Odd audtion last night...

BigOldHarry · #1 03-09-2011, 10:19 AM

So they send me their entire set list but don't tell me what tunes to learn for the audition - - they said "Don't worry about it. Play what you know..."

I get there (interestingly, it's in the part of San Diego that you might call The Hood...) and it's just me and the horn player. He start playing a CD with remixes of tunes on the set list - and many that are NOT... and says "Play" and watches me. So, I wing it for two full CDs...

He finally stops the second CD and says "well, you didn't have a problem with that... Be here tomorrow night for a full band rehearsal..." Very odd.

Musicians. What can you say?

jaywa · #2 03-09-2011, 10:38 AM

That's weird. So the horn player apparently is the de facto Musical Director and he screens auditioners before the whole band gets involved.

Kinda funky from the auditioner's perspective but makes sense from a band management point of view. If you had been a guy that couldn't hang then at least it was only only one band member's time wasted.

faulknersj · #3 03-09-2011, 10:54 AM

Maybe they don't stick to set arrangements all the time and were testing your ability to improvise off the cuff? How did the bands recordings sound on the CD you played along with?

JoZac21 · #4 03-09-2011, 10:58 AM

Yeah, I'd wait to play w. the whole group before making any brash decisions... sounds like screening to me too.

smcgov · #5 03-09-2011, 11:05 AM

I've been on a full band audition once where personality mattered but the drummer's opinion was really what counted.

EdMerc · #6 03-09-2011, 11:12 AM

I'd say it was weird in that it's not how it's usually done, but personally, I think it's a good sign.

It seems they have a definite band leader. That's good.
It seems they are not interested in wasting band members time needlessly. That's also good.

He watched you improvise and figured you could hang with them. That tells me that they "jam" and don't just churn out the same thing over and over. I think that's a major bonus.

To quote Joey Tribbiani:
"I mean, what's not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good! "

BigOldHarry · #7 03-09-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faulknersj

Maybe they don't stick to set arrangements all the time and were testing your ability to improvise off the cuff? How did the bands recordings sound on the CD you played along with?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking - or rather, hoping. If the idea is to see how guys wing it, I get it... but it could be that they just don't have their feces together, which isn't good...

The dude was kind of quiet and not overly friendly - like this *was* a job interview - - which I also get... He only played his sax a bit, and he seemed to know what he was doing, but you really never know how a guy plays until you see the band doing its thing.

The recordings were re-mixes his keyboard player did to work in band things - breaks for the dancers or raps or fun drum breaks... Which, of course, let to some confusion on my part.

Another thing that made this tricky is that the CDs he was playing *skipped* - as in hiccuped mid song like the player was bunged up - quite a bit. He was apologetic for his player being old, but at some point it got so bad I stopped playing with one tune and said "You're doing this just to trip guys up, right" - to which he laughed...

I think it will be interesting to see the whole-band thing tonight. Sitting and playing with a CD with a dude staring at you is a bit unnerving...

faulknersj · #8 03-09-2011, 11:30 AM

Shoot an update after full band rehearsal tonight!

Raymeous · #9 03-09-2011, 11:31 AM

Sounds like a "what the hell is going on?" kind of audition...

I remember a stupid one that I wouldn't really call an audition but back in high school I was going to play in one of the plays the drama department was putting on. I got a cassette copy of the tunes, the sheet music, and then a practice with the cast. All three things were in different keys, and toatlly different arrangements, complete with a medley at the live rehearsal that I was not made aware of. I hate that kind of stuff.

bluewine · #10 03-09-2011, 11:33 AM

Hey like you guys say, if theres $$$ out there, jump through a few hoops.

The scenario does sound strange.

Winning

blue

Stumbo · #11 03-10-2011, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigOldHarry

Another thing that made this tricky is that the CDs he was playing *skipped* - as in hiccuped mid song like the player was bunged up - quite a bit.

-100

I mean, you're auditioning them as well.

