They probably had another ‘preferred’ player that was flaking until the flakery ceased and they bumped you.
Happens ALL the time in our business.
Happens ALL the time in our business.
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Would you have done this audition?
- Thread starter s0c9
- Start date
Had a guy like that a few years ago ... he sent message, I replied, then nothing for quite a while ... out of the blue, at the last minute, can you show up in a half hour? ... I did it, once, and he hadn't even locked in the rest of the group, so about half showed up .... too old to waste time ... thanks, but no thanks ...
Sounds like your CL guy had too many objects in the air: bassist, drummer, practice space, his band and time. Some folks can't manage that many details. Some shouldn't.
Well look on the bright side they saved you a trip. I don’t work with anyone online such as CL without solid info and talking to them over the phone. So far no real bad CL experiences.
Ya, saving yourself a trip is big. Think how you'd have felt if you went. Don't give it a second thought.
madbass6
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- Jan 13, 2009
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Nope! absolutely Not!!So.....
Last Monday, while waiting for my on-again-off-again new country band to be "on again", I respond to a CL ad (yeah I know) looking for a "solid" country bassist, with all other pieces (including fiddle) in place. I text the guy...
ME: "Just saw your cl ad for bass auditions..." etc, etc. Give them a ling to my bandmix page.. with a "let me know if you have an interest".
Him: " I like what I see man! What does your week look like into next weekend"
ME: "I'm pretty much open - other than Sun am church."
NO RESPONSE.
FOUR days later (Thurs), I send a follow up text... "Hey, ____ Is this audition likely to happen this week?"
NO RESPONSE.
Friday at 16:18pm, I get a text "Can you come and set up your kit with us tonight, at ________. Full band minus drums"
I reply "What time, it's a 30 min drive for me.."
Him: "9:00 Let me know:
ME: "got an address?"
Him: "address of audition" - which is a venue in a warehouse district!!
ME: "Any hints on songs you plan to go thru?"
Him: "Sorry for the confusion, are you a bass player only?"
ME : "Yes..bass. country!"
No further communication at all. So I chew on this a while, and at 18:54, I send..
ME: "Sorry, I'm out. No Drummer, No Setlist. No band name, no other info from you. hope you find someone."
Him: "fair"
Seriously? What kind of BL operates like that? I did some research on the guy and found out that yeah, he's young (mid-20's) lives in the area near the audition location (I assume job location or another band members job location), but there were WAY TOO MANY red flags.. or is this how "young un's" run stuff these days?
I doubt any experienced bassist would have gone. I didn't.
Thoughts?
PS: My on-again band has rehearsal this wed night
Not worth the agrevation !
Agreed. I'm a very mediocre player, but my time is still valuable!Not only was the whole discussion "minimal" with the BL, the guy obviously DID NOT READ my texts as he appears to have thought I was a drummer, not a bass player.
I could never work with folks that clueless... I may BE a mediocre bassist, but even I have STANDARDS !!
Hate to be that guy but....what in the sweet potato casserole are you doing responding to CRAIGSLIST!
The “fair” is a nice touch though. There’s some integrity in that IMO
This is pretty much where I'm at as well. I love to gig but I don't need to gig. I figure both the band and I have an equal opportunity to make a good first impression during a well structured audition. That last part is the catch though.
I've shown up where not one of the roughly dozen tunes I was asked to prepare for was played. The egocentric BL/Guitarist seemed to enjoy playing stump the bassist more. That one lasted less than an hour before I began to pack up. I was in such a rush to leave I even left a cheap mic stand behind and blew off even bothering to retrieving it.
In another case I was given the wrong address and ended up on the opposite side of town. A whole lot of streets have East and Wests and North and Souths and in many cases they're miles from each other. I ended up canceling altogether rather than rush back to begin an hour late. If they can't even give correct directions to their weekly rehearsal space what are the chances of always getting the address of a gig correct?
