What causes a band to split up?

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 18 Aug 2015 8:49 pm

Time.

Russell Adkins · Post by **Russell Adkins** » 18 Aug 2015 9:29 pm

I have been playing in bands for a very long time,one of the many reasons bands don't last is ego trips , one guy thinks he is the great guitar god another is personality conflicts , you might want to learn one song then the other guy dosent like the song you wanna play , money was never an issue , that was always set even before we did a gig everything was always an even split we played as a band and no one was the star, well in most cases. Once in awhile you will get some musicians that will stick it out through the bad times and make a successful band that will go far , I played in a band called midnight express for 6 years or so we did great became very popular then out of the blues things started going crazy that was the end of it , still don't know why we broke up .

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 19 Aug 2015 7:16 am

Richard Sinkler wrote:When the drummer gets caught banging one of the girl singers, who just happened to be the bass player's wife.

steel player gets girl singer

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Aug 2015 8:31 am

Paul Wade wrote:
Richard Sinkler wrote:When the drummer gets caught banging one of the girl singers, who just happened to be the bass player's wife.

steel player gets girl singer

Actually, the other girl singer was MY wife.

Jack Aldrich · Post by **Jack Aldrich** » 19 Aug 2015 1:26 pm

Most of the split-ups in bands I played in happened because someone (usually me) moved to another state. I have been involved with one where creative differences and the desire of half of the band wanted to go on the road, and the other half didn't. Of course, I've been fired for a band or two for insubordination....

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 19 Aug 2015 3:28 pm

Lack of work. T.L.

Chris Sattler · Post by **Chris Sattler** » 20 Aug 2015 1:17 am

All good valid reasons. Loved the picture of Yoko. This one happened to a friend of mine. As told by him:

"We were on tour in Queensland (a neighbouring state about 1500 miles from home). A wanna-be promoter put the band together for a tour as it was the only way he could get his wife a singing gig. Up in Queensland it became obvious to all that his wife was very,very interested in the drummer, so much so that in central Queensland they both disappeared never to be seen again. The promoter/husband was so, so upset. He came to me and said "I am so pissed off, you have no clue how pissed off I really am. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good drummer in Queensland?""

Sad but true.

She wasn't that great a singer. He may have been right after all.

Paul Honeycutt · Post by **Paul Honeycutt** » 20 Aug 2015 4:51 pm

I was in a six piece band. We played a gig last December that wasn't bad, but there wasn't the turn out we expected. After that gig, we were only all in the same room once, six months later, to discuss the direction of the band. We talked and decided what to do and I haven't seen any of them since (except the drummer who plays in my other band). We haven't broken up, but we certainly aren't together. I'm still not sure what happened. Time to put the final nail in that coffin.

We're all on good terms as far as I can tell as we were all friends before we started playing together.

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 20 Aug 2015 11:14 pm

What causes a band to split up? Taking new band pictures.
Once that happens either somebody is going to leave or the band will break up...

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 21 Aug 2015 6:18 am

Bandleader's spouse joins the band... 'been there, have the T-shirt.....

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 21 Aug 2015 9:04 am

Ernie is right. Nothing will break up a band quicker than taking a new band picture or putting out a CD.

Edward Rhea · Post by **Edward Rhea** » 21 Aug 2015 10:15 am

So true!..Clyde & Ernie! This exact thing preceded breakups for two bands, I was in. Nothing swells egos more than recording/band pics!

Daniel Policarpo · Post by **Daniel Policarpo** » 24 Aug 2015 5:14 pm

John Billings wrote:"Nothing lasts forever. Crying or Very sad
"

Well,,,,,,, except for Herpes!

Yeah, when two or more guys get an outbreak at the same time, something more than herpes is about to flare up.

Wayne Quinn · Post by **Wayne Quinn** » 24 Aug 2015 6:49 pm

for me its when the lead singer and the bass player cant stay sober long enough to get through a gig.

