• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

30 song live audition - Not much fun for me

#121
Reminds me of the time my brother and I talked about having me come and play in his band. He lives 3 hours away but I was thinking about it. The band has been together for decades and rent a place for jamming (that's all they do). I asked for their play list and there was over 100 songs. Too intimidating......I declined :)
 
#122
If you look around, you'll find several bands looking for bass players. At least that's the way it is here in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Be picky man. If that band doesn't want to rehearse, get tight, do some of the tunes you want to do.......that's a clue. I wouldn't have introduced myself when you went and saw them. If they were as sloppy as you say....finish your margarita and go home bro. I've always looked at auditions as a two-way street.....they are auditioning me but I'm auditioning them too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Core Creek, Blankandson and oldrocker
#123
I found myself in a similar situation several years ago. They gave me a CD of the songs they played by the original artists. I did pretty goood on all the songs except one-Bure by Tull. I, for the life of me, couldn't get that bass solo. Maybe because I was embarrassed playing a Tull song. Anyway, because I couldn't do that one song I got the ax. Never did a gig with them. Never a thank you for all the work I did. People-go figure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oldrocker
#124
OP - first of all, what an interesting post! It's brought forward a lot of different views and thoughtful replies

I guess that your bass playing skills are well above mine, but some way short of some of the other TB members here. I think that to learn 30 songs for what sounded like no more than a one-off gig was a very big ask. If they had the charts and you just read them, that would be different

As others have commented, these people sound not very nice and you are well out of there, and I think the fault is very much on their side

The one thing I struggle with though is when you said weren't going to play on one or more songs. Even at my low level of the musical food chain, that would never even occurred to me. I think they thought to themselves, OK we'll get him in to cover this one gig but he's on his way straight after

Talking of low levels of musical operations, I once played guitar for a pretty dreadful group, where the bass player actually turned his bass off for a whole set, carried on playing and the singer didn't even notice - happy days! We played at one awful club where there was a jack socket with a label stating "Amplifire". It didn't state whether it was 1000, 2000 or 3000 watts ...
 
  • Like
Reactions: EddiePlaysBass and LBS-bass
#125
rmayer said:
I know you've heard a lot of, you're a bass player you should look at the guitarists hands and follow the song instead of laying out. Do they mean the guitarist that started the one song in the wrong key? You don't know a song and they can't change one song before the start of a set? 30 songs for an audition is ridiculous, as is getting paid $60. And the way you were treated, during and at the end of the gig, these guys sound like real D Bags so you won't be missing out on much. Write this one off and move on.
Click to expand...

That $60 pay, that right there parallels the Facebook actions of this gang he played with. Oh, lets just give him $60 as an INSULT, then we will un-friend him. The OP played song sets with these guys, I wonder how the OP felt 5 songs into the set. Did he still want to be permanent part of this band? When they took a break did they cast OP out already and ignore him? I think something good *could* have come out of all this. This gig was essentially the 1st 'practice' of this group as a whole, since they never did practice. These guys could have probably had a good solid bass player, not a complainer, and tightened up the ship, had some more practices and be a good unit together.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EddiePlaysBass, oldrocker and LBS-bass
#129
Basic charts are available free online for just about every standard cover tune. I make my own and dont wait to be sent them. If you can't find those, there are YouTube videos of almost every conceivable song. While arrangements and keys will vary, it's not impossible to get in the ballpark with root notes and basic fills. I find the toughest part of subbing is when songs have very specific bass riffs that are integral (essential) to the song. Some songs, root notes dont cut it, and those songs have to be learned note for note. I would never sit out a song, but I'll turn down a little, pay close attention to the rhythm guitarists fretboard, and pretend to know what I'm doing. As for the personalities of the band members, they were guitarists and a drummer, did you expect them to be anything but a-holes? Most musicians are not professional, reliable, or hard working. That's left to us bass players.
 
#130
LBS-bass said:
I don't understand why people do this thing of waiting until the last minute to send out set lists to a sub. It's a setup for failure. Sorry this happened to you :(
Click to expand...

I think I've jammed with those cats before.....

I did a last minute sub gig for a county fair, typical 90's - 2000's rock stuff, or so I thought. I knew 98% of the set list they sent me, the other 2% I figured I could learn on the fly since I had heard the songs a million times.

Well, showtime starts with a huge crowd and the apparent BL tossed the list I was given and pulled a new one straight out of his posterior..... I think I did ok, but never subbed with those clowns again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EddiePlaysBass and LBS-bass
#133
oldrocker said:
Recently relocated to Florida after living my entire life in NY and Long Island.

