Not a gig report, an audition report.....

[jeffbrown]

Did you get the drummer's and singer's phone numbers? They may tire (sorry, bad pun) of the guit's attitude before long....

 

[dkelley]

Well, the band I'm in has been on hold due to the Corona Virus, and now it looks like it may not get back together again. Even with gigs pending, the future looks cloudy.
So, I'm hitting the band audition trail and thought it might be interesting to post a report. Of course, I would rather be posting a gig report and in true BassCliff style I would show photos of the stage, the food, the beer, and the girls. But this is the best I can do.
Connected with a guy that wanted to bring a bass player into a band with him on guitar, a drummer, and a girl singer. Gave me a list of twenty songs. I knew half of them already so I figured I'm good to go. I never learn more than that because I don't know if I like the band or the people in it. If it works out, I can always learn more. And they can get a idea of how I play with 10 songs. No gigs pending so no time crush to deal with.
The guy gives me an address and says we can play at his place. I show up and I'm in a shopping center???? So I call him and no answer. I text him and no answer. Starting to get worried and he returns text saying I'm at the right place but he is busy with customers right now. After about ten minutes he opens the door and walks out.
Guy was kinda grouchy and rude but whatever. Met the folks in the band, and they were nice enough. Started playing. After the songs I know he wanted to play the rest. I told him I don't know them. He said he remembers every song he ever learned. And went ahead and started playing stuff I didn't know. So I did the best I could, and after a while I decided I had enough. I didn't like the guy, and I knew it would not work out. Told them I had to go, thanks for your time, and took off.

Wow, what a total jerk! I can't stand arrogant morons thinking everyone should be exactly like them, otherwise you're beneath the guy somehow.

I auditioned for a band one time and played great, I know for a fact, but because I played my fretless and was 15 years older than they were and happy, and pleasant, and honest if I didn't know a song (they threw songs at me without any prep, it was just a jam, no warning, and there was never discussion about age or style or anything other than classic rock).... and they had attitude the whole time, hardly talked to me, looked at me like they were judging me constantly.

WTH is with judging people you just meet? There are so many losers in this world.

Good call on walking out.

 

[mikewalker]

And I wonder how long until the drummer and singer eventually tire of this guitarist's shenanigans and strike it out on their own.

Probably just as soon as they can afford their own Golf Cart Store™ to rehearse in...

 

[fhm555]

20 songs? That could easily be stretched into a couple 45 minute sets. If they need to hear that much to decide what they want, i’m thinking they don’t really know what they want.

 

[LBS-bass]

I’ve come to the conclusion Auditions are like a first date. You’re dressed to the nines, you’re on your best behavior, prepared the best lines. But the real proof comes later. Like how well a musician prepares for a full blown rehearsal, preferably with several challenging pieces that he (or she) has never played before to gauge the work ethic. To that point, I work with a BL that puts you on short probation until you have the sets down. (I’ve been in the band for almost 5 years, so I asked him at the last rehearsal if I’m off probation. He said he’s still trying to decide)

Better yet, bring in candidate and have entire band learn something new. You go through that process, you got a pretty good idea off what you are working with.

For me it's the other way around. I put the bands on probation until I have a good sense about how well they all prepare outside of the rehearsal space and how well everyone gets along together. They may feel the same about me, which is fine, but I will tell them point blank that I'm not committing to weekly rehearsals for anyone but my main band and I'm okay with not being considered a full member. I honestly don't have the time to commit to three or four nights a week for all the bands that I play with. So I consider myself the first-call sub for most of them, even though they generally don't use anyone else. It's easier that way.

 

[Tampabass]

I wouldn't learn 20 songs for an audition unless it was for a name artist with good earning potential in the offing.

 

[overit]

I don't think alot of people setting up auditions realize it's an audition for them as much as it is for the people they are hiring.

 

[LuckyScott]

Thanks for all the comments. Yes, I do feel 10 songs is enough for them to get an idea of what I am all about and also I need to see what they are all about. It would have been a colossal waste of time to learn all these songs and then find out the guitar player/band leader is a jerk. If it was a good situation, and they liked the 10 songs I played, I could of come back in a week and auditioned the other 10 songs.
Of course, a pro gig, or a name player, or a string of gigs coming up would be a different story. This band did not even have any gigs booked yet.

