Audition Red Flags

[DrSteve]

So I had an audition, accepted the offer to join the band, and quit 2 months later.
I should have know better. Red Flags:

• Oldies band but the BL / Keyboard player needed sheet music (I think he's been playing these same songs since the 60's & 70's).
• Band didn't know the 10 songs they asked me to audition with as well as I did.
• BL and Singer were in a band I auditioned for pre-Covid, and I turned them down (In my defense, guitar and drummer were much better in this carnation)

I guess I bought in because the singer and their harmonies were excellent and I liked most of the songs on their list. Most of them not your average over-played hits.

I quit because, as time went on I realized the BL was a dictator and not such a good player. Last straw being his refusal during rehearsal to skip a song he hadn't bothered to learn, even though he official had 2 weeks. Unofficially he had a month since it was on the projected list of songs we all had to learn. So I learned about 40 songs in 7 weeks and he couldn't bother learn 3 songs in a month. Sorry for the rant.

Please offer your red flags to help me and others avoid wasting time in bad situations.

Thanks

 

[WI Short Scaler]

One (or more) band members ask for a ride to/from your audition.

Excessive drinking.

Members already in the band arguing.

 

[Bass Viking]

• Band didn't know the 10 songs they asked me to audition with as well as I did.

Good musicians pass auditions. Not-so-good musicians hold auditions.

 

[tb-player]

Red flag #1: there's an audition

 

[51PRI]

Packing during an audition.

 

[pepj]

It either works or it doesn't.
I'm looking for chemistry and thats an elusive thing.

 

[5StringBlues]

Let's just say I've never smoked meth, but I do know what the smell of burning meth is.

 

[Bass Viking]

Let's just say I've never smoked meth, but I do know what the smell of burning meth is.

That's the smell of your gear getting stolen if you leave it at the practice space.

 

[Discount Bassy]

Upon entering the smallish practice room, you immediately notice a full Marshall stack for the guitarist and the 3 up 3 down drum kit with PA support. There is almost enough room for you to stand, but not with a bass in playing position, because their twin keyboard players need room to dance to their bass chord battles.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

One (or more) band members ask for a ride to/from your audition.

Excessive drinking.

Members already in the band arguing.

Allow me to kind of piggy-back on this.

Even if there's no alcohol imbibed during the audition, there's an odor which a late-stage alcoholic emits. It's kind of ... garlic-like. They can't shower enough to get rid of it. It comes from within.

Use of any drug/mind altering substance during the audition.

Forcing me to go outside in the freezing cold to have a cigarette and lighting up other "smokables" (and therefore exposing me to them against my will) in the rehearsal space.

 

[matthewbrown]

The question "Do you partake?" and the smell of burning weed. I don't enjoy playing with people who are inebriated or stoned, and rehearsing when you're high makes no sense at all to me.

 

[Killing Floor]

Last straw being his refusal during rehearsal to skip a song he hadn't bothered to learn

This is the moment you say this out loud and declare yourself band leader. But in any case you make certain the players you like hear that the leader can't learn a song.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

So I had an audition, accepted the offer to join the band, and quit 2 months later.
I should have know better. Red Flags:

• Oldies band but the BL / Keyboard player needed sheet music (I think he's been playing these same songs since the 60's & 70's).
• Band didn't know the 10 songs they asked me to audition with as well as I did.
• BL and Singer were in a band I auditioned for pre-Covid, and I turned them down (In my defense, guitar and drummer were much better in this carnation)

I guess I bought in because the singer and their harmonies were excellent and I liked most of the songs on their list. Most of them not your average over-played hits.

I quit because, as time went on I realized the BL was a dictator and not such a good player. Last straw being his refusal during rehearsal to skip a song he hadn't bothered to learn, even though he official had 2 weeks. Unofficially he had a month since it was on the projected list of songs we all had to learn. So I learned about 40 songs in 7 weeks and he couldn't bother learn 3 songs in a month. Sorry for the rant.

