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Crazy reasons for breaking up the band

#81
In the Metal cover band I was in for about 2 years the guitarist and I both shared vocal duties and it was discussed and finally decided that we get a dedicated front man vocalist. New vocalist works out pretty well for a few months and is pretty talented and a charismatic front man and we all get along with him okay.

Then he starts taking over the band and dictating what songs we are going to start learning and what songs we are going to drop because he doesn't like them. This forms a rift right down the middle of the band with me and the rhythm guitarist on one side not liking this new direction and the drummer and lead player on the other side agreeing with him no matter what he says. I figured out that he's a "flatterer" and he gets people to agree with him using blatant, over the top praise.

Over the following few months, every band decision ends up being the 3 of "them" versus the 2 of "us" and things get more uncomfortable. One day he comes in and announces a new direction for the band. We're going to add a lot more AC/DC songs to the set list and play shows as a combination regular cover band and AC/DC tribute band - Half the show will be AC/DC the other half will be other stuff. Drummer and lead guitarist think this is the best idea they've ever heard. :rollno: Rhythm guitarist and I walk out.

Next day, she and I started to put together a new band. I noticed the other 3 put out ads to replace us but nothing ever came of it.
 
#83
MatticusMania said:
Ha, the guitarist in my old rock trio got mad at me and my drummer for liking the Mars Volta and Janes Addiction.
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The drummer that I worked with for many years had (has) a secret "thing" for Marillion. Never an issue with any of us, and sure wouldn't change my opinion of him (great drummer), but always a great topic to tease him about when he was talking up his musical cred with the other musos or the ladies. ;)
 
#85
Well, guess I'm getting my own to post here. Band decides to look for a lead guitarist. Band auditions a friend of the keyboard player. Guitarist doesn't really fit our style and lives in another city, but is apparently desperate to play. Keyboard player gets all pissy when guitarist is basically fired (i.e. not invited back for another gig) and quits the band. Band implodes.

Singer and bass player are already plotting how to get back up and gigging by spring. :)
 
#86
Suddenly remembered something...

April 20th this past year, a friend of mine was arranging a big BBQ + Band blowout. About six great bands playing, hot dogs, burgers, beer. Five dollar cover. Great idea.

Well, the date of the party was on a Sunday. We get there at 4PM, get everything setup, and the cops tell us we have to have it shut down by 9PM, being Sunday. Lame, but we don't want to argue with them. Fine.

Then the water to the bar wasn't working, and every dirty punker and hippie was handling their junk in the bathroom and then pawing the food.

The first band that plays is a cover band who did a 10 minute rendition of a Collective Soul song and then played a two and a half hour set. The next band covers a bunch of Motorhed songs. Okay, I can deal with this. The good bands won't be here until later and that's why I'm here anyway.

It's getting to be about 7:30 and the second band is just now winding down their hour and a half long tribute to ****ing Motorhed. Love Motorhed, but let's move on, please.

The next band is the band I'm there for. They rush to setup, and get to play for maybe 10 minutes before they are told to get off the stage and the place is shut down.

Band that organized the whole thing didn't even get to play.

Bassist is one of the main members. Plays a big fat, sexy upright. Gets so ****ing pissed that he slams it into the back of the UHaul, smashes it, drives off drunk, pulled over, jailed, quits the band, band is no more.
 
#87
Me and the lead guitarist left because of the lead singers obsession with (get this) the Jonas Brothers! :spit:

Now I know you're probably thinking that "oh, you're lead singer is a girl whos's a die-hard fan of the Jonas Bro-you know what? I need to stop saying that name. It's cancer to the brain.

In reality, our lead singer is:
-male and not gay
-16 years old
-openly states during gigs onstage that his greatest musical influence is 'them'
-plays some Akon song...by himself...on guitar

I figured I needed to leave before people start accusing me of OJD (Obsessive Jonas Disorder)
 
#90
ZiggyDude said:
The dumbest reason? Research the end of the popular 80s group "The Motels". The singer just walked into practice one day crying and said she needed to end the band.

"Poof"
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Oh man - that's harsh . . . . according to Allmusic.com

A cancer scare prompted Davis to dissolve the Motels in 1987

I don't know if that's true, but if it is it seems a dissappointing but fairly reasonable excuse for quitting a band. And apparently All members of the 1983 version of the band reunited in 2004 for an appearance on VH1's Bands Reunited, so looks like no hard feelings.

By the way, Porn Reggae from their self titled first album has a really tasty bassline . . . .:bassist:
 
#91
My first band broke up in an eruption. We were still in high school and were together for 2 years. We practiced everyday after school. So the drummer and I were growing tired of the singer showing up when he wanted which was less often then more, and the guitar players insisting that we not write anything beyond the 8 songs we already had. So we were experimenting at the time and the drummer and I would be late to practice to poke some smot with some older guys. Then one day the guitar player flips out and throws his guitar 20ft in the air and lets it smash, then decides to do a peel out for drama. He was upset because we were late to one of our 5 practices.

