Need a sub for the 24th

buzzbass · #1 09-16-2005, 09:15 AM

Anyone in the NJ here want to sub for me on my cover gig on the 24th ? It's at Mcntyres in Toms River. 70's, 80's, & today's rock. I'll send you a set list if interested. You can reply here or Email me @ buzzbass@earthlink.net

pointbass · #2 09-16-2005, 09:41 AM

PM sent .....

buzzbass · #3 09-16-2005, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pointbass

PM sent .....

And repied, thanks bud

buzzbass · #4 09-19-2005, 05:03 PM

Bump, I have one, but he's suggested trying someoen more familiar with the tunes. website is goodbieamy.com, check out the play list and see if you're familiar with our covers and get back to me.

jondog · #5 09-21-2005, 10:52 PM

Sorry, can't help you this weekend. I do know a lot of those songs and live nearby, so maybe I can help in the future. Good luck, Jon

Munjibunga · #6 09-22-2005, 01:20 AM

Alright, I'll come do it. Send me round trip air fare from Las Vegas and I'll play for free. I know enough of those songs to get four sets out of it. Only thing, there ain't no way on earth I'm playing Amie, second worst song ever written, right up there after MacArthur Park.

buzzbass · #7 09-22-2005, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jondog

Sorry, can't help you this weekend. I do know a lot of those songs and live nearby, so maybe I can help in the future. Good luck, Jon

thanks anyway dude

buzzbass · #8 09-22-2005, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

Alright, I'll come do it. Send me round trip air fare from Las Vegas and I'll play for free. I know enough of those songs to get four sets out of it. Only thing, there ain't no way on earth I'm playing Amie, second worst song ever written, right up there after MacArthur Park.

I'd pay good money to see that. I have this certain picture of you in my head, due to your avatar. LOL. AND *** ?! I love MacArthur Park

The one that just kills me is I Will Survive. At least we don't play any Jannis Joplin

buzzbass · #9 09-24-2005, 10:29 PM

Point Bass (Ed)

How did it go ? I'm back already. Was actually thinkinhg about driving down for the last set, but that would seem weird, watching my band play. Give me a call tomorrow or something, I'd like to get your thoughts on the whole package. I'm beginning to think I'm wasting my time musically/professionally with them, although they've all become good friends. I've been torn on the subject of leaving or staying for just that reason. My gut impression is that the band is ok, but not good or great.

pointbass · #10 09-25-2005, 10:10 AM

Don,
PM sent

James Hart · #11 09-25-2005, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzbass

My gut impression is that the band is ok, but not good or great.

I hate being there.... and I have too many times. I'm curious how the gig went too.

buzzbass · #12 09-26-2005, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Hart

I hate being there.... and I have too many times. I'm curious how the gig went too.

Oh crap, he PM'd me. I shouldn't have deleted it. Eveidently it was a train wreck. My guitarist seemed to have a meltdown or something.

Ed, feel free to post your impressions here. I wouldn't be offended in the least. Sounds like another entry for the gig from hell thread is in order. Again dude, I'm so sorry. I hope I can make it up to you

buzzbass · #13 09-26-2005, 08:41 AM

James, here is the feedback from the private message thread Ed and I had. It's funny yet maddening/embarrassing at the same time. I just had a nasty voicemail from that night show up mysteriously on my cell this morning as Ed and I were exchanging messages. He's saying stuff like, "hope you're having a good time blah blah", bitching me out after the aborted sound check. Weird. I was having my doubts anyway. And needless to say, the way he acted towards Ed has me a bit pissed right now. I think my days are numbered

PS, Ed goode rocks for bing so nice about things. Kudos Ed !

Hi Don,

Hmmmm, where to start? One of the wierdest nights of my musical life, I guess ........

After setting up, we run through a sound check with Amy, about 1 verse, everything seems cool. Dale messes with a couple things on the board, then starts a vamp in A-minor at which point the drummer and I start playing, maybe 15 seconds total.

There's nobody in the club, at the most 10 people, and no one new coming in. It's about 9:50 and we still haven't started. Dale tells me he's a little nervous that the songs won't sound right because I'm new .... I told him not to worry, just relax. He said something about the "notes" in the sound check tune weren't the same ones that you (Don) play and that he's still nervous. I told him not to expect the exact same thing that you (Don) play all of the time, I'm a different bassist but every thing will be okay. (Is this guy a complete paranoid all of the time??)

Then the owner is grumbling about no crowd and someting about only doing the duo, not the full band. Words go back and forth between him and Dale .... Dale tells the band we're going to start, it's about 10:20 now. Dale kicks on his amp, and one of the channels ****s the bed, he's got no "distortion".

The evening deteriorated rapidly from there, by 10:40 we're all packing up.

