Guitarist fired himself from band

hublocker · #1 03-31-2009, 02:20 PM

The funniest thing happened this week.

We've been playing in this little blues band fronted by this guitarist vocalist (I hesitate to call him a singer).

About four months ago he met a harp player and brought him into the band and we started to sound really hot as the harp player sang better than the guitar player, knew tons of songs and played super harp and in addition is a dynamic front man.

They had a fight and the guitarist essentially forced the harp guy out of the band.

But the rest of us just started an offshoot band with the harp player, playing one night a week with the blues guy and one night a week with the harp player in more of a classic and original rock vein.

Well we didn't make any secret about the new band, but we didn't talk about it during blues band rehearsal either and suddenly the blue guy calls us all up and says he found out we've been "going behind his back" by playing with the harp-singer guy and leaves the band.

He has effectively forced himself out of band, leaving the drummer, bassist and other guitarist free to do what we want.

You know what?

We're all relieved.

I started to have doubts about him when he said he wanted to play Folsom Prison Blues and didn't and wouldn't learn the classic intro. And insisted on playing it in "G."

And didn't know you don't go to the IV on the turnaround.

Then he introduced "Mercury Blues " as a new song without ever having heard the David Lindley version. He heard it from Alan Jackson.

But what took the cake for me was when he tried to introduce "Summertime Blues" as an Alan Jackson song, totally ignorant of the Eddie Cochran, Who and Blue Cheer versions.

Oh yeah, he tried to do "Cotton Fields" too without knowing the basic folk or CCR version first.

Bye.

Wild_Cat · #2 03-31-2009, 02:27 PM

Good riddance, I say!

A harp player in a classic rock band? That sounds intriguing. What's it sound like? Awesome?

hublocker · #3 03-31-2009, 02:44 PM

It's 'harping' hot.

ironrat · #4 03-31-2009, 02:47 PM

harp player?????? Post some clips NOW!!!

jaywa · #5 03-31-2009, 02:52 PM

+1 on good riddance. Addition by subtraction can be a beautiful thing, sometimes.

I'm also going to guess that with just one guitarist there is a lot more sonic "space" in the band which can actually make for a tighter sound as well (i.e., less "clutter").

hublocker · #6 03-31-2009, 03:07 PM

Harp=Blues harmonica

From wiki:

"The harmonica is used in blues and American folk music, jazz, classical music, country music, rock and roll, and pop music. The harmonica has other nicknames, especially in blues music, including: "harp," "blues harp," and "mouth organ."[1]"

nortonrider · #7 03-31-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hublocker

Harp=Blues harmonica

I find it funny that you would have to clarify that.

aus_bass · #8 03-31-2009, 03:23 PM

Harp = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harp

Chebass88 · #9 03-31-2009, 03:24 PM

The use of an orchestral harp would be MUCH more hilarious though. Especially if the player looked like Harpo Marx, or the "nun" from Frank Zappa's "200 Motels"

imp

ThunderLizard · #10 03-31-2009, 03:28 PM

I bet you kept him because he owned the PA. Or his girlfriend was hot.
Can't think of any other reason to keep such a hack around.
Goodbye Alan Jackson and Hello David Lindley.

ashtray · #11 03-31-2009, 03:35 PM

You thought lugging that heavy bass cab around was tough - it aint nothing till you gotta haul around a 150 pound 6' tall harp! ;o)

Yeah, I never understood why harp = harmonica, but now I can picture a misunderstanding (in either direction) turning out to be pretty funny. (classical harmonica-ist?)

As for the guitarist - yeah, well - our singer recently did something similar. He fired the drummer. I took offense to that and quit and formed a band with the drummer and our old guitarist. Essentially, we're back to our old lineup without the singer!

jaywa · #12 03-31-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chebass88

The use of an orchestral harp would be MUCH more hilarious though. Especially if the player looked like Harpo Marx, or the "nun" from Frank Zappa's "200 Motels"

imp

Or Woody Allen playing cello in the marching band in that one movie of his. I saw that movie at least 20 years ago by now and still remember how hard I laughed at that. Literally on the floor.

jaywa · #13 03-31-2009, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashtray

As for the guitarist - yeah, well - our singer recently did something similar. He fired the drummer. I took offense to that and quit and formed a band with the drummer and our old guitarist. Essentially, we're back to our old lineup without the singer!

We didn't fire our drummer. Instead we "disbanded", than "re-united" a few weeks later -- with a different drummer. I still don't feel real good about doing that, but it seemed like the best way to handle things at the time.

lunarpollen · #14 03-31-2009, 03:43 PM

If it was a real harp, it could be used for introducing dream sequences during anecodtal banter between songs

jaywa · #15 03-31-2009, 03:45 PM

Wonder what kind of pickups go best on a harp? And do you go DI, or mic the amp, or both? And how do you get Geddy Lee's tone out of a harp?

In any event, you definitely want a good, wide, strong padded strap!

Calebmundy · #16 03-31-2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aus_bass

Harp = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harp_(disambiguation)

the_thriller · #17 03-31-2009, 03:49 PM

I totally thought it was an actual harp as well, not a harmonica... I was intrigued by this but I'm now slightly let down...

MEKer · #18 03-31-2009, 03:52 PM

harmonicas are sometimes referred to as a harp only because it is a "mouth instrument", but actually it is properly referring to a "jews harp". But since they are both the commonest of the mouth instruments the nickname also slopped over onto the harmonica. At least that is how I've heard the story go. Man oh man, I knew a harmonicist who blew "crack harmonica"---sorry, should not have brought that up and please, do not try to figure it out or picture it

Calebmundy · #19 03-31-2009, 03:54 PM

I played a musical at a local all-girls high school, and this girl http://www.myspace.com/annabikales was playing in the orchestra. She found me later on facebook and I checked out her myspace page. Pretty incredible stuff for a teenager, and the harp parts are rpetty amazing. The low strings sound pretty bad-A for bass parts.

ironrat · #20 03-31-2009, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hublocker

Harp=Blues harmonica

From wiki:

"The harmonica is used in blues and American folk music, jazz, classical music, country music, rock and roll, and pop music. The harmonica has other nicknames, especially in blues music, including: "harp," "blues harp," and "mouth organ."[1]"

WHAT!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!! Man, I live in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico) so I didn't know you call harp an armonica

.... I just imagined a real harp with pickups and distortion