I can't know if I will be available.

[basseux]

A gig had to be rescheduled Thursday next week.
However my professional situation makes it that i don't know if i will have to take Holliday's or have to work (regular job)
If i have to take holliday, I will not stay in town a whole week just for one gig, or even 2 or 3, whatever i don't need the little money we get through that, I need Holliday's.

Some insisted that I had to say of yes or no I will be there, but I say I can't know yet.
Booking a sub is the logical thing to do since they don't want to refuse the gig, and use a sub paid 100€. ( While we make 300€ for the whole band )

They did the same last week for the day of music, I was slamming at a music festival, and I said I couldn't be there since a long time, i had the tickets since 3 years because COVID, and play with them for 6 months now.

They were not entirely satisfied with the sub, he learned half the song right, so they want to rehearse with him Wednesday next week.

So I suggested that if I know I will be there, in the end, like even the day of the show, we just can give the 100 euro to the guy for learning the songs and losing a booked night, while I get to play with my band.

Because if I am available finally, why would someone play in my place ?

I think I was transparent, to describe the situation, and it seems to me more honest than bailing at the last moment.

But I got no answer from that suggestion.

What do you think ?

 

[Egg250]

I'm new to this, but I think you need to be able to commit to a date, in advance. If you can't commit, the band is right to get a sub and you are wrong for wanting the option to snatch the gig from the sub at the last minute. If you are consistently not available or unable to commit, the band would be right in finding a full time replacement.

 

[buldog5151bass]

If you want to be in a band, you have to be willing to give your availability ahead of time, so gigs can be booked without having to call everyone to confirm.

In most bands I've been in, we had a blackout calendar. If you hadn't given the blackout date, it was assumed you were available.

 

[bolophonic]

Just let the sub take the gig and schedule a vacation.

 

[basseux]

If you want to be in a band, you have to be willing to give your availability ahead of time, so gigs can be booked without having to call everyone to confirm.

In most bands I've been in, we had a blackout calendar. If you hadn't given the blackout date, it was assumed you were available.

Seems not relevant to the situation, as I don't know if I won't be available.

Just let the sub take the gig and schedule a vacation.

If my employer says i have to stay in town, i will be available in town to gig.
If he says i have to take Holliday's, then I will not stay in town a whole week for 1 gig.
But i don't know yet what's going to happen.

 

[basseux]

I'm new to this, but I think you need to be able to commit to a date, in advance. If you can't commit, the band is right to get a sub and you are wrong for wanting the option to snatch the gig from the sub at the last minute. If you are consistently not available or unable to commit, the band would be right in finding a full time replacement.

The sub would get 100€ by staying at home and I play for free in my band, because we don't take the money individually, it's put in a pot to pay rehearsals, or subs, so how would that be snatching a gig ?

I though the whole purpose of a sub is subbing if necessary, be it at the last minute.

In all cases the 100€ would go in the pocket of the sub for his availability or playing.

 

[BoomSTICK]

Give the sub the gig and be done with it. Take that vacation. No reason to introduce stress on your sub or put your bandmates in an awkward position.

The sub may be holding plans aside as well as you.

 

[jthisdell]

I don't see how you can be in a gigging band if you can't commit to a date a week in advance. Is your work schedule like this every week or just some times or seasonal?

 

[ArtechnikA]

Somewhere else here (possibly...) there's a guy posting "I agreed to take a sub gig, I'm on pace for learning all the material, agreed to a rehearsal, and now the original guy thinks he might to play the gig after all."

BoomStick had it right:

Give the sub the gig and be done with it. Take that vacation.

 

[trevcda]

If this is happening at six months in, I'd say you're not ready to be in gigging band. You've got too much going on. Bow out and try again when you have better handle on your situation.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Seems not relevant to the situation, as I don't know if I won't be available.



If my employer says i have to stay in town, i will be available in town to gig.
If he says i have to take Holliday's, then I will not stay in town a whole week for 1 gig.
But i don't know yet what's going to happen.

My point. If you cannot commit to a schedule, you shouldn't be in a band.

 

[Killing Floor]

Take the gig and if you need another holiday (with 1 L) just tell your boss you think you have covid. Solved.

 

[BrotherMister]

I'm going to offer a different perspective here.

In the professional realm this sort of stuff crops up often. Especially during covid with isolation times fluctuating due to daily tests.

In that instance check the sub is available. Pass over all the gig details and have them ready to go but be prepared to give them some sort fee for their time. It doesn't have to be all of the gig fee but give them something decent. Like if he's expecting 100 for the gig he's not going to moan at 50 for not doing it. Just make sure you set a deadline. If you still don't know by x time, then accept they are going to do the gig because eventually you are wasting their time.

