Practice on Very Rainy Days - Slight Rant
 

Well It's pouring today and I really don't like schlepping my Gear in the rain. I called My drummer and he was still pretty gung ho about it but all he has to do Grab his sticks & sit down at his Kit in His living room. I was all set to go but decided against it when I couldn't find anything decent to cover my Cabinets with to keep them dry. I know I should have water proof covers bit I Just don't at this time. So My drummer seems kind of Pissed off about the whole thing. I feel like A Gig on a rainy day is one thing but..... I really don't want to haul my gear to the car then drive 45 minutes in the pouring rain and then haul it from the car up My Drummers Driveway in the rain for one Practice. There's no gigs lined up or emergency and I Do need to woodshed more at home anyway. I'm definitely into the band and the song list etc...Just don't see the need to get my precious gear all wet. Keep in mind that this just a casual jam situation with No Plans to Gig. Just 4 older players playing some Blues together.

Okay let the flaming or Brotherly support begin:

If you cover the cab with a sheet, it should keep the rain off the cab long enough to get it to the car and then into the drummer's house. How about a couple garbage bags and some bungee cords or duct tape? Also, try to avoid carrying it so the speakers are pointing upwards. So what would you do if you needed to get them to an outdoor gig? You would figure something out. Damn straight you would.

In my opinion, you should not cancel band practice for such a lame excuse. Well, it's lame in my eyes and possibly in the other band member's eyes too. Add to that the fact that you are cancelling at the last minute. If you were in my band, I would question your level of commitment to the band.

The show must go on my friend. Just saying.

I'd be pretty pissed if someone cancelled because they might get a little wet...

Yes, this is lame. Before I could afford covers, heavy black plastic garbage bags and a couple of towels got me through rainy days. I even made covers from garbage bags.

Wow.

+1

I always have a couple garbage bags in my van, as well as a couple very cheap paunchos. Yep, used to be a boy scout....:bassist:

Speaks volumes about ones dedication and integrity

yes. i absolutely hate it when someone cancels rehearsals. dont set them up in the first place if youre not 200% positive that you will show up!

its just not right ok ive never done this. cant see why some would do this. i understand emergencies. but a little rain is not an emergency

i had no probelsm to always find a way to show up. if its raining i put some foil or grocery bags on it and its ok. btw a little rain doesnt kill your equipment.

some people find lame excuses that work with my "its ok" collegues. they dont work with me though.
still no one ive ever worked with would ever accept someting like "i dont want my amp to get wet". id fire you for just thinking that way. just saying.

I'm on the OP's side on this one. I don't know where you all you live, but if the OP is getting rain like we get, I wouldn't want to try to get my equipment out in it. Unless there is some imminent need to rehearse today, everyone could just spend the time practicing on their own at home.

this

this not
if this is an area which suffers from very heavy rain then a band should agree beforehand that when it rains heavily its ok to stay at home. but as the OP indicated the drummer got pissed which leads me to think no such agreement existed.

And what about the inconvenience to the other band members ?

Maybe they had to re-arrange their schedules to be available for the practice that just got cancelled.

Then they get some free time. :) It sounds like just the drummer was annoyed, and he didn't plan to leave his house anyway. Driving 45 minutes in pouring rain can be dangerous, not to mention trying to get expensive gear in and out. I just don't think this is a big deal.

I don't know if you or OP are anything like myself but I practice at home all week. I enter into my daily grind and thinking of music and writing bass lines in my head gets me through that grind. I go home and bring my musical thoughts into reality. I CAN'T WAIT to get to band practice at the end of a week to integrate all my personal practice time into our material. Then someone cancels last minute because of excessive moisture levels? No effin way.

There's nothing that would keep me from practice barring hurricanes or possibly locusts.

Damned locusts.

Where I live thunderstorms can be like mini hurricanes, and can be dangerous to drive in. I wouldn't drive 45 minutes in one of our storms for a band practice. If the drummer wants to rehearse so bad, let him load his stuff up and drive to the bass players house!

damn right

this is just wrong on every level

Buy a tarp. Problem solved. It's not that hard.

i already adressed that
if an area is endangered by cataclysm then a band should agree beforehand that when said disaster arises a rehearsal may be delayed or even cancelled

but not like that

Read the OP, part of the problems was driving 45 minutes in the pouring rain. A tarp doesn't not solve that problem.

This almost as good as my ex drummer.."Yea i got this new minivan and i really dont feel like putting miles on it yet,so im not comming today."

+1 garbage bags or tarp or drop cloth plastic is very cheap.

I'm willing to give the OP the benefit of the doubt that the rain is bad enough to make driving 45 minutes dangerous.