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Replaced without being told
- Thread starter sears
- Start date
Nope, but I'm currently in a band with Joe (Joebot), one of the original E6 guys. I have to say that E6 was a lot cooler before the revolving door of members started happening. E6 doesn't fire people, they seem to quit pretty regular though.
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I've had a few start ups that just petered out after a few rehearsals, but never with a somewhat gigging band until recently.
The whole evolution of the band is a long story, but I'll try to make it short(er): the band formed in early spring last year from the ashes of another local cover band. The goal was to play danceable classic to more recent rock a couple of times a month at bars within a 45 mile radius. We rehearsed 10 minutes away at the drummer's place. Right as we finalized the line up, we got asked to play two benefit shows over the same weekend and said yes. Turned out the drummer had some well known demons that showed up as the gigs were approaching and we had to part ways.
In a pinch, our singer's teenage son came in to fill in on drums for the two gigs. The plan was to play the gigs and then find a permanent drummer, but the gigs went pretty well and lead to us being asked to do a half dozen more shows during the summer, all of which were 45 to 90 minute sets for free or low pay. Having a teenage drummer was part of our draw, so he was going to stay on through the summer until school started.
After playing a free/weird end of summer party in August of last year, instead of looking for a drummer, we just stopped rehearsing. Later that fall, we got asked to play a big event at the local biker bar. We were only able to rehearse twice and ended up playing a sloppy show and that was it for the rest of the year.
In Feb., the singer called and asked if I wanted to play a 21st birthday party for our drummer's former babysitter the following weekend. It was another free gig, but it was going to be at a bar. I had just started a new job with night hours and one of my other projects was just getting back together after an extended hiatus, so I really wasn't that interested in doing a show with little to no rehearsal for free, so I turned it down and offered to leave the band, so they could get someone more available, interested and possibly closer - once the original drummer fell out and we had to rehearse elsewhere, it went from a less than 10 minute drive in town to a 30 minute one out in the country on poorly lit dirt roads.
The singer told me I couldn't quit, they still wanted me in the band, but they would do the show as a four piece with our rhythm guitarist on bass. A month or so later, I got asked to play another all day event at the local biker bar and was given a couple time slots we could play in. It turned out that my family had plans that day/early evening, so only the 9 pm slot worked for me. A few weeks before the show, got an email to confirm I could do the gig from 9 to 11. We started setting up rehearsals, but these were moved to a location even farther out and more remote. As the show grew closer, it turned out that we got an earlier slot, so I had to cancel my previous plans. Because of everyone's schedule we only got a few rehearsals in and they didn't go that great - people showed up late/left early, songs on the setslist were added and dropped randomly, etc...
The gig turned out to be a big cluster - we were supposed to play outdoors, but it rained heavily, so they moved the show indoors and told us we would probably need to cut our set short, which was kind of a blessing. On the day of the gig, they moved us back outdoors, but that meant they had to clear off the large puddles of water that were on the stage and it meant tearing down the PA from inside and moving it outside. We ended up going on almost an hour late and the sound was really bad on stage and we were sloppy and it wasn't a good vibe. When I left, I figured it was my last gig and possibly the band's last gig.
Two months later, I get a phone call from the singer while I was in a meeting, so I couldn't answer. We played phone/text tag for a bit, but never actually talked. A few weeks later, I was scrolling through my Facebook photos looking for an old non band related photo and before I got to the photo I was looking for, I noticed that our rhythm guitarist was no longer tagged in some of the band photos I had been tagged. I checked to see if our guitarist had unfriended me or just gotten off Facebook. Turned out he had closed his Facebook account, but in my search I found a photo of him and the rest of the band playing a gig at the same biker bar with another bass player. The gig had been a month after my last gig and a month before the singer had tried contacting me.
I had no intention of playing more gigs with the band, but it was kind of annoying they never bothered to let me know that they had replaced me. Plus I didn't get the thrill of getting to rage quit, but I did go ahead and shut down the band's Facebook page since I and the rhythm guitarist were the only ones who maintained it and he wasn't on Facebook anymore. Still haven't heard word one from any of the band.
