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Musicians without transport

M

Megazap63

Apr 12, 2009
206
0
London, UK
#1
Hi all,

I thought I'd open this thread to highlight an issue I'm dealing with that I imagine quite a few TBers have had to deal with in the past....

The keyboard player in a 4-piece jazz bands I'm with doesn't own a car or have a licence so he relies on others in the band - primarily me - for transport to/from gigs and rehearsals. We don't rehearse that often but work a lot and picking him up/dropping off isn't a big deal since he lives nearby.

However, while I'm happy to give him a ride he has always approached it from the viewpoint that each member, apart from doing their individual part in creating the music, has shared responsibilities for example charting arrangements, dealing with agencies, booking gigs, promo stuff etc (all fine by me). This has now been extended to include me being responsible for getting him to gigs.

A couple of weeks ago, on the way to rehearsal, we were hit by a car that had failed to stop at a give way sign and my car was totalled (fortunately no damage to instruments). So now I'm relying on public transport - as a cheap option - to get to gigs while waiting for insurance companies to sort things out and buy another car.

Now the keyboard player - who can't get to gigs without a car to transport his gear - is laying some whiney bs on me about how its not economically feasible for him to do gigs since most of his pay will be eaten up by taxis. Therefore, he believes I should be travelling to his place and then sharing the cost of a taxi to/from gigs to keep the cost down for him. What's more, he feels this is my responsibility!!

The drummer also drives and is helping out until things get sorted, however its quite an inconvenience for him. The sax player doesn't drive so can't help out with this, but at least he's independent and will always get himself places on time. Like me, public transport is do-able for him.

The issues of musicians providing transport for themselves has been previously discussed, with the drummer and sax player reasonably pointing out that, given his chosen instrument, he will also need to get wheels if he chooses to be a professional working musician. The problem is he just doesn't - or selfishly refuses - to take the point. Also, while the other three band members have many years as working musicians behind them, the keys player is fairly new to the working muso thing and doesn't have the prior experience to relate this to.

I'm sick of hearing how his gear is a 'band resource' and therefore we (ie read me) have some responsibility to get him to, or share the cost of getting him to gigs.

Aside from all this, he's a very nice dude (and one I would consider a good friend, as are the other band members) and a very good musician.

While this is a bit of an opportunity to vent I'm also interested in hearing others' reasonable views. Anyone been in a similar situation before? If so, how did you handle it?

Cheers, Chris
 
#2
As far as I'm concerned, having their own transport is each individual musician's responsibility i.e. you have to be able to get yourself to the gig. This doesn't mean we don't help if someone has a *genuine* short term transportation problem, BTW, and we may occasionally (or often) offer to share a ride, but it shouldn't be expected.
 
#3
I'm in a band currently with a keyboard player who has no wheels, and he pays the drummer and guitard to transport him everywhere. Your KB player is being unreasonable, IMHO. His keys are a "band resource???" Ask him this: "If you quit, does the band keep them, then?" If he says no, then tell him to transport his own gear, everyone else does, and that is part of the cost of being in this business.

Just one man's opinion.
 
#4
I found myself in a similar position to your keys player recently (although I wasn't as unreasonable about it...)

I live just under an hour away from my closest band member and never once asked them to pick me up or drop me off if it meant them going out their way. I ended up leaving all my gear with one of the lads and stayed on floors and couches after gigs and made the journey back home the day after.

This was enough to make me get my own transport, if your getting paid for gigs then suggest he does this and puts his money away for driving lessons, alternatively I wouldn't imagine you'd struggle to find a keys player with wheels in London??
 
#5
I unfortunately have to leave my better bass and amp at my drummers house because I have no transport, probably due to that I'm 15 :/

It is a real pain considering at home I have to practice on my less brilliant bass which was labeled 'fire wood' at one stage haha.

Still I don't get to use the bass that I would be using for gigs and shows ect often as I like.
Not to mention the deep sound of it's active pickups ;)
 
#6
I learned to drive as early as I could, precisely because I played bass and didn't want to depend on my parents anymore to drive me and my huge amp around.

