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Some guys are just d-bags

CDweller

CDweller

Oct 24, 2009
1,212
166
Clearwater, FL
#1
Incredibly nasty to find your band mates soliciting behind your back for a new bass player. Found this little gem on the drummer's FB page:

"Do you have what it takes to be a 60s, and 70s bass player in an established band with steady gig dates? Hit me up.... A little birdy told me they were looking for someone to play bass for them. ONLY 60s, and 70s music....
The Byrds, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Neil Diamond....
Call Stevo, I'll connect you..."

Amazing business, the music business. I sent the drummer and bandleader a text, containing the drummers FB post, and wished them good luck in their future endeavors. Still sux, but the hell with'em.
*
 
#6
Why did they do this? A back story if you care to inform us? Not calling you out, so dont take my post as threatening....just wondering why a band that sucks would want to replace a good bass player (I'm assuming your skill level is above theirs by you commenting they sucked). Again, not calling you out.....just curious, thats all. Again, sucks. You handled the separation the right way, like a pro. No need to be a dbag as well and fly off the handle.
 
#8
No, fair questions. I've been lucky enough to study with Jeff Berlin the past year and a half, shredding jazz tunes and such. I had to take some time off from full time school for health reasons, so I decided to hook up with this '60's band for a no- brainer musical holiday while on the mend. I take my cues from a mid sixties Carol Kay as far as style cues for this type of music. The other fellas didn't have the benefit of a rock solid education (and they never really learned in the school of real life). The drummer always slowed the tempo when he came in after a song's intro, and he couldn't find the one after a fill if his freakin' life depended on it. The lead singer/rhythm guitarist knew one volume- strum drone- all drone, all the time. I'm pretty sure they felt my vibe of disgust. You don't have to be complicated. You do have to be musical.

The boys did me a favor.
 
#9
They are cowards for not telling you to your face...you are better off...look for a new gig and just forget those guys...
unfortunately you will probably meet more d bags in your musical travels...try to stay above it all and keep playing your bass and learning from your experiences...
 
#10
57pbass said:
They are cowards for not telling you to your face...you are better off...look for a new gig and just forget those guys...
unfortunately you will probably meet more d bags in your musical travels...try to stay above it all and keep playing your bass and learning from your experiences...[/f

I'm kinda reminded of the Cheap Trick lyrics to Surrender

Mother told me, yes she told me;
I'd meet girls like you.
She also told me stay away,
You'll never know what you'll catch

Same thing for some bands.
Click to expand...
 
#11
There's a lot of flakes and strange people in the music industry. Plus, I think people don't like the idea of being honest, because it can feel confrontational and they don't want to deal with the aftermath. Hence why they go behind people's backs.
 
#12
CDweller said:
I'm pretty sure they felt my vibe of disgust. You don't have to be complicated. You do have to be musical.
Click to expand...

Maybe a lesson to learn here? Music is a political business. You can't always wear your feelings on your sleeve. A gig lost for political reasons is still a gig lost. Not that these guys are worth worrying about, but maybe the next gig will be more important and have some of the same challenges.
 
#14
CDweller said:
The other fellas didn't have the benefit of a rock solid education (and they never really learned in the school of real life). The drummer always slowed the tempo when he came in after a song's intro, and he couldn't find the one after a fill if his freakin' life depended on it. The lead singer/rhythm guitarist knew one volume- strum drone- all drone, all the time. I'm pretty sure they felt my vibe of disgust. You don't have to be complicated. You do have to be musical.

The boys did me a favor.
Click to expand...
Yet, as bad as it was, you stayed. And now that they kicked you out you are trash talking them. :rollno:
 
#15
Hey, screw them. It's good you left. A band that talks behind your back doesn't deserve you. You're gonna find another band in no time that's going to be definitely better than them. I mean..
you're a bass player!
 
#16
lfmn16 said:
Yet, as bad as it was, you stayed. And now that they kicked you out you are trash talking them. :rollno:
Click to expand...

Good points. They made my exit easy, actually. It was fun for a while turning them on to dynamics, tagging endings, and various rudimentary musical techniques, but ultimately it grew tiresome. They wanted to get girls from being in a band, but they were not interested in doing the work necessary to make the music good.
 
#18
I got booted from a reggae band I was playing guitar for. I was as good or better than any of the other guitar players they've had. But they were a little psycho and thought I was up to something subversive. Not the case. I was having a great time and we were sounding really good. And we are all adults too. But it hurt my feelings because I thought I had made new friends. But sometimes I guess people read you the wrong way. So I say it's their loss. I've found a way better band to play bass with. And I'm glad I did. And the other band doesn't sound near as good as it used to. So.
 
#19
I feel your pain. I had it happen to me, too. I FORMED the band with 2 other guys- a guitarist and a drummer. The drummer "dabbles" in (read: sucks at) bass and guitar as well. The guitarist plays a Gibson and thinks he's so great. I show up to four practices on-time, everything goes well. We start writing. We have a song down, except they want a bass fill in the middle. So, as I start trying to create one, the drummer picks up his bass, plugs into his amp, cranks it, and starts playing a "fill" (which was a chromatic line, which didn't fit at all) over top of me. So, I stop. The guitarist asks why I stopped. I told him, and was told "Your fill sounds awful." And then later, no more practice was scheduled that I knew of, but those two got a name for the "band", without telling me, and posted pictures of the guitarist playing bass, and a new guitarist playing..well, guitar on Facebook. I asked if we still had anything, and was told "No, you suck, and honestly you were just there to make everything flow. We would've replaced you sooner had we found anyone else."
 

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