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My band flipped on me.....????

#62
TinIndian said:
You are correct. I don't think it's going to go over. Not with your typical bar crowd. What they should have done if they are insisting on playing that type of stuff is drop one or two into each set and see how they go over. If they work Then thats great go ahead and keep doing them. I find that most people want to hear what they know. They will tolerate a couple off the path choices and may even like them but if you throw a night of that at them they aren't going to stay and the club owner is not going to be happy.
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We used to play mostly originals and no one left. They were just guzzling beer and not paying attention to us. This is Canada afterall! Haha.
 
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#67
John j said:
Sounds like you have the right plan.
With your experience you shouldn't have any problem forming a new band to fill the obvious void they'll be leaving.
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Musical differences! Awhile back ago. I mentioned to my cover band that I really hated our setlist, the typical led Zep, hendrix, cream, songs every bar/cover band plays the 60s & 70s staples I was tired of hearing every band play! every band we knew played with played the same songs! i found it boring, I suggested updating our songs to a more 90s or 80s music, to set us apart a little, 40 year old songs instead of 60-80 yr old songs everybody & their grandmas plays! nothing crazy just newer music. It was met with a little apprehension(it wasn't an ultimatum). the Singer & drummer were the weak links & would need the most help, so of course they resisted the most! the guitar player understood,and we eventually started another band (it was time to move on), but we had trouble finding the right people (you know how hard that is!) we had a couple of nice gigs, but it just didnt work with the new members, for "Work & Family" reasons. so we returned to the first band, with a couple of new songs & attitudes! I believe evolution is necessary & healthy! but It's easier said then done!! GL
 
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#69
Here’s my take. A Setlist is like a house of Cards. One weak card and it all tumbles. I’ve seen us be jamming out our normal popular stuff. 90s rock (Allstar, Semi-Charmed Life ect), 311, Sublime, Petty ect. Then they want to drop in something like Backfoot by Dinosaur Pile Up. Now this is a cool song. It’s fun to play. And we play it well. But I watch 20-30 people (or more sometimes) who were dancing, leave the floor. And then it takes 3-4 songs to slowly build the floor back up but it never really recovers and we finish the set with a sparse floor.

Now to me this was a mistake. And I’m not exactly quiet about it. So later we discuss it. (Never on stage of course) But the results don’t lie. So they can’t really deny my point.

I suppose I’m the voice of the established success. And even though they do recognize it, or we wouldn’t have had the same lineup for 4 years, they are ready for a new challenge. Which I understand.

Outstanding points by everyone. I will most likely woodshed and address some playing deficiencies while I have a nice lay-off. Spend some time with family. Enjoy the break. Gigging for 4 years straight 2-3 weekends a month was a grind. And we had a great run. So no regrets.
 
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#75
I played in an B side focused cover band for a bit and your description is accurate. You are not wrong. Nothing wrong with the occasional BSide that kicks so much butt that the crowd dances because of the performance itself. In my band now we try a few B sides that not everyone knows but if we get crickets it’s usually dropped. If the crowd digs it it stays. For example- Crush, Crush, Crush by Paramore or Stupid Girl by Garbage. You still hear those on the radio on the rare occasion.
 
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#76
Wood and Wire said:
...collecting diamonds on a desert island, in the hope that a passing ship will someday come to the rescue.

There are NO gigs.

I remember being told a joke, whilst working in Ghana, where two best friends were on their way to buy a lottery ticket together.
Walking to the shop, they got into a disagreement about whether to buy a sports car, or a speedboat, if their lottery ticket won.
Eventually it escalated into a fatal brawl, without them ever buying a lottery ticket (yeah, humour works a little differently over there).

There are NO gigs.

Bands, and gigs, and audiences are all hypothetical now.

Might as well humour those guys. That way you are at least still in a band, when gigs and audiences become a reality.

When the picture becomes clearer, might be worth putting together a separate band, in the mould of your pre-Covid-19 band.

In the meantime, it's probably best to develop yourself as a solo act, and also form a duet ; because those are the only acts that are going to get indoor gigs, once bars & venues reopen their doors to scaled down audiences, observing social distancing.
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Duets may be the new normal !
 
#78
jmon said:
My singer and guitarist tell me that they have decided to re-tool the entire setlist while we have this down time. They want to play more obscure music. Stuff they like. (Our drummer is neutral and will play whatever) They want heavier or more alternative stuff. Basically stuff that will clear a dance floor and and a bar in most places. And at the end of the night that one guy will come up and say “I loved your version of (insert some weird B side). Never heard anyone play that before!”
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And yet another case of "musicians gonna musician" hatches...
 
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