Cover band set-list conflicts.

[lfmn16]

In the olden days there was this thing they called common sense.

It's less common every day.

99.9% of problems and/or unpleasantness could be avoided by following one simple rule - don't be a Richard Cranium (unless your screen name is Richard Cranium of course).

 

[JMacBass65]

Not what I got from the OP. He's new and doesn't know the rules. He's also smart enough to know something was amiss and start a thread to get some perspective.

I wouldn't characterize his attitude as "bad" - just clueless. Everybody here was new once.

Nah, he didn't want perspective, he wanted validation of his bad attitude and people skills. When he didn't get that validation, he picked up his toys and went home.

Something tells me this is a familiar pattern for him.

 

[madbass6]

I can see both sides. This guy didn't even have a drummer, the songs he picked to weren't what I considered crowd movers.

the mite be the case but at the end of the day we all need to remember 4 simple things..
1. his band
2.his songs
3. his gig !
4. He's paying!
Us Bass players like all other musicians are hired guns to do a job! We should just shut up, plug in and do our job & play the Damm songs!
if we don't like them , all we have to do is not take the gig!
But in a respectful, professional way so that we don't burn our bridges!
Trust me the word will spread like wild fire! you Don't want to be that guy !

 

[Manticore]

This has been on my mind lately because it tends to happen a lot especially in cover bands. I was gonna audition for this cover band and the leader sent me some songs to practice. I wasn't particularly fond of his song choices and voiced my opinion about it. He then proceeded to mock my reading abilities saying I didn't read the bands he had listed in the ad. The bands weren't the issue the song choices were. I've had conflicts in the past with other cover bands I've been in where one of the members and I didn't see eye to eye on the song choices. Needless to say I don't think I got the gig haha. How do you guys deal with that? Do you just play what you're told? or do you speak up if you're not gelling with a song?

It's rarely a good idea to provide criticism or dissent in an interview, particularly the first interview (read: audition). It is likely best to hold your tongue and move on to the next one at that early stage. Even if you get the gig, given you already have issues with the line-up it seems improbable the gig will improve regardless of how righteous your position.

 

[TheOxRocks]

This has been on my mind lately because it tends to happen a lot especially in cover bands. I was gonna audition for this cover band and the leader sent me some songs to practice. I wasn't particularly fond of his song choices and voiced my opinion about it. He then proceeded to mock my reading abilities saying I didn't read the bands he had listed in the ad. The bands weren't the issue the song choices were. I've had conflicts in the past with other cover bands I've been in where one of the members and I didn't see eye to eye on the song choices. Needless to say I don't think I got the gig haha. How do you guys deal with that? Do you just play what you're told? or do you speak up if you're not gelling with a song?

Ummm... sorry, bro, but if you’re auditioning for my band and you immediately have issues with the song list, you won’t get the gig. I don’t need problem children in my band. You want to dictate a song list? Form your own band.

I’ve auditioned for/played in a lot of bands over the years, and while I haven’t necessarily loved every song in every band I’ve played in, I give the song the best I have until we mutually agree - AS A BAND - that the song isn’t working.

Maybe you should get the idea that the problem isn’t the song list, but your attitude. You may find yourself with more gigs.

 

[mikewalker]

...The bands weren't the issue the song choices were. I've had conflicts in the past with other cover bands I've been in where one of the members and I didn't see eye to eye on the song choices. Needless to say I don't think I got the gig haha. How do you guys deal with that? Do you just play what you're told? or do you speak up if you're not gelling with a song?

Are you SINGING the songs? At the end of the day, the singer is the one who's got to sell the song with some kind of appropriate vocal / emotive performance. If you aren't the singer then I don't think you should be too "vocal" about your repertoire dislikes Or if you hate certain songs THAT MUCH (it happens!) - then this is probably a sign that it is the wrong project for you...

 

[Brad Johnson]

Some people are acting as if the OP were auditioning for Metallica or Iron Maiden. It's a friggin start up cover band. Seriously, where does this stuff come from.

The world's full of people who can't find the situation they want and are mystified as to why. Sometimes the answer is right in their face.

 

[gazzatriumph]

I won't play a bunch of songs I don't like. I play for fun and $$ is just an added bonus. So I wouldn't even bother fighting with BL about song choices. If I don't like the list then I don't audition.

This

 

[Brad Johnson]

No room for closed minds in music??? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! There is PLENTY of room for closed minds in music!

I think some folks are operating in another place... like maybe Narnia.

 

[Brad Johnson]

It's less common every day.

99.9% of problems and/or unpleasantness could be avoided by following one simple rule - don't be a Richard Cranium (unless your screen name is Richard Cranium of course).

