I would forget about it until Friday. Think positive. The whole band needs to share in the cost of the repair. That would be the mature way to handle it. If that band asked me for $200 to fix something I know I did not break, I would quit right then and there.
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Halloween gig horror story
- Thread starter Rocks
- Start date
Think positive? Heck I feel great! I have three auditions already lined up with seasoned groups of mature adults. One sounds very promising, another needs a new guitarist as well as a bass player, less promising, another is a band getting paid good money that only needs a bass player but they are a bit of a drive, yet still has some promise. I have had it with the lack of communication with the band I played with on Halloween. I'm not going to just sit here and wait for them to feel like talking about an issue.
I bet I can guess the club and the DJ!!! That's almost word for word what we went through at a place out that way, except for any falls or broken equipment. It was clearly our crowd and after a bunch of them finding the one owner and telling him they didn't want to hear the crap the DJ was playing and wanted to hear the band we were told to go on. By our third song we had everyone up dancing so the DJ decides to hit the button on his fog machine and didn't let up. It seemed like he must have tried to empty that thing. It was so thick I couldn't see my guitarist on the opposite side of the stage from me. It cleared everyone out. Someone, took advantage of the thick cover and pulled the fluid line out of the resovoir from the fog machine and when everything cleared he tried it again and burned up the pump. Either way, PM me if you want any more details and let your band mates know that you guys are not the only ones that have had that kind of trouble.
Interesting, I've had a sneaking feeling that the DJ may have been the one to do the damage and other musicians I've talked to ion the area said he is known for trying to make bands look bad so he can get more DJ work. The top of the snake head looked like someone hit it with a hammer or something heavy. I just don't understand how he could have done it without someone seeing him, nothing adds up. Has anyone ever tripped over a mic cable and damaged the entire top of a snake head to the point that it looked smashed in? Anyone? I could see it damaging the one input the cable was in, but the whole top?
Rick Auricchio
Registered Bass Offender
This is getting way out of hand.
The band collectively pays for repairs to equipment it owns. Period. Accidents happen.
If a power amp broke on its own, the band would pay.
The only reason to insist on personal reimbursement is if someone deliberately (or with blatant carelessness) damages equipment.
The band collectively pays for repairs to equipment it owns. Period. Accidents happen.
If a power amp broke on its own, the band would pay.
The only reason to insist on personal reimbursement is if someone deliberately (or with blatant carelessness) damages equipment.
that's YOUR soundman's job. he knows the right kind of music to play between sets to fit the band's crowd. the DJ has to go, or you don't play and get paid anyway. if it wasn't in your contract, add it in there next time.
dude... never put anything on top of a bass amp that you don't want crashing to the ground during a set. especially a drink on top of a tube amp!
I agree with part of what you say, but I also look at it like this - if someone in the band fell on my bass and broke it I'd expect them to pay to repair or replace it. Just like if I broke the snake it would be my responsibility to have it fixed or replaced. My biggest issue is with the bands total lack of willingness to discuss this.until Friday, I don't like be left hanging wondering if I am the one everyone is blaming, man up and talk to me and lets resolve the issue, not play games like children.
Sorry Rocks, if you join one of those bands you say is full of mature adults, well, they wouldn't be anymore.
The world doesn't revolve around you. You did something questionable and your bandmates are going to deal with it on Friday and told you as much. That is good communication and they have been clear with you what is going to happen. It is you being childish by crying that your not getting it all resolved on YOUR timetable.
Do these guys have regular jobs? maybe they don't have time between responsibilities to deal with your drama and make time on the weekends for band issues. Deal with it then.
I'm thinking your EXTREAMLY high maintenance and require a lot of hand holding and reassurances even when your at fault. Calling them childish for not putting there lives on hold until everything is resolved to YOUR satisfaction to me is just you making a better case for them to turf you.
Next time, don't trip and none of it will come back to haunt you. It really is as simple as that.
Some people though, insist on the right to be careless and expect that everyone has to accept it over and over again and not hold them accountable.
At this point, nobody said you had to pay for it, just that there will be a meeting to discuss it. Your band has made a time for everyone to be there so it is fair, what is wrong with that? Would you rather play "he said"/"She Said" over the phone all week? Getting everyone in the same room to deal with it as a group is the ONLY fair way to go about it.
-eSmith.
The world doesn't revolve around you. You did something questionable and your bandmates are going to deal with it on Friday and told you as much. That is good communication and they have been clear with you what is going to happen. It is you being childish by crying that your not getting it all resolved on YOUR timetable.
Do these guys have regular jobs? maybe they don't have time between responsibilities to deal with your drama and make time on the weekends for band issues. Deal with it then.
I'm thinking your EXTREAMLY high maintenance and require a lot of hand holding and reassurances even when your at fault. Calling them childish for not putting there lives on hold until everything is resolved to YOUR satisfaction to me is just you making a better case for them to turf you.
Next time, don't trip and none of it will come back to haunt you. It really is as simple as that.
