garage bands and other mission stories - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

creekster · 11-01-2006, 06:03 AM

Inspired by a post by detroit dad, I am curious who here was in a garage band in HS or college or both? If so, what instrument did you play and what sort of music did you play? ALos, do you ever pay in a band now?

I'll start: I was in a series of bad bands, mostly cover bands starting when I was about 12 and continung until my mission. I played keys and a little bass. On my mission I almost got sent home for trying to organize a missionary band. That in and of itself wasn't the problem, although I suppose it was against the rules, strictly spekaing. It was when I went to the local Yamaha music instrument distributor and solicited contributions of musical instruments to the church that some people got mad at me, including the mission president. I figured anythign was better than tracting and a little contacting by music would be a nice change of pace. We had the people to do it, although some of us would have been required to go out of our areas just a little bit for practices and gigs, but it was all in the interest of harvesting souls, of course. I had arranged for a donated PA stystem, a couple of guitars, had contacted all the elders and sisters needed to form the band, and was just looking for a couple of amps and a killer keyboard to complete the band, when somehow word got back to the prez that I had met with a manager of Yamaha and had asked for a keyboard donation. The request was pending when i won an immediate all expense paid trip to my prez's office and was told to withdraw the request, apologize and to cease and desist from crazy band talk. My defense was that this was creative contacting, which we had been encouraged to do, but this fell on deaf ears.

Nowadays I am in a band that we put together for various ward parties every year or so. It gives me a chance to write a few horn charts and to arrange a few songs and to play for fun. I usually play bass or guitar (no lead) for these bands. We mostly playt old R&B or what you kids call classic rock, but we also do straight blues (12 bar type stuff) etc. We are not too good but then we are also cheap.

who else out there has been in a band?

SteelBlue · 11-01-2006, 02:05 PM

I was an occasional guest artist in a bluegrass band when I was 14. Played the fiddle. I don't count it as having been in a band because all of the other guys were older than my dad. Also, there are no groupies for local bluegrass bands. Even if there were, the fiddle player is probably low on the food chain. They'd all be trying to get with the banjo player I'm sure.

creekster · 11-01-2006, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

I was an occasional guest artist in a bluegrass band when I was 14. Played the fiddle. I don't count it as having been in a band because all of the other guys were older than my dad. Also, there are no groupies for local bluegrass bands. Even if there were, the fiddle player is probably low on the food chain. They'd all be trying to get with the banjo player I'm sure.

SO you were the kid they trotted out there to show off your precocious talent and garner the applause and adulation of the crowd? You must have some talent in those fingers. I was more like the cousin who seethed with anger watching you wishing I could be out there but knowing I wasn't goo enough to garner anything but embarrassment.

Goupies are another thing: Our lead singer and lead guitar player always got all the women and me and the drummer, who were the only responsible members of the group (showed up on time to all practices and learned all the material we were supposed to before practices, kept playlists and knew lyrics, etc.), were always stuck packing up while the other guys were off 'mingling.' That usd to drive me wild and made me almost quit a few times, except I was too resposnibkle to do that.

cougjunkie · 11-01-2006, 02:59 PM

When i was in the 5th grade and Kriss Kross was at its height of popularity, we started a rap group called Inside Out, we had hats and shirts made, and that whole school year we wore everything inside out. We thought we were bad ass, until my cousin said "I am tired of rapping, lets put out a christmas album" I told him hell no, and kicked him out of the group.

Not surprising that my cousin is now gay.

Surfah · 11-01-2006, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cougjunkie

When i was in the 5th grade and Kriss Kross was at its height of popularity, we started a rap group called Inside Out, we had hats and shirts made, and that whole school year we wore everything inside out. We thought we were bad ass, until my cousin said "I am tired of rapping, lets put out a christmas album" I told him hell no, and kicked him out of the group.

Not surprising that my cousin is now gay.

Wow. I think I just snorted. Funny stuff.

FarrahWaters · 11-02-2006, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creekster

Goupies are another thing: Our lead singer and lead guitar player always got all the women and me and the drummer, who were the only responsible members of the group (showed up on time to all practices and learned all the material we were supposed to before practices, kept playlists and knew lyrics, etc.), were always stuck packing up while the other guys were off 'mingling.' That usd to drive me wild and made me almost quit a few times, except I was too resposnibkle to do that.

That's funny. I always went for the drummer.

I was never in a band (except for jazz band in high school

) but I was asked to play keyboards for this contemporary Christian album a couple years ago. I was helping one of my adult piano students with her songwriting, she couldn't read music well and didn't know any theory. When she asked me to play the keyboards on a couple tracks, I agreed, not knowing how cheesy and awful the music was.

