Conference napalm::heavy_metal

    
        1)  The lead vocalist has to be able to sing - hit the high
            notes without screeching, and be able to go low also.
    
        2)  The lead guitarist has to be able to play well.
    
        3)  The drummer has to be fairly good.
    
        4)  The bassist has to be fairly good.
    
        5)  The quality of the songs has to be good (well-written).
    
                                                    Shawn L.
    
        P.S.  Please use a mix of caps/small letters - those caps are
              driving me crazy. 8^)
    

    
    
    	I agree with Shawn and I'd like to add a couple of things to
    the bottom of the list.
    	Stage presence - a must for all bands.  There's nothing worse
    than getting to a gig and finding the band are more wooden than
    the cast of Dynasty.  It just don't get ya in the partying mood.
    	Bad record labels - if a band have s*%t production on vinyl
    then that could seriously influence your opinion of them in the
    future (i.e. you probably won't go to see them or buy any more records
    because their previous effort was crap).
    
    Keep the faith,
    			Darron.

    What makes a band good?
    
    To me, it is the fact that they play like a BAND, not a bunch of
    individuals. That is why individual talent is not always necessary
    for a band to be good, yet a highly talented guitarist (or singer,
    or whatever) does not make a band.
    
    A (non-metal) example = Credence Clearwater Revival. One of my favorite
    bands, and yet almost ANYBODY could play better than they could.
    Hell, even *I* can play better than John Fogerty on guitar, and I
    ain't that great.
    
    My opinion,
    Alan S.

    
    The lead singer definitely has to be a good singer.  They have
    to have a good stage presence.  I hate when they just stand up on
    stage and don't talk to the audience.  There has to be a lot of
    motion on the stage (running up and down, etc.).
    
    Also, the other band members: drummer, guitarists, etc. have to
    be just as good.
    
    The songs they sing have to have some kind of meaning behind them.
    I like when you hear a song and you know what message they are trying
    to get across.
    
    Tracy
    
    

    All for one and one for all.  Being supportive of others ideas but
    being concerned about your own also.  Being able to get along when
    there's no music around.  Showmanship, talent, and sportsmanship.
    
    
    
    
    				Mr Scary II

    /prc,
    
      Not every band I go to see has to show me something new, or 
    something I haven't seen before. Some bands I like, even though
    they are very derivitive. A good example is the Georgia 
    Satellites. Nothing new there, but I still love 'em! One of the
    best bands to come out in years (along with Tesla)!
    
    Alan S.

    
    Basically, I don't like bands that have the `star' players in them...
    it eventually takes away from the `band' concept. Van Halen, Rising
    Force, Talis, etc.  
    
    Then there's is the presentation/professionalism part that I look
    for in a band. Dokken has lynch who is great and pilson who is a
    wonder (plays bass n keys and sings all the high parts DD can't),
    but I think Dokken is one of the worst, most unprofessional bands
    because of their onstage attitude. Examples of this can be found
    in my review of the foxboro monsters of rock show. 
    
    I like a band that plays as a GROUP.  If they dare to be different
    (like Queensryche, they fill both of these objectives), that's great,
    but playing as a tight ensemble is enough for me (like the cult,
    ac/dc, racer x).
    
    I don't know if you've seen this, but Iron Maiden and Yngwie are
    both bands that's abuse drugs. I don't know if its legit to print
    this in a public conference, but I've seen both of them with my
    own eyes run off stage during guitar solos, or in the latter case
    a keyboard solo, and do lines right where people in the first few
    rows can see. Yng was a little more tactful, he does em behind his
    3 marshall stacks. Bruce dickenson is less descrete...he does em
    right on the side lines.
    
    I think its a bad influence for the kids who are close enough to
    see it.
    
    Buck

    
    To me, what makes a band, is togetherness and group participation
    in striving to be the best they can be.  Take Def Leppard for example.
    This band has been AROUND! & they still sound great.. I  could
    tell their style and sound without even having an introduction to
    the tune!  
    
    The harmony in that band is just increadible!  I love 'em.  And
    look what happend with Rick Allen.  Instead of finding a replacement,
    they accepted that awful tragedy, and worked around it!!  And they're
    STILL at the top of the charts!!    To me, that's a band, togetherness!
    (that's not ALL of course, but I think that's important.)
    
    
    DO YOU TAKE SUGAR????     
    
    SANDY
    
    
    

    Indaviduality...
    
    I hate look alike bands.  The bands I like are all pretty much unique.
    Judas Priest, Zep, AC-DC all have unique sounds, that have only
    been copied by others.  
    
    Personality.....
    
    This is also big to make me like a band.  The best example of this
    is OLD VH compared to New VH.  DLR made VH becuse of his outrageous
    personality.
    
    The Sentinel

    Intelligence, talent, a smattering of genius, the ability
    to deliver, impact, awe, presence and if they're going t
    act, acting ability.
    
    Sherm

     It's about being good.  Being original.  Having your own sound, or
    your own look, and being good at that.  Having energy and feeling. 
    It's all about all of that.  Drugs help, too.  No, no, I'm just
    kidding.  See...  :-)

    >you need to start a band called Buckley, of which you'd have total control.
    
