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Who are all these people that have so many gigs they can turn down a regular gig at a great bar because the owner isn't nice to them? Some people need to toughen up!
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Who are all these people that have so many gigs they can turn down a regular gig at a great bar because the owner isn't nice to them? Some people need to toughen up!
I'm glad this collective of experienced bass players was helpful for you! They often have been for me.
FWIW, our trumpet player comes from a classical music background and finds it uncomfortable being in the bar environment with drunks. I'm used to them, but have to remember to deflect them from her.
Totally see your point. We gig at a minimum 5-6 times a month sometimes as high as 10 times a month. It is difficult to walk away from or even think about walking away from this gig just based on pay alone. It is almost double our current lowest paying gigs. As far as the suggestion to learn more 70's tunes, we have done that and will use them throughout the sets as needed just in case. A few of them may be keepers. Our singer was the main hold out on the 70s tunes.
I feel her discomfort for sure. As an recovering drunk, I have difficulties being around it as a sober individual because it is sad. Now if I was drunk on the other hand, I might heckle my own bandmates while playing! That actually sounds fun.
Good on you for cleaning up! It's understandable you having trouble with being around drunks. Hopefully your bandmates can deal with that owner while you check your tuning and adjust your EQ.
There's a shifting line between rowdy charm and obnoxiousness, like the line between a bar with atmosphere and a swillhole where you get your head kicked in. People sometimes like the ambiguity.
It all depends on your outlook. If you don't suffer fools gladly, quit the gig. If you are out to have fun with life, learn to read the bar owner, play him some 70's tunes and have a laugh.
Disclaimer: I lived most of my life in the UK where drunkenness was a profession, so you had to learn to deal with drunk people or else have no friends.
It all depends on your outlook. If you don't suffer fools gladly, quit the gig. If you are out to have fun with life, learn to read the bar owner, play him some 70's tunes and have a laugh.
Disclaimer: I lived most of my life in the UK where drunkenness was a profession, so you had to learn to deal with drunk people or else have no friends.
I would have suggested have a face to face but, since he has a drinking problem talking to him before he crawls into the bottle won't help once he is in there again.
Sorry to say balls in your court do what you have been doing right along, or don't play there any more.
Sorry to say balls in your court do what you have been doing right along, or don't play there any more.
This sounds like a business owner driving away customers, bands, and eventually staff. Unless someone wishes to start an intervention for this guy I think him and his business are headed for the toilet. I have seen many businesses fail this way. Ships with a drunk for a captain usually end up sinking. Seek other, more stable venues now!!!
Sure. But you put a violation clause in the contract: if management DOES bother the band during the gig, then the band's fee goes up 20%. Or 50%. Whatever.
This.
I like this idea.
Yep. OP may or may not lose this gig, but it may be lost eventually anyway when the venue goes belly-up. I would cultivate a good relationship with the (sober) manager so you can get gigs wherever they wind up working next.
My own version of dealing with an owner. My very first gigging band was booked into a certain venue by its manager three or four times. Some time later, that manager was gone and word was that the owner had taken over booking bands himself. I stopped by one afternoon to talk to him about booking us back in. He looks at me and says, in all seriousness, "You've never played in my bar."
This is me playing in his bar:
Unfortunately I didn't have a smartphone at the time to be able to pull up the various pics and video I have of myself playing there, but that one just floored me.
I wouldn't be back after that crap. No bar/restaurant gig pays enough to put up with that ever again.
Yeah I was thinking the same. Thing is, we are the most "rock" band that plays this particular place. In fact, we were the first rock band to play this place. Every one else is country, acoustic stuff, or lighter singer songwriter type stuff. I really don't know how the BL got this gig but I will ride it until the wheels fall off.
It is certainly a unique situation. I was never a public, going out to clubs/bars drunk. Towards the end of my drunkeness I was fairly isolated and always drank alone. Being around so many publicly drunk people is certainly interesting. Usually they do not cause any real problems.
Per the original post, it's one of their higher paying gigs, starts early, and they play there once a month. I would agree with whatever the club owner said, to shut him up, and learn a couple of the tunes he wants to hear. You aren't going to win an argument with a drunk club owner.
I can tell you what I WOULDN'T do and that's argue with the club owner from the stage for ten minutes while people walked out.
It's easy to get off track in the heat of the moment. A valuable lesson I learned for dealing with argumentative drunks is that if you agree with them, it confuses them and they will often shut up.
On what planet does the alcoholic bar owner sign a contract with a replaceable cover band that penalizes him for going on his stage in his bar? Because it isn't this one.
Do you know why he pays the manager? So he doesn't have to talk to the help if he doesn't want to. I'm guessing the chance of any contract is slim to none with a possible chance of being banned from playing there.
Do you know why he pays the manager? So he doesn't have to talk to the help if he doesn't want to. I'm guessing the chance of any contract is slim to none with a possible chance of being banned from playing there.
video record the performance. Zoom in on dum dum when he starts his rant. Make a cute video snippet of dum dum ranting and share with your friends on Facebook. Tag dum dum to video.
Make your point and laugh at dum dum.
Make your point and laugh at dum dum.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
The owner is a drunk. Get a list of a few covers he wants, and when he complains, play one of them and move on. Nod and smile.
Another idea. Get those great rainbow Afro clown wigs and the huge two foot long sunglasses. Everytime the owner gets on stage, everyone automatically puts on the gear. When he is done, you take it off. Everyone has a whistle, and when is says a certain word, everyone blows their whistles.
The audience will find this amusing, and it might just confuse the drunk bastard.
We actually did this in a band when a drunk would show up and utter the words "freebird"
The audience will find this amusing, and it might just confuse the drunk bastard.
We actually did this in a band when a drunk would show up and utter the words "freebird"
If your band is not the only band playing there, when he's lit he may not remember which band is which. I suppose one possibility would be to learn (or play) a song or two or three that the bar owner either has called out or will recognize at just the right times and dedicate them to the bar owner for whatever reason might right in-the-moment. A little attention to him might go a long way.
You need to hire the hottest girl you know to act as a plant. Have her and some of her hot friends attend the venue as "regular customers". When they see the owner start in on his "play the 70's" routine, they get involved. Not in a confrontational way, but in "hey, we love these songs" way. They dance, they applaud, they buy drinks. If owner persists, they leave and make it known that they don't want to stick around and listen to the oldies. Extra pay if they make the manager believe he could have gotten lucky if only the owner was not so demanding.
