EddiePlaysBass Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Last Friday, my poprock band was booked to play a party hosted by the local football team. Plan was to have us play one (long) set and then let the DJ take it into the night. We'd rehearsed, we were ready and we were going to kick ***. Or so I thought. After NYE I've come down with a bit of a cold, and a very persistent cough. The kind that gives you headaches. I'd sat through most of the rehearsal (that was a first) but was determined to play the entire gig standing straight and rocking out. We'd set up, done sound check. Bit of an issue with my bass being WAY too boomy so I made some adjustments. We were scheduled for 21h30 but by that time the crowd only started coming in so we were asked to postpone until 22h00. No biggie! For some reason our singer insists on opening slow. For this gig it was Californication (RHCP). It doesn't really captivate an audience but hey it worked. A few songs in I was wondering why our drummer was playing all these weird off-beat accents he'd never played before. So I turn to see what he's doing but nothing out of the ordinary strikes me. Turns out it's our guitarist - off in his own world again. From there, it went from bad to worse ... His guitar gave out mid-way through "Dolphin's Cry" by Live - it wasn't winning over the crowd at any rate, and this drum'n'bass only version did nothing to improve that. Sound guy came over to rattle some cables (didn't help) and they finally decided to switch guitars. Straight into the next song ... without tuning. A Les Paul Standard can detune easily, apparently. I cringed (and coughed) through the entire song. Singer then starts talking to the audience. Guitarist meanwhile finds this the best time to shout into the mic to the sound guy that he needs more guitar in his monitors. Mind you, by this time all ANYONE could hear on stage was guitar. I'll spare you the rest of the evening, on how he spontaneously decided to vamp on a D-chord instead of carrying further the chorus to one song; or how he played so far behind the beat -while singing on the beat- that it dragged an entire song ... Afterwards there were no high-fives and hand shakes. Drummer told me that the sound guy's always mixed the band like this: sharp vocals, all guitar and pump the volume all evening. Judging by how distorted my recordings sound by the end vs the beginning of the set, I tend to agree. He's had it and wants to call it quits. The singer wants to call a meeting. The guitarist will probably blame everyone but himself or the sound guy (his brother). "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Ouch. But I'm glad that there will be a meeting about it. Hope you're feeling better, or at least coughed into the guitarist's mic to "pass on the love". And speaking of "passing on the love", I guess that cough kept away any women interested in touching your bass with their boobs? "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flemtone Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Oy vey. Not the best way to start the new year. Sounds like just about time for you and the 'guitarist' to part ways. He sounds to me like a blistering egomaniac. Do yourself a favor - get distance. Any issue will always be someone else's fault, not his. This stuff is toxic. Move on before it dampens your enthusiasm. Play. Just play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 "It's all YOUR fault one of guitars crapped out, the other went out of tune, and I forgot how to play the songs!" Sure, that works. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 So we had a band meeting yesterday. And now we don't have a band anymore. Drummer had it (after the gig he told me that the same issues keep persisting time and again) and said he'd lost motivation to carry on. The singer then suggested we pull the plug altogether since we had a similar meeting just two months ago, when the guitarist wanted to quit. So that's it. Almost one year this time ... I am not good at staying in bands. "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flemtone Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 This breakup has nothing to do with your ability to stay in a band, though - it's all on the 'guitarist' who can't get it together enough to work with the other bandmembers. If there are other members of the band you enjoy working with, talk to them about going in a different direction with some different personnel. This one ain't on you - it's on him. Play. Just play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 Very true, Flem. I told the singer he's first call if I need one, and that I will happily help him out if he needs a bass player. He's good people and was getting better by the week. This was his first band, so to see it end after almost 7 years is emotionally quite heavy for him. I've another project in the works with other people but I definitely want to work with him again. Now, the guitarist is another matter altogether ... "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Rule #1: 80 percent of putting a band together is getting "the hang" right -- as in, everyone on the same page, same level of commitment, ability, etc. Rule #2: Musicians are flakes. All of us, to a person. Hence, why Rule #1 is so difficult. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Rule #1: 80 percent of putting a band together is getting "the hang" right -- as in, everyone on the same page, same level of commitment, ability, etc. Rule #2: Musicians are flakes. All of us, to a person. Hence, why Rule #1 is so difficult. Now hold on there! I'M not a flake! I quit on the last band member who even suggested that! I stole his wallet and slept with his sister too! You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 I told the singer he's first call if I need one, and that I will happily help him out if he needs a bass player. He's good people and was getting better by the week. True to my word, I have done the above recently. I started a new band with two friends and a guitarist we found online. That guitarist asked me to come audition for his pop cover band (next week) and since he'd previously asked about a singer I've worked with, I inquired if he still needed one. Turns out he does, so I texted the singer from my last pop band. He's interested in working with me again, so I am taking him along "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Networking - it's all about networking. Then playing. Here's hoping all the projects work out for everyone involved. "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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