My Band Staged A Coup

[Korladis]

go get your gear,register all your intellectual property,and find some guys to start again.....you are lucky to find out now before you invest any more time and money

+9001

OP, are your songs copyrighted under your name? Is your band name? If not, they should be. Don't let them steal your material.

Also, I would have broken the drummer's nose.

Luckily, my black metal band is two really cool dudes I've known forever. I'm not a dictator or anything, but I did start the band and generally the guitarist and I wrote most songs together.

 

[Korladis]

Not really.

I still don't have a band, but I decided to try to join someone else's project rather than rebuild my own for now. Looking into a ska/punk originals thing, a numetal thing, and a classic rock style thing.

As far as my band goes, they refused to lose the name, though they agreed to stop playing my songs once they've finished writing their own crap. Everybody in my network who matters (other promoters and such) are all aware of what happened and all recognize me as the guy behind the name. The majority of them won't cooperate with them if they try to get shows now.

I repurposed my band name into a production/promotion outfit name. Using it to organize small monthly shows under a name besides my personal name. Have an off-island show in August, and working to organize a charity show for September (just invited Spinal Tap to come play, still waiting to see if they'll play ball. ).

That's more or less it.

Did you come up with the name? If so, copyright it. Then it legally belongs to you and they don't get a say in the matter.

 

[frozilla]

I've got a story that's vaguely related to this. My band has been playing shows at my school trying to get somewhat of a following. My bass player was busting his ass trying to find us some shows outside of school. His friend, a bass player in a jazz band, runs shows at a restaurant in town. These shows tend to draw in a big crowd. So we tried to arrange a date to play for him. He got sick, my bass player got sick. In short, this "audition" never went down. Instead, he gets a tape of our first show, watches it, and refuses to let us play. (At our first "show", the school Talent Show, we had been told weeks in advance to have ONE song ready, but on the night of the show informed us we needed two. We improvised and totally screwed up this song). He judged us on this performance, and blacklisted us as "bad musicians". (Most people in my town seem to take any judgment he passes as absolute truth). So, seizing the opportunity, I decided to burn my bridges. I sent him a scalding message on Facebook, etc., the long and short of it is, he's barred me from ever attending and/or playing in/at his shows until I apologize to him for having "the gall" to call him out for screwing me over. Did I overreact? Yes. Did I put with his ********? No.

 

[xgator4u]

Fellas, I just don't understand. These people perpetrate this type of action on you, simply because they honestly believe that they can, ( AND DO) get away with it ! I guess I have never experienced this kind of nonsense, mostly because I would not put up with any B.S. like that for one instant. Man I thought I had it bad with an Keytard that plays too much with his left hand. Good luck to you.

 

[hellfleet]

I've got a story that's vaguely related to this. My band has been playing shows at my school trying to get somewhat of a following. My bass player was busting his ass trying to find us some shows outside of school. His friend, a bass player in a jazz band, runs shows at a restaurant in town. These shows tend to draw in a big crowd. So we tried to arrange a date to play for him. He got sick, my bass player got sick. In short, this "audition" never went down. Instead, he gets a tape of our first show, watches it, and refuses to let us play. (At our first "show", the school Talent Show, we had been told weeks in advance to have ONE song ready, but on the night of the show informed us we needed two. We improvised and totally screwed up this song). He judged us on this performance, and blacklisted us as "bad musicians". (Most people in my town seem to take any judgment he passes as absolute truth). So, seizing the opportunity, I decided to burn my bridges. I sent him a scalding message on Facebook, etc., the long and short of it is, he's barred me from ever attending and/or playing in/at his shows until I apologize to him for having "the gall" to call him out for screwing me over. Did I overreact? Yes. Did I put with his ********? No.

Clever.

 

[Jimmy Bones]

Which island?

Maui.

Hope to hit up the others after September, depending on how this one turns out.

 

[frozilla]

Clever.

Look I'm not the first guy to have trouble with this dude. Half his band mates have butted heads with him. He's said some bad things about my friends, and myself. The point is sometimes it's better not to roll over. Jimmy Bones is better off not playing with guys who are willing to have a new drummer uproot two core members.

 

[AltGrendel]

Well, no offence, but I don't think being a mellow go-with-the-flow kind of guy works with trying to run a band.