Some people though, insist on the right to be careless and expect that everyone has to accept it over and over again and not hold them accountable.
At this point, nobody said you had to pay for it, just that there will be a meeting to discuss it. Your band has made a time for everyone to be there so it is fair, what is wrong with that? Would you rather play "he said"/"She Said" over the phone all week? Getting everyone in the same room to deal with it as a group is the ONLY fair way to go about it.
-eSmith.
Sorry, but I don't see it that way. Had it been addressed right away we could have asked the people that saw me fall where I fell and got an answer right then and there. And yes, some have full time jobs but get home around 5:30 and sit and drink all night, plenty of time to talk. No one had any problem talking to me 3-4 times a week every week before this and it was quite routine that we all talked numerous times during the week touching base, ideas for new songs etc. So why all of a sudden does no one have time to talk about it? I have never had problems with any bands before this aside from one where the drummer drank way too much and couldn't keep a beat so I left the band and moved on. Unfortunately I moved on to a band full of drunks and drug users which wasn't apparent to me right away as at first the drinking was reasonable but the more time we spent together playing over the months the more the drinking and drug use escalated. When ever band member walks in with their own cooler full of beer there is a problem. I don't drink at all when I have to drive, no drinking at gigs, no drinking at practice. I also don't pop pills like candy and don't need to be around it. I didn't bother mentioning most of this before as it wasn't what I was first asking about, I was more or less trying to find out if tripping over a cable could have smashed the whole top of a snake head and venting my frustration about everyone's lack of willingness to communicate. This all could have been resolved the very minute we found the damage by simply asking a few people where I fell and what I landed on.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I have had more than one PM from people saying they know about the DJ there and they said he sabotaged their gigs too, as well as hearing it from other local musicians.
Rick Auricchio
Registered Bass Offender
Your instrument and amp are personal property. The snake and PA are owned by the band; that is business property.
Come to think of it, does the band carry any insurance for its equipment? Theft and damage?
No, they are far too unorganised. They basically got back together after playing together in high school and reformed 20+ years later. Like noted above, most band members including the "leaders" are either drunks or popping pills like candy, they don't think about things like gaffing tape let alone insurance. My gear is covered by my renters insurance. I have full documentation, pictures of me with the gear, recepits, etc for everything with separate copies of said items at my mom's house in case anything happens to my copies.
My situation would have been best suited to have been handled like a car accident, someone immediatly addresses the issue and asks questions of witnesses. This way we would know one way or another what happened if anyone saw anything - just like people saw me fall could have reported what they saw gave us any available info. Now instead a week later we are going to try and piece together what happened on a night when 4 out of 5 band members were loaded off their a$$'s and there are already hard feelings over this.
I don't know why exactly, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there's more involved than the broken snake.
It sounds like a lot of things went badly that night with the DJ's interruptions, the lower pay, etc. For whatever reason, some blame for those other things might be coming your way.
Is it possible that either the DJ or club owner said something to implicate you in the mess?
It sounds like a lot of things went badly that night with the DJ's interruptions, the lower pay, etc. For whatever reason, some blame for those other things might be coming your way.
Is it possible that either the DJ or club owner said something to implicate you in the mess?
Well, considering the lead guitarist puked in the bathroom shortly after I fell I would assume that he didn't bother to tell anyone he puked and the bar owner probably thought it was me, puke in the bathroom, a face plant, put two and two together. And yes, there is much more underlying than I've mentioned as it wasn't important to the story. For example, I have ben getting bad vibes from the second guitarist for a few months, he just seems to have gotten very cold around me. I've asked others in the band if he was mad at me and that told me not that they know of. I've also been concerned about the gigs as they have been drawing less and less crowds because of issues with vocals, people playing whole sections of songs in the wrong key on numerous occasions while giving the rest of the band dirty looks like it was everyone but him that was wrong. Every song ends in long drawn out wanking as if no one wants to be the first to stop soloing like crazy. So every song we do ends up having a 30-60 second ending with people puffing out their chests wanking on their fretboards and drums. We have even had someone stop a song part way in on two separate occasions because someone was in the wrong key or the singer missed his queue. All very unprofessional in my opinion. Plus they refuse to put anything other than the vocals through the monitors even though every gig someone or multiple people are saying they are having trouble hearing other players. We have plenty of gear and a nice PA that could easily let us hear the whole band through the monitors. This is the only band I have ever been in that didn't have the same thing coming through the monitors as what the FOH was getting. Then add in the "drunker we get the louder we need to crank" attitude, sheesh, after thinking about all this I can't believe I put up with it this long. I could go on and on (but I already have, lol)
Time to check out Rocks. You've provided more than enough incentive for me to give the band the pink slip and exit like the pro and gentleman they will never be.
From your earlier post, you mentioned that they get loaded on drugs, booze, etc.
That would certainly make them receptive to any negative aspersions cast your way by the owner/DJ.
From my limited experience, if I'm the sober one (actually not if!) in a group, the loaded ones get a bit paranoid about me.
