if you are a power trio and spit a third each, this is a no brainer. You just pay your take to the sub. Otherwise, this some of the cost of paying the sub, regardless if he's needed or not, will come out of your mates take, which may be an issue.
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I can't know if I will be available.
- Thread starter basseux
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if you are a power trio and spit a third each, this is a no brainer. You just pay your take to the sub. Otherwise, this some of the cost of paying the sub, regardless if he's needed or not, will come out of your mates take, which may be an issue.
- Mar 19, 2013
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- If only I were that good....
OP……you heard the opinions you asked for, whether you agree with them or not.
Now it's time to put your grown up pants on and make this decision for yourself. This is your choice, your situation, your world. We can't all make it for you or listen to your responses until the end of time……
Good luck, and for goodness sake ask the mods to close the thread.
Now it's time to put your grown up pants on and make this decision for yourself. This is your choice, your situation, your world. We can't all make it for you or listen to your responses until the end of time……
Good luck, and for goodness sake ask the mods to close the thread.
OP, sorry but you would have been fired from every band/gig I was involved with. 
OP is clearly ESL. Browser for them might not work that way. For example, if I swap my browser settings to French, nearly every single word is underlined in red.
A week in advance is a short notice for many working folks, depending on type of work. If the person in this current situation works "on calls", where work is the priority, that's a problem for the band. Only option I see in that case is having a sub available, on call (as a replacement) as well.
I feel like this is the right answer. If you can't commit 100% to a time/date, you're a no-go. Otherwise, don't be surprised when they find someone else.
Somehow OP feels that they're irreplaceable and is owed the job. I think you're going to find yourself replaced. No band is going to put up with that.
I got bit by that recently. I had a kung fu tournament scheduled. So I'm playing....we booked a gig the Friday night before the tournament .
Set up, play 4 hrs, get home ~3am, sleep until 7a, get up drive 2 hours, then compete....NOT going to be fun!
Internet warriors sure make a big deal about professionalism and honor and comittment and teamwork for $300 for the whole band midweek gig on short notice; like it is some kind of US Army recruiting poster. Nuthin' professional about that pay scale!
When you offer 200 gigs a year at a pay scale above entry level at Walmart, then you can use those words.
You'll likely never remember the gig, but you'll never have that chance again for a bit of vacation with the family.
If the band fires you, so what. There are thousands of $75 gig bands looking for a short notice bass player.
When you offer 200 gigs a year at a pay scale above entry level at Walmart, then you can use those words.
You'll likely never remember the gig, but you'll never have that chance again for a bit of vacation with the family.
If the band fires you, so what. There are thousands of $75 gig bands looking for a short notice bass player.
In my band - we do not sweat a pop go. If you are not available, there is another gig. Too old to lose my mind / stress for $50-$100.
Unless it is a really really cool gig. And that never happens.
But if you are unable to commit at all, that means they can't book. Or you need to find a decent sub who is cool with the situation.
Unless it is a really really cool gig. And that never happens.
But if you are unable to commit at all, that means they can't book. Or you need to find a decent sub who is cool with the situation.
If the OP was my bass player and I called the shots, OP would be fired. It's really sad when so many of us understand the simple dynamic of committing to a gig and the OP can't be bothered to listen. I hope his band reads this thread because there had to be at least one sensible person there that says "Wait a minute! That's not how this should work! Why am I dealing with him?"
The problem is that what you see as being helpful -- wanting to cover the sub's gig for free if you're available, for the sake of the band -- is not seen as helpful by your bandmates; that's why they met your suggestion with silence.
You created the band's unfortunate situation by blindsiding them with your unavailability. The best you can do is to offer to pay the sub's entire fee out of your own future gig money. THAT would be helpful. And it might save you from getting fired.
You created the band's unfortunate situation by blindsiding them with your unavailability. The best you can do is to offer to pay the sub's entire fee out of your own future gig money. THAT would be helpful. And it might save you from getting fired.
Oh I absolutely agree. I think that to join a gigging band you need to be able to set your schedule well ahead of time and to follow through on your commitments. If your day job is on call evening and weekends then it's just not going to work out with you for anything but the most casual of bands.
My comment was more about the quoted poster above saying that OP should quit music and sell their gear, which is a complete overstretch. OP is just being unprofessional - it may cost them the gig but obviously there's no reason for them to stop trying to play music or even to perform.
D
I feel like you're making it harder and definately harder to see clearly. You don't know whether you are going to be available --> have the sub play the show and enjoy some days off/holiday regardless.
Being involved into consultancy myself more than once over the past 20 years, never stopped me from doing a gig. Project or bench-time (without project).
