If anybody is keeping score, I normally advise people to quit their bands when there is a problem.
So last week, I told my original rock band that the need to 1) write a song with or without me, 2) learn a cover song, or 3) replace me. I agreed to play the 4 shows we have booked, but told them not to book more gigs and expect me to play them.
The reply? "Thanks for agreeing to play these last 4 shows with us." They posted a craigslist ad for a bass player today.
Along with playing bass, I own the trailer which enables us to do road trips (we cannot draw anybody locally because we've been playing the same 10 songs for 14 months - all our friends and family are sick of seeing the same show over and over), I provide about 40% of the funding for the band, I book about half of the gigs, and I'm the only one in the band who knows the names of the notes on a guitar or bass neck, and the only one who can read/write music.
Since we "released" a CD in June 2010, we have written 1 song in 14 months. We successfully learned "Song 2" by Blur after I taught the lead guitar player how to play it. I am, in no way, exaggerating.
I have pitched 4 well-developed song demos, and they were all shot down for being "too bluesy" (i.e. there were sections without powerchords) or "too prog rock" (i.e. I used a diminished chord instead of all powerchords).
Their "business plan" is to "tour and support the album". Now, I'm proud of our CD, but it is not selling, not charting, and has been shopped to record labels but not picked up. We are burning through (my) money to put gas in the van, and half of our gigs are for no pay at all.
Obviously I'm insane because I think we should be working on writing new, better, fresher songs for our second CD. Clearly I am wrong - we should continue to drive 10-16 hours round trip to play bar gigs for 4 people to "support the album".
Every rehearsal takes 4-6 hours of my life to drive through DC area traffic. When I'm there, we practice 9 songs off our CD (which I could have practiced at home, with the CD) plus 1 new original song, plus 2 covers. It costs me about $25 in gas, 2 hours of driving, and 4-6 hours round trip to practice 1 new original song plus 2 covers. And like I said above - I have to give guitar lessons so that these "musicians" can learn a new cover song.
2 months ago, the drummer, singer, and I unanimously agreed that, for long term success, we MUST replace the lead guitar player. He has (IMO) a serious personality disorder, repeatedly gets so high and drunk before getting on stage that he simply embarrasses us, has conned the drummer out of thousands of dollars (he'll pay him back, someday, someday, someday), and embarrasses the $@#$ out of us whenever we meet a potential booking agent, manager, producer, or video producer with drunk/high rambling. So it was settled - this guy must be replaced. I told them at the time "Do NOT back down from this decision - if you agree with me here, today, I WILL HOLD YOU TO IT." No hesitation, we all agreed to replace the guy. (The alternative was that I would cut my losses and quit 2 months ago.)
Guess what happened? 2 months later and they all forgot about it.
We've had some success, but NOT because of our music / CD / popularity.
- We headlined at the 9:30 Club in DC because we knew the promoter, who did us a favor to get on the show, and then the headliner backed out and none of the other bands wanted to play last. So we "headlined" at the awesome 9:30 Club.
- We're producing a music video because our drummer was the real estate agent for the president of the video company. The company wants to break into music videos for bands and needs a guinea pig. So we're getting a video, but not because we're popular, profitable, or in demand.
- We played shows with Buckcherry, Hellyeah, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, and other big names, but only because we're sponsored by Jagermeister and they threw us a bone.
See the pattern? People are doing us favors, but we aren't gaining any traction with a fan base. That's ok - but it's time to write newer, fresher, better music, IMO. What's NOT ok, IMO, is circling the drain and waiting for something magic to happen.
Some fun rationalizations:
The lead singer cannot work on new music because his car needs new brake pads.
The lead guitar player cannot send emails to book gigs because he works 5 days a week, and gets really tired.
The lead guitar player cannot pay his debts to the drummer, because guitar player's wife doesn't like the drummer's girlfriend, so the guitar player "would feel funny" giving the drummer money, which he borrowed/conned from the drummer.
I don't argue with them anymore - I just accept this #$@% at face value.
So I'm putting my money where my mouth is and getting out of this band. I recorded my first studio album with them, played the biggest shows of my life with them, and (if I hadn't quit before the shoot dates) would have been my first music video with them. But it's going nowhere. I'm out.
On the flip side, anybody in the DC area looking for a gig? PLEASE learn their set list before Labor Day Weekend so I can get out of the last 2 shows.
PLEASE someone step up and take my spot. You can play at the Baltimore Grand Prix on Friday of Labor Day Weekend! You can be in a MUSIC VIDEO! I will personally show you how I play all the songs. Please get me out of this nightmare a little bit sooner.
