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Didn't get the job because I didn't...(VINDICATION CONTENT)

#21
dmusic148 said:
No, BAD call. You should have accepted- they liked your sound and then figured out your gear was good after all. You were all set. Turned them down anyway? Why? Spite? :scowl:
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I would have turned them down too if they were giving me a hard time about my gear before I even played a note. That's just plain rude.

I showed up to audition with a new band about two weeks ago. No one there was familiar with my Alembic preamp or Bag End cabs, but aside from a polite inquiry or two (hey, what's that?) they kep their mouths shut. Then we played. Everyone was happy. They liked my playing and my sound.

The moral of the story is: Even though my gear didn't have a name they recognized on it they weren't jerks about it. Now I have a new project and they have a new bassist. Everybody wins.
 
#23
dmusic148 said:
it doesn't matter.
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Actually, I think it does. For me at least. Might not for you. But each of us has to decide what we are willing to put up with to play music. For me, not much. If I don't like the the crew I'm with then I will never be comfortable enough to enjoy the music.

When I first started gigging (I had been playing for 20 years), I was in a band that felt perfectly fine telling me what bass, amp, strings, tone, notes I should or shouldn't be using--I will never go through that crap again.
 
#24
I don't tell people I play with what gear to use. They don't tell me. We're professionals. We show up to gigs with gear we feel is appropriate for the gig. I don't mind your opinion if you don't mind mine. I wouldn't presume to tell a keyboard player what he should use.

I don't know if I would have taken the gig either.
 
#26
dmusic148 said:
No, BAD call. You should have accepted- they liked your sound and then figured out your gear was good after all. You were all set. Turned them down anyway? Why? Spite? :scowl:
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I disagree. They didn't figure out his gear was good, or actually listen to it. Sounds like later on they realized he played better than the rest and looked up his gear online to find that it was expensive and therefore acceptable. Pathetic. Some people get older and wiser, others just get older. They don't sound like thinking humans to me. No need to spite them, but also not desirable to hang and play with them IMHO.
 
#27
lomo said:
I disagree. They didn't figure out his gear was good, or actually listen to it.
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IDK, lomo. In the initial "Thanks, but no thanks," they said they liked his sound, but it didn't seem like a good fit.

My guess is that what made them pass initially was that they were bumping heads before even playing the first song.

That said, I suspect that you're right that after looking for a better fit for a while, the OP started to look better and better to the band.

And while they get some points for admitting that they were wrong about SigEp's Aggie/Avatar rig, they and SigEp are probably both better off trusting their initial instinct that this partnership wasn't going to work well, considering his willingness to take offense and their talent for pushing his buttons.
 
#28
dmusic148 said:
No, BAD call. You should have accepted- they liked your sound and then figured out your gear was good after all. You were all set. Turned them down anyway? Why? Spite? :scowl:
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BZZZT!!!

Thanks for playing, but wrong answer. :)

;)

The fact is these toads are more concerned with image than anything else. You should never crack on a musician's gear until you hear them play through it.

If you're hiring for a Beatles tribute band, then yes, pointing out the inappropriateness of the Jerzy Drozd Excellence VII for the gig at the outset of the audition is reasonable. But, if you're just another in a sea of classic rock/country/blues cover acts (and I'm in one myself, so I'm not putting anyone down), don't question the gear until you've heard it and it is shown that a) it doesn't get the sound, and b) the player can't adjust it to get the correct sound for the gig.

If there is one thing that will have me leaving an audition before plugging in is some pig-headed idiot telling me my gear isn't good enough because it isn't Brand ABC or Brand XYZ.

I say the OP is more patient than I because the first putz that said something while I was setting up would have gotten a "what's that $4!7 on your face" look, then I would have just turned around and packed up.

I'm a professional, I make that clear (politely, and confidently, not arrogantly :) ) when I first speak to anyone about an audition, I have first class gear, I'm reliable, and I can nail the gig - period. I have to back that up, but they have to actually HEAR me to know I can. Seeing me, unless it is for the aforementioned EXCEPTIONALLY SPECIFIC REASON, is no way to judge what I am or am not capable of.
 
#29
lomo said:
I'm 46 and usually play my classic rock on an Elrick through Markbass and Epifani......guess I wouldn't have made their grade either.
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I am 60 and my rig consists of Birdsong (God forbid! A short scale!!!!) and Euphonic-Audio (Jeeeeze! How do you spell that?). I would have hit the major fail button for sure.
X X X
 
#30
Gard said:
Originally Posted by dmusic148
No, BAD call. You should have accepted- they liked your sound and then figured out your gear was good after all. You were all set. Turned them down anyway? Why? Spite?
Click to expand...
BZZZT!!!

