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Red flags? Should I run?

#81
"If it ain't fun, don't do it"!!! A wise man once said... Sounds like the lady in question just might be putting a dent in the fun factor with this band. Personally, I'd take a pass but, that's a decision we can't help you make. We, my band, recently acquired a keyboard player. Dude is the real deal, has nationwide cred. Now we are a bar band probably more like a Dad band (great grand dad in my case) straight outta the garage. So this guy shows up, hands out sheet music. None of us can read. I got a bit testy at first , cause I'm old. But, he was really cool about it. Brought me sheet music with bass tab and sang my parts so I could get the timing down. And, now we are off and running, getting into some complex tunes and becoming a much much better band. So, back to your lady BL.Have a face to face over drinks, coffee, tea, whatever. See if there's any chemistry (musically that is) on go from there. But, have fun Bro!! life is short...
 
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#82
There might be some upside. Do you really see yourself enjoying playing these songs? Other gigs might be hard to find in your area that are open to working with your schedule. I'd still give it a shot unless there are other factors that are making you lean towards bailing.
 
#84
RobTheRiot said:
...To me it sounds like she just needs bass for a demo, but doesn’t want to pay for a session player.
You’ll go back and forth a few times, then all of a sudden, “thanks so much for trying but it’s not going to work” - but her demo will have some tasty, DoctorZee bass work on it...
Click to expand...


Way too much work for an audition. I work in IT, and I have found that day-job interviews that go to those lengths are often just looking for someone to code their projects for free.
 
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#85
What kind of audition is it when you're not even playing together in real time? How do you know she can even do the thing she says she can do in a live setting? I'm not sure what she hopes to gain through this process.

I don't mind good suggestions from proven players, but I really dislike micromanagers, so unless the arrangements she's developing are amazing, I would have likely moved on by now. To me, this is work I'd need to be getting paid for in order to put up with it. If the price is right I'd deal with this all day long but I might not want my name on the finished product.
 
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#86
OldBassman said:
"If it ain't fun, don't do it"!!! A wise man once said... Sounds like the lady in question just might be putting a dent in the fun factor with this band. Personally, I'd take a pass but, that's a decision we can't help you make. We, my band, recently acquired a keyboard player. Dude is the real deal, has nationwide cred. Now we are a bar band probably more like a Dad band (great grand dad in my case) straight outta the garage. So this guy shows up, hands out sheet music. None of us can read. I got a bit testy at first , cause I'm old. But, he was really cool about it. Brought me sheet music with bass tab and sang my parts so I could get the timing down. And, now we are off and running, getting into some complex tunes and becoming a much much better band. So, back to your lady BL.Have a face to face over drinks, coffee, tea, whatever. See if there's any chemistry (musically that is) on go from there. But, have fun Bro!! life is short...
Click to expand...
That's great when you have an optimistic member like your keyboardist that is willing to help everyone in the band grow and expand their knowledge and abilities in the context of the band. From his perspective, it's a positive thing when the other band members are enthusiastic and want to work towards bettering themselves as musicians.
 
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#87
Run forrest run.jpg
 
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#95
ZAR14 said:
At yet now he has to spend additional time to learn the part the way she would like...
If someone Clais they are tight on time, Don't create your own "Time Consuming" situation
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Only because she is creating a time wasting process. If learning a specific bass part is part of the audition, then meet face-to-face and get it done in a few minutes. Recording a track, critiquing by email, rerecording, etc. is a waste of everyone's time.
 
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#96
RobTheRiot said:
To me it sounds like she just needs bass for a demo, but doesn’t want to pay for a session player.
You’ll go back and forth a few times, then all of a sudden, “thanks so much for trying but it’s not going to work” - but her demo will have some tasty, DoctorZee bass work on it.
Click to expand...
^^^^^
This.

I had a drummer friend that went through this same scenario...note for note. Ended up laying down free drum tracks for another bands demo.

Might not be your situation, but be wary....
 
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#100
DoctorZee said:
Is it just me, or is this songwriter/BL showing me some red flags? Should I try to back out gracefully? This is a long story, but you might enjoy it.

BL is the female singer and songwriter. She has a guitarist and drummer and is just seeking a bassist to round out the group. Because we are all busy adults, she's realistic about time commitments (something I like!) and suggests a "virtual audition." I can record over two of the band's rehearsal tracks and send them back. Works for me.


So, I take a pass at the tracks and send them along. She is appreciative and complimentary but says she has a few "changes." She sends me a handful of sound clips: either her plunking out a bassline on the keyboard, or clips of her old bassist playing on the tune. ("I really like what he did here.") Mostly she's asking me to play less, which is not such a big deal.

But I asked her, "just so I'm clear, is this still part of the 'audition,' or are we collaborating on the songs now?" She says I should still come in later for an in-person audition, but she'd love it if I could re-record the samples. Okay, sure, I guess.

So, I do that. And because she didn't say it needed to be note for note, and honestly, I don't have the time for this crap, I don't learn all of her old bassist's parts precisely, but I cop the vibe of it. I send it back.

Now, I am asked to go back and study it again and resubmit. And she sends me some weirdly nitpicky notes. Like, if I played three quarter notes and two eighth notes, she sends me four straight quarter notes. I'm thinking: this is still an "audition?" Can we not just work this out in rehearsal? And she says---which I think is telling---"Don't feel bad, all the previous musicians have had trouble with this song."

Am I being a jerk, or is this BL going to be really difficult to work with?
Click to expand...

You're right to call for a commitment or rejection. Whether or not she's being too picky is entirely your call, but she can't keep asking you for edits and re-takes without saying whether you're in the band or not. And I think a message to that exact effect would not be inappropriate or rude of you. This could easily be interpreted as a cheap quick way to get some sucker to be her ghost bass player. No more re-writes, time for that face-to-face, lay out the ground rules, and commit or don't.

To that end, I'd want some concrete answers about physical live rehearsals and performances, some projections and scheduling plans on that, and the inclusion of your name and image in promotional materials. She needs to put up or shut up and stop bothering you.

For me, I'll play whatever a singer/songwriter wants me too, as long as it's not crap or flat embarrassing. I'll open it up or simplify it, play her chart or arrangement, even learn a part another bass player laid down note-for-note and by ear if it makes everyone happy. That is often a normal natural part of stepping into a pre-established originals project. But the problem I have is ambiguity on whether you're in the band or not.
 
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