I don't even know what to say to you ..... I can offer no comments about the band since I only played a total of about 90 seconds of music with them.

Call me if you want ....... wierd night, for sure .....

Ed 732-xxx-xxxx

OMG, dude, I'm so sorry. ***, I guess he had a meltdown. Yeah, he's usually high strung, but that seems to have been a banner night. I like them, but they're really starting to drive me nuts, and I don't want to screw them. Even though you didn't get to hear much, your feedback has proven invaluable. Just out of curiosity, what was the warm up tune that you & I play different notes in ? He seems to get real nervous when the bass strays from the roots. I'd thing the whole thing was funny as ****, except I' embarrassed that I got you involved. I apologize again. Please let me know if there's any way I can make it up to you...............Don

Hey Don,

No need to worry about anything, things happen. Dale is a very tightly strung dude, I give you a lot of credit for having the patience to stay with the band when the leader is such an edgy cat ......

The tune in question was Celebrity Skin, IIRC. I play a lot of passing tones moving between chords, that's probably what freaked him out. I told him not to worry, I'll back off and stick to the roots (even though it was just a triplet run), that's when he said he needed me to play the same "notes" that you do.

BTW, he was looking at the 7 string like it was an alien ....... I had a 4 string J on the stage as a backup in case the Conklin freaked him out ....

LOL, it's definitely in the top 5 of wierd gigs. After 44 years of playing, it's the first gig I have ever played where the band walked out.

Seriously, it's cool ........

Peace,
Ed
__________________

James Hart · #14 09-26-2005, 09:07 AM

wow, Ed sent me a pm on it! I'm glad I didn't get a chance to head out & catch Ed sittin' in.

buzzbass · #15 09-26-2005, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Hart

wow, Ed sent me a pm on it! I'm glad I didn't get a chance to head out & catch Ed sittin' in.

Yeah, no kidding. Funny thing was my wife and I got done with our family function a little early. We were going to go hang too. I wanted to see my band from the other side, you know ? I'm glad I didn't, Dale probably would've bitched me out and a might've knocked him out. So what do you think. I should run away screaming, huh ?

pointbass · #16 09-26-2005, 09:27 AM

Well, after a few PM exchanges with buzzbass he thought it might be good to give y'all a quick summary of the sub-night ...

buzzbass's band is a cover band, mostly rock covers (Greenday, Blink 182, Bowling for Soup, U2, Ramones, Styx, AC/DC). he needed a sub for this past Saturday night (24th), a few PM's exchanged and the sub was on

. Truthfully, after initially seeing the set list I told Don (buzzbass) that it wasn't the type of music I usually play, but I wasn't too worried about it, especially since there weren't a lot of signature bass lines that drove these tunes. And I was familiar enough with most of the set list and had some general chord charts, so no big issues for me

My bass playing life is that of a hired gun, so I have no problems walking into one-night sub jobs .......

After setting up, the leader runs a sound check for me and the drummer, just playing a basic rock groove, cool ..... Now the guitar and singer jump in (Celebrity Skin - Hole) for one verse, again all seems cool ...... The leader messes with the board a little and kicks into a basic vamp (AC/DC) for a few seconds, the drummer and I jump in, maybe 30 seconds total. Now the leader is looking at my GT7 and is getting a little bit freaked out

.... he tells me he's worried about how the band will sound because I didn't play the same "notes" as Don does. I tell him not to worry, everything will be cool. I think I played some passing notes moving between the chords that kind of spazzed him out. BTW, I also had a 4 string J on stage with me in case he went over the edge with the 7.

Now the club owner is b*tching that the place is empty (only maybe 5-6 people there, which is strange since it's a pretty popular place

), it's now almost 10:00 pm (we were supposed to start at 9:30), and he doesn't want the full band, just the duo (guitarist and singer have a duo act). The leader is really stressing, worried that the band will sound bad because I don't play the same "notes" (he kept doing the air quote thing with his hands whenever he said "notes") as Don, that the club owner is going to shaft him with the pay, it's too hot in there, there are no people in the place, blah, blah blah ....

Finally at 10:20 the leader decides to start with the full band, says he'll fight with the owner for the cash later. We get on stage, and as the leader kicks on his amp the thing s***s the bed

. One whole channel is blown out, he's freaking. Trying to calm this guy down, I stupidily suggest that he puts the guitar through the PA .... he says no way, he's lost his distortion channel and the band won't sound right.

10:30, and we're packing up ..... 10:45, I'm in my car and bookin' home ...... I spent the evening lugging in the band PA system (guitarist had wrist problems and needed help moving things), my own 410/115 cabs and other gear, played a total of no more than 90 seconds, was told I wasn't playing the right "notes", and left with $0.00 in my pocket. BTW, for the 90 seconds worth of playing I did in an empty club, it was, without any doubt, the absolutely loudest band I have ever played in

Screaming loud ..........

