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Is it really THAT SERIOUS??????

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two fingers

two fingers

Opinionated blowhard. But not mad about it.
Inactive
Feb 7, 2005
33,959
116,684
55
Eastern NC USA
#1
Short rant here (or as short as I can make it).

Lots of you guys seem to really get bent out of shape when another band members can't make a gig. I mean REALLY bent out of shape. First of all, we play music in bars (most of us anyway). We don't save lives on an operating table.

But I do fill-in gigs all the time. I play more fill-in gigs than any other kind. And sometimes I fill in for a guy who just wants to go to the beach for the weekend in stead of playing the gig. Maybe he just wants to go hiking. Who cares????

This mess of "You better be there unless there is a death in your immediate family" is a CROCK. Grow up! Sometimes things come up. And sometimes those things aren't as important as a death in the family, but ARE more important than any ONE GIG.

Why must you guys insist on such an intense level of commitment? Every other working person on the planet gets a DAY OFF every now and then. Why should bands be any different? Do you really think you are that important in the grand scheme of things??? Do you really think that EACH GIG is that big a deal???

Have a list of fill-in contacts at the ready. EACH MEMBER should have a list of people he trusts to get the job done. And THAT MEMBER should attempt to get a fill-in before he hands the duty over to the rest of the band. Be prepared to get up with other bands and/or club owners to switch a gig if a guy's wife wants to take a cruise. It's really not that hard. And each gig really isn't the end of the world. And GET OVER YOURSELVES. RELAX. Oy. You guys are stressing me out and I'm not even in your stinking bands. When did musicians get so tense?

It's rock n roll, not rocket surgery.

Sorry. I feel better. Thanks for letting me vent.
 
#2
Also......

There's always a bunch of guys who may be looking for work on a given night. Getting a sub might not only improve your relationship with your spouse, increase time with your family, advance your career, improve your health, etc. It will give another musician an opportunity to work.
 
#3
two fingers said:
Short rant here (or as short as I can make it).

Lots of you guys seem to really get bent out of shape when another band members can't make a gig. I mean REALLY bent out of shape. First of all, we play music in bars (most of us anyway). We don't save lives on an operating table.

But I do fill-in gigs all the time. I play more fill-in gigs than any other kind. And sometimes I fill in for a guy who just wants to go to the beach for the weekend in stead of playing the gig. Maybe he just wants to go hiking. Who cares????

This mess of "You better be there unless there is a death in your immediate family" is a CROCK. Grow up! Sometimes things come up. And sometimes those things aren't as important as a death in the family, but ARE more important than any ONE GIG.

Why must you guys insist on such an intense level of commitment? Every other working person on the planet gets a DAY OFF every now and then. Why should bands be any different? Do you really think you are that important in the grand scheme of things??? Do you really think that EACH GIG is that big a deal???

Have a list of fill-in contacts at the ready. EACH MEMBER should have a list of people he trusts to get the job done. And THAT MEMBER should attempt to get a fill-in before he hands the duty over to the rest of the band. Be prepared to get up with other bands and/or club owners to switch a gig if a guy's wife wants to take a cruise. It's really not that hard. And each gig really isn't the end of the world. And GET OVER YOURSELVES. RELAX. Oy. You guys are stressing me out and I'm not even in your stinking bands. When did musicians get so tense?

It's rock n roll, not rocket surgery.

Sorry. I feel better. Thanks for letting me vent.
Click to expand...

jive1 said:
Also......

There's always a bunch of guys who may be looking for work on a given night. Getting a sub might not only improve your relationship with your spouse, increase time with your family, advance your career, improve your health, etc. It will give another musician an opportunity to work.
Click to expand...

+100,000,000
 
#4
I think the people who get all nuts about people flaking on a gig are talking about someone bailing the night of, or when it's not possible to simply get a sub. And I'm right there with em, as I wouldn't want to play with anyone who I'd know would do that. Unless there was truly good reason.

When someone bails on a gig and can't be replaced that means they're totally disregarding all the other band members, the reputation of the band, and the workers of the club/bar they're playing. If someone does that just cuz they found something better to do, then you can play with with those kind of people in your band. I wouldn't in mine.
 
#7
The only big deal about any of this is when people who it is big deal with mix with people who it isn't a big deal with. As long as everyone stays with their own kind eveyone should be happy. :)

Now would you rather be in a band with guys who show up all the time, or guys who sometimes have something better to do? It's not to tough for me to commit to something and then follow through, whether it be a gig, or anything else for that matter. For others I guess it is.
 
