• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

should i do it ...?

DaveDeVille

DaveDeVille

... you talkin' to me ??
Supporting Member
Dec 31, 2003
6,019
9,519
70
DEEP in the Heart of Texas
www.granvilpoynter.com
#1
i think i'm gonna have to fire our drummer after this next gig ...

he's a nice enough guy , i guess , but damzit , i want someone
who shows up on time and has already made an effort to at least
get familiar with our new songs ... am i asking for to much ?

i realize most of our material isn't exactly" radio friendly" , but
he's got a copy of our cd , and has been with us for almost a
year now ...

this sucks , i'm gonna have to be the one to cut ties with this
bonehead , and i'm starting to get a reputation locally for being
"that guy , the axeman " .
i've been the one who has had to deal with misfit guitar , drums and keyboard players .

and yes , i've already had conversations with this guy , and expressed my concerns to him ,
speaking slowly and in plain language , so there is no chance for a mis-understanding between us ...

i guess my question is , do you think i'm a push-over , to feel that if i don't do it ,
no one else in the band will ...

or am i really just "that guy" ?
 
#2
Actually he is "that guy".

He is the one who did not put the effort in and did not show the dedication that I assume the others in the band have.

You let him know what was expected and HE did not follow through. So in essence he Axed himself.
 
#3
Somebody has to be the band or personnel director! We rarely apply for the job, usually inheret it. If the drummer holds you back, no one wins in keeping him in the group.

If you've gotta fire the guy, it probably ought to be done as quickly and cleanly as possible. If you find the task overly offensive, talk to the rest of the band when it's over and suggest that someone else take on the personnel duties (maybe trade it for another task if appropriate).

In my first stint in my current band (2 year hiatus between stints) I did a bunch of the band management stuff. Had to fight too hard to get others in the group to carry ANY of the load. After a while I moved on to other projects. When they asked me to return a few months ago, I was very clear that "I'm JUST the bass player!". Nothing but good Kharma since!
 
#5
I'm in a band now where I can play guitar almost as competently as our guitar player - and I'm no guitar player. I know we'll never go past a certain point due to those limitations so I joined a second band with great musicians to keep me happy.

I wasn't a founding member of crappy band and a relatively new addition at that, so I didn't think it was my place to comment let alone fire anyone. In your case, you may have the clout and control to shape the project.

Life's too short to make bad music. It becomes less enjoyable for you and just sucks the energy out of you if you're not getting all you can out of it. You should inspire others in your band and they should inspire you. No room for people to just "get by".
 
#6
jbennardo said:
Life's too short to make bad music.
You should inspire others in your band and they should inspire you.
No room for people to just "get by".
Click to expand...
thanks for the words of wisdom ...

the harp player and guitarist are very dedicated , but lack the self
assurance , the gut instinct if you will , to make any major decisions.
i've made most of the decisions in this band since 1997 , and i guess i'll
just have to get used to the idea that not everybody likes me ...

i'm really not a bad guy , but yeah , i do have the balls to get
the job done ...

mwm70 , your'e right ... he's brought this on himself .

BTW , i do have another drummer already lined up .
not from the same musical background as the rest of the band ,
but he can groove like crazy and is a very quick study ...

thanks to everyone who responded , i was just feeling a little overwhelmed ... i'm good now .:D
 
#7
i called this bonehead , trying to be as nice and polite as possible ,
he get's all upset and starts saying " whatever dude " everytime
i tried to explain why he was being fired ... i guess i shouldn't have tried to be nice ...
so i let it go , hang up and continue with my life , right ?

fifteen minutes later , the singer calls me and says' *** is going on ?
the drummer had called him , badmouthing me and saying that the
remainder of the band should fire me and hire someone else ...

then the guitar player calls and says that he told drummer dude
that all he wants { guitarist } is to practice , play and not get involved .

in the end , the drummer says that he came up with the band name ,
and that we could no longer use it ... fine with me , it was a stupid name in the first place .

neither one of my " friends " stuck up for me , or even acted like this
was a band decision { which it was , believe me , we talked about it at some length } ....

i'm a little pissed right now , but i guess the cream will rise to the top
and my " friends " will continue to stay with the plan we came up with ...

aw well , i guess it's just part of being " the axe man " ...:rolleyes:
 
#8
Nobody likes to be fired, and nobody wants to admit they had anything to do with it. Way of the world. Everyone will forget about it once the new drummer's in place.
 
#9
Agree with Jimmy that this will probably smooth over if a new drummer falls into the pocket quickly. HOWEVER, never forget how the other fellas reacted to this situation!!!!!!!! If the band goes anywhere, you will find yourselves in a lot of uncomfortable situations and faced with a lot of difficult choices. If they react this way to a previously discussed and agreed-upon decision at this stage, you probably can't expect them to come to the plate when a REALLY tough situation arises!
 
#10
Dave, in Texas, you can record conversations as long as one person there at the actual location knows the conversation is being recorded (you). Now I know this sounds hardcore, but the name of game is called "cover yo ass". I have been in similar situations and it's funny how people with no balls can go back on their word.

Sorry you had to go through this crap. :(
 
#11
drummer dude called me about ten minutes ago ,
and asked if i wanted to play a gig in october ...
what the hell is he thinking ?

yesterday , he tells my bandmates that i'm an a$$hol#
{ and a few other names } ,
and now he calls back wanting to make nice-nice ...
i can only wonder what kind of scheme he's been hatching
for the past couple of days .

i'm not in the least bit interested in doing another show
with this dude , but he say's he's gonna call the others
to check if they want to do it ...

daytime drama is alive and well ...
 
#14
just a quick update :

good news:
new drummer is working out fine , has a great feel for our
material and is really interested in helping us tighten up ...

bad news :
drummer had to leave town for a while { at least a week , maybe more },
as he needs to help his parents with hurricane clean up in Mississippi ...
they're ok , mostly damage to the home and property .

my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this natural disaster .
 
#16
It's too bad that bassists seem to be the nicest guys, but are usually the band pr1ck - the one who tells the drunk to get off stage, the guy who tells the singer she's out of tune, that the drummer is off time........................................................................ Well, maybe I'm the only one that's a pr1ck.
 
#17
david meissner said:
just a quick update :

good news:
new drummer is working out fine , has a great feel for our
material and is really interested in helping us tighten up ...

bad news :
drummer had to leave town for a while { at least a week , maybe more },
as he needs to help his parents with hurricane clean up in Mississippi ...
they're ok , mostly damage to the home and property .

my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this natural disaster .
Click to expand...
You should be honored to play with a guy who knows what's important. Your bad news is only bad news for a week, maybe more.
 
#18
Time Divider said:
You should be honored to play with a guy who knows what's important.
Your bad news is only bad news for a week, maybe more.
Click to expand...
amen to that ...

i told him family comes first with our band , and to take as much
time as he needs .
his work office bassically said the same thing ,
so he's not in any jeopardy of losing either job ...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back