Please offer your red flags to help me and others avoid wasting time in bad situations.

Thanks

I had an experience with something along that order. BL was a marginal singer, had a crappy cheesy sounding rig, wasn't the greatest keyboardist either . He brought in a girl mainly to sing notes he couldn't hit, and she couldn't hit them either or any other note for that matter. The guitarist had one of those CBS era Strats that sounds great until he had to play it, so most of the audition was listening to him tuning. I can't put to words my take on the drummer, so I'll leave that to your imagination.

So of course I signed on as they had gigs lined up. After two weeks, 8 rehearsals, $50 in gas driving diametrically across the greater Pittsburgh area to non-practice meetings that accomplished very little, I quit.

About a month later the BL stopped by the Record Mart where I was working at the time, and he said the band was doing great and they had a month long contract 5 nights a week with a local Holiday Inn paying the band adjusted for inflation todays equivalent of roughly $6,000 a week.

No, I didn't go out to see them, but he did show me the contract.

 

[bassfran]

The last audition I went on I quickly realized it was an "instant band, just add water" assemblage of strangers and wrapped my cable and split.
Dude had talked a good game on the phone but I should've known better.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

When only the frontman and the drummer are present. Rest of the band "couldn't make it tonight."

 

[jimmydean]

I have experienced everything previously stated in my past , what could I add to the list ? Ah ,I just remembered being asked if the next guy could use my bass for his audition ?................*** !

 

[Bunk McNulty]

I had an experience with something along that order. BL was a marginal singer, had a crappy cheesy sounding rig, wasn't the greatest keyboardist either . He brought in a girl mainly to sing notes he couldn't hit, and she couldn't hit them either or any other note for that matter. The guitarist had one of those CBS era Strats that sounds great until he had to play it, so most of the audition was listening to him tuning. I can't put to words my take on the drummer, so I'll leave that to your imagination.

So of course I signed on as they had gigs lined up. After two weeks, 8 rehearsals, $50 in gas driving diametrically across the greater Pittsburgh area to non-practice meetings that accomplished very little, I quit.

About a month later the BL stopped by the Record Mart where I was working at the time, and he said the band was doing great and they had a month long contract 5 nights a week with a local Holiday Inn paying the band adjusted for inflation todays equivalent of roughly $6,000 a week.

No, I didn't go out to see them, but he did show me the contract.

Take it from me: Quality and commercial success do not necessarily go hand in hand.

 

[ELG60]

For me, if there are no gigs on the books, I'm out. I'm a hired gun, though, and usually move within circles with whom I'm familiar, player-wise.

 

[Engle]

The singer leaves the rehearsal space for a smoke during a guitar solo. (Then doesn't make it back until the song ends)

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

So I had an audition, accepted the offer to join the band, and quit 2 months later.
I should have know better. Red Flags:

• Oldies band but the BL / Keyboard player needed sheet music (I think he's been playing these same songs since the 60's & 70's).
• Band didn't know the 10 songs they asked me to audition with as well as I did.
• BL and Singer were in a band I auditioned for pre-Covid, and I turned them down (In my defense, guitar and drummer were much better in this carnation)

I guess I bought in because the singer and their harmonies were excellent and I liked most of the songs on their list. Most of them not your average over-played hits.

I quit because, as time went on I realized the BL was a dictator and not such a good player. Last straw being his refusal during rehearsal to skip a song he hadn't bothered to learn, even though he official had 2 weeks. Unofficially he had a month since it was on the projected list of songs we all had to learn. So I learned about 40 songs in 7 weeks and he couldn't bother learn 3 songs in a month. Sorry for the rant.

Please offer your red flags to help me and others avoid wasting time in bad situations.

Thanks

Drugs and/or alcohol at practice

Repeating parts and/or songs when you thought they sounded great (this is a sign that the BL is a control freak. Things get worse from there)