The whole evolution of the band is a long story, but I'll try to make it short(er): the band formed in early spring last year from the ashes of another local cover band. The goal was to play danceable classic to more recent rock a couple of times a month at bars within a 45 mile radius. We rehearsed 10 minutes away at the drummer's place. Right as we finalized the line up, we got asked to play two benefit shows over the same weekend and said yes. Turned out the drummer had some well known demons that showed up as the gigs were approaching and we had to part ways.
In a pinch, our singer's teenage son came in to fill in on drums for the two gigs. The plan was to play the gigs and then find a permanent drummer, but the gigs went pretty well and lead to us being asked to do a half dozen more shows during the summer, all of which were 45 to 90 minute sets for free or low pay. Having a teenage drummer was part of our draw, so he was going to stay on through the summer until school started.
After playing a free/weird end of summer party in August of last year, instead of looking for a drummer, we just stopped rehearsing. Later that fall, we got asked to play a big event at the local biker bar. We were only able to rehearse twice and ended up playing a sloppy show and that was it for the rest of the year.
In Feb., the singer called and asked if I wanted to play a 21st birthday party for our drummer's former babysitter the following weekend. It was another free gig, but it was going to be at a bar. I had just started a new job with night hours and one of my other projects was just getting back together after an extended hiatus, so I really wasn't that interested in doing a show with little to no rehearsal for free, so I turned it down and offered to leave the band, so they could get someone more available, interested and possibly closer - once the original drummer fell out and we had to rehearse elsewhere, it went from a less than 10 minute drive in town to a 30 minute one out in the country on poorly lit dirt roads.
The singer told me I couldn't quit, they still wanted me in the band, but they would do the show as a four piece with our rhythm guitarist on bass. A month or so later, I got asked to play another all day event at the local biker bar and was given a couple time slots we could play in. It turned out that my family had plans that day/early evening, so only the 9 pm slot worked for me. A few weeks before the show, got an email to confirm I could do the gig from 9 to 11. We started setting up rehearsals, but these were moved to a location even farther out and more remote. As the show grew closer, it turned out that we got an earlier slot, so I had to cancel my previous plans. Because of everyone's schedule we only got a few rehearsals in and they didn't go that great - people showed up late/left early, songs on the setslist were added and dropped randomly, etc...
The gig turned out to be a big cluster - we were supposed to play outdoors, but it rained heavily, so they moved the show indoors and told us we would probably need to cut our set short, which was kind of a blessing. On the day of the gig, they moved us back outdoors, but that meant they had to clear off the large puddles of water that were on the stage and it meant tearing down the PA from inside and moving it outside. We ended up going on almost an hour late and the sound was really bad on stage and we were sloppy and it wasn't a good vibe. When I left, I figured it was my last gig and possibly the band's last gig.
Two months later, I get a phone call from the singer while I was in a meeting, so I couldn't answer. We played phone/text tag for a bit, but never actually talked. A few weeks later, I was scrolling through my Facebook photos looking for an old non band related photo and before I got to the photo I was looking for, I noticed that our rhythm guitarist was no longer tagged in some of the band photos I had been tagged. I checked to see if our guitarist had unfriended me or just gotten off Facebook. Turned out he had closed his Facebook account, but in my search I found a photo of him and the rest of the band playing a gig at the same biker bar with another bass player. The gig had been a month after my last gig and a month before the singer had tried contacting me.
I had no intention of playing more gigs with the band, but it was kind of annoying they never bothered to let me know that they had replaced me. Plus I didn't get the thrill of getting to rage quit, but I did go ahead and shut down the band's Facebook page since I and the rhythm guitarist were the only ones who maintained it and he wasn't on Facebook anymore. Still haven't heard word one from any of the band.
There was a period where I was subbing for a few Bands. Some just for a few gigs. One for a year. ( Original bass player went to school ) I never considered myself a band member.
Communication is the key.
Communication is the key.
I just read and enjoyed Matt O's post. The fact that the clock is running, and that you're on your way out, from the start, had me thinking of Menudo.
