Band auditions and first impressions

[AndyMopley]

Do first impressions, (when auditioning new band members), matter to you? Say someone shows up with a "cheap" instrument, amp. or with a weird hair do, does that tend to influence you and the other members of the band? I suppose if you are audtioning for a band that does serious corporate gigs, then a certain amount of "style" may well be a pre-requisite, but for other genres, inclusive of jazz, is there a certain "image" that you should have, particularly on stage?

Has anyone had experiences with people turing up where ou thought (based on first appeareance) "Uhm...this will be interesting!"

Inspired by this, I recently saw again:

 

[Jogobass]

I primarily care about their musical skill. Their personality and how they look are always secondary.

 

[pepj]

Yep. I take note of all this. This is first stage weed out oddball stuff.
You only have to read a few threads here to see that screening is not really undertaken well, imo.
Does it mean I wouldn't hear them out...? no, but it might make me take extra extra attention.

 

[Krakmann]

Salud!

IN GENERAL, I (and my bands) usually care the most about personal "compatibility". If someone seems "difficult" or you view clouds on the horizon, they can be the best player, that they will not be picked. The times we accepted someone with that kind of reservations ("he/she is something, but he/she CAN play..."), it always ended up bad.

Of course, a certain musical level is required. If you barely can play the parts, it's very difficult you'll make the band better.

I've never seen in my bands any problem with appearance, age, gender... but you always get GREAT stories from auditions. (I've suffered ageism, but it's ok. I understand 30 yo people not wanting a 50+ old guy. Their loss).

 

[richntiff]

I think it’s hard to pinpoint a specific list of what does, or doesn’t, make or break a person’s audition.

1) great player, great gear, arrogant jerk? Hard pass
2) solid player, decent gear, nice, intelligent, normal? Yes please
3) low level player, great gear, incredibly amazing person? Sorry, but no
4) good player, good personality, crappy gear? Yeah, probably.

There are many iterations. But, bad personality and lack of an acceptable level of proficiency for the music are deal breakers for obvious reasons. You have to be able to get along, and actually make music. And I’m sorry, but the well kept, in decent shape, groomed, showered person will receive higher marks than the slob. Presentation matters if the band is playing in public. The dude that shows up in a cutoff sleeve Iron Maiden shirt, beer belly, and a red hat isn’t making the cut.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I can usually tell on the first downbeat whether the project (...or auditionee) as-a-whole is viable or beyond redemption. Visuals can be mis-leading.

Lots of posers out there.

Riis

 

[KenSmithFan]

The best advice I ever got was, "Don't ever give them a reason to NOT hire you."

When I held auditions for a Rockabilly band about 10 years ago, a couple of people showed up with really really cheap instruments. They looked (and sounded) like something you bought from a Sears catalogue for about $50. Their playing matched the instruments perfectly. On the other hand, a guy showed up with a Fender Custom Shop Precision and couldn't follow a twelve bar progression, so I've learned that you can't judge a book by it's cover.

If you want to be a rebel, don't whine and cry when you're viewed as such. If you want a gig, show up on time, prepared, looking presentable, with good (not necessarily expensive) equipment that is well set up, in good repair and sounds good. If you just do that, it will put you in the top 10% of all the people auditioning.

 

[g1303bk]

I've auditioned many people over the years for working cover bands.

Being on time - not an 1/2 hour early or anytime late is the immediate barometer of who you are dealing with.
Is their vehicle leaking oil onto the driveway /parking lot? Did they bring beer for themselves or smell like weed?..
These factors can work against them.

Can they do the exact job needed? Do they have the aptitude to learn the material? That's what matters.
I often play a Squier Bass - No one cares...

 

[pingvuiini]

I have an audition with a band where everybody is meeting for the first time, which I've never done before. I am confident with the material, but I am not sure how the others will react to my uke basses. Should be interesting.

 

[pepj]

Didn't they ask you what bass you'll bring or give you an idea what they expect?

 

[Danny O Danny]

Yeah, definitely. It all gets noted: their appearance, their equipment, what they say, how they comport themselves, etc. Sometimes first impressions can be wrong but often, I've found, they are accurate indicators of what later becomes obvious.

 

[J Wilson]

Often, people hear what they see.

 

[MCS4]

For me, in the world of rock/metal originals, "oddness" or lack of style in the traditional sense is not particularly an issue. I'd likely only have an issue if there was a problem of hygiene or just some overall type of negligence/disinterest that seemed like it could extend to other stuff (not just the music itself, but also things like reliability and timeliness).

