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Am I too rigid?

#61
fishdude101101 said:
Well I'm gonna be honest, knowing our market, those songs would bomb around here. Pretty much only upbeat sing along pop, classic rock, and country. Not a being a Steely Dan fan, I had to look some of them up. Not sure what that says about me.
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Well, you think they will. Your market might surprise you. I can't say I remember another time I got better applause than the last time we played Bodhisattva a few years back. My Old School is also another verifiable winner. Have played it countless times, and always to great response.

What people don't seem to understand is that audiences LOVE a good surprise. They want to hear familiar music, but the comments I hear most about the bands I'm in that play this stuff are about how pleasantly surprised they are that we're not playing the same old stuff. "I can't believe you played that. No one plays that!" is the kind of thing I hear all the time. And people come back because they know we'll surprise them again and again. It's what works.

But I share this with others and they react like you did. It's fine, it can stay my secret. It's quite successful and I'm quite glad to not have to compete much with this because it gives my audience a clear destination on the nights we play :)
 
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#63
LBS-bass said:
Well, you think they will. Your market might surprise you. I can't say I remember another time I got better applause than the last time we played Bodhisattva a few years back. My Old School is also another verifiable winner. Have played it countless times, and always to great response.

What people don't seem to understand is that audiences LOVE a good surprise. They want to hear familiar music, but the comments I hear most about the bands I'm in that play this stuff are about how pleasantly surprised they are that we're not playing the same old stuff. "I can't believe you played that. No one plays that!" is the kind of thing I hear all the time. And people come back because they know we'll surprise them again and again. It's what works.

But I share this with others and they react like you did. It's fine, it can stay my secret. It's quite successful and I'm quite glad to not have to compete much with this because it gives my audience a clear destination on the nights we play :)
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All good. You might be right. Our crowd is mostly under 40, and certainly under 50, and many of them, especially the under 30's, may have never heard of Steely Dan or their contemporaries. You see they're not really music fans, they just wanna party. I've gotten the "I can't believe you guys play that" but not with that kind of stuff. 60's and 70's rock around here, at the venues we play literally clears the dance floor and sends people to the exits. In our market it was very over played for decades.
 
#64
fishdude101101 said:
All good. You might be right. Our crowd is mostly under 40, and certainly under 50, and many of them, especially the under 30's, may have never heard of Steely Dan or their contemporaries. You see they're not really music fans, they just wanna party. I've gotten the "I can't believe you guys play that" but not with that kind of stuff. 60's and 70's rock around here, at the venues we play literally clears the dance floor and sends people to the exits. In our market it was very over played for decades.
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Well, it may be an entirely different crowd. The last show I played Bodhisattva at was a multi-band show with people mostly in their 30's and 40's, and they absolutely loved it. Younger folks aren't unaware of older music, IMO. But you never really know what's going to work - and bring people back - until you try something.
 
#66
I am talented enough where until I moved to this God-forsaken mess of a commonwealth where bass players seem to out-number guitar players, I could write my own ticket, band-wise.

There are certain things on which I will not compromise. We all have them. That's the politicking of finding the right group of people.

Having "rules" for joining a band kind of places you (by your own design) in the role of "employee". If that works for you, cool, but the key to maintaining employment is keeping your boss happy.

On a somewhat related note (deep cuts): In the cover bands I've been in, I have always found you can get away with 25% (usually later in the evening) of deep cuts or some originals provided your deep cuts are "your" version of the song (craft it to the type of audience) and also provide3d you really nail the other 75% of the list.

YMMV
 
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#67
fishdude101101 said:
The situation:

Current band I'm in was started a couple of years ago. I was asked to join, this was not an audition scenario. I agreed on the following conditions, which they agreed to:

1) No weeknight rehearsal for any reason. I will play a gig if needed but with my work hours/commitments it is not something I'll do.

2) No deep cuts (its a coverband)

3) No gigs more than an hour away without provided sound. I stated my preference to also have have provided sound. I'm not in this for the money and if that means paying for sound, I'm ok with that, but I'm not buying any sound gear.

So lately the other members want to rehearse through the week because of things they want to do on weekends. They all mostly working from home in lower stress, less intense jobs. Week night stuff for me just makes for too long of a day.
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You need to stand your ground and do what's right for you. They came to you and agreed to what you needed. They are now going back on it. Let them find another bass player.
 
#70
I don't think the OP is too rigid in principle. It may be he's too rigid for this band. The real question is whether the things they want to do that violate his boundaries are permanent or temporary. If the modus operandi of this group going forward contradicts what he's willing to do, time to look for another band. If it's just taking a few weeks off from rehearsal until other things get settled (like to give the guy who bought the house some time), then carry on.

The rehearsal issue really depends. Experienced cover band musicians don't need a rehearsal to pull off Sweet Home Alabama or Hard to Handle. But when you're adding new material or playing challenging stuff, you need rehearsals to get it tight. Assuming everyone's doing their homework, it still helps to solidify any tricky parts or to have a tight ending where the original recording has a fade-out, that kind of thing.