Remember you are paying these people for their time and you don't know what they are turning down just to be on standby for a gig they might not do. So make sure you are keeping them sweet.

I've literally witnessed a sax player turn up to basically set up a music stand, get paid for turning up and go home because the original sax player managed to make the gig. No musician complains about getting paid to do nothing, that's the dream!

 

[mrcbass]

I agree with other comments that your band needs you to be able to commit or refuse ahead of time. You can't hold your band hostage just because you don't have a convenient schedule. I get that non weekend gigs present similar problems for a lot of people, but that is something (the possibility of doing non weekend shows) that should be agreed upon and discussed while it is still hypothetical - not when a gig is on the line. If I had a band mate who regularly was unable to take gigs, I'd be making some choices of my own: Do we need to replace that person? Do I need to find a more stable band? The fact that you got no answer suggests that they may be having similar thoughts. It's not intentional - you have perfectly reasonable situations to not be able to make these gigs - but you're becoming a point of drama for them. Lecture over.

All that being said, I was in a similar situation last fall. I had hernia surgery scheduled for less than a week before a scheduled gig. Surgery was scheduled months before the band even started booking. I had no idea if I would be up being on stage for 3-4 hours 4 days after the operation. I suspected I could, but to be safe I told BL to get a sub for me. After he secured the sub, I asked BL if the sub was doing this because he wanted to or more as a favor ("sure, I'll bail you out") and the reason for this question was because I had a similar idea to pay the sub for his efforts if it turned out I could play - if he was just doing a favor. The sub was there for pleasure so the scenario was never broached. It turned out I could have done it, but the sub played the gig with no issue from me.

I've been in THAT situation too where the guy I was subbing for became available - and I just got a "thanks, but we won't need you" without any sort of compensation for having learned their show. It sucked. Yeah it was a month in advance, but I'd blocked my calendar for them and had the show ready. In my mind (and many others here), I should have been paid something for my efforts or at least been given a choice. So I'd never do that to someone else.

But I see nothing wrong with the concept of forfeiting all or part of my gig pay to the sub who did all the work, but didn't do the show. It seems like a valid approach - if the sub is willing to do the work for just pay. If not, let them sub you and work with the band to try to prevent future mid week gigs.

 

[arbiterusa]

If you were in my band, and you "do not know" your availability, I would - with great regret - fire you.

 

[Oddly]

I'm currently in a situation where my company, partly through sheer incompetence, is currently unable to provide a roster for more than three weeks at a time, and each roster gets issued pretty much on the last day of the previous...with constant pattern and start time changes.
It's a major reason (the other being injury-related) I won't commit to any serious project right now. It's not fair on others to be holding them back from committing to a gig or even rehearsal.
If I were the OP, I'd step away.
Someone above suggested not paying the sub the full fee agreed if he's not needed, and I do think that's not acceptable. He's freed himself up to be available, maybe losing out on another gig, and deserves the pay.

 

[Egg250]

The sub would get 100€ by staying at home and I play for free in my band, because we don't take the money individually, it's put in a pot to pay rehearsals, or subs, so how would that be snatching a gig ?

I though the whole purpose of a sub is subbing if necessary, be it at the last minute.

In all cases the 100€ would go in the pocket of the sub for his availability or playing.

I don't play music because I like money, of course, I don't want to play for free. What I mean is, it's not just about the money. If I spend my time and energy preparing for a gig I committed to, and the regular player swoops in and steals my gig, that's like a big, middle finger.

Of course, that's just my perspective.

 

[juancaminos]

I got around all of this by starting my own band. These guys played to my schedule...HA!

 

[Stranger Danger]

If you want to be in a band, you have to be willing to give your availability ahead of time, so gigs can be booked without having to call everyone to confirm.

In most bands I've been in, we had a blackout calendar. If you hadn't given the blackout date, it was assumed you were available.

This is the correct answer

 

[basseux]

Give the sub the gig and be done with it. Take that vacation. No reason to introduce stress on your sub or put your bandmates in an awkward position.

The sub may be holding plans aside as well as you.

I would gladly take the vacations if they told me to taken them.

I don't see how the situation is awkward.
A sub is booked and would be paid whether he plays or not with bands earnings and since we don't pay ourselves I basically play for free.

I don't see how you can be in a gigging band if you can't commit to a date a week in advance. Is your work schedule like this every week or just some times or seasonal?

I am a consultant, and my 4 years long mission ends this week, and my employer didn't find a mission yet, therefore usually they either ask you to be available or can ask you to take a week of hollidays.

So this is a rare situation.