 

[juanjabass]

(...)and after a while I decided I had enough. I didn't like the guy, and I knew it would not work out. Told them I had to go, thanks for your time, and took off.

---The best thing you could do, and the best decision you took.

I remember an audition several years ago for a professional band with 2 albums and a tour to come.

The audition consisted of playing their last album from beginning to end, in that order. Did fine and got the gig.

But for an amateur band, an agreement has to be reached. They cannot force you to learn 20 songs, simply put. A maximum of ten songs would be sensible.

And the guy's attitude was incomprehensible, if he was to recruit a musician.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

yeah, a couple songs is all you need.
I can usually tell if someone is cool or not by them time they setup their stuff.
Just how they tune and warm up, you can pretty much tell if they know their stuff or not.

 

[DigitalMan]

Regardless I would have At least made a run at learning the songs I didn't know. To me it demonstrates a degree of commitment and work ethic (nobody's playing right now anyway) as opposed to a degree of arrogance. What if it had been a dream band situation and you had to admit you didn't trouble yourself to learn all the music, to the disappointment of the others. That's just my thoughts, anyway.

Learning 20 songs for an audition is about 17 too many. Knowing 20 songs cold for first rehearsal is about work ethic.

 

[john_g]

Im in the "10 songs is more than enough" camp. I wouldnt have learned the rest unless it was some high profile gig, which this definitely doesnt sound like this is. When I have auditioned or auditioned others, its usually 5-6, and we are in cover bands, so alot of times people know some of the songs already and then we do more. If someone wanted to learn the 20, more power to you, but 10 is more than enough to see if its a fit.

 

[Rebel Rocker]

Don't blame you. You can tell if it's going to work pretty quick. Don't have time to waste on BS. I want to enjoy playing and the people I'm playing with.

 

[johnnynitro]

Thanks for the report. I Have been auditioning in SoCal. too. I'll keep my eyes out for this guy.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

He didn’t like the cut of your jib

 

[swarfrat]

So not to hijack too badly, but how many songs is reasonable?

 

[Chris76]

20 songs? Were they paying for the audition? That said, I can pretty much tell after 2 if I want to be around you for an extended amount of time. Not that I'm by any means a professional. You can just tell how a person is by the way they carry themselves, the way they play even if it isn't perfect, and their movement.

Music IS expression.

If I was running an audition and someone came in and played their part perfectly but it sounded exactly like the recording and there was no "them" in the music, I would pass every time.

 

[LBS-bass]

So not to hijack too badly, but how many songs is reasonable?

For me, no more than five. Usually they'd give me five they wanted to audition with. If someone gives me a long list without specific direction, I will tell them "I'm going to learn these five, because that's what I have time for right now." And then I expect them to either say "no, please learn these other five" or "OK."

If I walk in with those five songs and the band doesn't know them, it's a red flag. It shows poor communication (no one told them what songs I was going to play) or poor preparedness (they knew but didn't care) or both. Tell me what you want me to learn and know it when I get there so that I can put my best foot forward for you.

Honestly, most of the time those two bars are not hit. There is absolutely no reason to bust my butt on twice as many songs when the probability is high that I'm the only one doing any work.

EDIT: That said, I don't go out for classic rock bands or bands that have a lot of familiar material. I will try to find songs I know to make things easier, but I think a classic rock band, for example, might have an expectation that certain songs are going to be in everyone's pocket already. In a situation like that, maybe you choose five songs to really nail down, and then jam from their set list if that goes well.

 

[DrMole]

3-5 was the standard back in "my day", late 80's- early 90's. It was not uncommon though, as mentioned above for a couple other tunes to be called or perhaps the band handed you an original on the spot just to test your ears and creativity.

If 20 songs was the expectation or " it could be a selection of any five from amongst the 20" then learning all would be wise. Still, learning 20 songs for a band I might
play with seems excessive.

 

[Holdsg]

i'm kinda glad to be in the projects I'm in at the moment, even if the environment sucks, when I hear stories like this.