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Sat in with decent (hard) rock band...

RobBottom69

RobBottom69

Aug 2, 2012
467
831
SF Bay Area
#1
I sat in at a rehearsal tonight for a band that's doing stuff that's harder then anything I've done before, which is kind of cool. Takes me back to the hard rock I liked as a kid in the 80's. A touch of metal and touch of grunge but mostly harder pop rock if you will The tunes we did were:

Those Shoes -Eagles
Any Way You Want It-Journey
Jealous Lover-Rainbow
Jet City Woman-Queensryche
Josie-Steely Dan
Help Is On The Way-Little River Band
There's Only One Way To Rock-Sammy Hagar
Love is Alive-Gary Wright
Feels Like The First Time-Foreigner
Hold On Loosely-38 Special

I think I did pretty well. They asked me back for next Tuesday. The singer/guitarist and lead player are excellent. The singer can really belt them out. They started doing gigs and parties and then went through a series of Spinal Tap moments with their bass players. I dig the setlist, just have to keep up the progression and learn a bunch of new songs. I love learning a bunch of new stuff in a different genre.
 
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#2
RobBottom69 said:
I sat in at a rehearsal tonight for a band that's doing stuff that's harder then anything I've done before, which is kind of cool. Takes me back to the hard rock I liked as a kid in the 80's. A touch of metal and touch of grunge but mostly harder pop rock if you will The tunes we did were:

Those Shoes -Eagles
Any Way You Want It-Journey
Jealous Lover-Rainbow
Jet City Woman-Queensryche
Josie-Steely Dan
Help Is On The Way-Little River Band
There's Only One Way To Rock-Sammy Hagar
Love is Alive-Gary Wright
Feels Like The First Time-Foreigner
Hold On Loosely-38 Special

I think I did pretty well. They asked me back for next Tuesday. The singer/guitarist and lead player are excellent. The singer can really belt them out. They started doing gigs and parties and then went through a series of Spinal Tap moments with their bass players. I dig the setlist, just have to keep up the progression and learn a bunch of new songs. I love learning a bunch of new stuff in a different genre.
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Cool gig!:thumbsup:
What's your rig?
What are you up against?
 
#4
Oddly said:
Interesting selection...I've only heard the Eagles one before...and it's a good 'un.

Best of luck.
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Wait. Really? The majority of the songs are FM radio main-stays here in the States since the 80s. I mean, Journey? Seriously? :eyebrow:

HAHA And I fully expected OP's list to be like super hard core metally metal. I mean, what type of music have you been playing, OP, that these songs are considered 'harder'? Jazz? Classical? :bag:

Confession: Hold On Loosely is one of my all time favs.
 
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#5
Stumbo said:
Cool gig!:thumbsup:
What's your rig?
What are you up against?
Click to expand...

I'm using the Alembic Essence I just got. Cuts through the mix like a warm knife through butter. It sounded especially good on Jet City Woman. Then the Mesa D-800 and Aguilar 2x10. I could have plugged through the PA they were using, which I'll do next time. I'm really digging the Alembic/Mesa D800 combo. I can really push the gain on the Mesa with the Alembic without it sounding like a mess.

Apparently I'm up against the history of their bass players. The drummer said they would come to the first rehearsal prepared, sounding good, 2nd rehearsal was worse, then the 3rd rehearsal would be like they've never played the songs before. One bassist cancelled before a gig and their subs were booked. As long as I can improve and pick up more tunes on the setlist I'm pretty much in.

Turns out me and the drummer have mutual friends so that helps. Chatting up the guitarist, we both have an affinity for Randy Rhoads and talked about working up Diary of a Madman.
 
#7
whatizitman said:
Wait. Really? The majority of the songs are FM radio main-stays here in the States since the 80s. I mean, Journey? Seriously? :eyebrow:
Click to expand...

Nope. Well I've heard of Journey, and Sammy Hagar and Steely Dan and Foreigner, but no, I've never heard any of the songs mentioned. (I even just ran through them on Youtube to check.)
Having listened to them I feel no regret about it either ... except for the Gary Wright one. That's got a pretty nice groove.
 
#8
You're saying "sat in," but it sounds like what you really mean is "auditioned," is that right? What's the goal? Are they planning to get out and gig again once the bass chair is settled, or what?

The only one of those tunes that I've played before is the Journey one, which is a cover band staple around here. Helps a lot if you can contribute a harmony on it! The others, I recognize the artists of course, but not the song names. Might know them if I heard them. But that doesn't matter, what matters is that you're pumped about them!
 
