My Band was Auditioned and ...

[5andFretless]

The 19 year old Instagram "star" called us a bunch of "Old fakers that sound like an elementary school orchestra."

We are 9 people in our 40's, 50's, and 60's who all tried to be professional musicians early in life and failed, so we now do this for fun. We were asked by her management to be the live backing band for 5 local gigs in April because her record label wanted her to get some crowd time before they spent real money on an out of state tour.

Our impression - she is a Karaoke singer with no experience with a live band. Shelly, our lead singer, did one of her songs with us last night and blew her away, and she did that reading the lyrics off a piece of paper. That's when our "star" stormed out.

We are now waiting to see if we are fired. It wouldn't disappoint any of us.

No names to protect from legal actions

 

[Winslow]

Sounds like she should team up with these guys:

 

[Lesfunk]

Fake it till yo make it

 

[DrThumpenstein]

I’m pessimistic about this match. Seems like a parting of the ways would please both parties.

 

[arbiterusa]

We are 9 people in our 40's, 50's, and 60's

Which is the problem, and all management involved should have seen it that it would be insurmountable.

19 year old needs equivalent age bandmates. Trying to do it on the cheap with a bunch of folks my age won't work for anything save for an uncredited recording session.

 

[ClusterFlux]

Which is the problem, and all management involved should have seen it that it would be insurmountable.

19 year old needs equivalent age bandmates. Trying to do it on the cheap with a bunch of folks my age won't work for anything save for an uncredited recording session.

Well...

Sounds to me like the original plan was a good one. I don't think that "being 19" disqualifies you from having a more professional attitude or working with older musicians. E.g. the musicians and producers who worked on Adele's first album (when she was 19 ) were at least 10 years older than her.

It sounds more like the singer is less experienced and more insecure than management expected. I doubt that can be fixed by working with musicians her age.

 

[Oddly]

...Instagram "star" ...

That right there is where I'd have walked out.
I know it's how things are done these days, but I'm having nothing to do with it.

 

[5andFretless]

It sounds more like the singer is less experienced and more insecure than management expected. I doubt that can be fixed by working with musicians her age.

I didn't hear it, but her manager apparently told her we were the best for the price the label was willing to pay.

We do weddings and cooperate events and we are good enough that we rarely rehearse. We aren't the Wrecking Crew, but we have a pretty damn good reputation and can all read music, as well as sing, even the drummer.

We've been discussing this all afternoon in email. Shelly thinks that either her IEM was not functioning, or she had never used one and it threw her off, or there was some other problem that she lacked the experience to articulate and got frustrated. Either way, someone needs to have a talk with her. If she can't perform live with us behind her she is going to have issues with pretty much anyone.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

I didn't hear it, but her manager apparently told her we were the best for the price the label was willing to pay.

We do weddings and cooperate events and we are good enough that we rarely rehearse. We aren't the Wrecking Crew, but we have a pretty damn good reputation and can all read music, as well as sing, even the drummer.

We've been discussing this all afternoon in email. Shelly thinks that either her IEM was not functioning, or she had never used one and it threw her off, or there was some other problem that she lacked the experience to articulate and got frustrated. Either way, someone needs to have a talk with her. If she can't perform live with us behind her she is going to have issues with pretty much anyone.

"Instagram star" is a tell. Has she ever performed in front of a live audience with a live band? Not so easy, as she has discovered.

 

[darkwasthenight]

That screams of label interference insisting on choosing a band for her - been on the other end of that a few times and although I've never stormed out there's been occasions I wasn't exactly a happy bunny. She's going to pick fault with your playing because she didn't want you there in the first place.

With no slight to you or your bandmates, what she probably needs is a young MD with a bit of experience to bounce ideas off backed by a couple of fresh music-school kids looking for a cheap gig that'll work for the CV and the understanding she might take her with them when she goes up.

 

[theduke1]

Something I learned a few years ago.
My oldest son is a great singer, choir, karaoke, has sung the National Anthem at race tracks, sporting events. He has tried to sing at jams with my band and just can’t get the hang of it. And I have noticed this at other open jams you can tell the Karaoke singers in one note they can’t sing with live music.
It’s funny, people who have sung with live musicians can go out and sing karaoke all night long, but people who only sing Karaoke can’t sing with live music to save their soul.
I’m sure there maybe some, but I have yet to hear one
Duke

 

[rufus.K]

So you never rehearse, and all tried to be professional musicians early in life and failed? Is that right?

 

[smtp4me]

Which is the problem, and all management involved should have seen it that it would be insurmountable.

19 year old needs equivalent age bandmates. Trying to do it on the cheap with a bunch of folks my age won't work for anything save for an uncredited recording session.

Depending on the genre of music this Instagram "star" sings (e.g. Pop), finding 19 year olds who actually play real instruments, could be insurmountable.

 

[lfmn16]

I would have said, "And you're a rude little snot nose with delusions of mediocracy."

 

[Discount Bassy]

 

[Bonecat]

Your ages are the easy button for an entitled young narcissist who discovers she can’t cut it in the real world. Makes me think my band should change its name to “Ok Boomer”…

 

[rufus.K]

Can we get the IG star's handle so we can see?

 

[Pings Bass]

She'll go far. Or she'll be working at Starbucks. And you all can continue having fun and making money playing weddings and corporate gigs.

 

[smtp4me]

That screams of label interference insisting on choosing a band for her - been on the other end of that a few times and although I've never stormed out there's been occasions I wasn't exactly a happy bunny. She's going to pick fault with your playing because she didn't want you there in the first place.

With no slight to you or your bandmates, what she probably needs is a young MD with a bit of experience to bounce ideas off backed by a couple of fresh music-school kids looking for a cheap gig that'll work for the CV and the understanding she might take her with them when she goes up.

I'm making a giant assumption, but I wonder if she would be able to have a musical discussion with a MD or musicians who actually know what they are doing.

 

[5andFretless]

So you never rehearse, and all tried to be professional musicians early in life and failed? Is that right?

We rarely rehearse as a group, but we all have other musical endeavors. I play in an orginals band, the guitar plays each have bands, etc. We just get together to play weddings, cooperate parties, things like that.