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Am I just a total jerk or something?

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#21
basstotheface said:
Are you a hired gun or are you in a band with him, not in his band?

If your in his band, suck it up. But tell him that if your going to be playing like a session musician, you better be payed like one, that means payed same wage no matter what gig, and payed during rehearsals.

If you're in a band together, let him know that it is not his band, play the gig but let him know this isn't his show and tell project.
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That's the hard part, I don't really know what I am. He always talks about it like it's an equal band but at the same time, the band's got his name in front of it, he picks all the songs on the set, and he sets up 90% of the gigs.

Given those facts, I take the stance that I am nothing more than the hired bass player, and therefore I get to pick and choose my gigs. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but he'd be hard pressed to find another bass player with the chops to play the music in this city, without offering them a nice pay incentive.

I wouldn't hang him out to dry like that though, I'm not that bad. More than likely, I'm just going to show up, play, say happy birthday, and go home.
 
#22
Go with it. Don't bitch. Forgo your pay as a B'Day present, buy him a card and a drink.
Say thank you. Diplomacy goes a long way. Some guys are very controlling but at times they are very necessary for doing business and gigging has to be handled like a business.
My last gig was the same situation. Band leader controlled everything, but we worked.
At the end of each gig I would shake his hand and say Thanx.
 
#25
No situation is perfect, it's just one bad gig out of may good and well paying gigs. I'd be inclined to say don't kill the goose laying golden eggs.

I wonder if this really means you have a problem with the way he's running the band, don't like not being a real equal partner, fed up with his attitude, or something else is irritating you about this long term, and this gig is more of a straw that broke the camel's back rather than the only problem?

Randy
 
#26
Is the guy a tool or something that has you believing your a hired gun? I'd ask myself if the guy's cool enough to hang with, or is he more an employer that you'd just as soon be away from unless you're "working"?

If the guy's lame, hire a sub.

:D

God Bless, Ray
 
#31
CapnSev said:
So I'm playing in an an old-school, 7-piece soul/r&b band for my main gig right now, which is 98% covers. The band is strictly a no-nonsense, business, for-profit, party band. We're just 7 guys that get a really good time out of playing music to entertain people, and make some cash on the side. Typically we do weddings, parties, events, and some bar gigs. I would say that we're a really professional band, and we don't take gigs that aren't worth it either money-wise, or cause-wise.

Here's the issue: The guy that fronts the band does all the business work: booking, contracts, negotiating money, advertising, etc. He's awesome at it. His downside is that he has a pretty abrasive personality, and likes complete control of the band (most of the song list, arrangement, etc.) That bothers me a little bit, but if he keeps finding me good gigs, then I really don't care, because its fun and the payout is good.

The problem is that has booked a gig on his birthday at a really, really crappy bar that pays nothing, and he knows it. He wants to play the gig because it is his favorite bar, and he wants to show off "his" band to his buddies.

I am pretty pissed about it. The way I see it is that I'm more or less a hired gun, and he wants me to miss a perfectly good weekend to do something more worthwhile with my time. I'd really like to rip him a new one at the next rehearsal, but at the same time, it's probably not that big of a deal and I should just roll with it.

So what do you guys think? Am I just a callous and greedy a-hole for not wanting to do the gig, or should I let this dude just have his little birthday thing in peace?
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Sounds like he has the normal personality for managment/leadership. Nobody likes "the boss" sometimes. You have to take the good with the bad. The gigs are good and he's a good band boss. Just humor him and play the b-day gig. You might need a favor from him someday. Then you'll have some leverage to ask for it.
 
#36
I would advise you to start your own project if this is bothersome. I did. Now, my band is one of the busiest and most profitable working bands in the city. We have a gig that I might relate to your story; I have booked my band in a really hip, artsy, loungy wine bar on tuesday nights because tuesdays are a tough night to find profitable work. the place we play at is affiliated with a restaurant that I work at from time to time. I would not be surprised if 1 or 2 of my players thought that I booked this for a similar reason, you know, to increase status among my sometimes co-workers, etc. However, this could not be farther from the truth. I booked this gig because we need to build a profitable Tuesday night somewhere. My connections made this an 'easy in' and the owner was really excited to have us. I also targeted this venue because during the busy season, a lot of high profile pro atheletes, famous actors, etc frequent this establishment. This venue also has a reputation for attracting some of the most talented jazz acts in town, etc and people think you are really legit if you play this spot. Currently, we play strictly for the door. This translates into $20 - $65 per night. We have seen business steadily increase since we started and I will be approaching the owner about providing a guarantee in addition to the door soon. My players are used to making more than this, so a couple of guys opted not to do the Tuesday gigs. That is totally fine with me, but guess what I did. I went and found more talented subs to fill their positions on tuesday nights. They wanted the gig because it is a blast, all the free gourmet food and drinks they want, + a little cash on a hard to fill in Tuesday with growth potential. Guess what else...when we book a wedding or corporate event thru a contact that saw us on tuesday night for $500 a man, guess which players will be playing that event...that's right...the more talented subs. My point is, if your band leader is at all like me, he is always looking out for the best interest of the band, and the brand. If there are players that are not team players and only want the 'high paying' gigs, players that fail to see the purpose behind working for less $ at first, then I will find a team player to work with. The funny thing is, now that these players have more talented subs on their heals, everyone has stepped up their game thus benifiting us all. That's my 2 cents from a 9 piece band leader's perpective.
 
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