    Well, myself having total control is not where I'm at either.  I'm much
    more happy as a colaborative player...having everything my way is
    boring and trite to me...I'm not into ego trips.  But the difference
    would be being in a band where the other musicians shared your "musical
    vision", so you can be colaborative and still stay on the right track
    with each other!

    
    	As was brought up in the "Peasant Kings" note, a band has to
    	be able to work together towards a common goal ... and that
    	usually means that most (if not all) of the members must share
    	common feelings of what the band should be doing.
    
    	If not "share the same feelings", they should at least be able
    	to come to a compromise ... whether it be "bending a little"
    	to accommodate opinions, or whatever.
    
    							GTI
    

    -1
    
    let it be noted...like a stick, it can only 'bend' so much before it
    snaps in two!
    
    Buck, who finally snapped!

    
    	RE: wjb
    
    	Oops, sorry if I sounded nasty.
    
    	I should've finished with:
    
    	"And if the band has "bent" all it can, but still can't quite
    	make it, then the members probably don't belong in that band.
    	One or more should leave and try again with another band."
    
    							GTI
    

    RE: GTI
    
    Nah, you didn't sound nasty, but I thought my addendum was needed,
    as it is a factor in the 'big picture' of this issue.

    I think a majority of bands have serious "musical personality"
    conflicts.  It takes a really good band to get past all the bull
    and be so serious they are incredibly tight.  Takes alot of work
    on everyone's part, you have to be willing to make it work. 
    Personally, I wouldn't deal with it either.
    
    CJ

    Bands ... it's all a game of compromises.  Seems like it's matter of
    how deep you can take it sometimes.  
    
    
    				Scary

    
    
    	Unless you're a musical slut like me! Who will attempt to play
    	anything, anytime, anywhere, with anybody. As far as personal
    	preferances, well, I throw my idea's and comment's whenever I 
    	see fit, but I'm mainly in the business for the experience and
    	mostly for the love of music, of any kind, with a few exceptions.
    
    	I think it was the singer from Iron Maiden that stated on a MTV
    	interview a while back that "it's hard on everybody and it's work,
    	work, work but it's worth every bit of it for those two hours of
    	magic on stage"  Anyway's it was something along those lines. Maybe
    	somebody remembers exactly what he said. 
    
    	The point is that it's never gonna be easy, and if it is, well,
    	more power to ya' but for the majority of us it's gonna be a long
    	and winding road.
    
    	thought's from the "Wild Child"
    
     

    
    Well, I have never been married but I think I can safely say that
    being in a band is a lot like being married?  
    Full of compromises, few heartaches, a lot of set backs, a lot of 
    financial planning, and sometimes get f**ked over.
    
    To me, our band is just that; **OUR** band.  No one has total control. 
    Expect out of me what I can expect out of you.  None of us put forth
    this attitude that if I don't have you guys, I'll go and find another 
    band elsewhere...  And I hope I'll never have to put up with over grown
    ego!
    
    Just a few thoughts...
    
    J. 

    The "our band" idea sounds great for a while, but somebody has got to
    call the shots, not necessarily be in control totally, but just more
    vocal I guess.  If you're serious about the direction you'd like to see
    the band go, I don't think it's an ego trip to say, "Hey guys, this is
    what I think ....", said in a fairly forceful way.  If somebody doesn't
    mind the sails, the boat will drift forever ...
    
    And too, everyone has their own idea of what giving 100% is.  One guy
    might think it's practicing 4 days a week, but never practicing at
    home.  Another guy might think it means practicing 2 times a week, but
    knowing the material cold by practice time.  Still others think that as
    long as you're making money that everything's cool, regardless of the
    sound quality.
    
    It's too much like a marriage J dot.  It's cheaper to get out of
    though ....		8^)
    
    
    				Scary
    
    		(who's been through too many of both ...)

     IN MY OPINION, TO MAKE A"KILL"BAND,IT TAKES A 100% EFFORT FROM EACH 
    MEMBER. I MEAN WHO WANT'S A PRETTY BOY PANZIE ON THE EGO TRIP FROM
    HELL,LEADING A GIG.IF THE WHOLE BAND DOSEN'T FEED OFF EACH OTHER,THAN
    HOW CAN THE AUDIENCE FEED OFF THEM. EASY,STAGE PRESENCE WHEN YOU GOT 
    IT TOGETHER.
                            POCKETTT
    

>    I MEAN WHO WANT'S A PRETTY BOY PANZIE ON THE EGO TRIP FROM HELL,LEADING
>    A GIG.

    I agree, we can't let Friz lead gigs any longer!

>   IF THE WHOLE BAND DOSEN'T FEED OFF EACH OTHER,THAN HOW CAN THE AUDIENCE
>   FEED OFF THEM.

    I donno about this part though, cannibalism doesn't really do it for
    me.

    gh

    Yo Pockettt,
    
    good points but ya don't hafta shout.

    I have no ego. I don't lead gigs either....
    
     Friz