I've been in this band for 6 months now and I'm having regrets. We've had 4 gigs and each time the guitar player becomes this other person.Pratice is fine, but at gigs he always invites friends and trys to come off like this big shot to impress them. He's insulted the drummer (who is very good) in front of people, He friends call out songs for him to play and he's says " I would, but they don't know it" so the drummer and I look like a couple of dicks.The kicker at the last gig he just start playing a song that we never played before. I walked over and said "what are you doing?" I was told "when you play with me you have to be ready for anything." I've talked to him about all of these things and he says fine at practice' but the gigs are another thing. I already know what to do, but Like many, venting is therepeutic
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Guitar player changes his "stripes" when playing a gig
- Thread starter Blatz
- Start date
I have been talking to/working with our guitar player/singer for nearly a year on sticking to the set list. Bottom line, if the band has not agreed to it in advance, I don't play it on stage. The audience is not paying money to listen to drunken ego jams.
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
Sounds like he needs a butt whoopin' in front of his friends (not the greatest suggestion though), or have the "Talk" and the next time he wants to do that, let him loose.
I'm not trying to defend this guy, do you think that's how he copes with the awkwardness of being in a performance environment? It's definitely an awkward way to deal with stress, but maybe he has a tough time controlling it in the moment.
Get the other guys on board and have a group chat next practice.
Basically: you're a nice guy but you become a dick at shows. Next time you pull any crap you are on your own. That means sticking to the rehearsed songs and no insulting the other band members for any reason.
If he starts up walk off.
Basically: you're a nice guy but you become a dick at shows. Next time you pull any crap you are on your own. That means sticking to the rehearsed songs and no insulting the other band members for any reason.
If he starts up walk off.
he definitely has a humbling scheduled for sometime in the future. Between then and now try to talk some sense into him and if that doesn't work then send him packing.
I'd say that if you and the drummer are on the same page, go get a new guitarist...Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!
yup , move on or replace the dude . There's too many good musicians out there ,in every city in America, to be messing with that guy . Next Man up ...
Just remember you don't have to fire him. You could leave and take everyone else with you but him. Dirty trick but hey.... Seriously though, what he is doing is totally unprofessional on all counts.
1) Calling attention to an issue with a band member in front of the crowd is completely wrong, even if your point is correct. This falls into that whole "Praise in public, critisize in private" thing. Saying to the audience "We would of totally nailed that song except our stupid drummer kept f*ing up" is a good way to have a drum stick stabbed through your ear and into your brain. That would make for a hell of a stage show though.
2) Playing an unrehearsed song, is a great way to fall on your face. I totally understand wanting to please the crowd, but I would not do this unless you were totally confident in your bands abilities and that the band had already discussed this topic and came to a 100% agreement in doing this sort of thing.
If your band falls on its face often enough by doing this, you might not see that many more gigs in the future. This is messing with your brand. Yes your BRAND. Is your brand a quality product?
Ok that's enough soapbox for one day.
jive1
Commercial User
Seriously though, what he is doing is totally unprofessional on all counts.
1) Calling attention to an issue with a band member in front of the crowd is completely wrong, even if your point is correct. This falls into that whole "Praise in public, critisize in private" thing. Saying to the audience "We would of totally nailed that song except our stupid drummer kept f*ing up" is a good way to have a drum stick stabbed through your ear and into your brain. That would make for a hell of a stage show though.
2) Playing an unrehearsed song, is a great way to fall on your face. I totally understand wanting to please the crowd, but I would not do this unless you were totally confident in your bands abilities and that the band had already discussed this topic and came to a 100% agreement in doing this sort of thing.
If your band falls on its face often enough by doing this, you might not see that many more gigs in the future. This is messing with your brand. Yes your BRAND. Is your brand a quality product?
Ok that's enough soapbox for one day.
