Advice needed about Unprofessional moment(s) from Guitar player

Double D · #1 11-07-2011, 08:59 AM

This happened Saturday night at a dive bar where my band was playing for the 1st time. I have worked with this guitar player in various bands over the last 20 years and never seen him do something like this.

5 songs into the set he broke a string, it happens, but he continued to play the song even though he was out of tune and played one of the absolute worst ending solos I have ever heard. We have a 2nd guitar player so why he didn't mute and change guitars as soon as he broke the string (and sent the rest of it out of tune). He could have come right back in when ready and been fine.
This is what happened after the song which set me off...

He proceeds to hit the last chord, lay his guitar down on the floor with it still live, feedback and all through the PA, walks off stage to get his 2nd guitar, unplugs his squealing guitar live through the PA, plugs in new THEN goes into mute to tune. This took roughly 4 minutes and the whole time the band was left to try to cover this time and we really had no idea what was going on. I saw a few dropped jaws in the place and the rest of the set just did not have the fire it had up until this point.

I really only bring this up because he has been great over these last 20 years and is very professional but the last 2 gigs he has been the last to take the stage forcing us and the crowds to wait, once for beer and the 2nd for chicken (?) then tuning (It almost seems likes he plays for the Red Sox) and can't really pin point the issue.

I love the guy to death but I am so pissed with his attitude lately that I feel like I am gonna explode at him.

Should I wait to speak with him after our next gig in 2 weeks to see how that goes or try to quell my anger and explain my dis-satisfaction with his recent un-professionalism?

Or am I over-reacting?

toDD

Floyd Eye · #2 11-07-2011, 09:01 AM

No, you are not over reacting. Talk to him about it, but try not to be a **** about it.

IncX · #3 11-07-2011, 09:09 AM

if you are that close-a-friends, wouldn't it be easier to talk about these things?

maybe the guy is going through some tough times and he might need to take a break

Swampman Cory · #4 11-07-2011, 09:11 AM

Discuss this with him. Maybe he's developed an attitude that is a problem, or maybe the issues were just mistakes because his head is in a totally different place.

jaywa · #5 11-07-2011, 09:15 AM

It almost sounds like he's trying to get fired. He obviously has been playing long enough to know what's "pro" behavior and what's not, so it seems pretty obvious this recent run of bad behavior is intentional.

Maybe he wants out of the band but doesn't have the stones to quit.

rtslinger · #6 11-07-2011, 09:23 AM

Yeah have a one on one with him and find out where his head is at.

lfmn16 · #7 11-07-2011, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtslinger

Yeah have a one on one with him and find out where his head is at.

I think we all know where his head is at. I'd ask him if he's going to pull it out.

DblG · #8 11-07-2011, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lfmn16

I think we all know where his head is at. I'd ask him if he's going to pull it out.

I lol'd.

JohnMCA72 · #9 11-07-2011, 10:03 AM

He may have thought he was making the best out of a bad situation, & that it would have been a cool thing, but failed. Sometimes, what seems like a good idea at the time turns out to be awful. I'd talk to him about it, but bring it up casually. Give him a chance to say that it was a "good idea" at the time that failed badly, if that's what it was.

If that's what it was, then you can all have a good laugh every time it comes up in the future. If not, go from there.

Pilgrim · #10 11-07-2011, 10:07 AM

You are completely over-reacting.

You've known this guy 20 years and you don't have the relationship to sit down and talk about this??????????????????????????????????????

Take him aside, talk with him about the change in behavior you have observed and ask what's going on in his life. When something like this happens, there's a reason...maybe more than one.

Double D · #11 11-07-2011, 10:09 AM

Good stuff. I haven't spoken with him because I tend to have a temper and really want to cool my head before I discuss with him. I really don't think he is trying to get fired. We are about to release our debut and he's never been more excited about a creative endeavor than this record. It's very surprising behavior from him to say the least. Maybe something else is going on besides all of the other crap I know he is going through.

Gonna give it a few more days and I do have the incident on video so I may let moving pictures speak louder than the words I want to say. I am gonna give him the benefit of the doubt.

Double D · #12 11-07-2011, 10:10 AM

Pilgrim I agree with you 100% and will talk to him but I am a hot head and don't want to say something I may regret later. I need to let my cooler head prevail.

theretheyare · #13 11-07-2011, 10:16 AM

A very professional bass player who plays music I write once did a 'less than stellar" gig. Came out he had a weird and very unnerving run-in with cops on the way to the gig. To add, his father had just died from cancer a few weeks earlier. Hell, I wouldn't stand for my own playing in a situation like that.

If you know him for 20 years and you love him to death, then sure you would assume that there is something going in in his life, which can happen to all of us. Just ask him ;-)

bassgod0dmw · #14 11-07-2011, 10:33 AM

I'd talk to him about it...

But seriously, why didn't anyone just go and mute his signal, or turn off/standby his amp? After the 1st minute no one thought that would have been a good idea, let alone all the way up to 4 minutes?

jaywa · #15 11-07-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

why didn't anyone just go and mute his signal

I was wondering that too. OTOH in some bands (like mine) it's an unwritten rule that nobody messes with anyone else's personal gear so maybe that's what was going on here.

bassgod0dmw · #16 11-07-2011, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaywa

some bands (like mine) it's an unwritten rule that nobody messes with anyone else's personal gear so maybe that's what was going on here.

Mine too, but if someone did that during a gig I'd do it in a second.

Double D · #17 11-07-2011, 10:49 AM

Hindsight is 20-20 but we really had no idea what was going on. I didn't know he broke a string until after this debacle. He didn't say a word to any of us. Next time you can be sure I will be clicking on his mute!
After watching the vid I said he could have done this..etc.
I guess it was just poor communication on stage at that time...like I said a very un-like thing for him to do. We were all kinda of confused and stunned.
I know the guy and he has been going through a bit and he was in a great mood prior to set time so I can't really explain it.
I'm gonna reach out to him today and talk about it calmly. I have cooled off enough to do so.

bassgod0dmw · #18 11-07-2011, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

I didn't know he broke a string until after this debacle.

"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Everybody stop playing. I broke a string..."

I kid, I kid.

Downunderwonder · #19 11-08-2011, 02:39 AM

We were about to fire a drummer when it turned out he was having a few issues with his employer. I'm glad we got to the bottom of it nice and calmly before we went all nuclear on the situation.

steveksux · #20 11-08-2011, 05:27 PM

You're doing the right thing, cool down first, so you're not angry and confrontational. Ask how he's doing, is something bothering him, he seems out of sorts, distracted? Something like that.

You want to ease into the "hey you really sucked last night" speech....

Randy