A bit of pure speculation; what if the club owner told the other guys that he paid you the full amount? Or something similar, doesn't matter a whole lot, and would at least partially explain their behavior.
That would certainly make them receptive to any negative aspersions cast your way by the owner/DJ.
From my limited experience, if I'm the sober one (actually not if!) in a group, the loaded ones get a bit paranoid about me.
A bit of pure speculation; what if the club owner told the other guys that he paid you the full amount? Or something similar, doesn't matter a whole lot, and would at least partially explain their behavior.
I'd be outta there for just this reason alone!
If they feel that don't need to help with setup and teardown, then get the issue resolved and find a real band, these guys are bad news.
all DJ's arent bad, I'm a DJ/Bass player
$500 says he was playing off his laptop... (I only use vinyl)
that guy definitely sounded like a jerk shutting you down after 30 min
be more assertive
as for your band not calling you back about damaged equipment
they are acting unprofessional, split the cost of the snake from the band fund
tell them to grow up, act like adults
also stop worrying so much and maybe look for a second band to play in
$500 says he was playing off his laptop... (I only use vinyl)
that guy definitely sounded like a jerk shutting you down after 30 min
be more assertive
as for your band not calling you back about damaged equipment
they are acting unprofessional, split the cost of the snake from the band fund
tell them to grow up, act like adults
also stop worrying so much and maybe look for a second band to play in
No, the bar owner paid the drummer, not me.
To be fair they do tear down their own stuff and help load the heavy stuff. But I tear down all my stuff, load it myself (no one helps me lift my cabs or the monitors), cart all 5 monitors and both FOH speakers on the dolly. I also help tear down the drums and carrying them out along with boxes of cables. I even do the last minute check to make sure no one forgot anything anywhere. But I personally move at least half the the band gear either with the dolly or by carrying it while others drinks and mingle. Once I'm paid, I just want to be out of there and on my way home so I start tear down right away, I don't need to order another beer first. Of course I do exchange pleasantries with the people that saw the show, I thank people for coming even if I don't know them. I do this before the show, between sets, and at the end of the night while I'm packing gear and hauling it. I've never had a problem finding another band. The main problem I've had is them lying about the level of drinking they do at practice. Of course if you ask most bands you are going to audition for they will tell you they only have a couple beers at practice when in fact they meant at least a 12 pack.
Well, I have little patience for the 'drink and smoke' crowd. I'm in the same age bracket you're in, and that stuff is fine for 20 somethings, but over 40, it's juvenile.
Don't get me wrong, I'll have a drink occasionally, but not when I have to drive, go to work, play a gig, or at practice.
My band is not 100% professional or super serious, we just don't drink at practice, it wastes what little time we can spare for practices as it is.
It does sound like they feel like you're an outsider (IE: the sober one) and that tends to create some weird friction, maybe they feel guilty or something, I don't really get how that sort of logic works. Like I said, I have little patience for that. Life is too short.
And in all the bands I've been in, we all work together until the job's done, setup, teardown, whatever.
THEN it's breaktime.
Sounds like they want to party, and the band is a very convenient excuse.
As far as damage to that snake, sounds like you were set up, most likely by the DJ.
Don't get me wrong, I'll have a drink occasionally, but not when I have to drive, go to work, play a gig, or at practice.
My band is not 100% professional or super serious, we just don't drink at practice, it wastes what little time we can spare for practices as it is.
It does sound like they feel like you're an outsider (IE: the sober one) and that tends to create some weird friction, maybe they feel guilty or something, I don't really get how that sort of logic works. Like I said, I have little patience for that. Life is too short.
And in all the bands I've been in, we all work together until the job's done, setup, teardown, whatever.
THEN it's breaktime.
Sounds like they want to party, and the band is a very convenient excuse.
As far as damage to that snake, sounds like you were set up, most likely by the DJ.
As mentioned earlier, I am a bit high strung and don't like to be left hanging while they all talk amongst themselves without including me until Friday. Luckily I have an audition for a better band with a better reputation tomorrow. So it is very possible I'll already be in another band before they have their meeting. They can keep the gear I paid for to make up for the damages even if I didn't cause them, it's just not worth the hassle. I've been very upset by all of this, loosing sleep, needing to get back on my ulcer meds all because of this BS. Life is too short to play games. I also think part of it is I am very organised with my gear, I know everything in my bags and if anything is running low and deal with it before a gig. I even carry a backup head in case my main head dies at a gig along with multiple cabs, I can blow a cab and just unhook it and continue playing.
They just roll up cables and toss them in whichever box is closest. Every gig we are scrambling to find certain cables as they could be in any box. Plus, when a cable goes bad they don't put it on the side, they put it right back in the box so every gig we are playing the "lets try this cable" game multiple times. Same thing with mics, we have a few we know are bad but they still end up back in the mic box, not off to the side to get repaired or replaced. One gig we fried a very nice old power amp that was a workhorse for many years because someone had a few too many and hooked it up wrong. It was an old Altec, built like a freaking tank and would have probably given us years more use if not handled by drunken hands.