This story has no bearing on buzzbass, who has been very cool about all of this ..... I don't know what I would have felt if the roles were reversed, it's much easier to bash the sub than to confront your band-mates. As a matter of fact I had no intention of mentioning it to anyone .... as far as I was concerned, it was a matter between Don and his band.

This is the very first time in my 44+ years of playing that I have ever been with a band that walked out on a gig

buzzbass · #17 09-26-2005, 10:45 AM

Thnaks Ed, welcome to my world everyone. My main beef was how rudely my guitar player treated Ed. I knew by talking to him that he could do it in his sleep. Why couldn't my guitarist have shown the same respect, very unprofessional IMO

I had many smaller questions in my head regarding the chances this band had of getting anyplace on the cover circuit. My suspicions have been confirmed, just by hearing poor Ed's story. Ed, I owe you big, just name it.

Now hear's my dilema, stay or go ? I was having doubts to begin with. I'm thinking I'm outta there. Shame too, cause when their not freking, thye're actually pretty cool/nice folks. What a shame, The past year has been wasted on my part. Opinions, feel free to post.

pointbass · #18 09-26-2005, 11:35 AM

You know, every band has its issues and odd little quirks. I don't see your band being any different in that department. But from my somewhat biased viewpoint, there are two major considerations here .......

First and foremost is the question of professionalism. If a band is going to be successful, they absolutely must be professional. Walking out on a Saturday night gig is not cool

I realize that there was some question about getting paid, but you can't walk out on the gig ... fight with the owner for the cash later, but do the gig and you can hold your head up high.

And if an amp goes out, figure out some other way to make it happen ... you've got a monster PA system, you still have a 2nd channel in the amp, use what you have. So what if it sounds different, just play the gig .......

Second, from the point of creativity, the leader shouldn't be so anal that the bassist has to play the exact same thing every song, every night. There is more to life than just the roots. In my case, it isn't like I was blazing 32nd notes in the upper registers, it's just that where you might play, for example, a C-D-G sequence using the D as a passing tone, I played a C-E-A-G sequence, and the guy freaked out. I wouldn't be able to be that robotic, unless it was a signature bass line that demanded the repetition.

My guess is that they are probably nice people that just had a very, very bad night .... but the lack of professionalism would definitely scare me, a lot ........

buzzbass · #19 09-26-2005, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pointbass

You know, every band has its issues and odd little quirks. I don't see your band being any different in that department. But from my somewhat biased viewpoint, there are two major considerations here .......

First and foremost is the question of professionalism. If a band is going to be successful, they absolutely must be professional. Walking out on a Saturday night gig is not cool

I realize that there was some question about getting paid, but you can't walk out on the gig ... fight with the owner for the cash later, but do the gig and you can hold your head up high.

And if an amp goes out, figure out some other way to make it happen ... you've got a monster PA system, you still have a 2nd channel in the amp, use what you have. So what if it sounds different, just play the gig .......

Second, from the point of creativity, the leader shouldn't be so anal that the bassist has to play the exact same thing every song, every night. There is more to life than just the roots. In my case, it isn't like I was blazing 32nd notes in the upper registers, it's just that where you might play, for example, a C-D-G sequence using the D as a passing tone, I played a C-E-A-G sequence, and the guy freaked out. I wouldn't be able to be that robotic, unless it was a signature bass line that demanded the repetition.

My guess is that they are probably nice people that just had a very, very bad night .... but the lack of professionalism would definitely scare me, a lot ........

You've summerized a lot of thought thats have been going through my head recently. Yeah, it's all about the professionalism, I just don't see it with this group. Granted everyone is nice and all, but the leader's anal ways have been getting to be a bit of a grind. I just used to get baked and ignore it. But that's not working as good anymore. The worst part is I'm feeling bad about leaving them. For whatever reason, Dale told me last week that he doesn't feel comfortale playing with ANY other player. Nice thing to say, but it does make me feel a bit guilty. I am admittedly a much simpler player. Due to the drummer's excursions into the odd time zone, and Dale's problems, sometimes I'm the only thing keeping the train on the tracks. So I see why Dale said what he said, he just can't see what the real problems are.

Bah, I'm confused, my brain hurts.

jondog · #20 09-27-2005, 06:54 PM

Wow, I thought I'd had some bad gigs but that one is pretty extreme! The real lack of professionalism is not only in not playing, it's also in not paying the sub. The sub learns your tunes, books a date w/ you and not somebody else, arrives on time, helps load, and then you cancel? Most of the labor is done by that point. At least gas money these days . . .