The part about the 7-8 drummers had me thinking of Spinal Tap.
As long as everyone in tha band understood what the deal was, going in, no flag, no foul.
I never thought I'd read a post that would have me thinking about Menudo and Spinal Tap, at the same time. Lol!
The part about the 7-8 drummers had me thinking of Spinal Tap.
As long as everyone in tha band understood what the deal was, going in, no flag, no foul.
I never thought I'd read a post that would have me thinking about Menudo and Spinal Tap, at the same time. Lol!
I've had it happen exactly once. About a month ago.
Woke up one Sunday morning to find that our BL has posted up to FB pics from a gig where he subbed us all out without any of us knowing. The drummer, guitarist and I had no idea. The three of us weren't having any of that, we resigned en masse and immediately reformed our previous band. There's more to the story, but that nonsense was the last straw for us.
BL now has one person in his "band".
Woke up one Sunday morning to find that our BL has posted up to FB pics from a gig where he subbed us all out without any of us knowing. The drummer, guitarist and I had no idea. The three of us weren't having any of that, we resigned en masse and immediately reformed our previous band. There's more to the story, but that nonsense was the last straw for us.
BL now has one person in his "band".
Glad it made you smile, man.
The band was a lot of fun and there were some very spinal tap moments for sure. We never lost a drummer to spontaneous human combustion though. The menudo part I'll have to think more about. We did tour a lot and probably ate some actual menudo at some city somewhere.
I was thinking of the Mexican pop group Menudo. Once their voices began change, '!Adios!'
They were then a former member of Menudo.
I just want to echo this.
Then again it could be that you choose to hang out with losers.
Happened to me once, about 10 years ago... Got a pretty lucrative gig with a local country husband and wife team, played several gigs, then got cancellations for several upcoming shows... Turns out "hubby" was playing the field and got caught! Bummer too, because it was a great group of players, though the drummer was a quiet alcoholic who always managed to play excellent even when he couldn't walk or talk...
Fast forward a few months, and the group is reforming with "hubby" and the drummer remaining the same... New guitarist, who is awesome, and I'm asked to fill out the group... I have a talk with the BL about the previous situation, and decide to forgive and forget as his life had spiraled for a few months... We line up a slew of gigs and start auditioning and gigging with a rotating cast of female singers. One in particular is a friend of the drummer and has the look and chops, and seems to be the front-runner. After the third gig, she seems solid and we're off and running... Since we rarely rehearsed, we'd often find out about gigs via the band calendar, (communication was never a strong suit here)... I show up to gig #4 to find another bassist there... Turns out to be the gal's brother and they are now a package deal! The BL tells me that unbeknownst to him, the drummer had known about the package deal and told the pair that I'd cover the gigs until bro was ready to take over, (BL was not a "strong" personality)... The BL paid me for the night, and I hung out for the first set... I must admit, they sounded great
About a month later, the whole thing kind of imploded... I was aware of the situation. The BL called me and we chatted a bit. He apologized about the way everything went down, and we had a real nice chat. At the end, when he asked if I'd consider a new group he was putting together (with the same drummer) I actually laughed as I thought he was joking. When I realized he was serious, I politely told him that I was not interested... He stopped playing out about a year later, which is a shame because he was talented. I still run into him from time to time around town and we chat and catch up. Nice guy...
-robert
Fast forward a few months, and the group is reforming with "hubby" and the drummer remaining the same... New guitarist, who is awesome, and I'm asked to fill out the group... I have a talk with the BL about the previous situation, and decide to forgive and forget as his life had spiraled for a few months... We line up a slew of gigs and start auditioning and gigging with a rotating cast of female singers. One in particular is a friend of the drummer and has the look and chops, and seems to be the front-runner. After the third gig, she seems solid and we're off and running... Since we rarely rehearsed, we'd often find out about gigs via the band calendar, (communication was never a strong suit here)... I show up to gig #4 to find another bassist there... Turns out to be the gal's brother and they are now a package deal! The BL tells me that unbeknownst to him, the drummer had known about the package deal and told the pair that I'd cover the gigs until bro was ready to take over, (BL was not a "strong" personality)... The BL paid me for the night, and I hung out for the first set... I must admit, they sounded great
About a month later, the whole thing kind of imploded... I was aware of the situation. The BL called me and we chatted a bit. He apologized about the way everything went down, and we had a real nice chat. At the end, when he asked if I'd consider a new group he was putting together (with the same drummer) I actually laughed as I thought he was joking. When I realized he was serious, I politely told him that I was not interested... He stopped playing out about a year later, which is a shame because he was talented. I still run into him from time to time around town and we chat and catch up. Nice guy...
