Had to fire the drummer via group text last night

[TNCreature]

You've been on TB long enough to know that firing the drummer is always the right thing to do.
But based on your history with this guy, it sounds inevitable.
Good luck with the search!

 

[MG Wolf]

No show, no call, no job.

Pretty much applies to all work situations.

 

[LBS-bass]

The irony is, we'd have been nice enough to fire him in person if he'd ever show - but if he'd ever show we wouldn't have had to fire him! It felt dirty even just reading the text message. But I guess unprofessional behavior sometimes warrants an unprofessional response.

Meh. People should get the consideration they give. He didn't care enough to show up, so who cares how you cut him loose? Doesn't reflect on you at all.

 

[svlilioukalani]

So many drummers, so little time. We want to fire our drummer, but it is a hard thing to do. Glad I am not the band leader. I don't have the heart todo these things unless really pissed off. Good luck. He does need to go.

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

I find the "well connected" musician to be a bit of a liability to the band. In my experience, they use that as a leveraging tool to keep people on the hook, and it often makes it difficult to let that person go when they don't follow through.

I was in a band and we added a member who allegedly had connections with local radio DJs, people in the recording industry, etc., and they never followed through with getting attention toward the band. I was let go about two years ago from the group because I would push for this person to get these connections involved, and that band has done nothing since I left. I loved the music but I'm better off not dealing with that sort of narcissism holding me back from what I want to accomplish.

You'll find another drummer. Best of luck to you and your band.

 

[40Hz]

You see this at work all the time. Somebody quits their job, but somehow never gets around to leaving.

 

[sonojono]

... so you're breaking up through text?

 

[Empiar93]

... so you're breaking up through text?

For all intents and purposes this was becoming an online relationship. He wasn't leaving us with very many options.

 

[LBS-bass]

I was in a band and we added a member who allegedly had connections with local radio DJs, people in the recording industry, etc., and they never followed through with getting attention toward the band.

I can't say anything about the band you were in, but I've been asked to help bands get into rooms that I know they would not do well in, and it can cause stress when you know you can't follow through with those kinds of requests. I'm friends with the owner of a somewhat well-known club in this town and I used to play there frequently with the best band I was in. Other bands want to get on that stage, but I know they aren't good enough. How do you say that? It's a delicate line that involves both my personal credibility and their need to do better. I can't just bring any band I play with into a room like that.

Bottom line is no one should be expecting that from a band member unless that band member's actual job is getting those connections and that's a job they've agreed to do. If I'm in your band just because I know so-and-so, that's the wrong reason to hire me.

 

[Richard Martin]

We just changed drummers. Our original drummer, that was a founding member of the band, got in trouble and his wife said "They're going to have to find another drummer". So I had noticed that one of our guitar players messed around on the drums from time to time. He was an okay guitarist, he knew his basic scales and whatnot. But I had a feeling that he would be a better drummer than he was a guitar player. I asked him if he wouldn't mind trying out to be our new drummer. He said sure, he already had a kit at home so he had a month to practice his chops. I spoke to the other guitar player and he kinda hemmed and hawed at the idea of a singing drummer and said it just doesn't seem right, but he said he'd give it a try. We had a practice yesterday and everybody seemed very happy. Now we're looking for a guitarist to replace the guitarist that replaced the drummer whose mommy said he couldn't hang out with those guys anymore.

 

[Ekulati]

If he's experienced why did his recording session go poorly? Kinda doesn't add up.

 

[Huw Phillips]

Roland Tr 08 and this book

 

[Boundary Effect]

One thought. If getting this "EP" released soon is paramount, programming drums may not be the best solution. It takes a good programmer to come up with a good track. You might consider dropping some coin on an established pro who has a kit/studio/DAW setup in his home. A couple hundred bucks for a couple songs. I know great players who would do that. You supply a couple stem mixes, and they return individual tracks. You might not get exactly what you think you want, yet you might get something better. Just a thought.

 

[Empiar93]

If he's experienced why did his recording session go poorly? Kinda doesn't add up.