So last week, I told my original rock band that the need to 1) write a song with or without me, 2) learn a cover song, or 3) replace me. I agreed to play the 4 shows we have booked, but told them not to book more gigs and expect me to play them.
The reply? "Thanks for agreeing to play these last 4 shows with us." They posted a craigslist ad for a bass player today.
Along with playing bass, I own the trailer which enables us to do road trips (we cannot draw anybody locally because we've been playing the same 10 songs for 14 months - all our friends and family are sick of seeing the same show over and over), I provide about 40% of the funding for the band, I book about half of the gigs, and I'm the only one in the band who knows the names of the notes on a guitar or bass neck, and the only one who can read/write music.
Since we "released" a CD in June 2010, we have written 1 song in 14 months. We successfully learned "Song 2" by Blur after I taught the lead guitar player how to play it. I am, in no way, exaggerating.
I have pitched 4 well-developed song demos, and they were all shot down for being "too bluesy" (i.e. there were sections without powerchords) or "too prog rock" (i.e. I used a diminished chord instead of all powerchords).
Their "business plan" is to "tour and support the album". Now, I'm proud of our CD, but it is not selling, not charting, and has been shopped to record labels but not picked up. We are burning through (my) money to put gas in the van, and half of our gigs are for no pay at all.
Obviously I'm insane because I think we should be working on writing new, better, fresher songs for our second CD. Clearly I am wrong - we should continue to drive 10-16 hours round trip to play bar gigs for 4 people to "support the album".
Every rehearsal takes 4-6 hours of my life to drive through DC area traffic. When I'm there, we practice 9 songs off our CD (which I could have practiced at home, with the CD) plus 1 new original song, plus 2 covers. It costs me about $25 in gas, 2 hours of driving, and 4-6 hours round trip to practice 1 new original song plus 2 covers. And like I said above - I have to give guitar lessons so that these "musicians" can learn a new cover song.
2 months ago, the drummer, singer, and I unanimously agreed that, for long term success, we MUST replace the lead guitar player. He has (IMO) a serious personality disorder, repeatedly gets so high and drunk before getting on stage that he simply embarrasses us, has conned the drummer out of thousands of dollars (he'll pay him back, someday, someday, someday), and embarrasses the $@#$ out of us whenever we meet a potential booking agent, manager, producer, or video producer with drunk/high rambling. So it was settled - this guy must be replaced. I told them at the time "Do NOT back down from this decision - if you agree with me here, today, I WILL HOLD YOU TO IT." No hesitation, we all agreed to replace the guy. (The alternative was that I would cut my losses and quit 2 months ago.)
Guess what happened? 2 months later and they all forgot about it.
We've had some success, but NOT because of our music / CD / popularity.
- We headlined at the 9:30 Club in DC because we knew the promoter, who did us a favor to get on the show, and then the headliner backed out and none of the other bands wanted to play last. So we "headlined" at the awesome 9:30 Club.
- We're producing a music video because our drummer was the real estate agent for the president of the video company. The company wants to break into music videos for bands and needs a guinea pig. So we're getting a video, but not because we're popular, profitable, or in demand.
- We played shows with Buckcherry, Hellyeah, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, and other big names, but only because we're sponsored by Jagermeister and they threw us a bone.
See the pattern? People are doing us favors, but we aren't gaining any traction with a fan base. That's ok - but it's time to write newer, fresher, better music, IMO. What's NOT ok, IMO, is circling the drain and waiting for something magic to happen.
Some fun rationalizations:
The lead singer cannot work on new music because his car needs new brake pads.
The lead guitar player cannot send emails to book gigs because he works 5 days a week, and gets really tired.
The lead guitar player cannot pay his debts to the drummer, because guitar player's wife doesn't like the drummer's girlfriend, so the guitar player "would feel funny" giving the drummer money, which he borrowed/conned from the drummer.
I don't argue with them anymore - I just accept this #$@% at face value.
So I'm putting my money where my mouth is and getting out of this band. I recorded my first studio album with them, played the biggest shows of my life with them, and (if I hadn't quit before the shoot dates) would have been my first music video with them. But it's going nowhere. I'm out.
On the flip side, anybody in the DC area looking for a gig? PLEASE learn their set list before Labor Day Weekend so I can get out of the last 2 shows.
PLEASE someone step up and take my spot. You can play at the Baltimore Grand Prix on Friday of Labor Day Weekend! You can be in a MUSIC VIDEO! I will personally show you how I play all the songs. Please get me out of this nightmare a little bit sooner.
Yessiree again.