-robert
Effectively, yep. And the Yoko story. And the backing vox story. And the use of subs story. And so on.... ;-)
Close. I answered an ad and talked to the BL who sent me a song list and said he would call with an audition date. A week later, I got an email saying the previous bass player who had rage quit was coming back and they had ironed out the differences. Okay, fine. moving on.
A year or so later I get an email saying they are looking for a bass player call Rick or Steve. I called Rick because he is the one I had talked to before. He said they were not looking for a bass player and he didn't know why I thought they were. The next day Steve calls and invites me to an audition. I told him what Rick had said and he said he didn't know why Rick would say that because they had gigs booked and needed a bass player. I told him straight up it was just too weird and I was no longer interested.
Turns out Rick spent too much time in the bottle which led to a little time as a guest of the county.
He's doing better now. He has a band together and is gigging pretty regularly.
A year or so later I get an email saying they are looking for a bass player call Rick or Steve. I called Rick because he is the one I had talked to before. He said they were not looking for a bass player and he didn't know why I thought they were. The next day Steve calls and invites me to an audition. I told him what Rick had said and he said he didn't know why Rick would say that because they had gigs booked and needed a bass player. I told him straight up it was just too weird and I was no longer interested.
Turns out Rick spent too much time in the bottle which led to a little time as a guest of the county.
He's doing better now. He has a band together and is gigging pretty regularly.
It happened to me once in the mid-1980s. I was 16 and had just started playing bass. I was taking lessons from a nu jazz aficionado down at one of the local music stores. Lessons usually consisted of me bringing in tunes I wanted to learn and him helping me figure them out. I picked stuff up fairly quickly but was still way wet behind the ears. Anyways, one day during a lesson he asks if I'd be interested in joining his startup cover band, which was to be an offshoot of another pretty popular local cover band. I say sure, and he passes me a tape of songs to learn and tells me when & where to be for rehearsal. I hurriedly learn most of the songs and show up for rehearsal at an apartment building in a seedy part of town. Down to the basement we go. Soon the chick singer is belting, "Girl, you really got me goin', you got me so I don't what I'm doin'" and so on. I halfway bomb the rehearsal. It was clear from the outset they were on a whole nuzzer level of musicianship, lifestyle demographic, non-virginity, etc. Still, I was given praise and assurance that I was their guy, so I buckled down and polished up my parts in anticipation of the next glorious jam. A couple weeks pass, and, after not hearing any updates, I go to my regularly scheduled bass lesson and ask when we're all rehearsing again. My instructor apologizes and sheepishly explains that "there's this other bass player that the other guitarist knows and he can play all this Billy Sheehan hammer-on type stuff."
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One of my main rules in life:
I don't hang out where I'm not wanted.
I don't hang out where I'm not wanted.
Once.
We had a guitard who took over as BL (self appointed BL in this case) and ever since that we had revolving door of singers. Two practices after the newest singer joined I show up to see a new Bass player there.... I ask w-t-f is going on and BL tells me the singer and Bassist were a package deal.
We had a guitard who took over as BL (self appointed BL in this case) and ever since that we had revolving door of singers. Two practices after the newest singer joined I show up to see a new Bass player there.... I ask w-t-f is going on and BL tells me the singer and Bassist were a package deal.
You of course headbutted the BL and kicked the bassist in the nuts, no?
Or did you just cave in and crumple up like a dirty bag of linen?
