A bit of a long story, but Im sure someone can relate. Most of my friends/family/co-workers just dont get it..
Back story in bits and pieces:
Current band, not booking, drama, two guitar players, Im not completely miserable but not happy
Saw an ad for one of the hottest bands around, playing the best A rooms
Auditioned at a gig, played 7 songs, sang backing harmonies on 3. Did well, invited to fill-in at a gig this past weekend.
Meanwhile current band starts trying to book stuff near term, me and my conscience cannot tell them sure book something for June to tell them the next week, hey Im in a new band forget it. SO I tell them Im trying out for a new band, and it looks pretty good for me. 3 folks cool.. drummer pissed as all hell dont-even-look-at-me. Band has an ad up the next day for new bass player.
Now I am all or nothing
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Fill-in gig parameters: Given a list of 90 songs. Need to know them all because the band does not follow a set list, Singer basically calls out what he thinks is working with the crowd. Not much cross-over with my current band, but 70% I have played at one time or another. I practice my ass off for 3 weeks in preparation, have a book of charts and cheats.
Audition night comes:
Asked what time to show up, told 10pm. Singer messes up, is thinking the wrong gig. Gig starts at 8:30. Luckily my wife is checking out the venue for a menu and see's, all band's start @ 8:30.(its about 6:30, place is 1:15 minutes away) I start frantically trying to get in touch with a band member to confirm, while getting the truck loaded. I find out later that I miss one really important item...ear plugs.
I make it to the venue @ 8:30.. Band is cool, apologize for the mix up. Even still now I'm flustered, rushed and try to get myself settled. Since I was last to setup, my amp is right at my feet. PA speaker 4 feet behind my head. No monitors.
I play the night... 42 songs, genres from Buttercup to Crazy Train.. I have major issues with 4, completely lost like I'm playing the wrong song. One I should have known, Ive played it before and was fine when I rehearsed it. Two were indicated the wrong key on the set list, so my cheat notes were off. One, I could not locate my chart in time and could not locate it in the book, so I tried watching the keyboard player left hand (which from my vantage point was upside down.. it didnt work). Its also a song in a different key than I've played with other bands with.
Sang backing vocals on a bunch of songs where I could, however, the other 3 members sing backups and I didnt want to step on their parts so I laid out on songs where I could have sung. Of all the songs they could have picked, it seems they pick a bunch ones I was really sketchy on, just bad luck I guess..
Other major problem, by the middle of the 1st set Im deaf. The drummer is so loud and the PA is blaring in my head, I start to lose sense of pitch, cant hear mistakes or where they should be. Cant hear my bass. In between sets I re-adjust my speaker cab tilted away from me on the side, A little better, but my ears are gone by now.
More issues, on occasion my bass cuts out or starts buzzing. Think its the output jack, play the backup bass on the second set. Still does it. Change out the cable for the 3rd set, fixed. Tested the cable at home after, theres a break right around where it hits the floor(and I step on it)
Even with all this I make it through the majority of the night pretty well, playing solidly and tight with breaks/stops/etc
Even a few custom arraigned medleys.
Afterwards I get paid, thank yous from the guys, hey it sounded great, etc
But I have a feeling. Bummed all weekend, but still think theres a shot (Im also the only guy who tried out, apparently auditioning at gigs isnt well liked).
Get the call on Monday, Hey thanks but we are looking for someone with stronger vocals. I counter with, no one told me that you were looking for someone with super strong vocals, and I didnt want to step on guys parts. He says they dont really have parts, they just wing it, and if someone doubles up then so be it. I end up having like a half hour conversation with the guy (leader) about other things during the night, like the sound issues, He said I was too loud in the 2nd and 3rd sets, (but no one said anything to me while we were playing). Also this whole conversation on how no one should need ear plugs that the stage volume should not be that loud (even though the rest of the band uses them, except for him). In the end he says maybe I can come down in a month a play a few songs again at the same place and try and wow them vocally, or maybe you can play a fill-in if we are really stuck, but I think they were a pity offers. Basically he says they are way too busy to work in a new guy, that it needs to be someone who can just step in and play any song out of the entire repertoire without any rehearsal.
Im crushed
I put so much pressure on myself to score this gig, which positions like this do not come along often, if ever. Not quite sure, but Im probably done with my current band now too, despite trying to do the right thing. Ive never blown an audition, and boy it sucks. There were things out of my control that night Im mad about (sound, etc..), upset with myself that I didnt perform up to my standards, replayed the night 50 times in my head wondering where it went south
.
So either I blew it, or it was just a combination of putting myself in an impossible situation and thinking it would be perfect, or they are just very particular and I didnt fit in or something.
Morals of the story... Never leave hearing protection behind, dont tell your band you are leaving them till you have the gig and check all your equipment before a critical audition.
Thanks for listening
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Curious if I know them.
