Damn, I'm toast...

[Jason Sypher]

I played a gig last night with a band that I work with about once a month. The money sucks, the music sucks, the vibe sucks, the sound sucks, the gig basically sucks. But it's a little bread, a cable billed paid, whatever. I'm telling you, it's composed of an entire band that doesn't swing. I mean right across the board, no swing. No matter what they touch, even the most basic country spittoon arrives stillborn like a fat cow. I know this by now but I hope for the best each time we play. Last night was particularly bad. I could barely contain my disgust. It was almost not to be believed. It's 7 now and I've got another gig in a few hours. I tell you, the entire day I've been wrecked! I tried to pull back a bit and not over play to try to get the music happening but still my body is an absolute wreck. Does this happen to any of you or am I just overly sensitive to the bad timing thing. I don't know, it was soul crushing. I spent the whole day thinking of violin making school. lol. Needless to say, I think that's the last one for me.

jeez

[dmusic148]

I totally get it- I'm in the same boat, just substitute 'groove' for 'swing.' I'm in an utterly un-funky funk band. I'm actually going to quit this weekend because I can't take it anymore. Life's too short.

[tangentmusic]

If you're not having fun, bag it

[SnakeKappele]

How long have they been playing? Try stepping up and showing them how to swing. You're in the rhythm section - take them to Funkytown .

[salcott]

It sounds like a suckfest all around. I played with a drummer for a while who made the gig feel like I was swimming with an anvil tied to one foot. The day after a gig (high pressure wedding band), I felt like I'd been in a street fight. I couldn't not try to make it groove, and it wasn't going to no matter what I did. The only way to cope was to not care. Luckily, the guy got a B'way show, and we got a good drummer who played til the agency folded.
Back to your situation-large bread can make up for a certain amount of suck, and great music can make up for weak $. No amount can uncrush a soul, though. I'd bail.

[rx2enemy]

Been there for sure. Packed my rig up in shame and quit. The singer felt the same way and we started a new band. Took a long time to find the right people, but it was worth it. Be brutal.

[Uncletoad]

Yes. I've been there more than once.

Makes me start thinking something is wrong with me until I play with someone that swings like a monkey and realize I don't suck after all.

I'm contemplating a major life/gig change surrounding that very thing now. About ready to bail from a whole bunch of $$ work because the new drummer eats ass and I'd rather work the drive through than spend another 5 minutes with this jive ass hack. Can't swing his way out of bucket and nobody else in the act seems to notice or care.

Wears me out trying to make music from the wreckage. Eventually I give up and start to watch soundless baseball on the hit to pass the time. Not where I want to be. At least the actual whores in the room have the sense to be properly paid for their craft. The distance between artist and putz is close enough to get very confusing in the right light.

[forester]

where is the next gig,sounds like my kind of music.

[Mike Goodbar]

Always make me wonder about all the drummers I've played with who probably woke up feeling like they spent the night pushing a large boulder up a hill.

[Steve Swan]

Life is way too short to play bad music. Ditch the bums and find some cool people to play with, even if it's in a garage for practice. Your music will grow instead of dying on the vine. Good luck!

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

Does this happen to any of you?

Yes. Once for every new non-swinging person/band, then not again if I can help it.

Sorry you're in that place. Don't go back! Hopefully your soul is only "mostly dead".

[M0ses]

Playing with people who suck is THE WORST. Not worth the money for me. I'd rather do some mindless menial labor. Like lifeguarding.......uuuuuuuuggggggggggggghhhhhhhh lifeguarding............what an awful job.

[Jason Sypher]

Well as often is the case tonight was a beautiful gig and completely effortless.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

a band that I WORK with

I think the choice is bigger than the project. This is the downside of working as a musician. I think the problem itself is big working scenes like NYC becoming toothless since nobody wants to offend anyone who might possibly hire them.
A well placed critque by older musicians could have cleared up some of the problems early on for each of those musicians.
Even worse, you can run into situations where it isn't the primary music of the musicians at hand and they just don't care.

The care for the music is the primary issue in the art vs. 'mersh ongoing argument.

It is part of why I don't mind most symphonies not playing "New Music" - I'd rather hear them play the sh__ out of Bach than a half-hearted reading of Xenakis.

Once you get extra-musical things involved like cable bills, getting laid, social scenes, etc. the care for the music itself becomes secondary or worse.

[moles]

Must be something in the air - I'm having the same heart-to-heart with myself right now. My gig on Monday actually caused a minor fit of depression for a day or two...
You know what I realized the other night? I've thankfully got opportunities to play with quite a few situations that *do* swing, and feel good...and I've sadly walked away from some of them in the past year due to time constraints. When you stare straight at the facts in black and white like that - well I'd be stupid to continue with the stuff that's a Bad Experience.

Plus, how do you attract new, better gigs when you're too busy and wiped out from playing the lousy ones?

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

Well as often is the case tonight was a beautiful gig and completely effortless.

Wait, we're talking the same band here?

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Makes me start thinking something is wrong with me until I play with someone that swings like a monkey and realize I don't suck after all.

Yup.

[jhelsley]

There is an old axiom about taking a gig that loosely says...

1. Good Money
2. Good Music
3. Good Hang

...if it doesn't have two of the three in some combination, walk away...

Like most folk wisdom, I can't explain it, but you'd better abide by it...

[Largedon]

Understand completely. I play in quite a few bands, but one of them I play with is composed of mostly weekend warriors. Great guys, but it can be really rough especially when the drummer has a bad night. I like the guy a lot but sometimes his time is just insane (ie tempo shifting everywhere even within one measure) and coming out of fills wrong. CAn make for a very tiring night. The only thing that keeps me sane is that the rest of the bands I'm in are all top-notch, college-educated musicians. Guess that's what I get for saying I would play bass for my wife's co-workers.

[Don Higdon]

Been there. Most of us have.
We do it when the economic pressure seems irresistable. Wife, kids, mortgage, bills. It's really an individual decision. We all have our own choke point. I wish you the best.

[Jason Sypher]

To clarify, the following good night was not the same band.

Damon, I have considered telling them many times but at this point, I highly doubt they are ready to change, even if they could. These are guys who have high paying corporate jobs. You know the ones. They're into string band music, blues and "early jazz". They play it because it's easy to play. Of course it's easy to play but it's not easy to play well and make it in any way relevant to this moment. They have fancy guitars and talk about them. They're solos are abysmal. It's all schtick. I would never play with them in the past but, since the downturn, I have accepted gigs that I normally wouldn't even think of doing. What's kind of interesting to me is that I can tell a good musician in one note. You either got it or you don't as far as I'm concerned. You either make an A that beckons or repels. The next night I played in a little trio and tuning up together was a like drinking a tonic! Music just poured out. Mind you the bar was full of non listeners and random upper east side types. But we played some very nice, empathetic, challenging music that was conversational, surprising and right in the zone.
In a moment the pain in my arms was gone, I wasn't the least bit tired and I hardly missed a single change...

[Tbeers]

If it's a bad enough experience that you tense up and feel sore/physically out of sorts the following day, you'll lose money from this gig in the long run.