Had to fire the drummer last week. Not his fault, but he physically could not handle the job. Bad back leading to good drugs, leading to bad meter & bad memory. Slowed down songs, forgot beginnings, stops, breaks,rolls, etc., etc..we had no choice. He is taking it badly, & blaming everything & everyone else. Can you relate?
Reminds me of why we got rid of our last singer. Whatever reason we told him, he had someone else to blame.
I've already had the "talk" with my drummer. We aren't Def Leppard. If he loses an arm or other major appendage in a freak accident, he's out.
I had a drummer who was one of the nicest guys I've ever met, but couldn't handle playing in time to save his life. Lots of tom rolls coming back in on various times, dropped beats, puzzled looks and most of the time looked like the grim reaper was staring him in the face. The capper was one gig, I looked at the guitar player and noticed something sounded way off. We looked around and assumed a power amp died out for the subs. Come to find out, the drummer's leg got tired, so he stopped playing the kick drum. I always liked that story. 2 weeks later, we had a new drummer and life was good again.
LOL !! i've had drummers burn out after a set or two , but never had one stop playing the kick drum ...
*** is up with that?? Obviously he's not a competent drummer or at the very least doesn't practice enough to stay in shape!! Sheesh!
We got rid of a drummer and guitarist because they just didn't fit...it wasn't drugs or anything else. They lashed out, threatened suit if we used the demo they were on, etc. So I guess it depends on the person getting fired as much as the situation. It's never easy... I also fired my brother once (a drummer) - in 1989 - and he still reminds me what a d*ck I am because of it.
Frenzie- The drummer could probably stand some time-off to get better. Sounds like if you'd have kept him, you wouldn't be working anyway.
It was best for every body Thunder. I am the happiest of all, as you could imagine, although the decision was unanimous. At least now I don't feel like I'm dragging an anvil around every night. The new guy is a pro who 's been playing a long time. We work with & off each other - a pleasure to be sure.
The middle finger on my left hand got tired one time so I missed every 3rd note near the end of a gig. I blamed it on my speaker cutting in/out. LMAO.
OMG! Was the guys name Howard? That happened to me once. There can't possibly be TWO drummers that goofy.
It's a shame the drummer is blaming everyone, when the cause is probably the medications he's taking for his back problem. Of course, you have to also realize that besides making it impossible for him to play, the drugs are probably screwing up his perception and behavior. It's sad, but he's not in any condition to play.
Drums are the most important part of the band... your drummer sucks, [it makes it appear that] everyone sucks.
+1 I hate when a drummer can't find the pocket. It's hard to explain to the casual listenter, "it's not me, it's the drummer!"