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Hadrien Faraud No Longer With MacLaughlin

#102
Phil Smith said:
Moral of story...

When the person hiring you tells about something that you shouldn't be doing, DON'T CONTINUE TO DO IT! :D

also...

Getting fired from a gig for being too loud after being talked to about being to loud is really inexcusable...maybe there's a language problem.
Click to expand...


;)


Now the world knows some aspects as to why JM cut Hadrien loose.


I don't see any one complaining now.
 
#104
ElMon said:
This is a great point. I feel extremely fortunate to have come up with some very blunt and no-bullspit musos who has NO problem with telling me when I sounded like crap, overplayed, didn't understand what I was doing, etc. It was always constructive but NEVER gentle. It shamed me, embarrassed the crap out of me, and most importantly got my butt in the woodshed.

Nowadays I crave that type of honest feedback. I'd LOVE to know if someone thought I could improve in certain areas as it would only make me a better player. I think a lot of damage is done to younger players when they're constantly patted on the back for their technical ability but yet aren't encouraged to focus more on feel and supporting the music. Just this night I played with a phenomenal young drummer with awesome chops, but who got a little too excited at times and played over the singer frequently. I told him to watch out for that and make sure he could ALWAYS here the vocalist/frontperson, after I told him what a bad mofo he was on the drums of course.



+10000. I'm in the same boat and I find it EXTREMELY challenging to maintain the zen-like focus that it takes to zero in on a groove/song and make it sound as good as it possibly could. Irrespective of how many notes I'm playing, or if my parts are going to inspire jealousy in local players over my incendiary chops. VERY difficult with a HUGE payoff in gigs.

As to the blues thing, I can't tell you how many times I've called guys on that who said they could play old-school delta blues because 'that sh#$'s simple man', only to hear them plod through some pentatonic tripe with a mechanical feel.
Click to expand...


Of course they don't realize they're plodding.
:D

I'm playing at Merriwhether this weekend and among other things we're playing a couple of Lady Gaga tunes. And I'm pretty sure they're going to turn out very well because rather than the typical turning up of noses, the people I'm working with and myself can have fun playing just about anything. None of the usual judging and pinky raising.

:D
 
#105
harrybosch said:
This was told to me by a close friend of John's. I suppose it's quite possible that he was wrong. I offered it up only as another possible reason other than Hadrien's playing as to why he was no longer with JM. I did not intend it as a slam to Hadrien and do not see it as a harmful comment.

Hadrien contacted me and stated that he does not drink, smoke or do drugs. That is fantastic if it's true. Frankly, I'm sick of all the cliche musicians who go down that road.
Click to expand...


It appears to be a rumor about his alledged immaturity and substance abuse. That's harmful.
 
#109
Phil Smith said:
Moral of story...

When the person hiring you tells about something that you shouldn't be doing, DON'T CONTINUE TO DO IT! :D

also...

Getting fired from a gig for being too loud after being talked to about being to loud is really inexcusable...maybe there's a language problem.
Click to expand...


+1

I had a really low volume gig with a smooth Jazz group I work with in a restaurant. Yep, a restaurant where we weren't supposed to compete with the patrons trying to have conversations... but it paid well for the minimal amount of work we had to put in. The manager had to come and talk to us a few times about our volume and the last time he gave us the classic "If I have to tell you one more time...".
:hmm:

We took a break and the other three guys were in a huff. "Who does he think he is" and that sort of crap. I looked at them (axe murderer expression on) and told them he's the manager of the place that's paying us. That I've been keeping my volume down. And if we go back in there and get told to leave...

the three of them are paying me my money.
:eyebrow:

Apparently their principles weren't worth having to pay me out of their own pockets. We got through the rest of the gig fine.
:D
 
#110
It's an interesting thread. In my town and no doubt in most others musicians tend not to offer feedback or constructive criticism but they'll tell everyone else and they just don't call the person back. I'm always looking for feedback. I'm OK with suggestions to improve. Many others aren't. And as a result they don't get the call. And I do. Technically and musically they may well be more advanced than I am but in the end my employers want someone that will deliver what's asked and the phone continues to ring.

