Have you ever been fired from a band?

[factory presets]

Twice because I was out of my league. Can't really argue with that. Just hit the woodshed and try again.

More recently I joined a band playing culturally appropriated covers. Although the aim was to eventually have original songs. I joined as a bass player, but writing is probably more what I do. And no-one else was writing anything. Occasionally someone would set off a jam under the guise of "a song I been working on." as the set filled up with my creations, tensions started to rise.

Eventually I was accused of being a control freak trying to take the band in a different direction. But how am I gonna gonna write songs in Xhosa or Swahili? Even many of the African artists we covered had English language lyrics.

I suspect the final straw was when one of 3 self-appointed BLs told an interviewer how politically correct we were. (Guess that puts a date on it.) I told said interviewer that meant we don't sing about N*****s and B*****s. We sing about the ethnically challenged and the gender impaired. The clincher would have to be when everybody laughed.

Played out the gigs till they rehearsed in the replacement.

 

[Shalto]

Never fired, quit a few (see other thread) and was in one band where the BL got paranoid fantasies that the guitar player and I, who were good friends, were making fun of him on stage (we weren't). He made a rule that we needed to be in front of him at all times so he could see what we were doing. Even then, he couldn't get his paranoia in check, so eventually he dissolved that band over imagined stuff. He's still out there playing and has never spoken to me since in some 35+ years. I never had anything against the guy. People are weird.

That sounds like genuine (iinadequately managed) mental health issues or (possibly comorbid) consequences of substance use

 

[factory presets]

A week later, they were all back together again without me

Been a party to that when a good friend of all of us wasn't getting the job done. Figured it might save some hurt. Maybe not.

Got worse when we gave him another shot at it after losing another guitarist. We sat him down and explained there was no discernible one in his playing. Ironic given the preponderance of one drop in the set. He agreed to fix it and told everyone that he was back in the band. We gave him some time. But the issue was still front and centre when he auditioned.

It was so hard to say it to his face.

 

[LBS-bass]

That sounds like genuine (iinadequately managed) mental health issues or (possibly comorbid) consequences of substance use

Dude was a Vietnam vet and had quite a few horror stories about his experiences there, among other things. I always figured PTSD but who knows? Was a sad situation. It was probably the most successful band I was ever in, but he could not handle it for whatever reason and never put another band together.

 

[Shalto]

Dude was a Vietnam vet and had quite a few horror stories about his experiences there, among other things. I always figured PTSD but who knows? Was a sad situation. It was probably the most successful band I was ever in, but he could not handle it for whatever reason and never put another band together.

That's disappointing. A pity when the possibility of good days are there.

 

[LBS-bass]

That's disappointing. A pity when the possibility of good days are there.

It is a pity. He was a very charismatic frontman and had a successful solo career, as successful as you can be doing covers. Now and then he'd gather a few other players together and play a band-type show, but he never did another real band. He was okay the way he was and was able to keep control over everything that way, which I guess was important to him.

 

[osv]

Been a party to that when a good friend of all of us wasn't getting the job done. Figured it might save some hurt. Maybe not.

Got worse when we gave him another shot at it after losing another guitarist. We sat him down and explained there was no discernible one in his playing. Ironic given the preponderance of one drop in the set. He agreed to fix it and told everyone that he was back in the band. We gave him some time. But the issue was still front and centre when he auditioned.

It was so hard to say it to his face.

At least I know for certain that it wasn't because I sucked as a player. I just sucked as a person I guess.

 

[Resonance129]

Got "let go" from my most recent group. It wasn't an official "firing" kind of thing but the gigs dried up when the BL stopped booking gigs and stopped contacting me about a year ago. The last communication I received from them was about a week ago to share their latest original song with a new group.

I point no fingers as I wasn't a perfect bassist. It was my first time gigging like that, so there were gaps in my knowledge of how it was all supposed to work. Did the best I could to keep up lol.

But from MY point of view (if my opinion would be considered valid, here), there was a general lack of structure. Things were very different from what I knew of music before that experience (multiple ensembles in college). Then again, the goal back then was completely different.

Either way, it was a wonderful experience, overall. I learned a TON and met some pretty cool people. No complaints from me

 

[Samatza]

I was once fired from a band but I was playing keys with them at the insistence of the BL. He had some gigs and couldn't find a keys player so he asked me to help him out with a few gigs, I said OK but you'll need to find someone else as I'm a bass player and don't really want to be playing keys.

A year later I got fired because apparently I wasn't "really interested" in the music and they found another keys player. Somewhere in that 12 months he had somehow forgotten that I'm a bass player, didn't know what to say except thanks and good luck. They lasted 3 months, new keys player was so loud no one would hire them.