Really long story - not a rant just a story and I don't really feel better after telling it - lol

TL;DR - put a lot of prep into an unrehearsed show with a new band. No joy.

I placed a CL add and received a reply from a band - guitar drums and keys - looking for a bass player. I checked out their FB page and was able to find a couple of YT videos. They play 50s - 70s mostly. I'm more a late 60s - 70s classic rock, southern and blues rock guy but they seem to be able to get gigs in decent places, they play uncrowded outside shows mostly mostly safe so I figured what the heck.

I'm definitely no pro and not a great bass player so I usually rely on a lot of practice - I like to get songs tight so the band sounds good but they say they don't rehearse, which would usually be a red flag for me

So I arrange to go see them at a show, outside restaurant 2 seeks ago. They seem happy to meet me. I stay and watch a set and a half. They play very loose and do a lot of song mash ups or medleys and as I found out later play a lot of their own takes on the arrangements and play songs in a different key from the original recording. They ask me if I can play this stuff and I tell them I'm not a pro but yes I can play it. The songs themselves are not hard but I would have to learn them. They said that they understand that. There is a suggestion that I come and play with them in 2 weeks at another show. A couple of days later they invite to their closed FB group.

A week goes by, then Tuesday of last week 1 guy posts 3 sets and some extras for a show that Friday. I ask if they expect me to play that show, and the answer is Yes.

At my request the next day I get a list of the keys and some chord charts for most of the songs. I tell them I will look over the songs and that I will play the ones I think I know and lay out on the songs I'm sure I don't know. No response..

I've played a lot of songs over the years so typically when i get a new band set list there are about a third of the songs I've payed before, a third that I know but haven't played and about a third I'm not really familiar with a few that I've never even heard of. This list is skewed to 50s and early 60s but a similar mix and really nothing that difficult to play.

This is way out of my comfort zone but I figure what the heck, what's the worse that can happen. So I have basically 2 days to learn 3 sets of songs - some of the songs I had to track down to find the artists version of the song to listen to.

By the time of the show there are only 2 songs, 1 in set 2 and 1 in set 3 on the main list that I don't know at all that I'm planning on laying out on. I do know most of the extra songs.

We meet at the show, 1 guy is complaining that he pulled a stomach muscle, 1 guy hurt his back and can't move his neck and the other is just complaining, wishing he could hold a regular job so he would have to play shows like this. No joy or anticipation for a good show.

The first set is a little rough. To me, the songs that I know and that they stick mainly to the original arrangement sound pretty good. One song that this band comes in on different chord - They come in on the I instead of the IV from the original after the signature opening riff, so that one I had to play catch up. It was also tough flowing during the mash ups when the change over from 1 song to a really unrelated song seemingly at random mid beat. No train wrecks. They did restart 1 song that the guitar player came in on the wrong key.

No comments or words of encouragement after the 1st set so I'm thinking I might be in for a long night as I'm more familiar with the 1st set songs so the other 2 sets probably will not be as good.

After the 1st set set I tell they guy that sent me the charts and keys that I don't have one of the songs on the 2nd set. I have no clue how this song goes.. I suggest we can either sub one of the extra songs or I can lay out. He seems annoyed and tells me that it's too late for him to do anything about it now. That song comes up and they go right into it and I lay out as promised.

After the 2nd set set I tell them that there is another song in the 3rd set that I don't know. Now another guy is annoyed too. That's 2 out of 3 now. Luckily, turns out they didn't need all the 3rd set songs so they skipped this one when it came up.

After ending the 3rd set, even before finishing breaking down their stuff they payed me off and sent me on my way. I know how this is going to end but as a matter of course I them them it was fun and to let me know if they wanted to do it again some time. No eye contact, no real response.

2 days after the show I notice I've been removed from he private FB group.

--

We're not talking a lot of money and for me it's not about the money but really the fun of making music with others, of which there was very little here.

I am a bit bummed as I put a lot of work in a short amount of time, no appreciation and no joy.

I'm not beating myself up over this as I thought I did pretty good given the circumstances and I did what I told them I would do.

As I mention this was really out of my comfort zone as I like to practice and be rehearsed but took this on as it was safe, outdoors, and I wanted to play and after reading from a lot of TBers here that that typically play shows without any rehearsals I figured this was a low pressure situation to see if I could handle it.