There's another bass player in town who doesn't get too many gigs these days and word on the street is that "if he got paid by the note he'd be a millionaire". Maybe someone has tried to talk to him but I don't know.

I am nowhere near qualified to take the place of anyone we're talking about in this thread but I'd like to think if an iconic figure and employer like JM asks me to change then I will. If I can't, I'm not the right guy for the gig, plain and simple.
 
#111
Steve Clark said:
It's an interesting thread. In my town and no doubt in most others musicians tend not to offer feedback or constructive criticism but they'll tell everyone else and they just don't call the person back. I'm always looking for feedback. I'm OK with suggestions to improve. Many others aren't. And as a result they don't get the call. And I do. Technically and musically they may well be more advanced than I am but in the end my employers want someone that will deliver what's asked and the phone continues to ring.

There's another bass player in town who doesn't get too many gigs these days and word on the street is that "if he got paid by the note he'd be a millionaire". Maybe someone has tried to talk to him but I don't know.

I am nowhere near qualified to take the place of anyone we're talking about in this thread but I'd like to think if an iconic figure and employer like JM asks me to change then I will. If I can't, I'm not the right guy for the gig, plain and simple.
Click to expand...

And there it is. I think being easy to work with and not providing any additional grief is a skill way too many don't exercise. They think chops trumps all. In some cases that's true but it's fairly rare IME.

I know guys who've been fired by leaders because they were asked to do something and didn't understand why they should do it.

BECAUSE IN THOSE CASES WHERE YOU AREN'T PAYING YOURSELF...

duh.
:hmm:
 
#112
Brad Johnson said:
+1

I had a really low volume gig with a smooth Jazz group I work with in a restaurant. Yep, a restaurant where we weren't supposed to compete with the patrons trying to have conversations... but it paid well for the minimal amount of work we had to put in. The manager had to come and talk to us a few times about our volume and the last time he gave us the classic "If I have to tell you one more time...".
:hmm:

We took a break and the other three guys were in a huff. "Who does he think he is" and that sort of crap. I looked at them (axe murderer expression on) and told them he's the manager of the place that's paying us. That I've been keeping my volume down. And if we go back in there and get told to leave...

the three of them are paying me my money.
:eyebrow:

Apparently their principles weren't worth having to pay me out of their own pockets. We got through the rest of the gig fine.
:D
Click to expand...

Had a similar experience last night. I was contracted to provide music for a corporate event for folks "in their 30s and 40s who have been in meetings all day and will want to have some fun" from 6-9. And that they wanted "quiet but not boring". So the expectation was that we were a bit more than just wallpaper.

I have a great trio that I work with and we added a horn for some variety. We started off, drummer on brushes and electric keyboard. And right away the request was to bring it down which we did. There were a numbers of folks with heads bobbing coming into the room so we thought we were OK. But still we had to turn down. We told the horn player to take a break and played as a trio. Still getting requests to turn down and by this point I could barely hear myself over the talking in the room let alone the high hat and keys when playing some standards.

I've never played so quiet in my life. I've played for other functions at this location and never had a problem. Even had a vocalist in the same room. Thanks goodness we use the electric keyboard with volume control as opposed to the usually out of tune baby grand. We'd have been toast at that point.

In end we were told the gig was done at 7:15. We still got paid our $250 each. We did our level best to respond to the customer but in the end it wasn't good enough.

What would I do differently? Probably not hire a horn player. But other than that all the lead up into the booking indicated we were on the right track. I suppose you could say we got fired like HF.

EDIT - this was also the first function that the organizer had done perhaps they did not assess the needs of their client as well as could have been. As mentioned we had a few folks smiling and moving to the music but ultimately it was the call of one of the VP to end the gig. I've since talked to the organizer who reassured me that it was not our fault and he would call when he get a client with better ears.
 
