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I hate musicians!

#101
Gaius46 said:
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.
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Depends on your jurisdiction. Simple possession of a small amount is releaseable on a summons where I'm from (just like a traffic ticket). So say he's being a major dick and doesn't sign the summons, he gets brought to jail, has to go through booking and will probably get released on an unsecure bond or possibly no bond (considering he could have been released on a summons). He'll have to come back for his arraignment hearing, unless he's an idiot and skips out on that. Then, it's jail time.
And if the arresttee is poor, he doesn't have to pay a dime if he's eligible for a court-appointed attorney. And, he also has the option to represent himself. Why pay money for an attorney to plead guilty or no contest when you can do that for free on your own. It's a misdemeanor, not a felony.
 
#103
placedesjardins said:
Depends on your jurisdiction. Simple possession of a small amount is releaseable on a summons where I'm from (just like a traffic ticket). So say he's being a major dick and doesn't sign the summons, he gets brought to jail, has to go through booking and will probably get released on an unsecure bond or possibly no bond (considering he could have been released on a summons). He'll have to come back for his arraignment hearing, unless he's an idiot and skips out on that. Then, it's jail time.
And if the arresttee is poor, he doesn't have to pay a dime if he's eligible for a court-appointed attorney. And, he also has the option to represent himself. Why pay money for an attorney to plead guilty or no contest when you can do that for free on your own. It's a misdemeanor, not a felony.
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One reason to hire an attorney is that a self represented person may not know of the availability of things like an ACOD. More and more, employers are taking a dim view of applicants with even misdemeanor records so it's probably worth the money to actually see what your options are.

Granted you can figure it out on your own if you have half a brain but most people are gonna panic when they, or their kid, gets arrested.

Works the same in New York. Simple possession is a ticket. "Public display" is a misdemeanor and results in anywhere from 12 to 48 hours in jail waiting to be arraigned. That btw is by far the most common arrest in New York City - 1 in 7 based on 2010's statistics. Though the governor is trying to get that knocked down to a violation as well.
 
#104
I fail to see how the po-po or the court system should be involved in this situation at all. Maybe I'm living in another era but to narc on a fellow musician just because he messed up a few gigs would seriously violate my personal code of honor. There are much better ways to handle this. Maybe some of you guys could form a TB NARCS Club so I know better which musicians to avoid working with.
 
#105
I don't think the op had any intention of narcing. He is handling it about as well as possible. I don't think docking his pay is a good idea. Do you think that would've improved the guys attitude and helped his playing? The op did what he had to to get through that situation. Grin and bear it is sometimes all you can do. I wouldn't allow weed on the van or bus though because then everyone is at risk.
 
#106
Bert Slide said:
I fail to see how the po-po or the court system should be involved in this situation at all. Maybe I'm living in another era but to narc on a fellow musician just because he messed up a few gigs would seriously violate my personal code of honor. There are much better ways to handle this. Maybe some of you guys could form a TB NARCS Club so I know better which musicians to avoid working with.
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As I said, I have no intention of calling the cops on the guy. But since you brought up honor, MY personal code of honor dictates that if someone is paying me to do a job I perform to the absolute best of my ability. I expect the same when I'm the one paying. Otherwise it's essentially stealing. You're taking money for something you didn't do.

That's the problem with most musicians. They just want to show up, half-ass their way through the tunes, and get paid at the end of the night. Well, while these guys are sitting around all day I'm on the phone with agents and club owners, updating the website, sending out posters to venues, making setlists, editing videos for YouTube, and btw I own the vehicle, trailer, entire PA, and I do all the driving, set up the PA, run sound, play bass and sing. So somebody shows up, doesn't know half the songs on the set list I sent them a week in advance, is late getting back from breaks, high every night, starts songs at wrong tempos, blows punches and endings, and expects to collect their pay and not hear about it?

If that's how you do business I wouldn't want to work with you either.
 
#107
lowfreq33 said:
As I said, I have no intention of calling the cops on the guy. But since you brought up honor, MY personal code of honor dictates that if someone is paying me to do a job I perform to the absolute best of my ability. I expect the same when I'm the one paying. Otherwise it's essentially stealing. You're taking money for something you didn't do.

That's the problem with most musicians. They just want to show up, half-ass their way through the tunes, and get paid at the end of the night. Well, while these guys are sitting around all day I'm on the phone with agents and club owners, updating the website, sending out posters to venues, making setlists, editing videos for YouTube, and btw I own the vehicle, trailer, entire PA, and I do all the driving, set up the PA, run sound, play bass and sing. So somebody shows up, doesn't know half the songs on the set list I sent them a week in advance, is late getting back from breaks, high every night, starts songs at wrong tempos, blows punches and endings, and expects to collect their pay and not hear about it?