Well said: I had a chance to book us in a pretty good place but I did'nt for all the reasons you mentioned. He's been talked to we even put together a list of songs to replace in the set list on the spot depending on the crowd. That did'nt work. This guy knows a ton of songs and I think he just likes to show others how much he knows. I'm moving on
Sounds like this clown is in it to be a "star" and not for the music. He also has big-time insecurity issues that he can only manage by belittling others in public... very toxic.
Agreed with the others... either fire him, or disband and re-form with a new guitarist. He'll get the message either way and you and the drummer will be a lot better off.
Agreed with the others... either fire him, or disband and re-form with a new guitarist. He'll get the message either way and you and the drummer will be a lot better off.
Get together with the rest of the band. If you have to be ready for those sorts of shenanigans see how much he likes them. He belittles one member, have another one belittle him. Be sure to use songs in other genres than he usually plays and spring them on him at the gig. You play country, spring reggae, you play hipster stuff, spring hair metal on him etc. After a single night he will back down from all those practices. After all, you ARE letting him act like a big shot.
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
6jase5
Mammogram is down but I'm working manually
I'd push him off stage. That's just me. Actually, when he starts playing another song, the entire band should immediately start another well known song on the set and all look at him like he just screwed up.
You already know to move on. No audience wants to see a train-wreck onstage....well other than the jaded musicians in the audience.
You already know to move on. No audience wants to see a train-wreck onstage....well other than the jaded musicians in the audience.
Reminds me too much of a member of a band I was in, not long ago.
I won't get into too many boring details, but I will say that alcohol was involved in his case, usually.
One of the worst incidents happened on a night at a club we had recurring gigs all year round at, that played very well (lakes area of Minnesota). This place is a supper club/bar. During the evening/supper hours, it is full to capacity with mostly older, wealthy lake home owners, having supper and a few glasses of wine. They usually stick around for the first set, so we always keep the set list mellow and quieter in that set. After that, the places fills to the brim with younger people, and then the fun starts/PA gets cranked up/we start playing more "party" music.
Well, on one particular night, our "problem person" in the band decides, out of nowhere, that it would be fun to play "She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mud, about 5 songs into the first set. It's a song we all "know" but it's never made it onto the setlist unless requested (which I think had happened once). Well, anyway, he just starts wailing away, making sure to emphasize the chorus. We just stood there and let him do it on his own. It was honestly one of the most embarrassing moments I have had on stage.
On break, I talked to the bar manager, and smoothed everything over. Needless to say, I no longer play in a band with the above mentioned guitar player/singer.
(He is still without a band to this day, bad news travels fast....)
So much for keeping it short!
I won't get into too many boring details, but I will say that alcohol was involved in his case, usually.
One of the worst incidents happened on a night at a club we had recurring gigs all year round at, that played very well (lakes area of Minnesota). This place is a supper club/bar. During the evening/supper hours, it is full to capacity with mostly older, wealthy lake home owners, having supper and a few glasses of wine. They usually stick around for the first set, so we always keep the set list mellow and quieter in that set. After that, the places fills to the brim with younger people, and then the fun starts/PA gets cranked up/we start playing more "party" music.
Well, on one particular night, our "problem person" in the band decides, out of nowhere, that it would be fun to play "She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mud, about 5 songs into the first set. It's a song we all "know" but it's never made it onto the setlist unless requested (which I think had happened once). Well, anyway, he just starts wailing away, making sure to emphasize the chorus. We just stood there and let him do it on his own. It was honestly one of the most embarrassing moments I have had on stage.
On break, I talked to the bar manager, and smoothed everything over. Needless to say, I no longer play in a band with the above mentioned guitar player/singer.
(He is still without a band to this day, bad news travels fast....)So much for keeping it short!
Yea, it's go time. That is unprofessional, disrespectful, and destructive to your band's image.
Unless you are seasoned improvisers with a wide vocabulary of shared themes, most bands look like jackasses making it up on stage. And competing with your other band members is fine if you're doing it amongst yourselves, but a bandleader deliberately trying to show up his rhythm section on stage and make them look like fools is going to get what he deserves.
