In the coming month/s we will be actively searching for able musicians to fill the empty spots. These are big shoes to fill, and getting them filled will likely be no easy task. As of now, we are looking only for a drummer and a bassist – a second guitarist will be considered only after we have a drummer and bassist in place. This is very preliminary, but we have several reasonably easy-to-meet requirements. We are an equal opportunity, non-pretentious, rock band, and would love to see some girls show interest too!
1. This is not currently a band that provides ANYBODY with supplemental income. All money made by The Sort is deposited into a account and used only for band expenses – gas, hotels if needed, t-shirts, repaying the outstanding album debt, etc. No members are "paid out" after shows, at least not yet! We'd like to get there, but it requires work on everyone's part!
2. You may be required to spring for a tank of gas at some point. Should the band account lack funds, all expenses are divided equally. Practice space rent will be divided four ways. If you've been in a band before, you know that there are sometimes small expenses, most of which we hope to avoid by playing shows and selling merch. We're not "hiring" a bandmate -- we're looking for the rest of our family!
3. Have you own equipment, be able to play your instrument well, be in it to have a good time. Being able to sing backing vocals is a HUGE PLUS! We have a quite a few of them.
4. IMPORTANT – We are looking for musicians who can dedicate at least TWO(2) full weekends per month to playing shows in or out of town. A weekend = Friday night, Saturday night, and enough time on Sunday to allow a drive back from out of town, ie we won't drive back on Saturday night unless there's an emergency. Also, I require time to book, so I will need to know at least a month and ½ in advance what weekends you can travel on. Number 4 is THE MOST IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT.
5. Be at least 21 unless you're a prodigy.
6. Clark and I write the music. We write at home, and bring rough demos into practice. There is plenty of room for your creative input regarding what you play to the core song. Clark will usually have a sketch drum beat and bass line, but these are not the final word. Your ideas are encouraged (though not required), and we can settle any disputes democratically.
7. You must live in or around the Richmond area (20 miles), have transportation, and be available to practice at 1-2 nights per week.
There are many more things we could discuss, but we can talk about everything when we meet! If you're interested e-mail me at lauralam@thesortmusic.com or post here and include a link to a myspace page (or other place we can hear music you've played on), information about your music history/skill, and anything else you wish to include. If you seem like you've got it all together and can reasonably meet the above requirements, we will give you a couple songs to learn, find a time to meet up, chat, and play the songs.
This is neither a business venture nor an art project -- it's a little bit of both, and we do it for the love of it, but also take it very seriously!
Thanks for bearing with my insanely long blog! Love,
Lauralam