I guess it's all personal. Yes, there's money in singles. Is there satisfaction? Yes, of course there is. But is there MORE satisfaction playing in a band..?

For some of us, that's a no, for others, a yes. I'm afraid, count me in in the yeses. The predictability of the arranger, the fact that, when you call up a certain style, that bloody drummer is going to play it EXACTLY the way he did yesterday (and so is everybody else), that's the difference.

Sure, you can PERFORM something perfectly... But you can't CREATE something. At least, not at the interactive level. That arranger guitarist is never going to throw a lick at you that makes you think, or the drummer is never going to pull up and surprise you, lead you down a path you have not thought of. We get so absorbed in these little wonders, we often forget how and why we started playing. Not to perform rote versions of hits, but to CREATE and delight (ourselves probably more than anyone else!).

I'm sorry, but I've been here quite a while (at least since 2005). I've made a point of listening to almost everything ever posted here. It's got nothing to do with MY abilities, or lack thereof, but I'm sorry. The number of really GOOD demos are slim. And even fewer of them were of music that could in any way be describes as 'hip' or 'grooving'. Am I expecting too much? I can go out most nights of the week and hear a band do that. But in years of listening here? Not so much. If I'm insulting the forum as a whole (and I don't believe I am), post something. Let's hear it. If anyone's doing something that comes close to a GOOD live band, for Pete's sake, I want to hear it! I want to be inspired by it. I want to figure out how you did it!

I still think I've got plenty to learn... That ain't trying to look superior, chum.