Band Crossroads - a singer and guitarist thing

[IncX]

i realized i wrote a long post, so i divided the parts up for easier reading + skipping.

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BACK STORY (you can skip this):

i just had a crappy band rehearsal yesterday, and some issues were brought forth.

i believe i've started 3 threads about my band (lol is that hint enough?):

-issue about the guitar player wanting to change my bass sound (which i later complied)

-issue with an overplaying new drummer (who turned out to be just enthusiastic and ... he does love getting attention, although still manageable).

-THIS ONE

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BAD REHEARSAL NIGHT (description of what ticked the guy off)


So last night, our band had a new member - a BASS PEDALBOARD. lead guitar guy saw it and was frowning ... i asked about him getting a Pedal Train Pro cause i saw a really good deal on ebay (his pedal board looks messy), and he went "what? another expense?!" ... he said it in a way that he wasn't happy i spent on a pedal board set-up.

so, i brought my Warwick Vampyre LTD (swamp ash, quilted maple top) 'cause i was expecting to rehearse in studio A, but instead ended in studio B, that has a really trebly-thin amp; vampyre LTD + that amp = TREBLE and the complete absence of bass.

i had a Sansamp BDI on my board, and i set it to overdrive my sound a little, and in the process, brings forth a bit of Subs in the mix - i also made the mistake of setting it louder than my clean, so what happens is that every time i turn it on, the band gets a bass, and when its off, the bass suddenly disappears from the mix.

now, i could have turned it on all the time, but from experience, the guitar player hates it when things get loud ... so i only turn it on during the chorus parts. i do admit though, that it sounded bad cause the band dynamics wobbles.

i also have 5 other pedals which i switch around with, and well, it's my first time playing with a pedal board (with the band around), and i came in a bit early or a bit late in some parts.

the singer was off key (yeah yeah ... a lot of you told me that she's a bigger problem lol) because she couldn't hear herself. she also did not nail the song melodies because as usual, she did not rehearse by herself.

the final part is - the drummer forgetting some of the songs, it wasn't that bad (he has improved big time and has given up at least 70% of his attention-calling drum fills), and i was distracted with our groove not being tight.

you mix all of the factors, and everything was a mess - it wasn't a complete train wreck, its just frustrating because we have played a lot better than that night.

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PROBLEM #1 (yes, there's more than one)

now, lead guitarist just got pissed off and started being an a** ... he started turning out louder than the rest of us, which was OK with me, since i did like hearing his solos and melodies come out. his attitude was something else though... he was not talking and just ignoring the whole band, not giving or getting visual cues. just complete silence while he was in his own world.

at the end of rehearsal, i asked everyone's feed back, and the lead guy was really bringing in negative energy. stomping off... blaming my pedal board, making judgments, saying it made me sound thin (he went as far as playing BASS LINES on his Greco Les Paul in a song - finger style and all).

i explained to him everything - the amp and bass compo was unexpected, the sansamp was the one that got me back in the mix, but i turned it off because i didn't wanna swallow the band all the time, etc.

he did not wanna hear it ... so i proposed a solution, telling him the 4 of us will practice without him until we get our groove tight before we call him. he was dismissive.

i told him he should not act like that because we are a team, and we are supposed to work with each other, not judging or blaming. he just walked out.

now, he was right to not enjoy the rehearsal, i thought it sucked too ... but the 4 of us did not take it the way he did. and oh, his parts were not perfect either, but i am sure he would blame me for that (which is probably true, but then again, since when did blaming solved anything?).

so the question ... SHOULD WE KEEP HIM?

his pros are:
-complete gear (very rare in the Philippines)
-talented, can nail covers and write songs.
-punctual/professional

Cons:
-explosive temper. in all the threads i started, it involved him getting fiery mad. i have a short temper too, but he is in another level... i am just glad i am 160 lbs heavier than him, so there would be no fist fights anytime soon.
-does not give feed back until he is pissed off mad. i can give more negatives but i realized its centered around him having a really short fuse.

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PROBLEM #2 (this will be short, i promise)

as we discussed future plans, singer suddenly revealed she would be dead busy starting the 3rd week of october, until March ... which would translate to her not being able to rehearse regularly (she is also the band member who needs the most baby-sitting since she has terrible practice habits).

so basically, our band would be on hiatus for 5 months (a lot longer than we've been together)...

Pros of the singer
-excellent stage presence
-good temperament/easy to work with
-can write songs
-shows up on time (usually late, but then again, a singer who is less than 30 mins. late is considered "on time")

Cons
-limited vocal range
-gets off key quite often, especially when she's nervous
-not good with audience interaction (she's very shy).

SHOULD WE GO ON WITH THE BAND? since our band is pretty much entwined to our singer's identity.

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It is a very long post, and i am thanking everyone in advance here who have taken the time to read and give their opinions about the situation.

[lowfreq33]

Doesn't sound like there are many reasons to stick around. Do you guys play out, or is it still in rehearsal stage?

