cd release party fiasco last night...

[rumblinbass]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Think about it from the other bass player's perspective: He's been with this band for well over a year, yet has to step aside when you decide to play at a showcase gig. I probably wouldn't be too happy, either.

+1, I agree with that completely. Which is why I asked first. In his place I probably wouldn't be too happy about it...but I also wouldn't go off and pout about it then get friends to fight my battle and completely embarrass the band and bass player.

[OtterOnBass]

Last hurrah? No way. A year-and-a-half-later is more like, I'm coming back! Definitely a threat to the current bassist. You should start looking for a new gig now that your baby's older. I'm not sure what your schedule's like, but my baby's not keeping me home every night any more. Maybe a bar has a jam night, or some other musicians are looking for a garage band, there's a lot out there besides commit-thy-soul bands.

[QORC]

I wouldn't be happy if my current band asked the old bass player back to play anything, let alone a half a set. Let alone a release party. I'd be pissed too. Yes, it comes down to band communication.

[warnergt]

Originally Posted by rumblinbass

...we didn't want to play musical bass players...

I know what you mean but there is something funny about that phrase.

[dave_bass5]

Can i just get this clear.
Danny wasnt told about the OP playing half the set and was pissed off BUT didn't actually do anything wrong during the first half of the gig? Wasnt it his freinds that caused the problem.
And i get the impression (no offence meant) that after not playing with a band for 18 months the OP still think its more or less the same crowd he helped build when he was in the band, even though he has admitted the gigs were growing and so i take it were the fans.
One more thing, Its been mentioned that "If the current bass player showed up to practice so that we would all be on the same page". Well why didn't someone just tell him what's going on. Im sure he didnt need to be at a rehearsal for songs he wasn't playing on but that doesn't stop him from being kept in the loop.
The girls shouting was wrong but if Danny wasn't involved then why blame him (im going by the first post here and if i he was also shouting or egging them on then i have it wrong)

Sorry but im on Danny's side here. After 18 months away i get the impression the OP still feels he has made a bigger impact in the band than Danny has.
It was agreed that the OP will do this gig but after 18 months with a stable (i assume) line up having to use another bass player might not have been ideal for the rest of the band either. After 18 months you are not still part of the band and the audience were not getting the band i assume they came to see.
still, band politics have never been my strong point.
IMO of course.

[kraigo]

If it were my band, the kind of crap that the new bass player pulled would have gotten you called to the mat. It was immature and unprofessional. That said, there's no "do over". You'll have to get over it. It's between the band and the bass player and none of your concern any more.

KO

[dave_bass5]

Originally Posted by kraigo

If it were my band, the kind of crap that the new bass player pulled would have gotten you called to the mat. It was immature and unprofessional. That said, there's no "do over". You'll have to get over it. It's between the band and the bass player and none of your concern any more.

KO

Can you clarify for me what the Bass player did.
I still cant tell if he did anything wrong. i understood it to be his friends causing the scene.
I really am just asking as im not clear on this.

Oh, and 18 months aint "new" IMO. He is THE bass player.

[lamonica78]

Honestly, I think you need to just get over it and yourself. You're acting like the night was all about you. It wasn't YOUR night, it was the band's night and that includes the CURRENT bassist. The band was gracious enough to let you sit in for the CD release show, but when push comes to shove, you left over a year ago. They were not obligated to let you play, regardless of whether you recorded the CD or not. It's cool that they let you play, but it also sucks for the other bassist who had friends/family pay money to come out and see a show where they thought he would be playing. Did they handle immaturely? Absolutely. Does it warrant you feeling a little upset? Sure. But seriously, get over it!

[rumblinbass]

Originally Posted by lamonica78

Honestly, I think you need to just get over it and yourself. You're acting like the night was all about you. It wasn't YOUR night, it was the band's night and that includes the CURRENT bassist. The band was gracious enough to let you sit in for the CD release show, but when push comes to shove, you left over a year ago. They were not obligated to let you play, regardless of whether you recorded the CD or not. It's cool that they let you play, but it also sucks for the other bassist who had friends/family pay money to come out and see a show where they thought he would be playing. Did they handle immaturely? Absolutely. Does it warrant you feeling a little upset? Sure. But seriously, get over it!

whoa there buddy! get over myself? Acting like the night was all about me? where did you get all that?

I left about 18 months ago but the CP had been playing for only 3 of those months. I had played with the band for over 4 years and helped establish the crowd that they currently have. At this particular show there were a lot of familiar faces...a few new ones but for the most part the same crowd. A lot of those people I am friends with as well.

Of course this show was about the band. It was the band that was all about me playing the cd release party, a cd in which I recorded.