#9
Well, after 3 rehearsals I didn't get the gig. Too many mistakes. I think my approach of trying to go through a bunch of songs instead polishing off 10 or so was the wrong path, but they weren't specific. In retrospect I should have taken 15 songs and just worked on them. Instead I was trying to gist the song list. The drummer said they were still going to look around, but I can continue tightening them up and call them in 2-3 weeks and give it another shot. The chemistry was there, it was a good hang, so that's a bummer. His story about the 3 rehearsals seemed to be a premonition.

It's funny. I've been looking for a job and I interviewed with this one company like 6 times, 2 phone interviews, 1 Skype interview the 4 hour rope-a-dope interview on site, another 2 on site interviews, reference and background check...and I'm still waiting for an answer. I would have never gone past the rope-a-dope meeting if I knew it would take this long to figure out who they want.

I feel I've wasted enough time though. I have other options so it's not the end of the world. It just kind of pisses me off that I had a chance to jam with a band that's starting to have scheduling problems with their bassist, and I'm the next guy on their list if the bassist has to bail-real fun Grateful Dead/Jamband type stuff too. Instead I worked on this bands tunes on Sunday for Tuesday rehearsal.

I do have a gig with the soul/R&B cover band on Saturday so that will lift my spirits.
 
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#10
If ir's just a matter of learning the tunes, I suggest learning 5 of their tunes solid and calling them back for a re-do.:thumbsup:

And no more rehearsals without knowing the tunes perfectly,whatever it takes. This band or any other.:meh:
 
#12
RobBottom69 said:
Well, after 3 rehearsals I didn't get the gig. Too many mistakes. I think my approach of trying to go through a bunch of songs instead polishing off 10 or so was the wrong path, but they weren't specific. In retrospect I should have taken 15 songs and just worked on them. Instead I was trying to gist the song list. The drummer said they were still going to look around, but I can continue tightening them up and call them in 2-3 weeks and give it another shot. The chemistry was there, it was a good hang, so that's a bummer. His story about the 3 rehearsals seemed to be a premonition.

It's funny. I've been looking for a job and I interviewed with this one company like 6 times, 2 phone interviews, 1 Skype interview the 4 hour rope-a-dope interview on site, another 2 on site interviews, reference and background check...and I'm still waiting for an answer. I would have never gone past the rope-a-dope meeting if I knew it would take this long to figure out who they want.

I feel I've wasted enough time though. I have other options so it's not the end of the world. It just kind of pisses me off that I had a chance to jam with a band that's starting to have scheduling problems with their bassist, and I'm the next guy on their list if the bassist has to bail-real fun Grateful Dead/Jamband type stuff too. Instead I worked on this bands tunes on Sunday for Tuesday rehearsal.

I do have a gig with the soul/R&B cover band on Saturday so that will lift my spirits.
Click to expand...

So they didn't tell you what they needed you to work on from week to week, kept you coming back for weeks on end, apparently letting you try to take on their whole set list at once, and then fired you for not doing perfectly what they hadn't told you was expected of you? And they've had trouble holding on to bass players? Shocked, I am. SHOCKED!
 
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#13
hrodbert696 said:
So they didn't tell you what they needed you to work on from week to week, kept you coming back for weeks on end, apparently letting you try to take on their whole set list at once, and then fired you for not doing perfectly what they hadn't told you was expected of you? And they've had trouble holding on to bass players? Shocked, I am. SHOCKED!
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They obviously had a pow-wow between 2nd and 3rd week because he had the speech prepared as soon as the other 2 guys left the room. Why have me waste my time on a third week when they already made their decision? What a waste of time, and I turned other things down while working on their set list. Kind of a wanker move if you ask me.

Edit: Turns out they reposted their ad on the Sunday the 17th, but still had me show up on Tuesday the 19th to play 2 more hours and then fire me. Maybe it's just me, but that's a douchebag move IMO.
 
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#14
whatizitman said:
HAHA And I fully expected OP's list to be like super hard core metally metal. I mean, what type of music have you been playing, OP, that these songs are considered 'harder'? Jazz? Classical? :bag:
Click to expand...

Haha - same. I expected at least AC/DC. I guess Queensryche comes close. Maybe Hagar. Steely Dan and the Eagles are the opposite of what I'd call (hard) rock.
 
