WWYD- percussionist sits in without permission at a gig...

[nsmar4211]

What would you do if a percussionist started playing along with you at a party gig, and do you consider it rude?

Happened to us last night, and we had differing opinions on the level of rudeness and appropriateness.

Situation: Halloween party. Rock band (think, top 40 with female singer-pink, jefferson airplane, weezer, the gamut). Said band used a percussionist friend as a drummer to cover the gig-congas, bongos, cymbals, tambourine, etc. Halfway through the first set, a "professional" percussionist that the guitarist kinda knew/knew of (not friends) sits in a chair next to the band and pulls out a shekere (gourd with beads on it) and starts playing it.

Three out of four members go . Doesn't seem to bother fourth member. Guy also plays on bongoes, and some other drum......loudly and lots of notes. Oh, and did I mention he's doing *latin* beats? .

After first set singer and bass player start fussing-can't hear our percussionist over it, wrong beats for songs, etc. Guy is told to just tune it down much to our dismay. Another set, was ok at first and then as the alcohol kicked in he starts playing 3 over 4 beats. Errrrrr ok now I'm personally done with it-I can play over that but that's gotta be impossible to sing over. Finally, after a near revolt, guy is asked to stop playing and singer is blamed ('isn't used to those types of rhythms'). Debate ensues on break:

My POV is you NEVER just start playing along with a band. A "professional" percussionist would know that a shaker is very loud and distracting... a professional would know not to play latin beats over rock beats....and what ever happened to asking to sit in? The opposite POV was that it was fun to have more players and we were there to have fun, and the opposite POV didn't want to tell the guy to go away and tick him off.

What would you guys have done? And was it wrong of us to feel like the guy should've had his toys taken away from him the minute they started?! In a different situation, and had we a) been playing latin and b) not already have had a percussionist, I might've agreed with him being allowed to stay.

Oh, and what's the polite way to say..... Ok, sounds cool, now shoo. ? I mean, I play percussion too but I don't carry a bag of stuff around hoping to sit in.....And are we the only ones this has happened to?!

[rp911]

This is not really related, but it is a potential solution. I saw the Grateful Dead in Lakeland FL back in 82, general admission, was right up by the rail in front of Garcia. Show starts, some hippy chick comes twirling up to the front, and whips out a tambourine and starts playing along. Big biker dude reaches over, plucks it out of her hand and sails it like a Frisbee about 100 feet toward the back of the arena. Big grin from Bob Weir, who saw the whole thing.

[Febs]

Originally Posted by nsmar4211

My POV is you NEVER just start playing along with a band.

^ This.

[RustyAxe]

I wouldn't make a scene (it's a party, afterall). But I would take a quick break, pull the offender aside, and without being angry tell him that we (the band) have rehearsed these songs without his percussion, and that's exactly how we want to play them tonight. Maybe even invite him back up for ONE song later in the night.

And if that didn't work, well ... I'd have to be less civil about it.

[Jason P Bass]

If the guy was invited by ANYONE in your band to play, then he gets a free pass in the blame game, in my opinion. While it would have been tactful and perceptive of him to realize that it wasn't working very well, you can't give someone an invitation and then blame them for what you get.

If he wasn't given an explicit invitation (which appears to be the case, unless the guitarist somehow gave him a thumbs up) then it is a classic d$#k move to sit in on someone else's gig.

I would simply say, "You sound like a great musician, but this is our business, and our policy is that if you're not at rehearsal, you can't play on the stage. Why don't you drop by our rehearsal next Wednesday and we'll fit you into a couple of songs?" Dollars to donuts you never see him again.

I am 100% against "guest" appearances on stage. I worked at individual practice, worked at rehearsal, worked at booking, worked at promotion, worked on the websites, worked to get people to come, worked to carry the equipment, and I'm not giving away the stage to anybody who shows up. Don't care if it's Eric Clapton. Eric Clapton can put his own show together. Don't care if it's your best friend of 30 years - he wasn't at rehearsal.

At my next gig - Guest vocalist! At least she came to 2 rehearsals. I'm still not in favor of it, but I've been outvoted. Oh well, gotta make the best of it.

[kcole4001]

Had a similar experience.
The band played at a benefit, at a Legion hall, and a couple of songs in a guy who works at the hall pulls out a set of high hats from the side of the stage and starts hammering away, totally out of time, but happy as a clam.
I exchange serious 'what the #^&%" looks with the drummer, but nobody says anything.

We finish and let the matter go, but seriously, why would anyone have the nuts to just wail away at songs you don't even know with people you don't evn know?
REALLY bad manners!

[kcole4001]

I gues there's no way to tell them to bugger off that's not gonna offend them, so I suppose unless it's a paying gig, just grin and bear it.
If you say anything, then you're the asshat in everyone else's eyes, even though the guy should have more sense than to horn in on someone's act.

[kesslari]

I gues there's no way to tell them to bugger off that's not gonna offend them, so I suppose unless it's a paying gig, just grin and bear it.

It's happened to me, and I don't mind offending them, in no uncertain terms.
GTFO my stage.

[St Drogo]

Originally Posted by rp911

This is not really related, but it is a potential solution. I saw the Grateful Dead in Lakeland FL back in 82, general admission, was right up by the rail in front of Garcia. Show starts, some hippy chick comes twirling up to the front, and whips out a tambourine and starts playing along. Big biker dude reaches over, plucks it out of her hand and sails it like a Frisbee about 100 feet toward the back of the arena. Big grin from Bob Weir, who saw the whole thing.

