Auditions, How To Weed Out Flakes

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by jive1

Here's the thing about cover band rehearsals.


- If you have 4-5 guys who know the material, and know how to work together, you can get by with little to no rehearsal.


- If most of the guys know the show, it's easier to bring a single player in without missing a step. For each member you have to replace, the ability to adjust on the fly is compromised and a rehearsal can be helpful.

That is my band.We all know are parts and play the songs the same way at all the shows. If we bring in a new player or add songs we practice. Our last show was a month almost with no practice and we were tight all night.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by smogg

Great game.... didn't think of the Beatles, but I'll bet you would concur that the ad could just as easily have applied to CSNY, aye?

Other than the Germany thing and being bigger than Jesus, I guess I could see that.

[smogg]

Originally Posted by jive1

Other than the Germany thing and being bigger than Jesus, I guess I could see that.

OK you got me there. The "bigger than Jesus" is pretty much exclusive to the Beatles.
You mind if I "barrow" the game for a holiday get together coming up?

[jive1]

Originally Posted by smogg

OK you got me there. The "bigger than Jesus" is pretty much exclusive to the Beatles.
You mind if I "barrow" the game for a holiday get together coming up?

Steal it, and have fun with it!

[smogg]

Originally Posted by jive1

Steal it, and have fun with it!

thanks bro

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

Give you a proper definition of "practice". You said there was no difference, and apparently there is. Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers.

Haha! I understand the definition of practice just fine. In the same vein as your suggestion, perhaps you need to learn to read more carefully to help your comprehension

I didn't simply say there is no difference between rehearsal and practice. I said "When describing band practice, they are interchangeable." That's because the definition of rehearse is practice. All rehearsal is, therefore, practice, so anything that can be called rehearsal can correctly be called practice (that does not say that reverse - i.e., that all practice is rehearsal - is true, which is what I believe your poor comprehension had you thinking I said).

Just like you or bluewine could say "People don't get the differentiation between collie and dog." I'd say a collie IS a dog. Therefore, anything you can call a collie, you can also correctly call a dog.

I also said that the idea that practicing is something you do by yourself while rehearing is done with a group is wrong, there is nothing in the definition of the word practice that changes that.

[nortonrider]

I know that football teams "practice",
But......
I have never even heard of one "rehearsing".

(maybe there IS a difference in the words)

[bluewine]

Thanks Everyone,

Aside from the small derail, this was a fun productive thread.

Blue

[drpepper]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

I know that football teams "practice",
But......
I have never even heard of one "rehearsing".

(maybe there IS a difference in the words)

Wow, you gotta love Internet forums!

[Big Brother]

Originally Posted by bluewine

Look at each bullet point. What "red flags" do you see.

Blue

Bullet points are a red flag.

[Grabow]

ask them to call you, not email, that can be the first filter
if they don't call, how interested are they?
secondly, you can usually tell where a persons head is at in a phone call

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by Grabow

ask them to call you, not email, that can be the first filter
if they don't call, how interested are they?
secondly, you can usually tell where a persons head is at in a phone call

Good point, I remember from 1 phone call I discovered that the established cover band shown in the web site was no longer current ( they had lost a key female vocalist), they did own their own pa and they only wanted to gig once a month.

Not a match for me.

Blue

[Depth_Charge]

Sometimes, emailing and calling isn't that effective.
Last group I joined (yeah Blue, you were right, wrong fit haha) email was fine, talking to the drummer was fine (although he was a little enthusiastic)...

...starting jamming and it soon becomes apparent everything is hanging on the guitarist. Who has 4 projects on the go, isn't sure if this one will be named what he is telling people its called, gets thrown if I add an extra note or fill outside of the recording, needs the drummer to count songs in he should start, brought in an awesome singer but won't change the list to suit said singer, had him sing off a different list I was given, while asking me all night if I know songs from that list, wants a singing keyboard player but isn't auditioning anyone for the spot, and sometimes I'm sure he forgets which project is which, since he has 4 (non-gigging) on the go.

None of this was apparent in either the pre-acceptance emails or the calls with the drummer, I just realised it while going along.

Good times

[hernameisrio]

Where are these guys located? I think geography is a factor.

I noticed the implication that being in your 30's seems to automatically=kids and a spouse. Not so. In fact, for whatever reason, I took the most issue with this comment and it wasn't even mentioned in the original [fake] ad. Anyway. Without getting too personal, I'm hitting that weird tipping point as a 30-year old woman where people don't understand why I yell, "God no!" and look offended when they ask if I have kids or if I'm married. More and more, especially if you're a creative type with a less conventional lifestyle...especially if you live in an urban area where again, the lifestyle is different...people are not having kids as much as they used to. Being in your 30's no longer translates to being required to start a family. I don't know what the red flag is supposed to be here, maybe the implication that by the time you're in your 30's, you should have a better sense of where you're going with your band? :shrug: That's about all I can think of.

Also, I don't think it's necessarily bad to admit outright that you actually want to make money off your music. But if you say something like that, go into detail about it in a way that will sell aspiring band members on the idea. Oh yeah? Where have you guys played? Do you have a manager? Will I be signing a contract? Do I get songwriting credits on the new material?

As for the genres and covers, yeah, that made me cringe for sure, for reasons others have already specified.

And finally, practicing twice a week? It depends. In this case, the whole start-up/drastically new direction thing, makes it suspicious. If the band is still writing material while rehearsing the established songs, sure, maybe twice a week is okay. But in general, it seems like a thinly veiled excuse for a band that doesn't know the material, can't play, or isn't motivated enough to practice on their own.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by hernameisrio

Where are these guys located? I think geography is a factor.

I'm the OP, the fictional ad could be Any Town USA.

As for the age of 30, I initially planted in the ad as a red flag because I thought a 30 year old could or should be able to write a better ad.

However it got "thumbs down" as a red flag.

Blue

[Ubersheist]

Originally Posted by jive1

Sometimes it's difficult to get decent players whose schedules match. I landed a sub gig with an established act that was over 10 years old that did the A list clubs because they couldn't find a full-time player who can do their playlist with no rehearsal and do 8-10 shows a month. Until they found a guy that could do it, they had to use subs for a stretch. The band had a deep bench, but sometimes the bench runs out and you have to pick up a guy off the street.

Just a red flag, not a deal killer...

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by drpepper

Wow, you gotta love Internet forums!