SEEKING
Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboard.ABOUT
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen:
Thank you for reading this ad. I am a singer-songwriter-producer looking to form a band to play my existing material, and to co-write songs with. The band will play and/or write grooving soul/jazz/acid-jazz/funk music similar to Jamiroquai, Jazzanova, Reel People, Incognito, Brand New Heavies, Whitest Boy Alive, Georg Levin, etc.
It is REQUIRED that each musician has a solid grasp of music theory, including familiarity with complex jazz chords, voicings, and chord progressions. You must know scales. ALL scales - not just your major and minor. I'm talking major-minor, blues, Gregorian, whole-step, everything. A decent foundation in improvisation is preferred, but not required. Musicians must be mature, professional, and conscientious. I don't care how you look. In my world, chops and music and chill personalities are king.
Below are the descriptions of the musicians I'm looking forward to working with:
1. Guitarist: Reply if you have a solid foundation in clean, in- (or at least near-) pocket rhythm guitar chops and great taste and feel. Think Catfish Collins, Simon Katz, Rob Harris, Niles Rodgers, Prince. Ability to lock to in-ear click is much appreciated.
2. Bassist: Reply if you're on a life-long quest for groove and the deepest of pockets. Great if you appreciate popping, somewhat repetitive bass lines, and also have the ability to improvise great fills in between those lines. As with the other musicians, ability to lock to click (and lock to drums here) will be much appreciated. Think Paul Turner, Stuart Zender, Freddie Washington (in "Forget Me Nots"), Andrew Levy.
3. Keyboardist: Reply if you LOVE the sound of the Fender Rhodes - especially paired with stereo tremolo. You, of everyone in this band, will have the best foundation in complex chords, chord progressions, voicings, etc. You should also have a decent (doesn't need to be great) keyboard with at least the Fender Rhodes sound (or something similar) and some organ, strings, and horns patches. Think George Duke, Matt Johnson, Toby Smith.
Here's a link to some songs of mine that I've been working on, which will be representative of our sound:
Groovy jams: s:///bo-han-yang/jc-project-demo
s:///bo-han-yang/9-2-5-background-track-and
Slower jams: s:///bo-han-yang/forever-alone-just-written-and
s:///bo-han-yang/forever-alone-simple-r-b
Songs from other bands that we will resemble: Jamiroquai's "Little L", "Love Foolosophy", "White Knuckle Ride", "Travelling without Moving", "Tallulah", and this song: s:///jamiroquai/jamiroquai-smile
By way of introduction - my name is Bo. I have a day job as a lawyer for the state government. I have solid confidence, but no ego, in my singing and guitar playing abilities (and drumming abilities, for that matter). In 2012, I won the Taiwanese knock-off of American Idol (a show called Top Idol), but obviously that went nowhere, lol. I spent 5 years living and working in Los Angeles producing music for films, shorts, commercials, and other artists (of all genres - even rap and I don't much appreciate rap).
I am very warm and accepting, and have an old soul. I am usually very mellow and chill, but when I'm doing music I get a bit excited and can often go long sessions without stopping. I am a great performer (hence winning the Idol thing). I believe in quiet (low volume) rehearsals, as these tend to be the most productive. I do not have an ego at all - and expect the same of my band mates. I am confident - and you should be too in your abilities. However, ego is best left on the shelf, or we won't get along. Please be a normal, decent person.
The goal of this band will mainly be writing great material and rehearsing this material with the eventual goal of recording a popping album worthy of the gods of music ... so to speak. However, I do consider live performance time as rehearsal time for when we finally get in the studio. So, live performances are in the books. If we do live shows, I am not opposed to filling time with cover songs at all. Live shows will not be a frequent (more than once a week) deal, especially during the rehearsal phase. When we feel confident, we will begin booking more shows. Depending on the situation and song, rehearsal and studio time can mean just my place, or an actual studio with a drum room.
The reason I left out a drummer is 1) I have one in mind, 2) he will not be instrumental (pardon the pun) in the writing for most of our songs. For most songs, I'm looking at simple 4-on-the-floor type beats which will not require all that much skill. I will find someone with a strong internal clock and great ability to play to click. Lastly, I am trying to minimize expense by renting a rehearsal room only for the rehearsal before the show. Like I said, most songs will be four-on-the-floor with fills and minor variations, so the drummer will need minimal rehearsal time.
If you're interested, think you fit the description, and think we'll get along well, please shoot me an email introducing yourself, and perhaps a sample of your style/stuff/playing if available. Then we'll get together and jam and maybe start writing stuff right away!
Thank you!
- Bo
- Screen name:
- bohanyang
- Member since:
- Nov 01 2013
- Active over 1 month ago
- Level of commitment:
- Committed
- Years together:
- 1
- Age:
- 41 years
Influences
Jamiroquai, Reel People, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Michael Jackson, Prince, Jill Scott