It's all about attitude (a good one), vision and drive.

 

[MatticusMania]

I still don't have a band, but I decided to try to join someone else's project rather than rebuild my own for now. Looking into a ska/punk originals thing, a numetal thing, and a classic rock style thing.

I'll say from experience that this is a good way to go about things. Last year when my band of 3 years broke up I immediately tried to jump back in and set up another project, though I was having trouble finding the right players.

So, I took up an offer to join a little metal band in the meantime. I was only in that band for about 3 weeks before I found the right people I wanted to play with. I stuck with both, but the metal outfit fell apart not long after (thanks to psycho guitarist).

 

[Davecg2]

he wont last long, but id still do whatever you can to prevent them from using your name and songs...

 

[Korladis]

Well, no offence, but I don't think being a mellow go-with-the-flow kind of guy works with trying to run a band.

It's all about attitude (a good one), vision and drive.

So true. There are times when you simply must put your foot down.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Its important when leading a band that the other members know, that you are without a doubt THE leader.

I remember being in a band where the drummer challenged the guitarist/singer. The singer/guitarist wanted to change the setlist up while we were on stage. He and the drummer argued about it for about 30 seconds and finally the leader just said, "Look if you don't like it you can leave. End of story."

Then .... silence.

The drummer shutup and we followed the singer/guitarists lead. While I actually agreed with the drummer's point of view in that situation, it was neither the time or place to get confrontational about it. We are on stage with people watching the whole thing for cripes sake.

Point is if you're the leader sometimes you gotta get out of your combfort zone and lead, but its not always easy.

 

[nortonrider]

Its important when leading a band that the other members know, that you are without a doubt THE leader.

I remember being in a band where the drummer challenged the guitarist/singer. The singer/guitarist wanted to change the setlist up while we were on stage. He and the drummer argued about it for about 30 seconds and finally the leader just said, "Look if you don't like it you can leave. End of story."

Then .... silence.

The drummer shutup and we followed the singer/guitarists lead. While I actually agreed with the drummer's point of view in that situation, it was neither the time or place to get confrontational about it. We are on stage with people watching the whole thing for cripes sake.

Point is if you're the leader sometimes you gotta get out of your combfort zone and lead, but its not always easy.

..If only the Drummer would have packed up and left.

 

[xgator4u]

..If only the Drummer would have packed up and left.

^ YUP, and took the Bass player with him. " call me when you get a clue"!

 

[Jimmy Bones]

Well, tonight was their first show without me. It was a major local battle at the largest venue on the island that I set up months ago.

I didn't go, and while it may be petulant and jerkish, I hope they failed miserably.

 

[Jimmy Bones]

Got word from the vox tonight about how the show went.

1) They were cut off, only got to play two songs. New bass jerk didn't know my intro or line to the second song they played (the one that always wins the crowd over) and they had to bail. They got last in the battle and weren't invited to the second round. Every other band was.

2) Vox recognized the band was failing and has jumped ship, came back to me. Wants to work with a mutual friend on a RHCP funk type project, gonna go check out the drummer and second guitarist they're trying out tomorrow afternoon.

3) Band has relinquished my band name and came up with their own (based on the drunken cruelty of the drummer) and will be no longer playing my songs after their last show under my band's name on the 15th.

4) They suck. For the record.

 

[Korladis]

Good that you got them to stop using your name and songs. You really should get those copyrighted though.

 

[Jimmy Bones]

Songs are easy to copyright, and as for a trademark for the band name, state law gives me regional trademark status because I've been using the moniker for over a year. Not sure how to register it offiicially though, outside forming an LLC with it.

 

[CinneaghBass]

2) Vox recognized the band was failing and has jumped ship, came back to me. Wants to work with a mutual friend on a RHCP funk type project, gonna go check out the drummer and second guitarist they're trying out tomorrow afternoon.

Okay, let's get this straight. You are going to play with a guy who did not mind having you kicked out of the band you were already in together? With friends like that...

 

[thombo]

at this point, why use the band name?
"oh, you play with (insert name here)? i heard you guys sucked at the battle of the bands!"

i wouldn't want anyone playing my songs either, i totally get that. if i were in your shows, i'd probably go to the band's show and slice the drummer's heads cut the guitarists strings) if they were trying to pass my songs as their own.