[IncX]

Originally Posted by lowfreq33

Doesn't sound like there are many reasons to stick around. Do you guys play out, or is it still in rehearsal stage?

the rehearsal stage, but only a few practices more before we can play a min. of once a week (not paid though).

the good thing is that the rhythm section - me, rhythm guitar and drummer are all cool...

[Depth_Charge]

Yeah the band (as a concept) definately should go on!

It was a bad rehearsal, those happen. This one was exacerbated by the possibility the lead guitarist may have been put off by your recommendations towards his gear. You mentioned gear is hard to come by around your parts, I suspect maybe those who can get more gear are valued more than those who can't? That could be part his concern. Or perhaps he feels he should decide on guitar tone/effects and you should worry about bass. His playing bass on guitar seems to hint towards a passive aggressive approach to that scenario.

I would assure him he is valued and any changes to tone are only to improve what is already working. I'd be reluctant to sack him but I'd address the poor behaviour between the band that needs reform

The singer needs to go. Can't sing in key, doesn't practice, prevents your from getting gigs, expects months off etc. I would never describe a singer who doesn't practice and compromises my ability to book gigs as "easy to work with". Sounds more like a description of someone who floats along causing no conflict but adding questionable value...

At any rate it sounds like the rythm section is well established and should stick together if you can! Good luck!!

[TBrett]

I’m a lead singer, so I’ll just comment on the singer problem. Her cons far outweigh her pros. Limited vocal range, goes off key, doesn’t practice on her own, and is not good with audience interaction? Those are the basic requirements for the job. If she can’t fulfill them, she is not qualified for the job. There’s nothing wrong with giving a band member some time for development, provided that the member is committed to doing the work on their own time, and you’re seeing steady improvement each week. And jokes aside, no excuses for lack of punctuality should be made for any band member, including singers. Everyone must show up prepared and on time. Sure, life gets in the way on occasion, but this should be the exception, not the rule.

Sounds like you’ve got a perfect out here, in that she is unavailable for several months. Cut her loose and find a singer who can sing, who enjoys performing and interacting with the audience, who devotes the required personal practice time, and who is mature and responsible enough to be on time for practice and gigs. We do exist, even if we’re hard to find!

[IncX]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

Yeah the band (as a concept) definately should go on!

It was a bad rehearsal, those happen. This one was exacerbated by the possibility the lead guitarist may have been put off by your recommendations towards his gear. You mentioned gear is hard to come by around your parts, I suspect maybe those who can get more gear are valued more than those who can't? That could be part his concern. Or perhaps he feels he should decide on guitar tone/effects and you should worry about bass. His playing bass on guitar seems to hint towards a passive aggressive approach to that scenario.

I would assure him he is valued and any changes to tone are only to improve what is already working. I'd be reluctant to sack him but I'd address the poor behaviour between the band that needs reform

The singer needs to go. Can't sing in key, doesn't practice, prevents your from getting gigs, expects months off etc. I would never describe a singer who doesn't practice and compromises my ability to book gigs as "easy to work with". Sounds more like a description of someone who floats along causing no conflict but adding questionable value...

At any rate it sounds like the rythm section is well established and should stick together if you can! Good luck!!

i dont think the guitar player was put off... since i only asked if he wanted a Pedal Train. i dont know, maybe he did ... i remember asking him nicely, saying that i saw a good deal on ebay and all.

he just handed his resignation letter over facebook. it wasnt that bad... he said we were talented and all, and that his attitude just gets in the way, so he said that he'd quit, or we fire him, both are OK. either way, he wants us all to remain friends.

i accepted his resignation, and told him, hed be given credits to the 2 compositions, and i also asked him whether it's OK to use the band name - since he was the one who came up with it.

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Depth Charge and Tbrett:

Depth Charge really nailed it when he said:

"Sounds more like a description of someone who floats along causing no conflict but adding questionable value..."

that is her. and i am now convinced she really has to go ... reading both your opinions on the matter.

i guess its perfect timing that she is caught up with her anime cosplay competition for the month of september, so we have an excuse to let her go.

errrr, do you guys have any suggestion on what to tell her? you should understand that we are friends with her too, and we just can't say "you suck, you wasted our time ... you are out of the band."

[CrashCarlisle]

Too bad the yelling guitar player bothers you. People have personalities....

He wouldn't like my response. But it wouldn't matter as long as we're playing rock n roll.

Last night, while working on a new cover song, my band's lead guitar player start to nitpick a very distictive bass riff. I looked him square in the face and said "I'm not going to fix it here." His feedback is important, and I know when I make him happy that odds are I'm doing it right. But I also know that I've got more work to do on the song and wasting rehearsal time over a very, very tiny nit in a riff wasn't a good idea. And he agreed.

I should be working on it instead of posting on TB. Goodbye.

[bassgod0dmw]

I'm confused about a few things. You said it was the first day with your new pedalboard and that was half of the problem with your sound. Did you literally buy a bunch of effects at once? Or you finally mounted what you owned to a board? If you owned everything already I guess I'm confused as to why it wasn't working for you.

