I predict I will be fired by the end of weekend

[boombloom]

You are three rehearsals in and both you and the band are feeling each other out. Just politely decline, drop out and be honest with them.

Very true. You are auditioning them just as much as they are auditioning you.

 

[lfmn16]

Are they younger than you?
They may actually think that 80s hair metal is classic rock. Some younger folk think that 90s grunge is classic rock...... if you hear it at the supermarket it's classic rock to many people.

Finally a little common sense. Does anyone seriously think that this band learned 15 cover tunes just to lure in unsuspecting bass players?

 

[Wesley R]

I would divorce them.

 

[oldrocker]

Sounds like a bait and switch; car salesmen do this all the time. Maybe they're car salesmen by day.

On this principle alone I'd bail yesterday

LOL - 1 is a salesman 2 of the others are auto repair men.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

You could point out it's not really your thing, then offer to hang in until a certain date while they replace you. Maybe a month?

 

[oldrocker]

@oldrocker do they have very well paying gigs already lined up for their Hair Band which they tricked you into joining?

If there's a market for that in LI, I'd say that it could be worthwhile to both repost your ad to continue to search for a group in your preferred genre and learn all of these hair songs and get paid enough to buy a few classic cars and motorcycles.

I imagine there's a better market for other genres which you may dislike less than hair rock (80s-00s R&B, country, grunge) that'd be more worthwhile monetarily and musically to spend time learning than hair rock.

It is a new band. They have 1 show lined up for memorial day weekend. They are the typical hope to get close to $100 a man type band so no real money to be made.

I am fortunate in that money is not an issue for me - I play music for fun and enjoyment and don't need gig money to pay the bills.

 

[Matty Koff]

Finally a little common sense. Does anyone seriously think that this band learned 15 cover tunes just to lure in unsuspecting bass players?

IDK man I once put an add up that essentially said "looking to do something jambandish, no 12 bar blues or screamo" and this group of guys who asked me to drive 45 minutes to come play with them did nothing but 12 Bar Blues. Tried to insult me when I said "yeah I'm not feeling this" and started packing my stuff.. with a smile on his face no less.

It's like they think someone's going to change their mind once they hear them play out of time on the drums or playing solos with the the gain dialed all the way up so it sounds like crap in a tin can.

 

[Ric5]

Experienced classic rock bass player - been searching for a band to join.

Posted this on CL and got a hit :

Experienced classic rock bass player looking for a band.

Any bands out there playing classic rock --

Stones, CCR, Tom Petty, ZZ Top. Maybe some Clapton/Cream or some Allmans or Skynyrd.

Could add some SRV, Black Crowes or a bunch of other stuff.

This has to be fun but the the goal should be to get enough songs down to play in front of people.

​

I was contacted by a guitarist and sent a list of 15 mostly standard classic rock tunes - Skynyrd, Doors, Zeppelin, Neil Young, Black Crowes, Z Top ... And 1 Poison song - "Nothing But a Good Time". I'm not a big 80s hair band fan but hey, it's only 1 song out of 15.

I knew most of the songs and only had to work on 3 or 4, and I learned the Poison song, so the initial meeting goes well and they ask me to continue with them. They play pretty well, the songs are stuff I like for the most part so I figure why not. There are 4 of them the drummer has played in other band with all of these guys - but not all at the same time. All good until group texts and next 2 meetings discussing new songs show the new ones to be mostly 80s hair band songs.

Singer suggests several 80s hair band songs - drummer immediate seconds those selections. I mention I'm not a fan and don't know any of those songs. Other guitar player and I mention a lot of classic rock songs that either somehow get vetoed or don't end up on any list. This happens both on session 2 and session 3. Session 3 was last night.

Not only that but we somohow lose one of the original 15 standard classic rock songs from the initial list every session.

This morning the singer group texts a proposed additional 10 song set list, asking our opinion. You guessed it, 7 of the 10 are by 80s hair bands - more Poison, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Ratt and 1 song from a fake band from the movie Rock Star. Drummer immediately texts back - 'Yes'.

As I mention I'm not a fan but I know I'm not going to like every song we play so I'm OK with 1 or 2 per set but I'm not going to play a set with 70% of that stuff.