If that's how you do business I wouldn't want to work with you either.
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+1
 
#108
I used to play cover gigs in Asia for some nice 5-start hotels for about three years, back at the turn of the century (funny to say that aint it).
Then our drummer got divorced, the main singer/guit player got a swissair stewardess pregnant and band fell apart.. however we were booked back in Beijing for another 6-month contract. So I hired a singer and a keyboard player, sequenced a ******** of stuff and off we went.. six months of horror when I realized she can sing but can't entertain to save her life and the keyboard player needs to play everything in C and is just a general douche with a smile... I sweated for those six months non-stop and worked like 14hrs a day rehearsing them etc... in the end, some 4 months into it, I bumped into a duo finishing a gig in another hotel and cut these two muppets loose.. lucky cuz we we're getting fired for good just about then, according the management.
You're stuck.. hang in there and maybe you'll run into a drummer in town who can help you out... then just cut the kid loose, suspend pay, or dock him or something.
 
#111
I feel you man. I used to play in a band where our drummer was a really heavy drinker, and there were times when we couldn't even practice because when he came down to the band's place, shitfaced, he couldn't even walk properly. He did that twice a week at least. Because of university, I had to leave the band after a year, but I've heard he still drinks a lot and ****s up stuff regularly.
 
#112
lowfreq33 said:
As I said, I have no intention of calling the cops on the guy. But since you brought up honor, MY personal code of honor dictates that if someone is paying me to do a job I perform to the absolute best of my ability. I expect the same when I'm the one paying. Otherwise it's essentially stealing. You're taking money for something you didn't do.

That's the problem with most musicians. They just want to show up, half-ass their way through the tunes, and get paid at the end of the night. Well, while these guys are sitting around all day I'm on the phone with agents and club owners, updating the website, sending out posters to venues, making setlists, editing videos for YouTube, and btw I own the vehicle, trailer, entire PA, and I do all the driving, set up the PA, run sound, play bass and sing. So somebody shows up, doesn't know half the songs on the set list I sent them a week in advance, is late getting back from breaks, high every night, starts songs at wrong tempos, blows punches and endings, and expects to collect their pay and not hear about it?

If that's how you do business I wouldn't want to work with you either.
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My comment wasn't directed at you. I understood from previous comments that while you had entertained the thought, you were not going to narc him out. Congrats on coming to your senses.

I also share your code of honor on work ethics and don't condone the behavior of your drummer. At no point did I say that. I just think musicians need to stick together. Maybe it's the Sicilian in me but I can't stand a rat.

I'm sure if we worked together it would be smooth sailing.
 
#115
placedesjardins said:
Depends on your jurisdiction. Simple possession of a small amount is releaseable on a summons where I'm from (just like a traffic ticket). So say he's being a major dick and doesn't sign the summons, he gets brought to jail, has to go through booking and will probably get released on an unsecure bond or possibly no bond (considering he could have been released on a summons). He'll have to come back for his arraignment hearing, unless he's an idiot and skips out on that. Then, it's jail time.
And if the arresttee is poor, he doesn't have to pay a dime if he's eligible for a court-appointed attorney. And, he also has the option to represent himself. Why pay money for an attorney to plead guilty or no contest when you can do that for free on your own. It's a misdemeanor, not a felony.
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HA! Spoken like someone who has been on only one side of the bar in a courtroom. There is little "Justice" in many courtrooms. When I was young and foolish I was tried before two different courts on similar misdemeanor charges I won't go into.

First time was in a city where I had no connections. It was the late 80's and the court told me I made too much money to qualify for a public defender. I was making $200 a week at the time and could barely feed myself, much less afford a lawyer. They threw the book at me; max fine, weeks of community service.

Second time was in my hometown. My cousin, fresh out of law school, acted as my attorney. When I showed up in court, the sheriff on duty in the courtroom was my Mom's boyfriend. He was suprised to see me since I hadn't told my Mom I had been arrested. After explaining the situation to him, he quickly got my case switched to a different courtroom because he said I had drawn the "hanging judge." In the other courtroom the first thing the Judge said when my cousin and I came before him was "I know your Daddy and I know your Daddy, what the hell are you boys doing in my courtroom." Then the judge, my cousin, my Mom's sherrif boyfriend and the DA went into the back room. Shortly they came out and I pleaded guilty to Disorderly Conduct(a much lesser and unrelated charge) and received a mere $100 fine.

Please noone take likely subjecting another to the court system, esp. in an unfamiliar city.
 
#116
Bert Slide said:
My comment wasn't directed at you. I understood from previous comments that while you had entertained the thought, you were not going to narc him out. Congrats on coming to your senses.

I also share your code of honor on work ethics and don't condone the behavior of your drummer. At no point did I say that. I just think musicians need to stick together. Maybe it's the Sicilian in me but I can't stand a rat.

I'm sure if we worked together it would be smooth sailing.
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I did entertain the thought, but I never seriously considered it. I'm not personally in favor of pot being illegal, although I'm not really a smoker myself. If I wanted to be a hardass I'd just fire the guy. I just hate doing that. I was a boss when I worked in restaurants, and firing people was absolutely the worst part of that job.

And I'm sure we'd work together just fine, I'm Italian so we're practically paisanos.
 

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