, but rather downplaying the importance of mainstream appeal. "And that's a good thing" = it's better to play what you like, not what you think other people will like.

eh, i didn't think you were.
i'm playimg out the silliness myself. It sucks to hear on tv when some guys say that girls can't actually rock, and when girls retaliate and make music as simplistic as the 1950's doowop. The only way I figure to retaliate is to sound like it's sung like a man-- which I can more or less do-- with one or two songs to put out into the open. And then we're women and we're using less weird stuff but something pretty awesome. That would kill the silliness in my book. I practice the guitar three hours a day to work to kill that silliness. I'm tired of the difference.

The closest I've ever been to being in a band is playing the tambourine during a rehearsal of my friends' band. That was last Friday.

Tamborine solo!

mechanical_lullaby
But how about you all? Bands? Advice for mine?

Try not to get paid in hats. lol!

Exzachly
Tamborine solo!

Mr. Tamborine Mannnnnnnnn! ;)