Being involved into consultancy myself more than once over the past 20 years, never stopped me from doing a gig. Project or bench-time (without project).
Well I find the level of commitment required inconsistent with the commitment they put in learning their parts, new songs and be present at rehearsals, and not use rehearsals as practice, as i already though about quitting because it was so slow to add new songs to the set, and still is.
Learning a song at home and playing it straight live or at least one rehearsal is unfathomable to them.
That's why I am frustrated with that professionalism talk that doesn't translate at all into actual playing.
We always play for free.
The money is used for paying the rehearsals or pay subs.
By the way I forgot about that and should have told it to give a clearer picture, but this is the band of the thread "bandmates wants to rehearse in a bar".
An opened bar at 8PM serving customers, were they believed they could stop songs in the middle and redo parts, well, rehearse.
That's why I feel the level of professionalism expected is a bit over the top and inconsistent, but this is what it is
I hear there are a lot of professionals here, and it might sound offensive or trollish to them but, that's just amateur world issues really.
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I agree with this. I committed to a gig as a sub and the original member ended up able to do it last minute. The band leader paid me for my time learning songs and I was happy about it since practice is rarely paid for. After that I actually ended up doing subsequent gigs with her band on a somewhat regular basis for a while. So, just know: the right sub can take your place as much as you can take his/her place.
[EDIT] To OP: Reading how the band is fairly amateurish I would suggest finding a new one. They lack the experience to know how things can work when dealing with professional musicians.
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OK, I've read the first three pages. Now I'm going to add my thoughts/opinions. I'll probably find the exact same message posted on the top of page four, but... never mind.
First, part of being in a band is that you need to be able to rely on your band mates, and they need to be able to rely on you. You don't just rely on them to play the right note or the right chord or hit the right drum or sing the right word, all at the right time. You also rely on them to turn up to rehearsals and gigs on time, sober and capable of playing, having done their homework and learned their parts. And you also rely on them to be available when gigs are scheduled.
Everybody understands that sometimes things go wrong. Someone will miss a rehearsal because they have to work a double shift in their day job. Someone will have not learned their part because they were in bed with the flu all week. Someone will arrive late for a gig because they had car trouble, or have to miss a gig completely because a family commitment comes up. But when the same person consistently turns up late, or unprepared, or too drunk to play, or backs out of a gig with very late notice, well... those people tend to get kicked out of the band. Now, I'm not suggesting this is the OP; I'm just saying you need to have a degree of commitment to your band mates and you need to be reliable.
Second, there's this quote from the OP:
Third, the sub has been engaged, and maybe started learning the songs already. They will be mentally preparing themselves for this, an possibly really looking forward to the experience. So let the sub do what they've agreed (and are being paid) to do. Go and enjoy the holiday, which is more important than the gig anyway, or if you end up still being in town, give yourself the night off. You can go and watch the band, but nobody is "forcing" you to. And give your band mates some certainty about what's going to happen, rather than leaving them guessing right up until the last minute.
First, part of being in a band is that you need to be able to rely on your band mates, and they need to be able to rely on you. You don't just rely on them to play the right note or the right chord or hit the right drum or sing the right word, all at the right time. You also rely on them to turn up to rehearsals and gigs on time, sober and capable of playing, having done their homework and learned their parts. And you also rely on them to be available when gigs are scheduled.
Everybody understands that sometimes things go wrong. Someone will miss a rehearsal because they have to work a double shift in their day job. Someone will have not learned their part because they were in bed with the flu all week. Someone will arrive late for a gig because they had car trouble, or have to miss a gig completely because a family commitment comes up. But when the same person consistently turns up late, or unprepared, or too drunk to play, or backs out of a gig with very late notice, well... those people tend to get kicked out of the band. Now, I'm not suggesting this is the OP; I'm just saying you need to have a degree of commitment to your band mates and you need to be reliable.
Second, there's this quote from the OP:
So there is a gig booked, but the OP would rather go on holiday than play the gig. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that - the OP is entitled to make their choice and I can't judge as I don't know the OP's circumstances, etc. - but it shows that the gig is not the most important thing.
Third, the sub has been engaged, and maybe started learning the songs already. They will be mentally preparing themselves for this, an possibly really looking forward to the experience. So let the sub do what they've agreed (and are being paid) to do. Go and enjoy the holiday, which is more important than the gig anyway, or if you end up still being in town, give yourself the night off. You can go and watch the band, but nobody is "forcing" you to. And give your band mates some certainty about what's going to happen, rather than leaving them guessing right up until the last minute.
This among others, is a reason that I recently quit my band. I couldn't, with certainty, be available and instead of keeping them always worried about it and trying to figure it out... I quit. It helps them, it helped me.