Alan W. Black · Post by **Alan W. Black** » 24 Aug 2015 7:27 pm

The formation of the band, right off the bat. This might not apply to bands that do covers/standards where you have the benefit of speaking in a universal language to each other, but after a very busy hard working band of mine folded years ago (original and weird music) a guy who had left an all-original band in the same genre (pretty big one too) told me he wanted to put together a band. With me. I was honored. He said we would get together and jam a few times and see what comes of it. I said, "let's have a few beers, and figure what we want to do, what we don't want to do". I wanted to get this one right from square one. Something is always going to come out of an improv jam - it will probably turn into your first songs. This amounts to ouija board songwriting. Weegy board? Songs that come out of a jam are often the lowest common denominator of the players if you think about it, depending on the general style of music of course. Sometimes it's better to agree on a plan. Vision. Aspirations. Commitment level. Sit down for those beers. (You'll also find out if the prospective bandmate is a jolly drunk or a complete tool.)
He said he had a practice space and preferred to jam. I said no thanks, and this guy ended up going thru a lot of musicians, eventually making them play his tunes.

Matthew Dawson · Post by **Matthew Dawson** » 24 Aug 2015 11:52 pm

I think all bands are born with their fatal wound already inflicted. It's just a matter of how many steps they take before they keel over.....

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 25 Aug 2015 12:20 am

I think it begins as soon as they start splitting up the money.

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 25 Aug 2015 1:46 am

The picture thing is interesting. ... there is something about a picture that not only captures an image but also a feeling .. puts into perspective where a person is at in their life and whether it is what they want to continue to do or not... whether you are happy with that particular mix of people in your life or not. . Etc. That wasnt my experience. .. but I can see how it would precipitate some evolution. As would the process and result of recording a few songs or cd... it would simply precipitate evolution. .. not a bad thing in some cases.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 25 Aug 2015 5:02 am

Round here a lot is just age, and the breakdown & travel. This East Coast "music starts at ELEVEN pm" stuff is HARD on you after you get into your 40's without even (me) drinking - what's WRONG with these people? And then breaking down at 3 am and driving home exhausted on two-lane roads, and I'm pretty sure the other drivers have had enough to drink for me, them, Boris Yeltsin AND the Shriner convention. Everybody just seems to wear out - you start seeing people who throw their gear in the closet Sunday morning and dig it out Thursday afternoon.

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 25 Aug 2015 5:34 am

Wayne Quinn wrote:for me its when the lead singer and the bass player cant stay sober long enough to get through a gig.

wayne

know what you mean been there

p.w

David Cubbedge · Post by **David Cubbedge** » 25 Aug 2015 7:57 am

Money is the #1 reason.

I have played in bands with one guy who does not have a day job and therefore is constantly broke, pissed because of the gigs we have to turn down and in need of rides to everything. I quit that band just to get away from him!

Having a narcissistic band leader is reason #2.

Just recently was in a top-40 country band where the leader was the end all for everything. I had no input on songs, styles or individual licks. This guy also doubled as sound man and therefore I was never heard! Every night I'd have friends come up and tell me they couldn't hear me and when I'd mention to the leader, he'd tell me that they don't know how to listen.

I got tired of being pedal steel eye-candy and quit.

Don Ricketson · Post by **Don Ricketson** » 25 Aug 2015 7:34 pm

Wives. $:\$

Roual Ranes · Post by **Roual Ranes** » 26 Aug 2015 5:21 am

HENRY, We know the same people.

Don Ricketson · Post by **Don Ricketson** » 26 Aug 2015 10:36 am

I played for years with Jimmie Fletcher out of San Angelo Tx. He always said if you see three or four musicians setting together think nothing about it, but if there is just two setting together at a table across the room ya better watch out. Something is probably about to happen.

Steve Allison · Post by **Steve Allison** » 26 Aug 2015 11:02 am

I think one reason is band members lying about what kind of music they think they know or want to play. Rock drummers and rock guitar players and bass players should not be hired by a band that wants to play country and western swing. If I were to put a band together again I would go visit each musician and ask to see his CD collection. If they don't have the majority of what I listen to, then I wouldn't fool with them! Just based on what I put up with here in my neck of the woods.