 

[minimalist freedom]

Got recruited by a vocalist for a band she was putting together. She asked me to attend a try out with drummer and guitarist. During the preceding week after exchanges agreeing to all the 10 -12 songs, I show up to a nice rented rehearsal space they paid for. Nice. It comes to play time and they did not call any of the songs I learnt. It was a rock / pop covers band, the songs they called I knew from the radio but never played before. During the break the guitarist introduced himself as an "alpha male" I walked away probably offending him.
Play some more go home, later I get a call , I'm in. I'm surprised . However the guitarist did comment on my above average technique. 3 rehearsal later And the soNg list always Different to what was originally agreed. Alpha male, drummer and vocalist leaving me out of the Changes. It was an uphill battle.
My mother is ill, nursing home just around the corner. I tell them I need 2 weeks off to tend to family matters. I get a text your fired for being unprofessional and your best suited to other music. They did me a favour.

 

[lfmn16]

Been a party to that when a good friend of all of us wasn't getting the job done. Figured it might save some hurt. Maybe not.

Got worse when we gave him another shot at it after losing another guitarist. We sat him down and explained there was no discernible one in his playing. Ironic given the preponderance of one drop in the set. He agreed to fix it and told everyone that he was back in the band. We gave him some time. But the issue was still front and centre when he auditioned.

It was so hard to say it to his face.

I did that once with a drummer. He was a good drummer, just a jerk so rather than have a confrontation we just "broke up the band" and got together another band with a different drummer.

Then one of the guitar players meets him in a bar, gets trashed and tells all. The drummer calls me up all indignant, "Mike told me what you guys did." I just said, "So?" We never spoke again.

In retrospect it was a pu-- move, but the motivation was really to avoid a potentially huge and unpleasant confrontation. Never again, from then on it was, "Sorry, this isn't working out."

 

[delta7fred]

did that once with a drummer. He was a good drummer, just a jerk so rather than have a confrontation we just "broke up the band" and got together another band with a different drummer.

A guitarist (long time friend and all round good guy) and I did that with a drummer and guitarist who wouldn't learn any new material (bar band, not exactly difficult).

We also had a blues band side project that had run it's course (harp player woes) with a different drummer who jumped at the chance to play in the bar band.

We wound up the original band as far as the drummer and guitarist were concerned and played the remaining gigs under a different name as a 3 piece. (This carried on for a few successful years until the drummer got a new g.f. and lost interest - ah the joys of being in a band!)

 

[equill]

During the break the guitarist introduced himself as an "alpha male" I walked away probably offending him.

Ah, the delusion that if you yell long and loud enough that you're an alpha male, it'll come true.
A former friend tried that, when he heard it was a good thing to be one of those. I've never seen anybody burn so many bridges in such a short time, before or since.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Got let go from a band once long ago. I was replaced by someone who was light years above me in talent and looking back now I can kind of understand that. But the real gut-punch was how it was handled and the $$ it cost me.

I've never again entered into a cost-sharing purchase after that. I lost $$ we didn't have at the time as newlyweds just starting out.

 

[lfmn16]

Ah, the delusion that if you yell long and loud enough that you're an alpha male, it'll come true.
A former friend tried that, when he heard it was a good thing to be one of those. I've never seen anybody burn so many bridges in such a short time, before or since.

It's like being a tough guy. When you really are, you don't have to tell anyone. If you have tell anyone, then you really aren't.

 

[equill]

It's like being a tough guy. When you really are, you don't have to tell anyone. If you have tell anyone, then you really aren't.

Exactly.

 

[lfmn16]

Got let go from a band once long ago. I was replaced by someone who was light years above me in talent and looking back now I can kind of understand that. But the real gut-punch was how it was handled and the $$ it cost me.

I've never again entered into a cost-sharing purchase after that. I lost $$ we didn't have at the time as newlyweds just starting out.

Both times I did the "band purchase" thing I came out ahead. Not through any skill, talent, insight, but just flat luck. I was in both bands the longest and it wasn't a ton of money and as people dropped out, they didn't get bought out. Hard to believe today. I don't think we intentionally screwed anyone, but the first band we were doing it for a living and we didn't have the funds to pay anyone as they left, the second band I'm not sure why no one got paid out.

 

[bassicmike]

I've never again entered into a cost-sharing purchase after that. I lost $$ we didn't have at the time as newlyweds just starting out.

To paraphrase the great Bill Parcells:
If I'm not making the meal, I'm not buying the groceries.

 

[thekyle55]

Yes, and I deserved it. I had lost myself, and my way. It was the chance I needed to reboot myself, and become the person, musician, and band mate I am today.

The funny thing is, about five years later, I had to fire a guy for almost the exact same behaviors. At least I had youth and inexperience to blame for my mistakes. I was 23 when I was fired. The guy I fired was 46!

 

[RoadRanger]

... all I was really doing was place-holding until the guy the really wanted came free ...

There's actually a name for this - you were "Buddy F*rked". The variant I experienced is their buddy didn't want "in" until they had gigs. Turns out I played their first AND last paid gig LOL.