I could have been passive aggressive and just not learn the songs but after thinking about I decided to be upfront and tell them exactly that - That I'm not a fan - remind them that I told them that twice already and that I'm OK 1 or 2 per set but besides that I'm not on board with the new set list.

IME when a bass player complains about songs it is the kiss of death so I will be fired.

Not sure exactly how it will play out but I will probably be tagged as selfish and not a team player but it's really just a musical mismatch. I do feel marginalized as they didn't listen to my concerns the 1st 2 times I mentioned it, and a little mislead given the initial 15 songs but I have no hard feelings.


Sorry for the rant.

I grew up on classic rock and progressive rock ... during the 80s I went retro and got into blues

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Any of y'all that are disliking the nü country, if you're in Maryland and run into that, let me know.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I have to ask...is there a market for hair band music? I was a toddler when that music was popular, but always thought it was a period of music best forgotten, lol. I grew up in the 90's but like many teenagers gained a taste for classic rock from the late 60's and 70's. Are newer generations replacing the 70's with the 80's?

 

[DrThumpenstein]

I think you and I are of similar musical preferences. Maybe different tolerance for stuff that's not in our wheelhouse? Not sure, because our situations are different.

Nothing wrong with sticking with what you prefer. My current band is all into hair metal and I'm playing stuff I never got into. And while I do get tired of several of our songs, I play them just as well as I play the songs that I like.

But I also have a couple of advantages that your current situation lacks. For one thing, practice is a great hang. I didn't get that from your description. More importantly, we are equals. Anyone can veto any song. We just have to go to the well and find one to replace it. We have divergent tastes, but thankfully, we have enough overlap to build a few sets.

Sounds like your voice is not being heard. That would be the dealbreaker for me. If it's a good enough situation for a conversation about that, have it at the next practice. If not, you're probably best off parting ways.

Ignore the posts suggesting that you be a jerk. No need to burn bridges, just an honest, professional conversation will serve your needs and preserve your reputation.

Rock on

 

[1bassplayinfool]

Quit and join a country band, that'll learn 'em...

 

[DWBass]

Never fails. You say Classic Rock, they reply but want to do 80's Hair. Craigslist is a wondrous place where folks can't read!

I'd send a final reply...."Sorry guys, I am interested in playing Classic Rock. I have no interest in playing Hair Band stuff. I'm not your guy. Good luck with the band."

 

[fretter]

Some "hair band" album parts were recorded by studio musicians from different genres. Might be a good exercise to learn some new songs. No point in being miserable though.
I'm actually more surprised that this is going during a pandemic.

 

[Ellery]

Experienced classic rock bass player - been searching for a band to join.

Posted this on CL and got a hit :

Experienced classic rock bass player looking for a band.

Any bands out there playing classic rock --

Stones, CCR, Tom Petty, ZZ Top. Maybe some Clapton/Cream or some Allmans or Skynyrd.

Could add some SRV, Black Crowes or a bunch of other stuff.

This has to be fun but the the goal should be to get enough songs down to play in front of people.

​

I was contacted by a guitarist and sent a list of 15 mostly standard classic rock tunes - Skynyrd, Doors, Zeppelin, Neil Young, Black Crowes, Z Top ... And 1 Poison song - "Nothing But a Good Time". I'm not a big 80s hair band fan but hey, it's only 1 song out of 15.

I knew most of the songs and only had to work on 3 or 4, and I learned the Poison song, so the initial meeting goes well and they ask me to continue with them. They play pretty well, the songs are stuff I like for the most part so I figure why not. There are 4 of them the drummer has played in other band with all of these guys - but not all at the same time. All good until group texts and next 2 meetings discussing new songs show the new ones to be mostly 80s hair band songs.

Singer suggests several 80s hair band songs - drummer immediate seconds those selections. I mention I'm not a fan and don't know any of those songs. Other guitar player and I mention a lot of classic rock songs that either somehow get vetoed or don't end up on any list. This happens both on session 2 and session 3. Session 3 was last night.

Not only that but we somohow lose one of the original 15 standard classic rock songs from the initial list every session.

This morning the singer group texts a proposed additional 10 song set list, asking our opinion. You guessed it, 7 of the 10 are by 80s hair bands - more Poison, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Ratt and 1 song from a fake band from the movie Rock Star. Drummer immediately texts back - 'Yes'.

