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First Time Being Told "YOUR BAND SUCKS"

#81
jive1 said:
They may call in a mediocre band, since it's in their budget. The mediocre band may draw the best because since they don't play out that much, they can get friends and family to watch them for novelty. The dive bar owner loves it, because they have a good night without paying the band and rebooks that band. Unfortunately, they don't repeat their draw, because even friends and family don't want to see a mediocre band all the time. The bar owner is mad because they didn't draw, and scared off the regulars, so the mediocre band gets their shows cancelled. But, since they had success with a mediocre band before they try again, and again until the place's reputation is worse than before.
So the bar owner determines that having bands is losing proposition, and buys a photo hunt machine for the regulars to play with so they can make an extra $10 a night.
The problem is that even a great band will have a hard time overcoming the difficulties of a dive bar: poor promotion, bad service, bad food, watered down drinks, bad location, lousy atmosphere, etc.
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Words of wisdom. Now I got to go get ready for my dive-bar gig tonite. ;-) Where I will experience all of this and more.
 
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#82
I've learned only to accept constructive criticism. My band knows what we want to sound like and when we've had a good or bad night. People who aren't even into our style of music have complimented us on the intensity and tightness of our live show and the strength of our musicianship, and to me those are the best compliments because we reached someone who might not be into loads of distortion and angry vocals. People who say we suck? They were never gonna get it in the first place, and that's fine by me.
 
#83
Sorry man. All of us have had to deal with issues with clubs/bars to one degree or another. If you hear similar complaints over time (i.e. too loud), I'd take it as valid, but if it's just the occasional drunk spouting off because you didn't play Freebird this set...well, yeah - that's how it goes.
 
#84
The club owner was just mad that his receipts/drink sales for the night were crappy.
You guys could have played psychedelic polka in pink tutus for 4 sets...
And if the guy had made record drink sales, you would have been phenomenal!

He felt a need to rank on you because his business is in the toilet.
 
#85
It sucks hearing it but buck up because you will probably hear it a lot more...everyone has their opinion and will often voice it but unless you truly believe it's true also then take it with a grain of salt and as a bit of constructive criticism. Just keep doing your best, getting better and doing what you love and prove them wrong.

I can remember a band we played a show with went around telling everyone we were horrible and when we took stage and played our show people came up to us afterwards and complimented us on how good we were...whether they were truly sincere or just out of pity I don't know however one of the guys in that trash talking band girlfriends ended up hooking up with my guitarist (yeah yeah go figure) that night, so although I personally don't believe in cheating she totally thought we were the better band that night.
 
#87
nukes_da_bass said:
The club owner was just mad that his receipts/drink sales for the night were crappy.
You guys could have played psychedelic polka in pink tutus for 4 sets...
And if the guy had made record drink sales, you would have been phenomenal!

He felt a need to rank on you because his business is in the toilet.
Click to expand...

Well, you could be right. He comes from a family that's been in the restaurant business for a long time, bot not necessarily the "Bar Business", at least not the way he's in it now. He bought the place recently and I suppose he's been trying to clean it up some, trying to change it from a biker bar to something different, but not having a lot of luck. It's way too small to be a restaurant. It's kind of out-of-the-way. The building needs quite a bit of renovation. And from what I understand, he's now involved in a lawsuit because a customer left (who may have been overserved), and hit a house with his car.

Even the money thing didn't work out for us. He pays his bands $150 for 4 hours (we usually get about $400, sometimes $500, depends), but he tells you that the bar runs a 50/50 raffle with the house 50% going to the band. I wasn't crazy about this, but then again, our drummer set it up and he seemed to trust the guy. The owner told our drummer he could almost guarantee that we'd make the rest of our money through the raffle. Somewhat early in the night I approached the bartender about announcing the raffle and getting it started (they sell tickets), and she said "Oh no, we'll wait until it gets busier". That kinda irked me a little. Then when they did decide to start it up, they never gave us a heads up so we are up there playing and all of a sudden I see someone walking around with a roll of tickets.....I would have liked to know ahead of time so I could announce it. At the end of the night we walked out with $290.00. Somewhat disappointing.

So yeah, the only guarantee he gives you is $150, which isn't much. Probably why his schedule is pretty thin for bands in August and afterward.
 