In terms of gear, "cheap" is not specifically an issue per se, but stuff that is insufficient for the gig (lack of power, poor maintenance/reliability) would definitely be noticed.

 

[RGerhart]

Gear wise? No, not especially. There was, however, a gig that I did with my usual cover band where we had to find a fill-in at the last minute (three days before the gig). The guitarist fill-in showed up bringing his guitar in to the venue without a gig bag, and without a stand. "Okay, no problem. We'll see how he plays," I thought. He then proceeds to pull out a 10w Crate practice amp for the gig. Again, I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. He pulls out his phone, and proceeds to tune his guitar through the amp by having the phone pick up the tuning through an app. Yeah, I was starting to get some red flags, then.

He then proceeds to play through two sets of our usual repertoire somewhat okay, though he overplays and doesn't understand the style of music we are playing. Good enough, but then he informs me before our third set that he didn't really learn the tunes. So...he kind of hacks his way through the third set and I end up playing a little more than I'm used to with chords and the like.

In the end, the music comes first for first impressions and auditions, and then the attitude of the person.

 

[Igotsoul4u]

It's generally a balance of Talent>Personality>Gear in order of importance. If the talent is off the charts then you can deal with less upside in personality and gear. If someone is so arrogant/offputting, the talent might not be enough to move forward. It all balances out to a hypothetical overall score of those key attributes.

 

[rickdog]

You only get one chance to make a first impression.

Know what kind of band you're auditioning for and don't present yourself in a way that appears incompatible. (Torn jeans and a heavy-metal T-shirt for a corporate gig probably isn't a winning idea.)

At the same time - be yourself. (I'm not a suit-and-tie guy, if I can't audition in a tie-dye shirt and jeans, the band probably is not for me).

But above all - be prepared! Find out what the expectations are for the audition, and do your best to meet them. If they want you to learn some tunes, come to the audition and be ready to absolutely nail them.

 

[Spectrum]

My old band auditioned a new guitarist once. Dude showed up with his own car, his own gear, understood how to set up his pedalboard for good tone. He wasn't dressed like a slob, just dressed "normal" in jeans and a T shirt. He showed up on time, wasn't intoxicated, didn't smell bad, was newly married and easy to get along with.

The best part? He had looked up our songs online and learned like four of them without us even asking him to do so. Nobody had to tell him to do his homework, guy understood the assignment. After we played those songs, we just jammed with him for a while to see how good he was improvising, and just like that, he was in. We're all still friends to this day.

That's how you make a good first impression.

 

[InhumanResource]

Do first impressions, (when auditioning new band members), matter to you? Say someone shows up with a "cheap" instrument, amp. or with a weird hair do, does that tend to influence you and the other members of the band? I suppose if you are audtioning for a band that does serious corporate gigs, then a certain amount of "style" may well be a pre-requisite, but for other genres, inclusive of jazz, is there a certain "image" that you should have, particularly on stage?

Has anyone had experiences with people turing up where ou thought (based on first appeareance) "Uhm...this will be interesting!"

Inspired by this, I recently saw again:

First impressions matter but it’s more about conduct than gear and hair. I don’t care about that stuff.

Are they on time and prepared? Do they interact well with everyone or are they painfully opinionated and contentious? Etc etc, the list goes on. If you show up when you’re supposed to, are prepared, and can get along with everyone then you’re pretty much golden.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

But above all - be prepared! Find out what the expectations are for the audition, and do your best to meet them. If they want you to learn some tunes, come to the audition and be ready to absolutely nail them.

How I got my last job: They asked me to learn five songs. I came in, was pleasant with everybody, then played the five songs. I learned, much later, that they had auditioned 24 bass players, and I was the only one who did what they asked. They offered me the gig on the spot (they were relieved!), which I instinctively refused, because it just can't be that easy. The next morning I thought "THEY HAVE GIGS BOOKED!" Called up. About two weeks of playing one set with them, I was on. Lasted nine years (2020 doesn't count).

 

[PrestoZoom]

I don't care about gear as long as it works without issue and the person doesn't spend a bunch of time messing with it. Looks are not important unless it's a tribute band but things like personal hygiene are absolutely important.

Generally, I'm looking for someone who is a good personality fit, a solid musician, and an organized, reliable person. The last requirement can often (at least partially) be derived from the musician's physical presence so, in that sense, yes, first impressions do matter. If someone shows up late. looks like a mess, or has cables/gear falling out of their gig bag, it's a red flag for sure.