Demand a guitar cable with gold plated connectors. When denied such a "necessity", ask what kind of hobo shack they run around here?!?
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How To Blow Your Audition
- Thread starter brianrost
- Start date
Because the whole band will not own the PA - just the one guy who should be paying for it ends up getting a huge discount on the PA.
I remember the advice I got here when I auditioned for the band I have now been in for 2 years, which was to do what Rob Trujillo did. Overprepare, play great, and know it so well that you can show off your character and charisma.
And another thing that I'm reminded of the Trujillo audition... he played the gear they had. I realize not all bands have "practice gear" but mine does, and so I brought my bass and plugged in.
Bringing your *special* gear has diminishing returns, as evidenced by the ultimate chorus.
So does every other rig on stage. Full stop.
If the bass and guitar rigs didn’t benefit the band, why are they on stage?
I went to a salsa bar one time in Chicago with the delusional belief that I was a passable dancer. That delusion was obliterated in 30 seconds.
As for band auditions, when I was young I was given an audition with Stooges/NY Dolls flavored hard rock band. They gave me their demo on a cassette tape. I learned all the songs. I got to the rehearsal and learned that the cassette they gave me had their songs replaying at about 1.25x, such that the key and tempo of every song on the tape playback was different than how they actually played them. It took me awhile to figure out what had gone wrong. Too long. I was aggravated with them and they were aggravated with me, but I learned a valuable lesson.
Brand of the tools don't matter. It's what you craft with them, that is important.
Obviously, a 15w amp ain't going to cut it, unless you're doing coffee-shop gigs, but we're not going to turn away someone, just because they show up with a Squier.
Being unprepared seems quite the successful method as well.
'what songs did you say you want to go through, again?...Sorry I had a busy week and little time'
or..
'Ah... I aleays get that part wrong, can we go over it again...slowly...?'
Noodles is yet one more...I hate noodles when auditioning(which ever side I see this from) or during rehearsals.
'what songs did you say you want to go through, again?...Sorry I had a busy week and little time'
or..
'Ah... I aleays get that part wrong, can we go over it again...slowly...?'
Noodles is yet one more...I hate noodles when auditioning(which ever side I see this from) or during rehearsals.
Oh my, lots of ways:
Show up not having showered for days and then laugh after exploding with loud, obnoxious flatulence.
Pretend you're a robot.
Strum chords.
Noodle during breaks and remain silent (three hundred bars of "whole rest") when the song starts.
Pull the cable out of the jack and grab the hot end so it makes that horrible noise...then smile and do it again.
or if all else fails, slap.
Show up not having showered for days and then laugh after exploding with loud, obnoxious flatulence.
Pretend you're a robot.
Strum chords.
Noodle during breaks and remain silent (three hundred bars of "whole rest") when the song starts.
Pull the cable out of the jack and grab the hot end so it makes that horrible noise...then smile and do it again.
or if all else fails, slap.
Show up with two 40's and an empty Wendy's cup, lid, and straw. Consume both within the first 45 minutes.
As you can guess, this really happened.
Riis
As you can guess, this really happened.
Riis
1. Showing up unprepared and just wanting to "jam"
2. Being overly friendly (having never met any of the band members before)
3. Forgetting gear "at home"
4. Not being able to sing and play at the same time (but was clearly an advertised requirement)
These things have all happened when guitarists auditioned for our band (years ago)
2. Being overly friendly (having never met any of the band members before)
3. Forgetting gear "at home"
4. Not being able to sing and play at the same time (but was clearly an advertised requirement)
These things have all happened when guitarists auditioned for our band (years ago)
Auditioned a drummer (years ago); we had a kit, so all he had to do was show up and not act stupid. He walks in with a six pack, sits behind the kit, lights up a cigarette (in someone’s house; didn’t even ask), “plays” with a cigarette in his mouth for 90 minutes, drinks all six cans of Busch, and breaks a piece of hardware on the drum kit.
Not the same. It sounds like quite the PA and if everyone has IEMs you don’t even need a bass amp, just a DI into the PA. A PA like that truly is for the whole band and your bass amp is really just for you.
A few months ago we had a drummer show up with only a bass drum and sticks. No pedal, no cymbals, no stands. NOTHING! He knew we had no gear for him...he just FORGOT the other stuff.
Let me know when you mic up the drums and guitars, dump them along with keys and lead and backing vox, and then pipe them through your bass rig. Then we can talk. The PA supports the entire band. Your rig is important, yes - but it's not the PA. I'm not sure how much clearer that can be.
Auditioning for a band... what a nightmare in my mind.
Years ago, unbeknownst to me, a recent neighbor/buddy of mine and his old musician/band buddies decided that, because this Marko guy had some assets and minimal skills that would help with the creation of a band, I'd be a candidate for bass player, rehearsal host and PA guy (also lyricist at the time), so we were brought together to meet/jam, and the process of manipulating me were executed.
Sooo somewhere in that process I passed an audition of sorts, and many years, much band drama, money and stress later, I'm a bass player in a covers band, same original buddy, fortunately different other guys.
As for auditioning others, I'm quite horrible at it as I'm a hopeless softie IRL (don't tell anybody), I like everybody, and someone else has to be wise one.
As for the PA argument.... as the PA guy in a band where we get $100 per man, I don't feel there's room to charge anything extra- I already have the gear and trailer, long-since paid for, everybody else brings some skills of value to the table that I'm not good at, so I'm comfortable with that.
But the bass player also brings a rig from which everyone benefits, and the PA is a whoooole 'nuther expense, and it's NOT unreasonable for him/her to get some extra bit of a cut for the expense, maintenance and extra labor (which is more than what happens at the gig) involved .
I'm not talking about band members investing in PA gear they don't own, btw... I wouldn't do that, either.
I've seen bands where members supply various pieces that they own and take with them if they part, which is also a legitimate formula.
=-=-=
Edit to add a little tip for worthy players who want to be in a band without having to audition...
PA and/or good rehearsal space (especially with a nice drum kit) will get you ahead of the next guy.
Years ago, unbeknownst to me, a recent neighbor/buddy of mine and his old musician/band buddies decided that, because this Marko guy had some assets and minimal skills that would help with the creation of a band, I'd be a candidate for bass player, rehearsal host and PA guy (also lyricist at the time), so we were brought together to meet/jam, and the process of manipulating me were executed.
Sooo somewhere in that process I passed an audition of sorts, and many years, much band drama, money and stress later, I'm a bass player in a covers band, same original buddy, fortunately different other guys.
As for auditioning others, I'm quite horrible at it as I'm a hopeless softie IRL (don't tell anybody), I like everybody, and someone else has to be wise one.
As for the PA argument.... as the PA guy in a band where we get $100 per man, I don't feel there's room to charge anything extra- I already have the gear and trailer, long-since paid for, everybody else brings some skills of value to the table that I'm not good at, so I'm comfortable with that.
But the bass player also brings a rig from which everyone benefits, and the PA is a whoooole 'nuther expense, and it's NOT unreasonable for him/her to get some extra bit of a cut for the expense, maintenance and extra labor (which is more than what happens at the gig) involved .
I'm not talking about band members investing in PA gear they don't own, btw... I wouldn't do that, either.
I've seen bands where members supply various pieces that they own and take with them if they part, which is also a legitimate formula.
=-=-=
Edit to add a little tip for worthy players who want to be in a band without having to audition...
PA and/or good rehearsal space (especially with a nice drum kit) will get you ahead of the next guy.
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