I don't expect anyone to do the same and/or to own a car, but I do see things this way:
If I'm driving you around, I'm doing you a personal favour. I will do this with pleasure and without expecting anything back for it. But when you start treating it as anything else than a personal favour, you better get a bus ticket!

Ask him if he thinks of your car also as a band resource, and whether he is willing to chip in for the expenses of that resource he is making use of so frequently.
 
#11
You don't owe the guy anything. You were being very generous in giving him a ride as I would do in that case. The last band I was in, the guitarists shared a ride to practice because they lived close to each other and it saved gas. It's nuts that he expects you to split the cost of a taxi to his place.

I agree with the above poster saying that if his gear is band property then the band keeps it if he leaves. That might change his mind about that statement.

That's the same as complaining to your job that you have to pay for transport to work. I mean, you work for them, so they should pay to get you there, right? :rollno:
 
#12
manipulative, controlling behavior of this sort WILL manifest in other ways that you probably won't like either. This guy wouldn't be working with me with that attitude no matter how good a performer he is or how much equipment he owns. Sorry don't let the door hit you in the *ss. (apparently his better side)
 
#13
This is something that I think you need to approach from a very specific standpoint. This keyboard player has a JOB in this band. It's a position. In any other JOB would he be in a position to place demands on his employer or co-workers for transportation to and from HIS JOB?

I used the word JOB very deliberately. While we all refer to shows as gigs or whatever, they are in fact JOBS where we're working with the aim of getting paid.

In almost every working band situation everybody is responsible for their own end of things: learning material, their equipment and transportation. If this keyboard player is not prepared to handle his own responsibilities, then perhaps he doesn't want the JOB.
 
#15
There are some musicians that are "gig ready" and there are those that are not. Being "gig ready" means you have the skills to play the gig, the means to get to the gig and you also have the required equipment to do that gig. This keyboard player isn't "gig ready" and thing about sharing a cab is just craziness, does he think you guys are married? :D
 
#16
You were driving him to rehearsal and your car was wrecked and now he thinks you are obligated to help pay his transportation expenses since you can't drive him currently?
Seriously?

Not frickin' likely!

And did he ever pay or offer to pay you gas money?
If not, he's the one who owes you, BIG TIME!
So, effectively, you're supposed to pay him to rehearse!
Bring that little bit of info up to him.
 
#19
I'm going to assume that you and your jazz band are all over the age of 21.

First, London has some darn good public transportation. You can take a tube to almost anywhere. A keyboard player doesn't have any more gear then anyone else in the band normally, so its his job to get a small luggage cart or dolly and start taking the stuff on the tube.

No, its not your job to drag him everywhere or make him more economically "rich." So of course you are right to vent here.

Hate to say it, but if your key guy is over the age of 21, especially if he is much older, then I'd say time to find a new one. And, if he stays, when you get your new wheels and he asks you to start picking him up again, you need to start charging him for gas and wear and tear. Doesn't matter if you have to go to the same place. He chooses to not spend his money on wheels. Owning a car in the UK is overall more expensive then owning one here in the US. You have chosen to have all the maintenance and insurance costs. He chooses to not pay a dime. So, let him pay his share when you drive him. Make it less then the taxi but more then a token amount.

My idea from my side of the pond.
 
#20
The only person in my band without their own transportation is our bandleader, who is the singer/guitarist/songwriter. Luckily his sister is also in the band, and they live together, so he usually rides with her. He lives fairly close to me, so if my wife isnt going to a gig with me I can fit him & his gear in the car. On occasion he's gotten rides from our keys player. He's pretty good at getting to gigs on time, most of the time.

The OPs keys player does seem like an ass. When you get a new car, OP, and keys player starts depending on you for rides again I'd make sure to get a good share of gas money from him. At least $10 a gig, maybe that'll deter him from always asking and he'll figure something else out. Your car is a band resource... right?
 

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