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The band grenade just multipoloded

Would you?

  • Play the gig as a duet

    Votes: 31 14.5%

  • Call in hired guns

    Votes: 111 51.9%

  • Cancel the gigs

    Votes: 37 17.3%

  • Carrots for everyone

    Votes: 35 16.4%
  • Total voters
    214
Biggbass

Biggbass

Dec 14, 2011
5,629
7,961
Planet Earth
#1
Personnel issues have finally pulled the pin on the band grenade for my Americana band.
What's left after the collateral damage is a duet.

We have a couple of gigs on the calendar within the net 15 days. So it looks like its a Flight of the Conchords scenario if we keep the gigs.

What's your input? --- Do we cancel the gigs, since the venue operators are expecting a 6 pc band? Or call subs and expect them to learn the music within 10 days?

My inclination is to punt.
 
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#3
i agree that not canceling is best, but: depending on what you are attempting to market = showing up with a duo could be tantamount to 'false advertising'. i.e., e.g., neither of my projects (7 pc. and 9 pc.) could pull it off. i voted "hired guns." but some venues might see it as no big deal, so:

good luck with your dilemma! :thumbsup:

(i love playing duo gigs, however. accompanying a piano or a guitar --- or a horn player --- is cool stuff!)
 
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#4
Biggbass said:
Personnel issues have finally pulled the pin on the band grenade for my Americana band.
What's left after the collateral damage is a duet.

We have a couple of gigs on the calendar within the net 15 days. So it looks like its a Flight of the Conchords scenario if we keep the gigs.

What's your input? --- Do we cancel the gigs, since the venue operators are expecting a 6 pc band? Or call subs and expect them to learn the music within 10 days?

My inclination is to punt.
Click to expand...

I voted carrots because the option I would take is not there. I would explain the situation to the venue owners and offer them the duet option. If they want to cancel, that should be their option. Also, it sounds like this took you buy surprise, were there warning signs?
 
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#5
Look for hired guns, and robotic assistance, but also be in touch with the venues - if your duo can pull off a reasonable performance, many venues won't care (and some might actually prefer it to the bigger band, even if they booked the bigger band.) I've also seen some bands pull off the "small kick drum run by the foot of someone playing another instrument" rather than going drum machine, fer-instance.
 
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#7
T_Bone_TL said:
Look for hired guns, and robotic assistance, but also be in touch with the venues - if your duo can pull off a reasonable performance, many venues won't care (and some might actually prefer it to the bigger band, even if they booked the bigger band.) I've also seen some bands pull off the "small kick drum run by the foot of someone playing another instrument" rather than going drum machine, fer-instance.
Click to expand...

By robotic assistance you mean something like this, right?

robotdrummer.jpg
 
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#8
Christine said:
I would never cancel a gig for anything less than a death of someone very close personally. Do you know any musicians who are capable of filling in at such short notice? Speak to the venue about it, but 6 is ideal but 3 is better than 2 and 2 are better than cancelling if you can pull it off
Click to expand...

Ha! I'm the polar opposite. It's a bar gig... not the end of the world. The bar owner will be fine. The audience will be fine. And you will be fine. Cancel the gigs and regroup (literally).

I will never understand how most of the crowd here thinks canceling a bar gig is a travesty. A little self importance, maybe? If you cancel, they will put someone else in your place. The crowd won't care or even notice.
 
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#10
btmpancake said:
Hurry and call the subs and you may have to simplify some things but your better subs shouldn't have a problem and some thrive from your hardships.
Click to expand...

If it’s all originals, I don’t think I’d want to put in a ton of work for 1/6th of a typical bar gig haul. Learn three hours worth of completely new music? Nah. But others might enjoy that.
 
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#14
I would likely speak to the venue about it.

However, if you can get a couple friends to fill in, I would go that route. You don’t need to bring a six piece, but 4 would should be able to pull it off well. It won’t be as elaborate, but if you keep the set simple, it should be good.