Hahaha! Would've loved to have seen that. Did the girl get all upset, like she was the victim there?

[HollowBassman]

I think it is rude. I didn't vote because I'm not really sure how I would react.

There is a regular at a local open mic who often whips out a tambourine and plays along with random people. No one there seems to complain, but I don't think I would like having someone playing along without asking first.

[bass player 48]

Devil’s advocate: because your drummer wasn't playing drum kit, and was using hand various hand percussion, and because it was a party - that does almost kind of imply a casual "drum circle" kind of vibe to the jam... and maybe he was good friends with the host of the party or something?

Once I realized all of his beats were going to be distracting, I probably would have at least tried telling him what he COULD play... you know, feed him some shaker or bongo rhythm or something that you could deal with... I'd try to play it off like "you gotta keep it simple so I don't get confused because I'm not that bright"

Another approach I've used at parties is to just jam with the dude and let him lead the way... let him get his fill, then tell him you want to do a few with just the band - stuff we've worked out for the party... and maybe you can jam a few more with us in a bit when we're done with that.

Either way - my vote is: "Very rude, but let them play-it's a party!" (let them play for a bit and try to get them to stop so you can still do your set)

[Steve]

Doing that is about as rude and obnoxious as it gets.

Having said that, a party gig is a party. I don't know as I would get all bunched up about it. Now, if it was a harmonica player...that'd be a whole different thing.

Shoot him! Shoot him NOW!!!

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by Steve

harmonica player...
Shoot him! Shoot him NOW!!!

Too late, he was coming right at us and I already took him out.

[Darkstrike]

The magic little phrase "get ******" springs instantly to mind.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by Steve

Doing that is about as rude and obnoxious as it gets.
Having said that, a party gig is a party. I don't know as I would get all bunched up about it. Now, if it was a harmonica player...that'd be a whole different thing.
Shoot him! Shoot him NOW!!!

That was the scenario for me last weekend (well, not the shooting part).
We played an early Halloween party, a freebie for some friends. It was a zombie theme, and a couple who've been married for 25 years renewed their vows in a zombie kind of way. They asked for our originals band to be the entertainment. We were to play one set, and then it was to be jamming for the rest of the night. As Jason P Bass said, we've been rehearsing and we were trying to sound organized. We've made a lot of progress in the last couple of years, and we feel like we have something to show now.

We were about halfway through the set, when an old friend of ours who plays harmonica and sings jumped on my mike (why do they always pick MY mike??) and began to blow. Of course my mike was set for vocals, not harp, and there was no soundman. So he was screamin' loud, and he soon blew some people out of the room.

After the first song, I leaned over to him and said "You do realize that the whole rest of the night is jamming AFTER our set, right?" He not only didn't take the hint, but he became defensive, saying "I want to play with a band that's together! I don't wanna just play with people who've never played with each other before! I'm not an idiot, I wanna sound good!" etc.

He's a good player, and he's not an idiot, but he IS a bit stage-hoggy. He should know better, he's fronted a number of bands, including a locally well-known and successful Grateful Dead cover band. And as it turned out, during the jam, three other members of his current band joined him, and they did a set of their own.

Anyway, I was annoyed, but it was a freebie party, and I've known the guy since he was 11 years old, in the early 70s. His sister was my high school girlfriend.
So what can you do?
Couldn't shoot him, he was already a zombie anyway...

[AnchorHoy]

I have minimal patience for this

If it was a paying gig, the minute the guy started stepping on the already established beat I'd announce "Ladies and Gentlemen, special involuntary guest artist Richard Head on percussion". Then unplug and walk off the stage. Immediately

If it was a freebie jam-type deal, then I'd finish out the tune and then take as long a break as needed for the (expletive deleted) to get offstage

No advance notice and full band approval = heckler, as far as I'm concerned

[phatbass]

Originally Posted by Steve

Doing that is about as rude and obnoxious as it gets.

Having said that, a party gig is a party. I don't know as I would get all bunched up about it. Now, if it was a harmonica player...that'd be a whole different thing.

Shoot him! Shoot him NOW!!!

Harmonica players are easy; play everything in "non-harmonica" keys like G#, or Bb, or modulate to Eb for the solo. A Blues band I was in would do this any time an uninvited (and they're ALL uninvited as far as I'm concerned) "Harmonica owner" put in an appearance.

[Steve]

Meh, I wish the sit in harp players around here cared if they played the correct notes.
None of them own a harp that can play a note lower than feedback.

[Joe Black]

Originally Posted by rp911

Big biker dude reaches over, plucks it out of her hand and sails it like a Frisbee about 100 feet toward the back of the arena. Big grin from Bob Weir, who saw the whole thing.

This is what I'm talking about. Although I'm admittedly kind of a dick about these types of things. Even in our rehearsals we have a fair number of visitors and "hangers-on." Last weekend a guy was sitting with a few other people on the sideline while we were jamming out (instrumentally) a new tune.

He walked over, as we were playing (mind you: he's not in the band, just an acquaintance) and starts to sing out of my mic. I stopped playing, grabbed the mic back and told him, in no uncertain terms, not to put his dick-lickers all over MY mic.

I had just bought a new foam mic-condom too -- I'm sensitive about this sh*t, you know? This is NYC: Swine flu is an epidemic.

Anyway: bottomline, maybe at the end of the first song -- or possibly DURING -- I would have told him to beat it. Hard feelings? Maybe.

But this is rock and roll -- life is hard, wear a helmet.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by Joe Black

This is NYC: Swine flu is an epidemic.

+1 An excellent point!