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Audition Red Flags

#61
At least you got to see the "real" band upfront, but you let your hopes override your spider sense. Not knocking you, In my younger days, I did this myself a few times. In my experience, the BL is usually the weakest link. However, the most successful of mine were when they were not dictatorial.

You did the right thing getting out pretty soon. Maybe keep the singer's (possibly the drummer's too) contact info for the future. Good luck. There's a good group out there for you.
 
#62
LiptonJigglers said:
First red flag: the word JAM.

2nd over the top praise... the last guy to do this was sending me "how to play bass" videos 30 mins after the "audition" ended.. thus I consider it playing games to find the next source of narcissistic supply.... why did the last guy leave?

3rd; family members in the band. Just say NO!!!

4th Long Distance driving required... anything over 60 mins and that's it... See ya later..

5th Guitarists with triple decker pedal boards with squillions of buttons, dials and the ability to produce 20 quintillion sounds except when you really need them, not 4 songs later.

6th dominating attitudes, control freaks..

7th Politics being discussed any time at all, even if I agree with the politics being put forward... just don't do it. I'm out of there.
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Oh yeah - "jamming" is just another word for noodling around with no focus.

And yeah, politics are a no no. At least not at an audition!

Just a few weeks ago I answered an ad for someone and on the phone they very cleary said some racist things. I just didn't say anything and they started to backpedal and ask if I would be down to meeting up…
 
#63
Bass Viking said:
Not a sub situation but I've heard of a band leader holding rehearsals in their house and charging the band for it. Money grubbing #$&*! :laugh:
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If a band generates good income, then yep, i can see payment for p.a rigging and loading and then you'll charge for SM admin etc etc etc as jobs that need doing ...but you need good money coming in.
For the $100 a gig, then lol...
 
#64
KenSmithFan said:
Just my list:

I never go on an audition without asking:

1) How often do you play
2) Where do you play
3) How much does the band charge
4) Who books the band
5) How often do you practice
6) Where do you practice
7) How close to the original song do you try to get
8) Who provide the PA
9) How is the band money split
10) How do you choose songs

And here's a freebie just for you!

11) I would like to see a songlist

If you don't know the answers to these questions, you don't know enough to go on an audition. This should take less than 5 minutes.

At least half of the complaining threads on TB relate to these things.
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Those are good. Then later, you see how many of those they lied about. :sour:
 
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#66
gln1955 said:
Those are good. Then later, you see how many of those they lied about. :sour:
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Usually 9 out of 10. :roflmao:

Some things you can check out. You can visit the sites of clubs where they claim they played, check out their social media pages, but you are right, a lot of it can be (and often is) completely fabricated.

My big thing is how songs are selected. I've saved myself from playing crap more than once by being very clear about what I would and wouldn't play. I played in one band and said I would only play well known, crowd pleasers. The drummer kept bringing in these crazy suggestions, one being a ten minute long version of Johnny B. Goode by Mahogany Rush, and each time I'd say, "No, that not what we all agreed to."
 
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#70
Great points already mentioned. Thanks for your patience w/covered ground.

Before I ever audition again:
  • I will ask for a video if it's not a well known band. They should probably ask me for the same under the circumstances.
  • I will ask for a calendar of upcoming gigs.
  • What is my cut per gig?
  • Are tips a thing, and will I be included in a split?
  • How often are rehearsals called?
  • Does the band require holding unbooked dates open in case they get short-notice bookings?
If there aren't many, or any, bookings on their calendar, or if scale is below my minimum, that's a hard pass on even attending an audition. Everything else will have to be quickly weighed.

Then, I can worry about audition red flags:
  • BL or band not setup and ready to go on time
  • BL or band not up to speed on material
  • Poorly organized/run audition
  • Anything less-than chill pro attitudes
  • Impairment
 
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#71
Havent done an audition for eons unless you talk about open mic type jams which kind of can achieve the same thing. You get to see how new people work and react.
Other new meeting opportunities might be sub dates and there videos of the band are essential.
Every working band has them.
 