It is more difficult than it seems.

 

[MtManiac]

No room for closed minds in music??? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! There is PLENTY of room for closed minds in music!

Ridiculous, no there isn’t!

<attempt at irony>

 

[obimark]

This has been on my mind lately because it tends to happen a lot especially in cover bands. I was gonna audition for this cover band and the leader sent me some songs to practice. I wasn't particularly fond of his song choices and voiced my opinion about it. He then proceeded to mock my reading abilities saying I didn't read the bands he had listed in the ad. The bands weren't the issue the song choices were. I've had conflicts in the past with other cover bands I've been in where one of the members and I didn't see eye to eye on the song choices. Needless to say I don't think I got the gig haha. How do you guys deal with that? Do you just play what you're told? or do you speak up if you're not gelling with a song?

As bad as his song choices are something tells me yours are worse. Also a cover band usually is formed to play gigs for pay.

 

[MrLenny1]

Unless you are the BL you have no choice.
Too fussy, you stay home.

 

[tgriley62]

Wow, I haven't seen this much disagreement since the "Tort wars" of 2016

 

[pcake]

He was not offered the job. He did that prior to the audition. The BL gave him a list of songs. If he didn't like the songs, he shouldn't audition.

as i got it, he he did like some of the songs and may have liked alll of them but felt some wouldn't work for an audience.

 

[Aqualung60]

Nah, he didn't want perspective, he wanted validation of his bad attitude and people skills. When he didn't get that validation, he picked up his toys and went home.

Something tells me this is a familiar pattern for him.

This appears to be so, OP has gone AWOL.

 

[JimmyM]

Ummm... sorry, bro, but if you’re auditioning for my band and you immediately have issues with the song list, you won’t get the gig. I don’t need problem children in my band.

Sounds like the guy with the ad didn't really have a band, so it wasn't likely he's going to miss out on anything, but I am sensing that the OP might be a tad difficult to work with. Very strong opinions and not especially flexible about them. And folks who feel every band should be a full democracy always cause dissention. Some people emerge as leaders, some do certain things better than others, some do everything better than others...I'm in a band with a drummer who does a lot of things well, including book gigs for pretty decent pay, and since I joined his thing and not the other way around, I pretty much stay out of his way and do what I do best, which is the nuts and bolts of arranging harmonies and chord changes and things like that. But I don't expect the drummer to treat me as an equal in every way and he certainly doesn't. He started it, he speaks for the band, he does the deals, and he makes way more than I do. But he also works at it 12-16 hours a day whereas I show up for gigs and don't put in near the hours outside of gigs that he does, and he's better at the stuff he excels at than anyone else in the band. To waltz into that gig and act like I should be given an equal say about everything is ridiculous.

So the best thing that any musician can do is not present themselves as that type of person when going to an audition. And you should be on the lookout for those types of musicians when you go jam with a band, too.

 

[Fletz]

Haha I guess I wouldn't pass your audition. That's the thing I don't need the gig I was looking to play covers for fun. This dude is taking the concept of a cover band way too seriously. I have my own originals band I do, I just wanted to have some fun on the side.

If you don't take it seriously and they do, you are wrong for the band. Sounds like you are a joy to play with.

 

[Fletz]

It would make sense to fall in line with no conflict if I was looking for a paying gig. I'm not, I would think when choosing covers everyone should have a say on what songs would work well. An original band like mine has structure and lack of a democracy. You play what I wrote and how I arranged it simple as that. A cover band I don't see that happening unless I was making money from it.

No offense, but you kinda sound like a jerk.

 

[MtManiac]

Sounds like the guy with the ad didn't really have a band, so it wasn't likely he's going to miss out on anything, but I am sensing that the OP might be a tad difficult to work with. Very strong opinions and not especially flexible about them. And folks who feel every band should be a full democracy always cause dissention. Some people emerge as leaders, some do certain things better than others, some do everything better than others...I'm in a band with a drummer who does a lot of things well, including book gigs for pretty decent pay, and since I joined his thing and not the other way around, I pretty much stay out of his way and do what I do best, which is the nuts and bolts of arranging harmonies and chord changes and things like that. But I don't expect the drummer to treat me as an equal in every way and he certainly doesn't. He started it, he speaks for the band, he does the deals, and he makes way more than I do. But he also works at it 12-16 hours a day whereas I show up for gigs and don't put in near the hours outside of gigs that he does, and he's better at the stuff he excels at than anyone else in the band. To waltz into that gig and act like I should be given an equal say about everything is ridiculous.

So the best thing that any musician can do is not present themselves as that type of person when going to an audition. And you should be on the lookout for those types of musicians when you go jam with a band, too.

Yep.