As long as I had to listen to that painful music at long recording sessions, it did remind me of thing-- how great it is to play and collaborate with other musicians. Hopefully in the future I can play on a regular basis in some sort of ensemble or duo.

Now, aren't y'all impressed on how much I can type w/one hand while holding a newborn?

MikeWaters · 11-02-2006, 02:11 PM

I bought Farrah a bass guitar since she said she always wanted to play. She hasn't played it once.

SoCalCoug · 11-03-2006, 05:37 AM

There wasn't much call for rock cello players, so I missed out on the band stuff.

My little brother, though, has one of the Wolfgramms (remember the Jets?) in his ward, and he gave the guy a CD he and a friend made, and the guy loved it - he's going to give it his record producer friend.

Maybe they'll let me pack up the drums or something when they go on a world tour.

MikeWaters · 11-03-2006, 12:30 PM

One of the Wolfgramms was in my mission. Female.

creekster · 11-03-2006, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

One of the Wolfgramms was in my mission. Female.

Somehow my wife is related to the wolfgrams, although I am not sure of the exact connection.

11-01-2006, 06:03 AM	#1
creekster Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: the far corner of my mind Posts: 8,711	garage bands and other mission stories Inspired by a post by detroit dad, I am curious who here was in a garage band in HS or college or both? If so, what instrument did you play and what sort of music did you play? ALos, do you ever pay in a band now? I'll start: I was in a series of bad bands, mostly cover bands starting when I was about 12 and continung until my mission. I played keys and a little bass. On my mission I almost got sent home for trying to organize a missionary band. That in and of itself wasn't the problem, although I suppose it was against the rules, strictly spekaing. It was when I went to the local Yamaha music instrument distributor and solicited contributions of musical instruments to the church that some people got mad at me, including the mission president. I figured anythign was better than tracting and a little contacting by music would be a nice change of pace. We had the people to do it, although some of us would have been required to go out of our areas just a little bit for practices and gigs, but it was all in the interest of harvesting souls, of course. I had arranged for a donated PA stystem, a couple of guitars, had contacted all the elders and sisters needed to form the band, and was just looking for a couple of amps and a killer keyboard to complete the band, when somehow word got back to the prez that I had met with a manager of Yamaha and had asked for a keyboard donation. The request was pending when i won an immediate all expense paid trip to my prez's office and was told to withdraw the request, apologize and to cease and desist from crazy band talk. My defense was that this was creative contacting, which we had been encouraged to do, but this fell on deaf ears. Nowadays I am in a band that we put together for various ward parties every year or so. It gives me a chance to write a few horn charts and to arrange a few songs and to play for fun. I usually play bass or guitar (no lead) for these bands. We mostly playt old R&B or what you kids call classic rock, but we also do straight blues (12 bar type stuff) etc. We are not too good but then we are also cheap. who else out there has been in a band? __________________ Sorry for th e tpyos.

11-01-2006, 02:59 PM	#4
cougjunkie Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 5,741	When i was in the 5th grade and Kriss Kross was at its height of popularity, we started a rap group called Inside Out, we had hats and shirts made, and that whole school year we wore everything inside out. We thought we were bad ass, until my cousin said "I am tired of rapping, lets put out a christmas album" I told him hell no, and kicked him out of the group. Not surprising that my cousin is now gay. __________________ LINCECUM!

11-03-2006, 05:37 AM	#8
SoCalCoug Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Orange County, California Posts: 3,059	There wasn't much call for rock cello players, so I missed out on the band stuff. My little brother, though, has one of the Wolfgramms (remember the Jets?) in his ward, and he gave the guy a CD he and a friend made, and the guy loved it - he's going to give it his record producer friend. Maybe they'll let me pack up the drums or something when they go on a world tour. __________________ Get your stinking paws off me, you damned, dirty Yewt! "Now perhaps as I spanked myself screaming out "Kozlowski, say it like you mean it bitch!" might have been out of line, but such was the mood." - Goatnapper "If you want to fatten a pig up to make the pig MORE delicious, you can feed it almost anything. Seriously. The pig is like the car on Back to the Future. You put in garbage, and out comes something magical!" - Cali Coug

11-01-2006, 02:05 PM	#2
SteelBlue Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Norcal Posts: 5,821	I was an occasional guest artist in a bluegrass band when I was 14. Played the fiddle. I don't count it as having been in a band because all of the other guys were older than my dad. Also, there are no groupies for local bluegrass bands. Even if there were, the fiddle player is probably low on the food chain. They'd all be trying to get with the banjo player I'm sure.

11-02-2006, 02:11 PM	#7
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	I bought Farrah a bass guitar since she said she always wanted to play. She hasn't played it once.

11-03-2006, 12:30 PM	#9
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	One of the Wolfgramms was in my mission. Female.