I’m also coming from an original music perspective as I’ve never played in a covers band. That might be different, both in expectations from the venue and audience as well as finding musicians who may already know the material.

I’ve been in similar situations myself. Canceling isn’t the end of the world, but you definitely want to have a reputation as a group that follows through on gigs. That might just mean finding a replacement band for the venue. That’s what we have done in the past. The venues really appreciate this and it sets you up for future gigs because they know they can rely on you.
 
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#17
T_Bone_TL said:
Look for hired guns, and robotic assistance, but also be in touch with the venues - if your duo can pull off a reasonable performance, many venues won't care (and some might actually prefer it to the bigger band, even if they booked the bigger band.) I've also seen some bands pull off the "small kick drum run by the foot of someone playing another instrument" rather than going drum machine, fer-instance.
Click to expand...

^^My vote is above.
 
#18
awakefie said:
I voted carrots because the option I would take is not there. I would explain the situation to the venue owners and offer them the duet option. If they want to cancel, that should be their option. Also, it sounds like this took you buy surprise, were there warning signs?
Click to expand...

Yes the warning signs were there. Our main solo player who plays fiddle, told us recently that he is retiring from gigging due to hearing issues and tinnitus but committed to play out the schedule through August. He's tried ear plugs and IEMs but nothing is working for him and he's worried about losing his hearing.

As an interesting side note: last gig he showed up completely unprepared, all frazzled, and I loaned him a Rolls PM50 that I'd just purchased as a back up, still in the box. At the end of the gig I asked him how it sounded and he said "great".
The next weekend I put that same Rolls PM50 on my pedal board and plugged into the mixer to test run the IEM feed and got nothing...silence. Then I read the manual and realized it was shipped set for stereo and the dip switch setting had to be changed for mono feed (with needle nose pliers), which I did and then got full IEM signal (we send a mono line feed). At that moment I realized that when the guy borrowed my Rolls he was getting nothing in his ears and had either lied to me or thought he ws hearing the feed. Strange for sure.

Anyway, he didn't show up for rehearsal last week, then sent out an email this morning saying he's not playing the remaining gigs due to having to move his son to college, which is going to take at least two weeks of his time. Seems he would have had that on his calendar a long time ago. The guy's been problematic since joining the band 2 years ago and now he's bailed on us.
So he's dead to me now.

I asked the BL to contact the venue first on the calendar and see if they are ok with a smaller version of the band since we've played there a few times before and are probably expecting a full band. But I've also locked in a guitarist who can cover the solos with ease, just for back up.

I'm inclined to cancel but the BL want's to play the gigs. The music would have been all original material but now it's going to be a mix of more popular originals and covers. Personally I don't like diluting the band's resume by playing covers but this is what it's come to.

When these last two gigs are behind us, no matter how they play out, this band is in the history books. It's so tiring trying to work with people who are problematic, filled with issues of one sort or another, can't balance their schedules, or cannot commit to the project.

I think, for me, this is the end of needing a larger rig and it's time to cut the inventory down to something small. Watch for classifieds coming soon for some great Ampeg gear.
 
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#19
Some bar owners would prefer you play, even as a smaller group, to avoid the hassle of finding another band. Others would prefer a certain size or type of band to satisfy their clientele. Others would be fine with just canceling. Most bar owners are more concerned with how many people you bring in and how much they drink spend rather than the band lineup. Talk to them.
 
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#20
two fingers said:
I will never understand how most of the crowd here thinks canceling a bar gig is a travesty. A little self importance, maybe? If you cancel, they will put someone else in your place. The crowd won't care or even notice.
Click to expand...


Because some of us take a pro attitude about it. It's not self importance, it's trying to be professional about it. If you see a difference between a bar gig and a stadium gig, well, that speaks volumes about you.


I agree with the people saying contact the venue. Communication is key.
 
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