These days he is a raging alcoholic. The singer is in and out of jail. The drummer and I joined a new group shortly after that and had some mild success. But then went our separate ways.
I still see these guys and that same spaz always brings stories up from that time period. Part of me thinks he is still mentally there. We were 16/17 now we are 29/30. :ninja:
 
#94
Fetusyolk said:
Difference in political views?

i have a feeling this has happened.
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This has happened to me more than once. I never even discussed my politics with the folks who bailed on me for this reason. One guy came over to my house to practice and saw the gun cabinet in the room. He just turned around and walked out... he didn't come back for his keyboard for a month. Another guy started banging a chick who was a total hippie, peta activist-type, and he just stopped calling me or returning my calls. It sucked because this guy was an amazing songwriter.



stringbass69 said:
Didn't break up the band, but a guitarist who auditioned was someone I recognized from a porno I'd seen. He did not get the gig. I wouldn't have been able to play on stage with him. I'd have been laughing too much. If he had already been in the band before any of us had seen his "side project" it would have broken up the band for sure.
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My old band hired a drummer who's day job was an "erotic massage provider". I didn't think much of it until I saw her website. she was a prostitute!!! I'm not one who is opposed to the concept, but it's a little strange being in a band with one. She was later fired for refusing to take her bi-polar meds before a studio session. The entire recording was ruined because she played on take on each song and then insisted it was good enough... and then screamed at us for doubting her, and stormed out while we tried, in vain, to polish that turd.
 
#95
Sorry, no funny or ridiculous scenarios for me, just the age old catty jealousy is what did it for me. I played with another girl for 3 years and the whole time, we never had a perminent drummer. So I was always recruiting drummers from the local musicians classified website. One of the drummers we brought in played in about 5 different bands, but his "main" band didnt have a bassist so he asked me to come along to practice and check them out, cause honestly in 3 years we didnt really do jack squat! They seemed to have it together, they were experienced, talented and had a CD. So I started playing w/ them on the side. Whats wrong with that? Should I be burned at the stake? The girl put up a front and said she was happy for me, and thought it was great that I was getting out there and playing w/ other musicians. But really she was a raging jealous b$#@%, because I was more talented than her, and it was ME that got asked to play and not her. The last time I ever saw her was about 3 years ago over lunch and you could cut the tension in the air w/ a knife! While I told her I still planned to play w/ her and had no intensions of leaving permanently, she connivingly replaced me behind my back, talking about how she had some "gig" she had coming up w/ some "guy her mom knows" who played bass. Then as I was hustling to catch the bus home, she yells to me, "oh yeah, if you could send me the link to that musicians classified website that would be great!" I never saw nor heard from her again after that day.
 
#96
My story isn't nearly as good as many here, but it hurt nonetheless.

About 3-4 years ago, I join a local band. They had a pretty good following, and their music was good, and I felt I needed to be there, so when I found out their bassist was leaving, at the same time I was leaving MY band, I made my way there. I was the first non-original member. Next to go was the guitarist, who could not play well, but he had a good heart and was a great guy. We finally booted him when he refused to replace some simple patch cords on his pedals, which would constantly cause his rig to squeal in the middle of our set. One soundguy we worked with often finally just started taking him out of the mix completely.

We replace him with another guitarist who was awesome, but had something for odd-time signatures and exotic scales (Gypsy scale anyone?). I was down with it, as it was challenging and sounded cool. After a while with him, the original drummer was going all over town acting in ways that would really make the band look bad (we were a Christian band, BTW), so we asked him to leave, no hard feelings. Replace HIM with probably the best drummer I've ever played with- he graduated from North Texas Uni (I believe) and was just phenominal. Only problem was, he never listened to rock, and we were a rock band! He was a great drummer, but his feel just wasn't right for the band. He eventually left on his own terms. So, we find yet another drummer, who is into metal and rock, and has great feel, but isn't a great drummer. For what we were doing though, it worked.

After about 6-9 months, exotic scale guitarist dude starts having a problem with our rhythm guitarist, who is obviously not as good as he is, so he gives us an ultimatum- the rhythm guitarist needs to leave, or he will. Rhythm guitarist is a main songwriter and an original memeber, so we say "give it a week or two, we'll talk to him and see what happens". Lead guitarist has a childish hissy-fit (he's 40!) and quits the band.

We look for a replacement for him, and find a guy who is friends with the drummer, he's young, and he can frikkin play! He's probably the best guitarist I've ever played with! We start playing and get bigger and bigger shows, opening for a couple national acts, and sign to an Indie label. Things are looking good. That is, until we realize that the rhythm guitarist isn't keeping up with the rest of us. He feels it's more than enough to practice once a week- not just once a week with the band, once a week period! He was dismissed shortly thereafter, which was a hard thing to do, but it needed to be done.

So, now we want to try things as a 3-piece with a singer... no problem. Only now, things with the record label are starting to fall apart. Money that should've been in our hands wasn't, promises made were broken, etc etc.Now everyone's stressed, but no big deal. We play a show as a 4-piece, and it goes over really well. That was our last show (about a year ago at this point). The drummer and guitarist decide they want to go to LA and go to school and try their luck with something else. I was uber-mad, especially since I had been with the band for so long. I didn't talk to them for like 9 months.

Finally, I called and smoothed things over, and me, the guitarist and lead singer are trying to reform things, but it's coming along really slowly. Who know what will happen? lol
 
#99
I left a band because my (then)wife and I wanted to travel around and see the US National Parks for six months. The band disintegrated, so perhaps I was the glue that held them together. So did the marriage. A shame on both counts, but the wife was not fond of my playing in the band.
 
#100
Seen this more than once: guitarist meets a girl in the audience who then follows him everywhere. They shack up and she loves him because he's the guitar player in a band. She comes to all gigs and is great and everything is cool.
They then decide to make the big step and get married. All is cool and good, but after about six months she's tired of him playing in a band and wants him to settle down and get a real job.

Guitarist and singer then go in on a business venture only the singer is the only one with capital that he has inherited. Guitarist is supposed to get a chunk of change from his mother, but that never happens. Business starts well, but soon biz tapers off. Singer is out a bunch of cash and all guitarist can say is "Sorry man."


I've got a million of 'em. My fave is "artistic differences".
 

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