#113
HF's experience with JM reminds me of some stories I heard about Jaco when he was coming up. I believe he was canned from high profile gigs like Lou Rawls because he insisted on playing like Jaco.

Hadrien Feraud has the chops to be a solo star, and it seems that is where his head is at this time. If that is what he chooses to do, more power to him. Then, he can tell the guitarist to turn it down!:D

As for being good but unobtrusive, that is the key for the rest of us.;)
 
#114
Did you really act that JM let Hadrien only for this reason, hum maybe i see the bad anywhere, but i doubt that a great guitar player say without laughing, "Put... t'es trop fort" :D

Because JM talk french verywell, or maybe like said above some problem of language, i mean,"fort" in french have a lot of senses.

And it's not a gig situation but a great musicians in big organisation with a lot of elements and personnal , i mean if i was JM and i'm the boss, i make a sign to the soundengineer, like "cut him off". :D
 
#115
When I did a brief stint in LA with a solo artist, I got to rub elbows with some hi-level sideman, including Mike Elizondo, Joey Waronker, a guy whose name escapes me that toured with Robert Randolph and Lucinda Williams, and a few other cats. EVERY single one of them without exception was extremely laid-back, gracious, and a very good hang. Now mind you, all these guys were great players, but you wouldn't necessarily come across any youtube clips of them shredding their instruments. It struck me then that on the level of big tours with big names, PERSONALITY is SO much more important of a hiring decision than is playing ultimately. After all, the artist/management isn't asking themselves "I wonder if this guy can shred Donna Lee in all twelve keys while singing a harmony line on talkbox" more than they're asking "I wonder if we can stand this #$%^er for 6-9 months on the road without leaving him somewhere in a ditch".

As to the volume thing, I've matured a LOT over the years on this point, from a 'I'm an artist and deal with it' position that got me and many ensembles fired from the lucrative dinner/private party scene to the position espoused by Brad above. THEY are the employer/client, and it's what THEY want, period. End of discussion. Same applies to Hadrien or any Joe Blow plodding through Real Book tunes to unappreciative lobster-gobblers. If they'll pay me right, I'll be THE BEST musical wallpaper they've ever heard(seen)!!!! I'll be like a sonic ninja, you'll sense that I'm there maybe but won't ever be sure!
 
#120
Steve Clark said:
Had a similar experience last night. I was contracted to provide music for a corporate event for folks "in their 30s and 40s who have been in meetings all day and will want to have some fun" from 6-9. And that they wanted "quiet but not boring". So the expectation was that we were a bit more than just wallpaper.

I have a great trio that I work with and we added a horn for some variety. We started off, drummer on brushes and electric keyboard. And right away the request was to bring it down which we did. There were a numbers of folks with heads bobbing coming into the room so we thought we were OK. But still we had to turn down. We told the horn player to take a break and played as a trio. Still getting requests to turn down and by this point I could barely hear myself over the talking in the room let alone the high hat and keys when playing some standards.

I've never played so quiet in my life. I've played for other functions at this location and never had a problem. Even had a vocalist in the same room. Thanks goodness we use the electric keyboard with volume control as opposed to the usually out of tune baby grand. We'd have been toast at that point.

In end we were told the gig was done at 7:15. We still got paid our $250 each. We did our level best to respond to the customer but in the end it wasn't good enough.

What would I do differently? Probably not hire a horn player. But other than that all the lead up into the booking indicated we were on the right track. I suppose you could say we got fired like HF.

EDIT - this was also the first function that the organizer had done perhaps they did not assess the needs of their client as well as could have been. As mentioned we had a few folks smiling and moving to the music but ultimately it was the call of one of the VP to end the gig. I've since talked to the organizer who reassured me that it was not our fault and he would call when he get a client with better ears.
Click to expand...
clients are often horse's asses, especially a vp who's been put in charge of a party and has no idea how to party.

vp: vapid personality.
 

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