The CP decided to go stand outside the front of the bar and refuse to go inside. Telling everybody how pissed he was. A couple of those people are friends of his and decided to take it upon themselves to act the way they did. I can understand him being upset due to a mis-communication, I can not understand the way he acted as a result. He could have waited until after the while show and talked to the band afterward. That way it would have kept the drama to a minimum and not caused any unnecessary emabarrasment to the band. And yes, the band is pretty embarrassed.

Seriously, you are entitled to your opinion - but why are you attacking me? The CP played all the crowd pleasers and all new songs. I only played one of the cd release parties...there was another the night before in a different city that I did not play at all. This show was meant as just that, a show - with the original bass player that most (95%) of the crowd remembers. Kind of a nostalgia thing.

I was just trying to share my experience. Everyone has and is entitled to their opinion. Whether or not you agree with the fact that I played makes no difference to me. Might I add that it was run my the CP to make sure that it was cool. Not only that but he didn't show up to the practice, never asked what songs I was playing, and was even showed the set list before the show. He had more that enough opportunity to voice his opinion and thoughts.

As far as I'm concerned his actions were inexcusable. The result of his (and others) need for this high school drama was that they completely embarrassed me and more importantly - the band. This was something that should have been handled within the band and not in front of a huge crown...more importantly not in front of the head of the label they are affiliated with.

[kraigo]

Originally Posted by dave_bass5

Can you clarify for me what the Bass player did.
I still cant tell if he did anything wrong. i understood it to be his friends causing the scene.
I really am just asking as im not clear on this.

I misspoke - the impression I got reading the original post was that behind the scenes the "new" bassplayer had quietly urged it. If that wasn't the case (and it appears it wasn't) then he didn't do anything wrong - then again he had the chance to tell his friends to chill and he didn't. He probably should have.

KO

[Madness]

Originally Posted by lavmonga

+1 for the donkey punch

Totally my new Sig!!!

[JackANSI]

I've been in this situation, although it was a work related reason I left the band. I was in this band for about 20 months since its start. We actually recorded because of the fact I was leaving and they wanted to be able to hand this to the next guy and say "learn this".

At the release show, I played the one song I wrote and that was it (wrote all the bass lines, just one song I wrote lyrics, bass, and drums). I wanted to play more, the band wanted to play more with me, but the new bassist, who I picked, deserved to be their bassist that night. After playing with them for 9 months, he deserves his spot in the show just as much as I did. Since he is "present" and I'm "past" I knew I couldn't expect to walk back into the gig that I left. Even if I was the original bassist and even if it was only half of each set. Thats not how being part of the "past" works. You have to let things go that you had to let go.

I still get the satisfaction of knowing that everything people would listen to, except live, is actually me.

The other bassist works just as hard as you do, or the rest of the band would have dealt with him accordingly.

Now if he was the cause, directly or indirectly, of the issue thats a different thing. If he didn't know it was going on for some reason, then its his friends' fault. He is blameless. If he was pouting and that led to his friends doing something, especially if he had a chance to stop it at some point, shame on him. If your bandmates didn't put a stop to it or say something about it, shame on them.


I totally understand where the new bassist would be coming from as far as me putting myself in that situation. But I would have dealt with it like this:

If you made motions as to thinking you were the "stuff" only because you put more time in than me, I would have completely gone over the top with my performance and tried to show you that: 1. I deserve this, thats what the audition was for, 2. I can do whatever you did, only better, and 3. I ~LET~ you play as a professional courtesy. I at least would talk to my friends and get them to cool off their jets.

If you were cool about it, not pushy, and bothered to earn my respect (by acknowledging me and my efforts), I would let you have your space. If my friends pulled that crap, I'd personally take them outside and give them the once over.

Beyond that I would sit back and take the time to catch up on my beer quota , talk to people, sell CD's, etc... Since that will be mostly money in my pocket at the end of the night, straight out of yours

[jgroh]

I would have been embarrassed as well, however, this seems like it was the band's fault for not communicating everything to the new bass player. The new bass player certainly didnt go out of his way to find out what was going on either, and standing outside fuming while his friends chant for him was not cool.

It was a CD release party for a CD in which you played on. The band didnt have to let you play the gig, but they did and as such should have made certain everyone was on the same page and at the very least, made an announcement like someone else said earlier.

[Entre Nous 2007]

Originally Posted by kraigo

If it were my band, the kind of crap that the new bass player pulled would have gotten you called to the mat. It was immature and unprofessional.

agreed, and if he wasn't the one who orchestrated or helped orchestrate the chanting, etc., b.s., that's fine but doesn't sound exactly like he threw water on them either... if he was indeed complicit in the immature behavior then i'd probably be inquiring as to the availability of the original bassist.