For instance, the Blues Bros. tribute I play in had a show where they decided to add In the Midnight Hour. Easy song - except the horns play from charts, and they had a horn arrangement that departed from the Wilson Pickett version in a few points, plus it was in D rather than E. Oops, there go all my open strings... We had one rehearsal, but it wasn't enough to "gel" the arrangement for those of us who play from memory, and we wound up train-wrecking it. It just needed a couple more passes to be ready for the public.

That's the thing about classical orchestras and such - they're always rehearsing new material. A band going on tour, as I understand it (not having had the experience myself) will rehearse for a week to prepare, then they're out on the road and just doing the show several times a week.
 
#73
fishdude101101 said:
The situation:

Current band I'm in was started a couple of years ago. I was asked to join, this was not an audition scenario. I agreed on the following conditions, which they agreed to:

1) No weeknight rehearsal for any reason. I will play a gig if needed but with my work hours/commitments it is not something I'll do.

2) No deep cuts (its a coverband)

3) No gigs more than an hour away without provided sound. I stated my preference to also have have provided sound. I'm not in this for the money and if that means paying for sound, I'm ok with that, but I'm not buying any sound gear.

So lately the other members want to rehearse through the week because of things they want to do on weekends. They all mostly working from home in lower stress, less intense jobs. Week night stuff for me just makes for too long of a day.
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If the band agreed to your terms initially but now wants to change the terms it's not a question of whether those terms were too rigid it's that they've changed how they want to work.
 
#74
Slevage said:
A successful band requires all members to be on the same page.

If you’re the odd man- time to move on.
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That depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is supply and demand for bass players.

I play bass, sing about a third of our lead vocals, sing harmony on pretty much everything I don't sing lead on, own the lights, own most of our cables, provide the rehearsal space, and keep the jam room fridge stocked with all of their favorite beer.

I imagine my band would have to replace me with at least two people.

I'm the one who refuses to play long-distance gigs. I'm the one who will only rehearse (at most) a half dozen times a year. My daughters are 10 and 12. I'll never get this time back. I'll be an empty nester in about 8 years. Maybe we can do something different then. But for now I'm not budging. If they think they can replace me, they have my blessings.

Short version: If I were to "move on", I would be surprised if my band kept going. So that would NOT be best for everyone, would it?
 
#75
two fingers said:
That depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is supply and demand for bass players.

I play bass, sing about a third of our lead vocals, sing harmony on pretty much everything I don't sing lead on, own the lights, own most of our cables, provide the rehearsal space, and keep the jam room fridge stocked with all of their favorite beer.

I imagine my band would have to replace me with at least two people.

I'm the one who refuses to play long-distance gigs. I'm the one who will only rehearse (at most) a half dozen times a year. My daughters are 10 and 12. I'll never get this time back. I'll be an empty nester in about 8 years. Maybe we can do something different then. But for now I'm not budging. If they think they can replace me, they have my blessings.

Short version: If I were to "move on", I would be surprised if my band kept going. So that would NOT be best for everyone, would it?
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After over 50 years of playing, and about 45 years of gigging, I’ve never regretted moving on. Short term, it was not the best for all involved, long term- it was the right decision in ever case.
 
#76
Slevage said:
After over 50 years of playing, and about 45 years of gigging, I’ve never regretted moving on. Short term, it was not the best for all involved, long term- it was the right decision in ever case.
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Here's the thing. You're viewing this from the wrong angle. I have no desire to move on. This situation works out perfectly for me (as long as nothing changes). My BAND is who would have to make that decision. It's up to THEM if they simply can't live with my restrictions. So far, they haven't expressed any interest in moving on.

I've been doing this for 35+ years as well.... about 20 of them for a living.
 
#78
fishdude101101 said:
The situation:

Current band I'm in was started a couple of years ago. I was asked to join, this was not an audition scenario. I agreed on the following conditions, which they agreed to:

1) No weeknight rehearsal for any reason. I will play a gig if needed but with my work hours/commitments it is not something I'll do.

2) No deep cuts (its a coverband)

3) No gigs more than an hour away without provided sound. I stated my preference to also have have provided sound. I'm not in this for the money and if that means paying for sound, I'm ok with that, but I'm not buying any sound gear.

So lately the other members want to rehearse through the week because of things they want to do on weekends. They all mostly working from home in lower stress, less intense jobs. Week night stuff for me just makes for too long of a day.
Click to expand...
I have similar “requirements” as you. I’m a bit older, have 3 kids at home still and a stressful and demanding “Corporate” type job. I’ll gig on the weekends, but I’m not driving over an hour in each direction and playing all night for $100.00. That said, ill certainly be a lot more flexible for a fun project, with great players and cool music…..than I am for the same old bar tunes.
 
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#80
two fingers said:
Here's the thing. You're viewing this from the wrong angle. I have no desire to move on. This situation works out perfectly for me (as long as nothing changes). My BAND is who would have to make that decision. It's up to THEM if they simply can't live with my restrictions. So far, they haven't expressed any interest in moving on.

I've been doing this for 35+ years as well.... about 20 of them for a living.
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I'm happy for you--- continue what you are doing.
My advice is to the OP.
 
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