Guess he doesn't get that or he would have used a functional CD player.

Wankishness IMO.

If your bass/amp was cutting out randomly, would he have cut you a break? I doubt it.

steveksux · #12 03-10-2011, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigOldHarry

So they send me their entire set list but don't tell me what tunes to learn for the audition - - they said "Don't worry about it. Play what you know..."

I don't have a problem with that, find out how you sound when you're comfortable with the material, rather than something you just learned, or just barely have under your fingers. I want to see what the end product will be once you're up to speed.

Of course, I also want to see how you pick up songs, so a couple that you have to learn from scratch is also a good idea..

Quote:

I get there (interestingly, it's in the part of San Diego that you might call The Hood...) and it's just me and the horn player. He start playing a CD with remixes of tunes on the set list - and many that are NOT... and says "Play" and watches me. So, I wing it for two full CDs...

He finally stops the second CD and says "well, you didn't have a problem with that... Be here tomorrow night for a full band rehearsal..." Very odd.

Musicians. What can you say?

This is the part where he finds out if your ear is good enough to follow without knowing the songs ahead of time...

My P&W audition had some songs he had send me links to the day before, then he played some stuff on keys, and had me follow, he tends to wing it on background music played between actual songs during the service, wanted to know if I could hack following on the fly. So it wasn't that different from what you had, only he was able to play it, didn't have to rely on me following a cd. Or a cd that skipped.

But yeah, did sound a little bizarre, its a good way to weed out weak players that aren't worth wasting the rest of the band's time, but also a good way to weed out competent guys that don't like their time wasted... I agree with Stumbo, wouldn't hurt to go to the trouble to have a working cd. Makes you wonder if they can't afford a cd player that works, what does their PA look like??

How big is the band, how many members? Bigger the band, harder it is to get a rehearsal together, more important to not waste what little time they have auditioning hacks, so I can see it making sense to try to screen people ahead of time. Not sure this is the right way to do it though.

I had one audition where the drummer didn't bother coming downstairs, they just used a drum machine with the band. Showed me a few songs on the fly to see if I was rhythmically challenged. After a while he came downstairs, kind of shocked look on his face that it was me playing bass, guess I was doing ok, he started playing then.

Randy

AltGrendel · #13 03-12-2011, 09:56 AM

So what happened? Things turn out ok?

Munjibunga · #14 03-12-2011, 10:24 AM

Harry ... you OK? Did you make it out of Southeast?

Jason P Bass · #15 03-13-2011, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stumbo

I mean, you're auditioning them as well.

A lot of people are jumping to conclusions, but I completely agree with this. If I went to that kind of "audition" without any reasonable explanation, it would leave me with a bad impression. I would definitely question whether I should go back or not.

But it COULD be a very serious band with a crappy CD player trying to find a bass player.

JohnMCA72 · #16 03-13-2011, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smcgov

I've been on a full band audition once where personality mattered but the drummer's opinion was really what counted.

That wasn't Buddy Rich, was it????

WardEarth · #17 03-13-2011, 11:36 AM

An audition in the hood, with an unfriendly horn player, winging it through 2 CD's worth of skipping music.

From one SD bass player to another, Kudos. You probably gave him a better impression than he gave you. This city needs more music, so I would still go check out how they sound.
But, by now you've already went and maybe they abducted you, cause you haven't came back yet.

Downunderwonder · #18 03-13-2011, 11:40 AM

Last Activity: 03-12-2011 03:57 PM

is that Downunder time or LA time?

prd004 · #19 03-13-2011, 11:44 AM

Sounds to me like they were throwing you a curveball, just to see how you would handle it. Anybody can pick four or five songs out of a setlist and show up, sound good, and seem like they can play, but they may have chosen to give you a harder test and it seems like you passed!

I'd go to the next band audition

electracoyote · #20 03-13-2011, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigOldHarry

Musicians. What can you say?

Not my cup of tea.