Apparently I just got fired from a band I helped form!

[gt96g]

Sounds like your better off. Lots of B.S. Especially if that guy was going off behind your back badmouthing you, that would have been it for me right there.

I had a similar situation, was in a cover band we had intentions of gigging out. We were building up our set lists learning at a good clip everyone seems happy. We are like a week out from having enough material to play out and our guitarist up and quits. When the band started he and the singer had a list of songs we learned most of them and a few we put off till later in place of other songs all of us could learn quicker so as to start making money quicker. We finally find out he was pissed he had to invest time learning new songs and thought the drummer and I were commandeering the band. Rather than saying anything and voicing his opinion he just left. Anyway the band dissolved and I am in a better band situation now. So in the long run things worked out.

[kjpollo]

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

+1

Rehearsal is fine. Once or twice a week MAX. Any cover band I EVER played in had a standard rule: learn the set list on your OWN TIME. Rehearsal is to get everything in place and then start playing out. You came to rehearsal unprepared, you caught hell.

Nowadays, we get together when we are working on stage cues, lighting cues and harmonies. We are all expected to know our parts...hell, we WROTE the damn music, why rehearse it over and over...

From your description, I doubt (but I don't know) that there was EVER any hope of going out. sounds more like a bunch of buds getting together and jammin....

We actually had 2 gigs lined up last year but the drummer pretty much veto'ed them. Great guy who I've known forever but a strict perfectionist. The rest of us were a little looser about things but he didnt want to go out there if everything wasnt a virtual copy of the original recorded version of the song. One gig was a slot in a charitable benefit show and the other would've been a one set opener for a Maiden or Priest tribute band (cant remember which). Granted our music wouldnt have been a perfect fit for a metal tribute band but the bar was in our hometown and we would've been playing for a lot of our friends.

[MarkMgibson]

Anyway, we have always had issues getting on a regular rehearsal schedule because most of us are married with kids, lives and day jobs.

Start acting like a responsible Rock & Roller for God's sake: Ditch the wife, abandon the kids, and quit that day job. Problem solved.

[kjpollo]

Originally Posted by gt96g

Sounds like your better off. Lots of B.S. Especially if that guy was going off behind your back badmouthing you, that would have been it for me right there.

I had a similar situation, was in a cover band we had intentions of gigging out. We were building up our set lists learning at a good clip everyone seems happy. We are like a week out from having enough material to play out and our guitarist up and quits. When the band started he and the singer had a list of songs we learned most of them and a few we put off till later in place of other songs all of us could learn quicker so as to start making money quicker. We finally find out he was pissed he had to invest time learning new songs and thought the drummer and I were commandeering the band. Rather than saying anything and voicing his opinion he just left. Anyway the band dissolved and I am in a better band situation now. So in the long run things worked out.

Yup that is similar!
Our biggest problem has always been getting a regular rehearsal schedule in place. We were a 6 piece band and its VERY easy for somebody to have a schedule conflict come up, especially when most of the guys are married and most of the married guys have kids. Me, the ex drummer and ex rhythm player are married with kids, the lead guitarist has a very longterm GF but no kids, the ex keyboard player is single but is partially responsible for the care of a disabled adult sister.
And the new drummer is married with kids as well.
ONLY the singer is single with no at-home responsibilities.

[kjpollo]

Originally Posted by MarkMgibson

Start acting like a responsible Rock & Roller for God's sake: Ditch the wife, abandon the kids, and quit that day job. Problem solved.

LMAO!!!

[Roadkill]

Originally Posted by kjpollo

We actually had 2 gigs lined up last year but the drummer pretty much veto'ed them. Great guy who I've known forever but a strict perfectionist.

I woulda quit right then - or fired him . Life's too short to play with perfectionists. Heck, I filled in at a rehearsal last week (bass player couldn't make it and they have a NYE gig to get ready for) and we jammed "Silvia's Mother" and "Freebird" which they had never played together before (and I never played before at all) and pulled them off well enough to pass at a bar gig - and I'm mediocre at best .

[Icey101]

so you did a couple of years of practice and they did you a favour and kicked you out to go find a proper band and do some gigs. dont see any issue do you?

[kjpollo]

I'm looking at totally shifting gears away from classic rock and into modern country.
Should be interesting.

[Joe Nerve]

Originally Posted by kjpollo

What a freaking afternoon!! I've been part of a NON-gigging classic rock cover band for about 3 years.

I read nothing in this thread or OP past this. It's all I needed to read. They did you a huge favor. Move on.

[Roadkill]

Originally Posted by kjpollo

I'm looking at totally shifting gears away from classic rock and into modern country.
Should be interesting.

Shoot, I'd love to do some of that myself! We'll flip for it - whoever loses has to switch to acoustic guitar .

[kjpollo]

BTW- thanks to everybody for the good wishes for my wife. She only missed 2 days of work and has been back on her feet for almost 2 weeks now.
She's a tough bird!!

[ChrisB2]

kjpollo, I agree they did you a favor. When you're looking for a new band, try limiting yourself to gigging, established bands in need of a bassist. You've done your time in the garage, get out there and play! There ARE bands that want the same things you want in terms of gigging and rehearsal frequency... just have to look for them.

