Larry Odneal on Being in a Band on Facebook, 5/17/25: What no one will tell you about being in a band . .
You’ll play rubbish venues to audiences who don’t like you for little money…
Get used to changing in the toilet…
Playing drunk or stoned will make you look like a dick…
The singer gets all the attention. Get used to it…
Looks frequently matter more than ability.
You will have to play songs you hate…
You will have to play the same songs dozens or hundreds of times…
When you’re playing a wedding or a party the bride or host is the star, not you…
You will get to a venue two hours before a gig, set up and play, then spend an hour packing up. Your working time is 7 hours, not 4…
Take food with you…
You will meet assholes running venues…
You will meet assholes in other bands….
You will meet assholes in your band…
You may spend more on equipment, strings, batteries, gas and clothes than you make…
No one notices if you change the key…
No one notices if you make a mistake….
Play songs girls will dance to. That gets guys on the dance floor to follow them. This almost never includes your favorite track from an obscure album…
People will try to talk to you while you’re playing….
People will fall over your lights, effects pedals or monitors….
People will try to sing into your microphone mid-gig….
People will request songs you don’t know and get upset that you can’t play them….
People will steal your stuff if you leave it unguarded for a minute….
Your other half will complain that your band is more important to you than him/her…..
You will have to miss social events because you’re gigging….
For a couple of hours you get to be a rock god and it’s wonderful.