John & Angela Taylor – Band Aide (A Band and Gig Survival Guide)

Now here’s a nice little pocket guide to putting a band together and getting gigs and all the fun in between.

John and Angela Taylor have written and performed music for cable television and John was trumpet player for the Charlie Daniel’s Band, so they’re not newcomers to the scene.

This book looks at all the elements involved in putting a band together, putting the songs together, getting gigs and performing. It’s a neat little guide that covers all the bases so that you don’t forget anything important.

The advice offered is sound and based on experience and trial and error. The Taylors’ play mostly cover songs and this book is biased in that direction, but the majority of the information is applicable to anyone doing strictly originals or anything else in between.

Since it’s a guide and it covers so much, it rarely goes into detail, but that’s alright as it’s not its intention to do so. Think of it as a nice starting point and as something you’ll want to carry around with you at all times. In areas you’re already familiar with, you won’t need anything more than what’s in this book. In other areas, you can always find the information elsewhere, but at least you’ll know the issues exist and that you’ll have to deal with them.

It covers areas too often neglected in such books, like who’s the leader in the band and why do you need one and what does he do?

I certainly recommend this book to anyone who wants to put a band together or to anyone who wants to join a band and be a serious part of it.