As I mention I'm not a fan but I know I'm not going to like every song we play so I'm OK with 1 or 2 per set but I'm not going to play a set with 70% of that stuff.

I could have been passive aggressive and just not learn the songs but after thinking about I decided to be upfront and tell them exactly that - That I'm not a fan - remind them that I told them that twice already and that I'm OK 1 or 2 per set but besides that I'm not on board with the new set list.

IME when a bass player complains about songs it is the kiss of death so I will be fired.

Not sure exactly how it will play out but I will probably be tagged as selfish and not a team player but it's really just a musical mismatch. I do feel marginalized as they didn't listen to my concerns the 1st 2 times I mentioned it, and a little mislead given the initial 15 songs but I have no hard feelings.


Sorry for the rant.

Bait and switch. Even if you could stomach the glam rock this suggests lack of integrity, I say bail out gracefully and be done with them.

 

[Aric Keith]

I agree with this. It's not a good match and walking is the best idea for the original poster. Having said that I feel that the definition of classic rock here is a little too narrow. But they were up front about what they wanted to do, and that's what makes it ok.

But this is the battle I've always faced in cover bands. To me a working cover band doesn't exist to play songs that its members enjoy anymore than a chef has to like the food he or she cooks. I've fought this battle many times in cover bands with people wanting to play their favorite songs, or "songs that we like/can stand that people might like too."

I've been involved in this setup either as a player or a sound engineer for over 20 years. I've never seen a successful group who built there set lists for themselves or the musician crowd. Quite the opposite....all the one that did well played happy, upbeat songs, that put people in a good mood. Also, although I'll take some heat for saying this, but it is what it is, they tailored their song lists more in favor of a female audience.

I totally agree with you, but I will allow that others may not care if their band is widely liked and successful. My primary cover band is designed from the ground up with a song list specifically in the most marketable category. Doesn't matter if we like the music or not, we know that we are good at what we do and it's enjoyable playing to people who WANT TO HEAR YOU. So we do that. When I'm on stage, I like what the audience likes. Every time.

 

[biggredd]

80's is classic rock. 60's and 70's is the new doo-wap.

 

[MattZilla]

It is a new band. They have 1 show lined up for memorial day weekend. They are the typical hope to get close to $100 a man type band so no real money to be made.

gross. Yeah, I was thinking that if it were $1.2k/gig it'd be enough side money to make it fun.

 

[drewphishesp]

Lol 3 sessions and some texts. No ones getting fired, sounds like you don't wanna be in that band.

 

[MikePlaysBass]

I was in a similar situation. I got called by a drummer I knew about a band that needed a bassist. He said they did all kinds of material and some Grateful Dead tunes. I told him a few songs were OK, but I didn't want to be in a Grateful Dead cover band or anything like that. He assured me it wasn't. When I showed up, they gave me a song sheet. There were a lot of Grateful Dead tunes, but also quite a few others too so no big deal. After a couple practices, we were only playing Grateful Dead tunes, so I asked about some of the others on the list. When we started to play them, I played them very similar to the original tunes in time and style. The guitar player looked at me at some point and and said "That's not the way that Jerry plays that". Oops, the other songs were all songs that the Grateful Dead had covered at some point.
I played a couple gigs they had lined up, because I didn't want to leave them out on a limb. They were non-paying ones, but I'm serious about meeting any commitments I make and it was still good to play live. After that, I bowed out. I think they took it personally, but it wasn't.
This happens a lot where the band advertises one thing or plans on doing something and ends up doing what the guy who started the band intended on doing all along. I've been in bands that were all about playing current not overplayed songs and ended up all they wanted to play was Classic Rock. Another project was for a Jam Band, which was cool because I've played several Phish tunes before. Well, the real purpose of the band was for the guitar player to get a band to back all of his original tunes.
When you place an ad, just state what you're looking for. It might take longer to find someone, but at least you'll get what you asked for. This tricking someone into joining and then changing the concept to something different only gets you a temporary player. If you need someone just for a couple gigs you committed to until you can find a replacement, that's fine. Just state it. I'm fine filling in for a couple gigs if I'm between projects or in a lull.