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I hate musicians!

#85
placedesjardins said:
And in this particular case, he has ruined multiple performances and the credibility of the rest of the band who has had to cover up for his lack of professionalism and poor musicianship. On top of that, the drummer's performances could have cost them the gig and possible future gigs. Zero liability. What a total loser. Read all three pages.
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The drummer did not destroy any gig, the band was not %100 satisfied, the OP said the venues are still satisfied and will gladly be having them back, the drummer ruined nothing but his own name. Read all the pages. We have all had nights where we though we played terribly only to get AMAZING reviews from the crowd.

I don't think the guy should be hired again but I don't think tossing a pile of legal issues at some poor young kid is the way an adult should handle himself. You just go home while this poor kid has his entire life ruined, you can hope for misdemeanor possession, but some cop on a power trip (cops and career criminals are basically the same psychological breakdown) decides he is charging the kid and not writing any tickets today, the cop decides he is going to win the war on drugs and the kid serves felony time. I know if I was the jerk who ruined this kids life it would hang over my head at night and I would lose sleep over it. Serving serious time will turn him from a minor pot smoker to a serious criminal, over crowded prisons breed more criminals instead of solving the core societal problem.
 
#86
DiabolusInMusic said:
The drummer did not destroy any gig, the band was not %100 satisfied, the OP said the venues are still satisfied and will gladly be having them back, the drummer ruined nothing but his own name. Read all the pages. We have all had nights where we though we played terribly only to get AMAZING reviews from the crowd.

I don't think the guy should be hired again but I don't think tossing a pile of legal issues at some poor young kid is the way an adult should handle himself. You just go home while this poor kid has his entire life ruined, you can hope for misdemeanor possession, but some cop on a power trip (cops and career criminals are basically the same psychological breakdown) decides he is charging the kid and not writing any tickets today, the cop decides he is going to win the war on drugs and the kid serves felony time. I know if I was the jerk who ruined this kids life it would hang over my head at night and I would lose sleep over it. Serving serious time will turn him from a minor pot smoker to a serious criminal, over crowded prisons breed more criminals instead of solving the core societal problem.
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I have to agree. If he's young and stupid (I know I was) and this is the worst thing he's done, then let's not ruin his life eh?
 
#87
DiabolusInMusic said:
... decides he is charging the kid and not writing any tickets today, the cop decides he is going to win the war on drugs and the kid serves felony time. I know if I was the jerk who ruined this kids life it would hang over my head at night and I would lose sleep over it. Serving serious time will turn him from a minor pot smoker to a serious criminal, over crowded prisons breed more criminals instead of solving the core societal problem.
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Basically, you don't understand or have experience with law, the criminal prosecution process or the court system.
You can't turn a misdemeanor possession into a felony crime on a whim. TV and movies have a certain amount of fake stuff just to build drama. Just for argument's sake, let's say the dude blew his entire paycheck on 3 pounds of pot. The cop could try to get felony possession with intent to distribute. But, a good defense lawyer could work out a plea agreement with the DA's office for misdemeanor possession just because 3 pounds could be all for personal use. I've seen it happen too.

Considering all the statements that you've made, you probably wouldn't lose sleep if you arrested the dude... after smoking all the evidence.
 
#88
I am not going to get into the prohibition of marijuana. There are plenty of resources available on that already and that argument goes on way too often. So here is a quick read on the risks of marijuana (from a harvard law webpage) and here are some of the health risks associated with coffee. I got from wikipedia, you can check the bibliography if you doubt wiki.

I was actually surprised to find out caffeine does offer a few potential health benefits, it appears to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, it still has a pile of negative effects. Most of marijuana's negative effects are restricted to the actual smoking, inhaling smoke off of anything is not healthy. That and the lowered immune system in heavy users are the two most common issues i see in medical reports. The fellow in the Harvard site mentions some facts on mental illness, like schizophrenia. I have read just as many studies saying schizos are just more likely to be drug addicts than marijuana turns people into schizos, but I will concede nobody with mental illness should take mind altering substances (including prozacs and such)

At the end of the day, caffeine is a highly physically addictive substance, and it is extremely hard on your body. I am not saying marijuana or any drug is perfect for you (even carrots are bad if you eat too many, you turn orange!) I am just saying the amount of caffeine we consume, especially as of late with all these energy drinks, is offensive. The fact that we sell it to kids in the amounts we do is disgusting. Just because something is legal does not make it any more safe than something that is illegal. People who use massive amounts of ecstasy can walk away from their drug of choice quicker than a caffeine junkie. (Odds are both users just addicted to something else anyways)

Seriously, I have to leave this thread now I have ruined it for the OP and for that I apologize. I am curious to know how this all ends for the OP though.
 