#89
mcnach said:
Seriously?
Now a bar can be held responsible for how an idiot chooses to go home after drinking?
o_O

Does anybody take responsibility for their own actions anymore? :rollno:
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mcnach - I assume they don't have dram shop laws over on your side of the pond. If an establishment serves someone who is obviously intoxicated, and there is an accident, it can be held responsible. Not every case of a drunk driver, but when a place knew the guy should have been cut off.
 
#90
Consider the source. Year's back we got a last minute call to bail out a bars ass from a cancelation. The place was cranking that night- the owner LOVED us, and booked us back the next weekend. The bar was that night...suddenly we were "the worst band ever" and wanted nothing to do with us..... I'm pretty sure we didn't go bad in a week.
 
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#91
I once watched a bar owner in Beacon NY tally his receipts still on the roll. He gave us a monologue that sounded like this:
"Well from 8 pm to 8:45 you guys did ok, sold $175 worth of drinks. From 9 to 945 you slipped, you sold $145. From 10 to 1045 you sold only $98.
What's wrong with you guys?".

We never went back.
 
#94
The first and only time was the first show I played with my band. I'd had two weeks to learn thirty songs, in addition to working a full-time job. The singer-guitar player from the band who opened for us was heckling us during our sets. But karma caught up with them, and their van froze up, costing them the money they made from playing the opening slot.
 
#95
mcnach said:
Seriously?
Now a bar can be held responsible for how an idiot chooses to go home after drinking?
o_O
Click to expand...
Not exactly. 'Dram Shop Law,' which exists in 20 US states is intended to prevent people from getting inebriated at a bar in the first place. Staff are supposed to cut off patrons before they are intoxicated. In addition they are required to refuse service outright to patrons with a known alcohol problem. If they fail to do so and the patron causes injury or property damage, the serving establishment can be held liable.
 
#96
That's a bridge you never ever want to cross again. Burn it down!!!! and keep it moving.
 
#97
You know, sometimes people aren't going to like your band. It happens. I've looked back at a few bands I've been in and later thought, "yeah that kind of sucked" too. Bar owners are welcome to their own opinion and sometimes that works or not. That's fine too. There are other places to play. I understand that not everyone loves the same thing and the same music. They don't have to. Luckily if your band IS good, you will have more people telling you that your band is good than telling you your band sucks.

Also, its important to recognize that its possible to be in a great band that sometimes sucks. I hate those nights, but they happen. Lots of people will still come up and tell you how awesome you were and you get to smile and lie though your teeth about how great a night it was. ;) That's part of the job. Then you get to your next practice with your band and you WORK through the problems.

To me the ultimate BEST is to hear opinions of you or your band (good or bad) without someone knowing that YOU are in the band. Honest opinions. I used to work in a record store (for all of the 90's!), so I HEARD when people didn't or did like us... it was talk in the room and they didn't know I was in the band. Its great to hear people say WHY they don't like you so you can either work on those issues or discount their opinion. ;)

Although it's really nice to hear unsolicited praise in those situations too. Fer instance the other night my wife (and her mom) came to see us play. After staying for 2 out of three sets they left and hit a place down the street for a quiet drink before heading home... I got a text that read: "My Mom insisted on having a beer at (name deleted) before heading home. It was completely dead. The bartender told us that the awesome band at (name deleted) stole all his business for the evening" Best thing I'd heard in a while. I texted back "you should offer to book us there for him".
 
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#98
I've been playing gigs for over 40 years and have yet to meet a bar owner that I enjoyed being in the presence of. For the most part I've found many of them to be obnoxious, pretentious, and lacking of any respect for the musicians they hire. So it's an easy choice for me not pursue bars as a gig option.
 
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#100
Biggbass said:
I've been playing gigs for over 40 years and have yet to meet a bar owner that I enjoyed being in the presence of. For the most part I've found many of them to be obnoxious, pretentious, and lacking of any respect for the musicians they hire. So it's an easy choice for me not pursue bars as a gig option.
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I generally agree but for some rare surprises. But I prefer to play bars and clubs rather than doing weddings and private functions. I just like the atmosphere and vibe better.
 

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