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#72
slagheap said:
somewhere there's probably some kind of algorithm that correlates talent / sobriety ratios among artists. i don't qualify as an artist, but i know i play best completely sober.
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That kind of algorithm isn't possible because people are not all the same. One of the best drummers I ever played with doesn't drink or smoke and is vegetarian. You have to find what works best for you, being honest about it.
By 'honest', I mean that when I've had three beers in a short time, I think I sound great. But recordings show that really isn't the case.
Reportedly, alcohol had little effect on Jamerson's playing, but it does mine. People laugh at me about it, but I've taken several Dr. Peppers to gigs so that I could alternate between beer and them.
 
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#73
Guitarist wheels in a marshal stack for a small rehearsal space. Will not turn down stack when repeatedly asked by everyone in band.
In another audition -bad drummer. (no respect for BPS or tempo)
Another -i just didnt fit the band dynamic. It was a married couple where the lady played keys and the guy did the guitar. They were ok but i just really didnt fit.
footloose2.jpg
 
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#74
DrSteve said:
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.
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OMG I feel your pain on that one. I stepped back from a "band" that rehearsed at the guitarist/singers house. Real nice guy. Loved to hang and have a beer and talk latest music releases. Talked an absolutely massive game about getting back on stage which I was totally on board with. Could not for the life of him finish ANYTHING. My roomie and I came through and each week had written a new original or 2 (to draft form). He never finished lyrics. I heard him sing twice the whole time I was there (outside of christmas music). So I suggest 2 easy greenday covers so that the guitaring is easy enough to play and sing. He agreed. Next week only the drummer and I had learned it. The following week he at least moderately had the guitar part alone down. I was out. I've done the "lets build this from the foundation up" projects and loved it. I can handle slow progress, but I cannot handle less than no follow through.

drumwagon said:
I tried out as a drummer for a band that said they played out 1-2 time a month, interesting setlist, great practice space with nice drums. The guitarist was so loud it was painful. I almost burst out laughing when we did "peaceful easy feeling" and the singer was yelling to be heard above the guitar. On a break they asked me what I thought and I told them it was just too loud for me. the guitarist immediately got mad and said that it had to be loud to get the tone he wanted. When I was leaving the singer walked me out and admitted the rest of the band had tired but couldn't get him to turn down, and by way the 1-2 gigs a month was really "we played a couple of BBQs in peoples back yard last year."
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Yeah, I've never understood how the funding for amps that loud along expansive pedalboards and yet only 1 guitarist I've ever known had bought a gosh darn attenuator. Guitarists that whinge and complain as the sound guy makes them turn down 3 times in soundcheck just to turn it right back at the start of the gig (how mortifying to be next to that on stage). Like "My guy you're deafening us all for 'your tone' and it's not even a good one".

The latest red flag I've run into is slurs at/after the audition. Drummer showin me his old band from the late 90's and part of it is a 4 letter abbreviation of the N word. Not cool dude
 
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#78
I know this doesn't go for everyone, but a red flag to me is:

"We're getting folks together and will be putting together the band and see where it goes and start working on getting gigs"

That works out for some folks. It never went anywhere when I tried it. I'm looking for, we have stuff lined up and need a bass player. Then I would be on the lookout for other red flags from there. But the first one is a biggie for me.
 
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#79
Parzival said:
I know this doesn't go for everyone, but a red flag to me is:

"We're getting folks together and will be putting together the band and see where it goes and start working on getting gigs"

That works out for some folks. It never went anywhere when I tried it. I'm looking for, we have stuff lined up and need a bass player. Then I would be on the lookout for other red flags from there. But the first one is a biggie for me.
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Yep. And if there's no mention of gigs in the ad, I usually scroll past.

That's not to say there's harm in "getting folks together to see where it goes", but that's something I usually do among guys in network on a rare Sunday afternoon just to throw down with stuff we usually wouldn't do in our regular gigs. Too many questionable experiences with self-deluded strangers in the past to risk it coming in cold.
 
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