#89
I didn't read the thread, but in the op it says "he's talented, but". Missing cues, not being able to remember songs, forgetting tempos, where does the talented part come in? It sounds like he's a hack. Unfortunately, it sounds like you'll just have to bear it out. Maybe you can still get lucky and find another replacement. Sorry to hear that. Good luck.
 
#90
Factor88 said:
I don't have any feedback on the issue at hand, just wanted to comment that I am surprised to hear there are still places that a cover band can go on "tour" and be provided band houses for what seems like week long gigs. That used to be the case down here in Florida but years ago, not like that any more. Do you mind telling me where the general area of the country (or Canada?) you are playing?
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We're in Wisconsin and Minnesota this run, but there are places like this everywhere. Lots of them in the midwest and down south. Enough of these places exist to keep bands on the road year round. It doesn't hurt to be from Nashville, that seems to impress people. I think the catch is that they want better than average bands, and people are more likely to come out if the band is one that they can't go see every weekend.
 
#91
ForSix said:
Pot really is the problem. Perhaps the reason you can't find a good drummer is that none of the good ones will get hooked up with a band that condones pot smoking.
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I wouldn't say we condone it... We're begrudgingly tolerating it in this case because we're stuck with this guy for the moment. We have fantastic drummer who had to cancel last minute due to a family emergency, and the 30 or so guys I talked to that I know personally or were referred by respected musicians I know all had CMA week gigs they couldn't sub out. Any other time of year I'd have had a pro drummer lined up in about 5 minutes.
 
#96
engedi1 said:
Am I going crazy or are you equating drinking a coffee with rolling smoke? Now I could care less what my musicians do on their free time, but anyone who shows up stoned, or gets drunk during the gig is gone. Or, if I am hired by guys who roll smoke, I won't take their gigs anymore. That is my personal decision. Of course the problem, is not truly the drug use, it is the immaturity that underlies it. The drugs take away the inhibitions, and then all their dbagness comes out. Maybe some people like yourself can handle it and still act like an adult, but you are the exception. I am sick of guys yelling random crap into the mic, forgetting arrangements, cussing out patrons or other stuff because they can't handle it.
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Im not going to be the guy to rush to the defense of potheads the world over, but...
You need to meet some cooler stoners. Sadly, its the immature people and the guys like you speak of who provide a bad stigma for the guys who do smoke to no detriment.

Also, there are some wild misconceptions about pot being bandied about, but I'll leave you all to sort through the propaganda.
 
#98
placedesjardins said:
Misdemeanor marijuana possession conviction doesn't destroy a guy's entire life. Most of the time, it is zero jail time and there are court fees and a fine. Heavy users have already destroyed their own life and it takes either jail time or an intervention to make it a reality.

And in this particular case, he has ruined multiple performances and the credibility of the rest of the band who has had to cover up for his lack of professionalism and poor musicianship. On top of that, the drummer's performances could have cost them the gig and possible future gigs. Zero liability. What a total loser. Read all three pages.
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You forgot to add on the legal fees. Even a mediocre lawyer is gonna set you back 2-$3,000 to work a simple possession case. And spending 24 hours locked up waiting to be arraigned isn't gonna make your day any better either.

Though if you're lucky enough to live in New York possession of 25gm or less is a violation. That's equivalent to a speeding ticket though the fine is much less. Unless of course the NYPD asks you to empty your pockets during a Terry stop (i.e. Stop and Frisk) and you pull your stuff out in which case it's "public display" which is in fact a misdemeanor.
 
#99
Just ask the guy nicely to not get high before gigs...

I'll smoke at rehearsals with my band (unless we're truly running the dress-rehearsals set) or creative/jam sessions, but I never get high before gigs. Even at anytime during that day. It makes me brain-fart more than usual, and combined with knowing there's a crowd watching you, pressure of a gig, band members all on different pages, the mess ups can come in bunches REAL quick.

...if he can't simply hold off until after the performance, then he might have a bit of a problem.
 

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