Thanks for playing, but wrong answer. :)

;)

The fact is these toads are more concerned with image than anything else. You should never crack on a musician's gear until you hear them play through it.

If you're hiring for a Beatles tribute band, then yes, pointing out the inappropriateness of the Jerzy Drozd Excellence VII for the gig at the outset of the audition is reasonable. But, if you're just another in a sea of classic rock/country/blues cover acts (and I'm in one myself, so I'm not putting anyone down), don't question the gear until you've heard it and it is shown that a) it doesn't get the sound, and b) the player can't adjust it to get the correct sound for the gig.

If there is one thing that will have me leaving an audition before plugging in is some pig-headed idiot telling me my gear isn't good enough because it isn't Brand ABC or Brand XYZ.

I say the OP is more patient than I because the first putz that said something while I was setting up would have gotten a "what's that $4!7 on your face" look, then I would have just turned around and packed up.

I'm a professional, I make that clear (politely, and confidently, not arrogantly :) ) when I first speak to anyone about an audition, I have first class gear, I'm reliable, and I can nail the gig - period. I have to back that up, but they have to actually HEAR me to know I can. Seeing me, unless it is for the aforementioned EXCEPTIONALLY SPECIFIC REASON, is no way to judge what I am or am not capable of.
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I understand your point, but think about this...the OP stated that he has since sold his gear to pay bills. Wouldn't it have been better to take a paying gig and keep you gear? You can always find another band later if you're unhappy.

The guys were uneducated from a gear perspective. It was a positive point that they researched the gear; however, it would have been much smarter to research the gear before initially passing on the player. Depending how jerky they were I would have taken the job.
 
#31
dmusic148 said:
If you feel that way, you take this kind of stuff too personally. Laugh it off- it doesn't matter.
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It's not that I'm married to my gear, but their conduct was rude. If you showed up for a job interview and the interviewer made fun of you suit before even glancing at your resume, wouldn't you consider that rude? Same thing.

Why should I have to put up with jerks? Music is a hobby for me; I'm in it for the fun. That doesn't mean that I won't behave in a professional manner, but hanging out with a bunch of jerks is not my idea of fun.

I think that bands sometimes forget that they are auditioning for you as well.
 
#32
NKU-
Please reconsider.
You auditioned and passed. Are they a working band = gigs & money? If so, you might want to be available to work for them. If you want to be out playing, you have to say Yes (even if it's with a bunch of old farts who are my age). You might not want to hang with them, but you could be working.
 
#33
dmusic148 said:
No, BAD call. You should have accepted- they liked your sound and then figured out your gear was good after all. You were all set. Turned them down anyway? Why? Spite? :scowl:
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Disagree. This incident could be a red flag for significant bad band chemistry down the road IMO. I'll accept their ignorance (I'd never heard of brands like Aguilar, Epifani, Dingwall, Box of Awesome ;) and dozens of others until I started lurking here). But unless they're a tribute band, their blind slavishness to the badge on the grille is troubling. If you know the songs and have the sound, they should extend a warmer welcome.
 
#35
I wouldn't work with people like that, you did the right thing in turning them down. I like the idea of letting them know why you turned them down.

I love all the gear snob comments in a gear snob thread... hee hee hee
 
#37
Who here can claim that they love everything about their job: the people, the environment, THE WORK. So how is it that we get all righteous about who we will gig with when we work at 9-5s we can't stand! So what if they were stupid during the initial interview! They thought enough of your playing to call you back! People are always talking about "it's not the gear, it's the player". Someone finally realizes that, humbles themselves to actually call you back, and you turn them down? No wonder there are so many starving artist!

Here is a little tale for you all. I was out of work, took a job as a btb salesman. Hated the job! Kept at it for a minute, just to make the resume look good. Got sent to a job fair to do some recruiting. Chatted up the other recruiters and got a job making double. Now apply it to this situation: got rejected by a bunch of old farts that don't know anything. They call back and ask if your still interested. You say, "is it a paying gig?" They say yes. So though your ego is a little bruised, you take the job anyway. While at one of these gigs, you meet somebody from another band who just happens to be looking for a bassist to go on tour for some serious money.

Now in my world, you get a great gig. In your world, your sitting in the audience, still thinking about how those old farts were stupid and didn't know how great your GEAR was.

Nuff said
 
#38
I'd have taken a pass as well more than likely.
Having said that, If you play non-mainstream gear, those kinds of comments are to be expected.

I can't tell you how many times I've been questioned about the quality of my Sadowsky, Avalon or Bergantino gear by people. Some of them bass players.

It's kinda hard to rise above it and not say, "My rig costs more than all three of the cars you poseurs drove up in."
 

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