Another involved an audition for a "classic rock band" who rehearse in the living room of the drummers place. He has a massive drum kit and both guitarist have 100w stacks flanking him. I show up with my 150w combo. They are deafening and it does not go well. I ask about gigs and the drummer tells me they're looking to play more festivals. Clubs won't hire them back because they're too loud. No shock there.
These are just a couple I recall and not a complete list but in my lifetime few auditions with unknowns have gone well. These days I look for friends and former band mates I know I can work with musically and have the experience and maturity to know what the job calls for. Lacking that other situations often end up being a huge waste of time.
I had a similar experience. Showed up to audition for a band in a genre I didn't care for, but was recommended by a friend I trust. I drive the 40 minutes in rush hour traffic to get there, and no drummer. I was given a setlist of 20 songs, which is a red flag for me today, and we went through about 5 songs, and the keyboardist tried playing the drums on his instrument... They had "casino connections" which I always hear but that's such a heavily gated community that nobody who operates this way has.
Extra two cents: If you're gigging and not making connections with other musicians in the scene, something isn't right. I haven't looked for a gig in years on forums such as CL.
Extra two cents: If you're gigging and not making connections with other musicians in the scene, something isn't right. I haven't looked for a gig in years on forums such as CL.
I wouldn't have gone.
One thing - I've learned that people are in all stages of development. In 10 years this guy might be the best band leader on earth, or maybe not -- I don't know him. But I know this -- stuff I now take for granted, people have trouble with. Case in point. I work with a guy whose motivated and reliable as a gig booker and musician. in January he talked about a video shoot. I said OK if he wanted to arrange it. I already have video and it sells, so I agreed to appease him. So, I wasn't going to do the arranging of the venue, techies, musicians, set list etcetera.
Well, here it is June. 15 phone calls or more over a period of 5 months, confusing texts and emails, a general sense of confusion and that the guy is overwhelmed. He starts quietly firing people from the shoot because of schedule conflicts.
Tired of it all, I finally asked the guy if he wanted me to take it over. He said fine. In three weeks I had a venue, a rehearsal, a set list, and the techies all oriented and on board with the technical side (he provided the techies, in all fairness - the audio and video people).
Now, I was probably like this guy 30 years ago, but after a few years of project management training, and event management experience, this, to me, was an easy project. But I have to have some compassion for the guy because I guess he's learning. He's in his late 50's, but it hasn't been his life's work.
For now, though, if I were you, I'd pass on this 20 year old guy since you don't know him and have no stake in his development. Good call to back away.
And it goes to show -- if you want to have a good band, you have to be a good band leader!!! He just lost an able, committed bass player due to his own lack of organization and professionalism.
Somewhere in the middle of that text conversation I would have done something younginz think is wacko and stalkerish.
I woulda CALLED the guy. (Crazy... I know.)
Most texting is ambiguous nonsene that is incredibly easy to misinterpret. That conversation went nowhere because there weren't enough WORDS involved. One easy way to shore up details and clear the fog is more words. The easiest way to incorporate more words is the use of one's VOICE.
I will never, EVER, go to a place I have never been before to meet someone I have mever met before without actually SPEAKING with them. That's just asking for "It puts the lotion on its skin!" or banjo music! Don't you people watch the news?
Grumble grumble.... kids these days..... make me sound like a freakin old man.... GET A JOB and GET OFF MY LAWN!
I woulda CALLED the guy. (Crazy... I know.)
Most texting is ambiguous nonsene that is incredibly easy to misinterpret. That conversation went nowhere because there weren't enough WORDS involved. One easy way to shore up details and clear the fog is more words. The easiest way to incorporate more words is the use of one's VOICE.
I will never, EVER, go to a place I have never been before to meet someone I have mever met before without actually SPEAKING with them. That's just asking for "It puts the lotion on its skin!" or banjo music! Don't you people watch the news?
Grumble grumble.... kids these days..... make me sound like a freakin old man.... GET A JOB and GET OFF MY LAWN!
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