I stayed with a non-gigging cover band for about six months once waiting for all the hopes, dreams, and promises to come through. That was my limit. I wished them luck but I was done wasting my time in the basement. Although they finally started gigging (I actually helped them get a couple of their first gigs), they never became a "real" gigging band.

[kjpollo]

I'm definitely putting it in my rearview. I should've bailed when the original drummer did because really, my biggest goal was to gig with him and the lead guitar player because they were guys I've known for SO long.
But the drummer and guitarist are so different musically it was gonna be tough. The drummer is a perfectionist and he likes straight ahead hard rockin tunes. Not metal necessarily but driving stuff. The guitarist likes more bluesy swinging Southern rock type stuff and he's not a perfectionist. He's OK if things arent exact as long as they still sound good. And I was right in the middle of the 2 of them in each way. I"m more of a fan of the straight ahead kind of tunes that the drummer likes but I also like the guitarists approach that things dont need to match the recording 100% to work properly.

Now this morning I got an apology from the singer- he especially apologized for badmouthing my wife. But still, I have lost all respect and trust for the guy and I'm done with him. And thats really not who I am but this dude was just vile toward me.

So in the end, I'm done with this project. I have a line on a modern country band so while thats a HUGE change of musical direction for me, its a new set of challenges to conquer.

Thanks for the support guys. Good to know I'm not wrong about all this.

Peace
Ken

[DWBass]

Hmmmm.............NON gigging.......hmmmm.............3 years......hmmmm........no gigs.............



I wouldn't be sad! I'd be relieved! You're freeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

[DieterVDW]

Seems like there is a communication problem, and different expectations.
It sucks indeed to expect a rehearsal to happen, and hear, or worse find out at the last minute that it does not go through.

One word of criticism though. No one will argue work and family goes before band rehearsal, but this:
"Now today its a week before Christmas and my wife and I still have a bunch of shopping and other holiday prep to do so I let everybody know around noon that I was out for tonight."
That would piss me off too, honestly.

We are 7 people in a band scheduling rehearsals, and we all arrange our busy schedules to keep rehearsal dates free. If someone were to back out of a rehearsal on the day itself, that's 6 people who did considerable effort to combine their busy schedules with the rehearsal dates for nothing. And for that, the reason needs to be considerable ... If the date was set enough in advance, you should plan for it and make it happen, or have a damn good excuse.

Depends on what you expect from eachother and the band ofcourse, but I think in most bands the shopping excuse would not fly ..
If that's a valid excuse, you're never gonna get 4 or more people together for rehearsal and you might as well just stop the band...

Good luck with finding a new band though!

[obimark]

Seen this many times and you should have quit a long time ago- IF YOU actually wanted to play out as a real gigging band? The question is do you? I am not so sure based on the shopping comment. I too would be pissed with this weaksauce excuse. We Americans buy too much crap for Xmas anyhow.

YOu see it is EASY to make excuses as to why you aren't playing out, "Oh it isn't quite ready, Oh well these songs need to be TIGHTER, my gear ain't right, Backup vocals need to be better, we need to add XXX player,etc...."

Its much harder to just go do it. IME, not one band puts on a "perfect" show, and I am including RUSH and the like right down to local cover bands- ZERO. I have seen RUSH screw up songs 3 times now.

Usually IME, one or two people in ANY band have an unrealistic expectation of everything being PERFECT before you PLAY out. They can EASILY sideline the band so it basically becomes a weekly practice session for a band that WILL NEVER PLay out anywhere.

My limit is usually 4 months, if ANY band hasn't played some type of gig other than in your basement within 3-4 months it MOST LIKELY NEVER will.

So decide what it is you want, but if you have too many time constraints a true gigging band MAY not be right for you, just be man enough to admit that you do a weekly JAM session with your band, but you are NOT a GIGGING Band.

[MarkMgibson]

Originally Posted by obimark

I have seen RUSH screw up songs 3 times now.

I believe they all fell asleep, so I wouldn't hold it against them.

[obimark]

Ha Ha!

[rtav]

Jeez...

Way to stay classy! Getting canned is NO fun for sure, but from the way this was (mis)handled it sounds like you're getting the better end of the deal.

Having reluctantly firing two people in our band over the past three years (one a founding member), I can't IMAGINE the gall of someone doing something like that via email. You just don't DO that. I thought the worst I'd heard of is Dream Theater firing Derek Sherinian via a conference call (they should've flown him out to LA and done it in person).

If you've GOT to let them go, have the class and balls to do it in person... and unless it's something FLAGRANTLY horrible (like theft of other band member's gear, or crazy sh#t like that), describe the firing to non-band members as "by mutual agreement."

You'll be MUCH better off without them - best wishes and good luck!

[two fingers]

Originally Posted by kjpollo

BTW- thanks to everybody for the good wishes for my wife. She only missed 2 days of work and has been back on her feet for almost 2 weeks now.
She's a tough bird!!

Awesome! My wife got a C section at 5:00am on a Monday. They cut a hole in her and pulled a person out. She WALKED out of the place Tuesday morning at 10:00am. I thought I was tough.