--

I'm not sure what they expected, can / should they expect that a bass player can come in cold and play 3 sets - songs with different arrangements and keys, several unrelated mash ups or medleys??
Click to expand...
I'm no pro either. The way I see it, any time I learn new songs it's time well spent. It seems those guys don't have the same idea if being in a band as you do. Personally I play music for fun, a little extra cash is nice but I'm not going to quit my day job. Maintaining a level of professionalism is really important to me. How does the audience benefit when the band doesn't want to rehearse? When I see the red flags I'm quick to back out. I'd rather play along to a recording at home then be on stage with someone who takes the fun out of it. I go on stage to play for the audience first, for myself second.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ray James, Miles_ONeal and oldrocker
#134
VolverseLoco said:
That $60 pay, that right there parallels the Facebook actions of this gang he played with. Oh, lets just give him $60 as an INSULT, then we will un-friend him. The OP played song sets with these guys, I wonder how the OP felt 5 songs into the set. Did he still want to be permanent part of this band? When they took a break did they cast OP out already and ignore him? I think something good *could* have come out of all this. This gig was essentially the 1st 'practice' of this group as a whole, since they never did practice. These guys could have probably had a good solid bass player, not a complainer, and tightened up the ship, had some more practices and be a good unit together.
Click to expand...

This is a pretty accurate assessment. :thumbsup:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miles_ONeal
#135
oldrocker said:
Recently relocated to Florida after living my entire life in NY and Long Island.

Really long story - not a rant just a story and I don't really feel better after telling it - lol

TL;DR - put a lot of prep into an unrehearsed show with a new band. No joy.
...
I'm not sure what they expected, can / should they expect that a bass player can come in cold and play 3 sets - songs with different arrangements and keys, several unrelated mash ups or medleys??
Click to expand...

These guys sound like they just fell into it and don't know what they're doing in terms of trying to be professional musicians. They have some pie in the sky idea of how it works, and aren't grounded in reality. That's a shame. But it sounds like you did great. Sorry it wasn't fun. Praying some much better band mates and gigs come your way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oldrocker
#136
bigswifty1 said:
OP: You communicated, you turned up on time, you prepared to the extent time and resources allowed, you collected your pay. That's a fine effort all round in my book.

As for your efforts in learning the material - time spent learning a song is almost never time wasted, no matter the circumstances. Maybe those songs will come up again in the future. Maybe you've honed your learning skills a bit. Maybe your ear is in better shape than when you started. That's all good stuff.
Click to expand...


Well said.

.
 
#137
oldrocker said:
Recently relocated to Florida after living my entire life in NY and Long Island.

Really long story - not a rant just a story and I don't really feel better after telling it - lol

TL;DR - put a lot of prep into an unrehearsed show with a new band. No joy.

I placed a CL add and received a reply from a band - guitar drums and keys - looking for a bass player. I checked out their FB page and was able to find a couple of YT videos. They play 50s - 70s mostly. I'm more a late 60s - 70s classic rock, southern and blues rock guy but they seem to be able to get gigs in decent places, they play uncrowded outside shows mostly mostly safe so I figured what the heck.

I'm definitely no pro and not a great bass player so I usually rely on a lot of practice - I like to get songs tight so the band sounds good but they say they don't rehearse, which would usually be a red flag for me

So I arrange to go see them at a show, outside restaurant 2 seeks ago. They seem happy to meet me. I stay and watch a set and a half. They play very loose and do a lot of song mash ups or medleys and as I found out later play a lot of their own takes on the arrangements and play songs in a different key from the original recording. They ask me if I can play this stuff and I tell them I'm not a pro but yes I can play it. The songs themselves are not hard but I would have to learn them. They said that they understand that. There is a suggestion that I come and play with them in 2 weeks at another show. A couple of days later they invite to their closed FB group.

A week goes by, then Tuesday of last week 1 guy posts 3 sets and some extras for a show that Friday. I ask if they expect me to play that show, and the answer is Yes.

At my request the next day I get a list of the keys and some chord charts for most of the songs. I tell them I will look over the songs and that I will play the ones I think I know and lay out on the songs I'm sure I don't know. No response..

I've played a lot of songs over the years so typically when i get a new band set list there are about a third of the songs I've payed before, a third that I know but haven't played and about a third I'm not really familiar with a few that I've never even heard of. This list is skewed to 50s and early 60s but a similar mix and really nothing that difficult to play.

This is way out of my comfort zone but I figure what the heck, what's the worse that can happen. So I have basically 2 days to learn 3 sets of songs - some of the songs I had to track down to find the artists version of the song to listen to.

