If You Have To – Quit and Do It On Your Own:

The Struggles of Being in a Ska Punk Band

Do you have huge dreams, but others seem to slow you down, LET you down, or simply ‘not get it’?

I think it’s comforting to know that 90% of us have felt EXACTLY the same at one time.

I played in casual pop punk bands from ages 16 to 21. Which I never really thought would go anywhere,

Around 21, I really got into ska. I started writing ska songs.

With a dream of properly ‘making it,’ I wrote songs for about six months on my own before finding a drummer, bassist, trumpet player and sax player. Who were all great.

A year passed. Then the sax player wanted to ride a bicycle round the world. So he left.

We found a replacement saxophonist. A girl. A straight girl with a boyfriend. Then what happened? Our trumpet player (a girl) got with the sax player! We should have known drama was coming, really.

Another year passed, and we played some more good shows. Every show we did seemed to end with a gig offer from someone else. We were offered a festival slot. Nothing amazing – but it was all ticking along.

Then some members changed their priorities.

A few of the brass players started playing in a ska covers band (not being in other bands was one of our rules… but I suppose, not f-ing each other was also a rule, so hey ho!),

We ended up having to cancel gigs. Some weeks, people couldn’t even turn up to practice.

Then our bassist left. A shame, as he was a founding member and a real organiser, but no biggie as my best mate is a bassist, so he joined.

Then our drummer had a practice studio built in his garden! (Very supportive parents!) Things are looking rosey…

Argh!

So now we’re down to me, the original drummer, the original trumpet player (who then broke up with the sax player) and my best mate on bass. This is about four years after we started. Here we go again. We found 2 new people for the brass section. We played a few gigs. What could possibly happen next?!

Our drummer moved to Canada. I’d had enough and quit. I couldn’t keep rinse and repeating, re-teaching songs, re-making friends.

I don’t know what happened to the garden practice studio.

I was the singer, guitarist and songwriter in that band. Before that, I was the songwriter in a previous band.

I’ve probably written hundreds of songs. I think I burnt myself out.

And I also think I’d really fallen out of love with music in general. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit of a control freak when it came to the direction of my songs, as well.

Now, we jump to 2022, maybe 10 years after that last band split up.

I started getting the urge to scratch that itch.

While my kids were babies I’d found myself playing guitar to them, playing my old songs. Some I remembered well, but the ones that I didn’t…

It really made me want to do something with them, before I forget them completely! (Or lost the ability to sing them. That happens right?!)

Guitar, bass, midi drums piano-keyed in, vocals, harmonies. Not only was I enjoying the recording process: I was enjoying writing music again, too.

I’ve started off small. My six-track EP of punk rock/ ska songs came out last week on all streaming platforms, but after that I’ve already penned out a 17-track album (five tracks done, 12 to go!)

…Followed by another 15-track album, a ten-track mini album, another mini album of songs that were written wayyyyyy back in school/college days.

I don’t plan to get rich or famous or even successful with it. I’m doing it 80% for me, just to unload (but obviously also 20% to see if others like what I do).

So, my advice is: Decide what you want to do in music.

And just do it.

Feel free to share your band struggles and how you got through them to where you are now 🙏🏻🥂

Links to my EP if any PUNK or SKA fans are interested in hearing my DIY efforts:

Spotify:

You Tube:

Website: https://www.thenotnows.co.uk/

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