I should have specified; he's experienced as a musician in the Chicago scene, but not necessarily as a drummer. He plays guitar and does vocals, has released an album with another band and I think does session work, but has also been drumming for years. Dude's got chops but his drum performance in the studio is not the same as his performance at rehearsal or on a stage.

Now we're looking for a guitarist to replace the guitarist that replaced the drummer whose mommy said he couldn't hang out with those guys anymore.

Isn't being a musician just so much fun?

[...]programming drums may not be the best solution. It takes a good programmer to come up with a good track. You might consider dropping some coin on an established pro who has a kit/studio/DAW setup in his home.

We did discuss this option, and I'm not opposed to it, there's even someone I know that I think would do a good job if we just hire him as a session drummer. But the guy we had in mind to program some drum tracks for us programmed drums for a single that the guitarist and I also played on (the guitarist is still in that band, incidentally). So at the very least, we know we've got options either way.

The more I think about this, the sillier I feel about hanging on to this drummer for as long as we did.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

I'm currently on vacation (well, heading back home today). Yesterday, the drummer was absent from yet another practice. No call, no show. So the guitarist, who showed up the studio and waited for hours on his own, in vain, sent a text to the group: "Gotta move on without you".

Over the past year that he's been in the band, he has been late or absent more often than he's been present, even for the rehearsals that he schedules. And he lives down the road from our rehearsal space (I live a half-hour drive away, the guitarist is a full hour drive away). The drummer has kept us waiting to release material for months, as the guitarist and I have recorded our parts for the EP already. The drummer only had one recording session, and it went so poorly that we were going to have him record again after some more practice. But that never happened of course.

I'd been wanting to let the drummer go for a while, but he's a good-natured dude (and also experienced, well-connected, etc) so we kept giving him chances. If he delivered, then even his unreliability wouldn't have been such a problem (we have never known drummers to be skilled AND reliable AND available in our area). On the bright side, he did take the firing well and we'll be able to remain friends and keep it all professional. I almost wonder if he wanted to stay in the band in the first place... but it's no matter.

We'll start searching for a new drummer soon - but I think we'll program drums so we can just release the danged EP, have something to actually attract a talented and reliable dude to help us out. On top of that I'm starting to get into audio production (recording, mixing, editing) so I'm going to take this extra time to get more skilled with all of that as well, after finding a new rehearsal spot (as the current spot is in the drummer's name, and is shared with multiple people).

Having to fire a band member is never fun, but it's always nice when you can keep things cool and don't lose friendships over it. Helps you to find the silver lining in the situation.

AArghh,Yay!! Good for you!! Bad, unreliables are the worst!! Being Late is just chicken SH*T passive/ Aggresion!! but at least he wasnt a sucky Player! Played with 3 really bad players! yours just has a different kind of Bad Timing!An experienced musician Friend once advised, Run,Run away Fast! After hearing the drummer of a new Band! great advice, I failed to heed, because I wanted an outlet for my playing! Had nothing but "Regurts" & frustrations trying to "Fix" his Faults! Cut clean, & Cut fast! dont look back! Probably the best thing you'll do this year! GL

 

[bobalu]

Just get a Beat Buddy and save yourself from the "drummer headaches"!

 

[Kukulkan61]

Most drummers are Neanderthals you know..

 

[Killing Floor]

Sounds like you're describing a "drummer".

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

That's just the thing, he'd put together these plans, kinda get our hopes up, and early on he DID show some promise, but then he started pulling full-blown no-shows. We kept wanting to trust him because we've also struggled to find drummers for this band and in another band the guitarist and I were in previously. Being in bands here in Chicago has been a frustrating experience and although my heart is with the bass guitar, more than once I've considered picking up the drums just so we can move forward.

One of my old drummer's was like that. And he was the BL. BS was more like it. One of the many reasons I walked away when I did.

 

[getBAK]

No-Call, No-Show is unacceptable
One time can happen by accident, Two times was on purpose. There will not be a third