By the time of the show there are only 2 songs, 1 in set 2 and 1 in set 3 on the main list that I don't know at all that I'm planning on laying out on. I do know most of the extra songs.

We meet at the show, 1 guy is complaining that he pulled a stomach muscle, 1 guy hurt his back and can't move his neck and the other is just complaining, wishing he could hold a regular job so he would have to play shows like this. No joy or anticipation for a good show.

The first set is a little rough. To me, the songs that I know and that they stick mainly to the original arrangement sound pretty good. One song that this band comes in on different chord - They come in on the I instead of the IV from the original after the signature opening riff, so that one I had to play catch up. It was also tough flowing during the mash ups when the change over from 1 song to a really unrelated song seemingly at random mid beat. No train wrecks. They did restart 1 song that the guitar player came in on the wrong key.

No comments or words of encouragement after the 1st set so I'm thinking I might be in for a long night as I'm more familiar with the 1st set songs so the other 2 sets probably will not be as good.

After the 1st set set I tell they guy that sent me the charts and keys that I don't have one of the songs on the 2nd set. I have no clue how this song goes.. I suggest we can either sub one of the extra songs or I can lay out. He seems annoyed and tells me that it's too late for him to do anything about it now. That song comes up and they go right into it and I lay out as promised.

After the 2nd set set I tell them that there is another song in the 3rd set that I don't know. Now another guy is annoyed too. That's 2 out of 3 now. Luckily, turns out they didn't need all the 3rd set songs so they skipped this one when it came up.

After ending the 3rd set, even before finishing breaking down their stuff they payed me off and sent me on my way. I know how this is going to end but as a matter of course I them them it was fun and to let me know if they wanted to do it again some time. No eye contact, no real response.

2 days after the show I notice I've been removed from he private FB group.

--

We're not talking a lot of money and for me it's not about the money but really the fun of making music with others, of which there was very little here.

I am a bit bummed as I put a lot of work in a short amount of time, no appreciation and no joy.

I'm not beating myself up over this as I thought I did pretty good given the circumstances and I did what I told them I would do.

As I mention this was really out of my comfort zone as I like to practice and be rehearsed but took this on as it was safe, outdoors, and I wanted to play and after reading from a lot of TBers here that that typically play shows without any rehearsals I figured this was a low pressure situation to see if I could handle it.

--

I'm not sure what they expected, can / should they expect that a bass player can come in cold and play 3 sets - songs with different arrangements and keys, several unrelated mash ups or medleys??
Click to expand...
Hmm. Have you considered that you may have just been filling in for their regular bassist? In my experience it's very unusual for an outgoing band member not to give notice, unless there's been a major upset. And, a paid gig with a new member, without a rehearsal? Amateurs! Either way my alarm bells would have been ringing.
 
#138
ebo said:
Basic charts are available free online for just about every standard cover tune. I make my own and dont wait to be sent them. If you can't find those, there are YouTube videos of almost every conceivable song. While arrangements and keys will vary, it's not impossible to get in the ballpark with root notes and basic fills.
Click to expand...

I think the biggest issue is not key changes, it's arrangements. It never ceases to amaze me how wrong people can manage to play a song, all the while claiming to play it "exactly like the record". Yes, looking at my own band here, for some songs it's clear they either listened to the first 15 seconds and decided that the rest is just a repeat (Louie Louie being a painful example) ... or never bothered to listen and just assumed they know the song from memory. And even when they start off with the proper arrangement, bands tend to let it morph into something different over time, whether on purpose or not.

LBS-bass said:
Yeah, you're absolutely right here. This is all true. It's the mindreading part I haven't gotten down yet, when someone waits until a few days before the show to let me know what those songs are.
Click to expand...

Wait, no one told you about the mind reading requirements? :oops:
 
  • Like
Reactions: LBS-bass
#139
Sounds like a bunch of old pros and you oversold your ability to hang with the program.

In my native music, jazz, it's expected that you know the tunes and be able to play on the fly. If you're lucky the bandleader will have a Real Book. Though it might be in Bb or Eb. So you'd better be able to transpose. If you don't know the tune? The bandleader will tell you "use those things on the sides of your head".

Frankly for a long time working band this all sounds normal. For sure you shouldn't be "laying out" on tunes you don't know - right there they tagged you as not up to the task. And deviations from a set list are standard practice for a working band - when the audience seems to want more or less of something, you don't keep grinding away at the set list that isn't working, you play different tunes.

Sorry to intrude the note of reality there.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back