#8
How many gigs a week are we talking?

Now, if you're working, gigging covers 4+ more nights a week, that's one thing. You're gonna miss some, and finding a sub is no big deal.

But 90% of gigs I've ever played - we've been playing originals, it was the only gig of the week, and I knew about it a week (or two) in advance. Short of an emergency, how or why do you miss that without being a flake?
 
#9
There are fine lines between commitment and insanity, relaxation and laziness. IMO, if you commit to something you need to make a reasonable effort to follow through because others are counting on you to do so.

That said, you do have to be careful about letting lunatics dictate what constitutes 'reasonable effort'. As an example, I have friends with kids in hockey. It's to the point where there are NO excuses accepted for missing games. Tournaments can force dozens of families out on the highway in blizzard conditions. It's only a matter of time before tragedy strikes. Someone needs to have the balls to say 'it's only a game, we're staying put til the weather clears.'
 
#12
I think it really all depends on the situation. Not everyone on TB is in the same boat when it comes to gigging. I'm just a college student and I've never played out with a cover band, I've only played originals. When you're playing originals, you kind of need to have your musicians at the gig to play- with that being said, I've never missed a show, and I never will, barring a pressing matter comes to hand, as I know that the rest of the band is relying on me to be there; their success is dependent on my presence. With the originals band that I'm in right now, it's pretty difficult to miss a gig, as we don't play out every week or nearly as often as some people here do; we're all aware of when the gigs are going down well beforehand, so there's little reason to miss a gig, especially just to go to the beach, or something of that sort; someone that bailed on a gig just because they didn't want to play it would be fired in a heartbeat. Failing to show up to a gig for anything short of some type of pressing issue is disrespectful, IMHO, given my situation (Your mileage may vary, and most likely will), as it shows that you're really not dedicated to the band, and it's certainly not fair to your bandmates.

I've seen older people here on TB talk about this from a different perspective that I can definitely understand: They have a family, and such, as well as other matters to be attended-to. For us, that's not really the case, as, as I said, we're all just college students, this is kind of what we're doing right now, haha :smug:

With all that having been said, IF you get a sub for the show, I don't see an issue. With my current band, though, the issue of subbing would be...tedious, I guess, as, again, we play originals.

So, essentially, what I'm saying is if you're in my band then:
1. We have too many basses (There aint room in this band for the two of us)
and 2. Don't miss a show.

YMMV
 
#14
In 35 years of playing out, some years more than others, I have never missed a gig. I have told the band "Can't do it." when they wanted to book a show, but have never bailed when one was scheduled. And I expect the same from anyone I play with. If you can't do a show we want to book, tell us and we'll figure something out. But if we've booked because you agreed you could make it and then you No Show, it had better be a good reason. Getting sick ... sick kids ... wife threatens to leave cuz we're playing too much ... I get it. But not "I just don't think we're ready" (heard the NIGHT OF A SHOW once) or "I decided to go to the beach". You'll need to come and clear out your stuff.

A real man honors his commitments unless it's an emergency. Simple.

That said, I do fill-in gigs for two other bands and I like doing it. But it's something they set up beforehand because a bassist travels on his real job or has another band that gigs often.
 
#16
It is that serious.

Go tell your boss and coworkers that you didn't show up to work because you didn't feel like it and went to the beach instead and see what happens.

Like someone said, it's fine if you're replaceable (ie a bassist in a generic cover band). If you're in a "real band" (ie playing originals and/or a high level cover/tribute band), then you need to be showing up unless something is seriously amiss. That goes for gigs and practices.

It's a job like any other, and with that come responsibilities. Sure, in a lot of cases it's a volunteer position (ie low/no pay), but so are a lot of fire departments, and I think we all want them showing up when they're supposed to. Maybe it's not THAT serious, but it is important to honor your committments. Musicians are flaky enough without basically giving them permission to not show up whenever they want. And frankly, I would love for the sub industry to basically dry up, because it might encourage THOSE people to actually put in some effort in being in a band (the chronic subs).
 
#18
Everytime I think I'm missing something by not being in a band I read some of the posts in these threads dealing with band issues and I'm thankful I can just stay home be happy playing my bass with my dog by my side.
 
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