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#15
Stumbo said:
If ir's just a matter of learning the tunes, I suggest learning 5 of their tunes solid and calling them back for a re-do.:thumbsup:

And no more rehearsals without knowing the tunes perfectly,whatever it takes. This band or any other.:meh:
Click to expand...

That was kind of how we left it, but what happens after the 5 tunes? Either way, I think I risk another 3 wasted weeks of trying to get 35-40 to note for note perfection.

I would point out that they've been having trouble filling the slot for awhile by the drummer's own admission, and the clips I saw of the band had them playing with 3 different bass players within the span of a few months. Perhaps they'll find their guy that can play their entire set list in note for note perfection in 3 weeks. They have someone like that, according to the drummer, but they have to pay him a certain amount to do the gig regardless of how much they get paid. Well gee, if they told me they were going to pay me $300 to perfect 35-40 songs in 3 weeks, yeah, I probably would have spent every waking moment learning every little lick and note.

The lesson I learned, like my job interview scene, if they can't give me 5-7 songs for a single audition and make a decision, I'm just wasting my time. I thought that's what they were going to do, but after I went through the 6 songs they listed they wanted to keep playing so I suggested stuff on their list that I knew but hadn't played before. They wanted me to fill 2 hours of rehearsal time 3 weeks in a row. The drummer even commented that there were still songs on the list we didn't play, and that I should work on the list from the bottom up if I was serious. That doesn't sound like working on a few tunes, that sounds like their expectation, if I take them up on it, is that I should have their whole list down within another 2-3 weeks, for a gig I still might not even get. Sorry, but if that was the criteria I wouldn't have kept coming back. No wonder why bassists are flaking on them after 2 weeks.
 
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#16
RobBottom69 said:
That was kind of how we left it, but what happens after the 5 tunes? Either way, I think I risk another 3 wasted weeks of trying to get 35-40 to note for note perfection.

I would point out that they've been having trouble filling the slot for awhile by the drummer's own admission, and the clips I saw of the band had them playing with 3 different bass players within the span of a few months. Perhaps they'll find their guy that can play their entire set list in note for note perfection in 3 weeks. They have someone like that, according to the drummer, but they have to pay him a certain amount to do the gig regardless of how much they get paid. Well gee, if they told me they were going to pay me $300 to perfect 35-40 songs in 3 weeks, yeah, I probably would have spent every waking moment learning every little lick and note.

The lesson I learned, like my job interview scene, if they can't give me 5-7 songs for a single audition and make a decision, I'm just wasting my time. I thought that's what they were going to do, but after I went through the 6 songs they listed they wanted to keep playing so I suggested stuff on their list that I knew but hadn't played before. They wanted me to fill 2 hours of rehearsal time 3 weeks in a row. The drummer even commented that there were still songs on the list we didn't play, and that I should work on the list from the bottom up if I was serious. That doesn't sound like working on a few tunes, that sounds like their expectation, if I take them up on it, is that I should have their whole list down within another 2-3 weeks, for a gig I still might not even get. Sorry, but if that was the criteria I wouldn't have kept coming back. No wonder why bassists are flaking on them after 2 weeks.
Click to expand...

Yep. 3-4 songs is plenty to find out if a person auditioning can play or not. After that, I would say the reasonable pace, if they're not paying you a full-time salary, would be to learn 4-5 songs per week, depending on how easy they are and how many you already know. Obviously if you already know half their list when you walk in the door, you'll be up to speed faster. Even then, the 4-5 probably won't be perfect the first rehearsal you walk in with them; you prep, come to rehearsal, rough them in, make some mistakes, go home and start learning 4-5 more while polishing up the rough spots. Come back next week and the first 4-5 are nearly perfect while the next 4-5 start to get roughed in. Two weeks later songs 1-4 sound really good, 5-8 are not too bad, and you go through 9-12, which are pretty rough.

You only demand your whole set at once if the guy is a sub, and then you don't necessarily expect perfection, especially if it isn't a whole night of 12-bar blues or endless Mustang Sally and Summer of 69 and La Grange.
 
#17
By my count I played at least 21 different songs over a 3 week period, no song was played twice at any one rehearsal-I asked a couple times if they wanted to try it again, but it was one and done. There were still another 10-15 songs that I didn't get to, and as previously mentioned and commented on by the drummer. Drummer and guitarist are child hood buddies, semi retired so all they do is work on stuff all day long. Singer is in like 4 bands and has a backlog of material ready to go. I have a job.
 

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