You mentioned that when you kicked on the Sansamp that you were much louder, so you only used it during the chorus. But it did make your bass actually sound like a bass since the amp sucked. Does your SA not have a volume knob? Why didn't you just adjust it until all the levels were good?

On to your questions...
Should you get rid of the guitarist?
Seems like he made that decision already.

Should you go on with the band?
Yes? Why not? If the singer totally sucks like you say, and wants to take a longer hiatus than you've been a group, just get rid of her.

[TBrett]

Originally Posted by IncX

Depth Charge and Tbrett:

Depth Charge really nailed it when he said:

"Sounds more like a description of someone who floats along causing no conflict but adding questionable value..."

that is her. and i am now convinced she really has to go ... reading both your opinions on the matter.

i guess its perfect timing that she is caught up with her anime cosplay competition for the month of september, so we have an excuse to let her go.

errrr, do you guys have any suggestion on what to tell her? you should understand that we are friends with her too, and we just can't say "you suck, you wasted our time ... you are out of the band."

Start with the fact that she's going to be unavailable for months. I mean, does she seriously expect you guys to wait for her? Thank her for her work so far, but let her know that the band needs a committed singer and that you will therefore be replacing her. Hopefully she'll leave it at that. If she doesn't, mention the fact that she doesn't practice on her own and that you want to work with someone who is able to put in the required time. Good luck. Hopefully she will understand and be grownup about it. Let us know how it goes.

[IncX]

Crash Carlise:

what bothered US (not only me) was that he just flatly walked out on us, while the rest of us were looking to solve the problem. he really wasn't a team player, i guess he needed to be with more advanced musicians.

good luck on your rehearsal. i tend to nitpick with my drummer too, but thats because his fills drastically change in rehearsals.

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bassgododmw:

my effects pedals came in streams lol

the first one that came was the Depth Charge and the redwitch moonphaser ... i only used the depth charge because i did not have a pedal board then.

the next one that came was a markbass supersynth. i did not use it since i did not want to have to plug to 2 different sockets (markbass is 12 volts).

then the sansamp and the wilson wah came and thats where i bought a pedal board and brought the stuff to practice.

as for adjusting it, i would have, but at that time, i did not know it was the extra volume that made the "subs" kick in louder, it was my first time using my board with the band, and i did not know how to work it in that context yet.

i only figured out the volume problem when i got home and played along to our recorded rehearsal. the SA is so sensitive that slightly-slighty turning the knob made the difference for "volume boost" and "sounding even."

i admit, i really messed up in rehearsal ...

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Tbrett:

the rhythm guitarist told me the same thing last night. well be scheduling a band meeting next week as to let her off.... in the mean time, well be auditioning this singer, check her out:

california girls by katy perry (cover by rae santos) - YouTube

i'm really optimistic, since her voice quality is better than our soon to be ex singer.

[makkE]

You should have communicated when the problem was apparent, not afterwards.

So you play a whole rehearsal on settings that apparently don't work, but you say "I didn't want to turn up, because the guitarrist doesn't like me loud" ??
When he starts playing your basslines, you should know something is wrong.

You should have adressed the issue right after you noticed it!
"Guys - am I too loud ? Not enough?"
Your sansamp has knobs.... it would have been a matter of minutes to find a proper setting.

Blame goes to the guitarrist and the rest of the band as well... didn't they say anything?

Seems like the communication in your band is just bad - frustration guaranteed.

[TBrett]

Originally Posted by IncX

Tbrett:

the rhythm guitarist told me the same thing last night. well be scheduling a band meeting next week as to let her off.... in the mean time, well be auditioning this singer, check her out:

california girls by katy perry (cover by rae santos) - YouTube

i'm really optimistic, since her voice quality is better than our soon to be ex singer.

Great that you've got a potential replacement! Hope she impresses you at the audition, and that she's easy to work with. Good for you guys for continuing to move forward. Persistence is half the battle sometimes. Maybe having a solid singer fronting the band will inspire the other band members to find better ways of working out differences. Best of luck to you all!

[IncX]

makKe - you are right man. communication is hard with the guitarist around because EVERYBODY tiptoes around him, not just me. as a matter of fact, i am the only one who can stand up to that guy, yet i still tiptoe around him.

its been a few days since he is out, and i feel both relief and sadness; relief, cause i realized i never want to work with him in any project again and sadness because it will be a long search for a new guitarist to the point that we might be performing as a 4 piece for quite awhile.

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thanks TBrett... well be meeting tomorrow. i hope shes not a flake (IME, when a good singer is bandless, its usually because he/she is a flake) lol

[TBrett]

Originally Posted by IncX

thanks TBrett... well be meeting tomorrow. i hope shes not a flake (IME, when a good singer is bandless, its usually because he/she is a flake) lol

How did it go??? Was she a flake? I so hope not!