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The Weekend Warrior Band Guide to Unrealistic Expectations

#21
Other unrealistic expectations....

Get a last minute gig (well, 6 days notice) and ask you, "you can find 30-40 people to bring with you right? We want to make an impression."

Yeah the guy with 2 kids under 3 and travels for work, and who's friends all have kids 5 and under....he's perfect to bring a large chunk of the crowd on less than a week's notice....
 
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#22
The BL sounds like a dink who should be understanding the time constraints you are under...with that I've always wrote out my own extra large set list with a sorta mini chart right next to the song title (just the basic changes, maybe some arrangement if it's odd)and tape the setlist either on a monitor or stage. Doing this forces me to at least half memorize the tunes, and like "training wheels" I ween myself off the charts over the course of a few gigs. Don't know if that's of any help to OP!?
 
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#23
Speaking of unrealistic BL's, I played in mostly variety bands and one in particular would call out songs on stage that I absolutely didn't know/never heard and I'd try to follow the guitarist with mixed results. This same BL would play a game with the audience called "stump the band" and we'd take audience requests. The guitarist knew a million songs so he was usually good and I'd have to try and keep up by watching his left hand and listening.....yeah, that was stressful!! LOL.
I stuck with this group for the longest of any cover band (3 years)before my current gig (almost 8 years). Fun group but the pay never got better than $150 a night and the long drives and the random BS got old. And that group always had gigs: weddings, corporate things, festivals, bar gigs (mostly in winter)...
 
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#25
hintz said:
The BL sounds like a dink who should be understanding the time constraints you are under...with that I've always wrote out my own extra large set list with a sorta mini chart right next to the song title (just the basic changes, maybe some arrangement if it's odd)and tape the setlist either on a monitor or stage. Doing this forces me to at least half memorize the tunes, and like "training wheels" I ween myself off the charts over the course of a few gigs. Don't know if that's of any help to OP!?
Click to expand...

It's a helpful suggestion, but it won't help me today. My charts are done and I don't have time to redo them. The beautiful thing about my iPad is that it's small and unobtrusive. I keep it low and out of the way, and I don't spend the whole night staring at it. My "charts" are really more cheat sheets than anything else, so I usually just glance at them occasionally until I've got the song memorized.

The BL finally called. Apologetic, but still trying to justify the last minute request. He acknowledges that it's unreasonable at least and won't object to my charts.
 
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#29
guy n. cognito said:
The BL finally called. Apologetic, but still trying to justify the last minute request. He acknowledges that it's unreasonable at least and won't object to my charts.
Click to expand...

Oh good!! Since he is cool with you using a music stand one thing that helps make it less obvious is use a black music stand and have it about waist level (if you can still see it) and wear black clothing. This has worked for me on jazz combo gigs with real books.
 
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#30
guy n. cognito said:
It's a helpful suggestion, but it won't help me today. My charts are done and I don't have time to redo them. The beautiful thing about my iPad is that it's small and unobtrusive. I keep it low and out of the way, and I don't spend the whole night staring at it. My "charts" are really more cheat sheets than anything else, so I usually just glance at them occasionally until I've got the song memorized.

The BL finally called. Apologetic, but still trying to justify the last minute request. He acknowledges that it's unreasonable at least and won't object to my charts.
Click to expand...

Man this is kinda crazy, maybe I'm out of touch, I'm really surprised that being in Nashville you're having to do multiple audition and jump through hoops like this.

Is it normal to have to audition for cover bands, and especially multiple times like this? I've never had to do that and I've played a lot of covers + originals gigs. Some of the best players I've ever heard in my life use charts on pretty much every gig except their regular ones, if you're a busy player and in demand it gets unmanageable trying to memorize every one-off gig.

This dude sounds like he's wound up a little too tight. If you need to use charts after the 3rd-4th gig then maybe he's got a point, otherwise it's not reasonable to expect everything memorized without rehearsal.
 
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#31
I'd be inclined to "pro" up and do this gig. You've already done all of the work and sounds like it could be a great fit musician wise. But would definitely figure out what's up with this BL before committing to being their guy. I read too many things in your post that put me on notice the he's not very organized and also not very realistic.

And besides, as long as you're not fronting the band and you don't have your nose buried in the charts all night, then who cares if you have an unobtrusive tablet within view?
 
#37
ZachM said:
Man this is kinda crazy, maybe I'm out of touch, I'm really surprised that being in Nashville you're having to do multiple audition and jump through hoops like this.

Is it normal to have to audition for cover bands, and especially multiple times like this? I've never had to do that and I've played a lot of covers + originals gigs. Some of the best players I've ever heard in my life use charts on pretty much every gig except their regular ones, if you're a busy player and in demand it gets unmanageable trying to memorize every one-off gig.

This dude sounds like he's wound up a little too tight. If you need to use charts after the 3rd-4th gig then maybe he's got a point, otherwise it's not reasonable to expect everything memorized without rehearsal.
Click to expand...

This is the first time I have ever auditioned twice. Many gigs I get by subbing for them first, so I never really audition at all.
 
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#39
Oh man...

1) Rehearsals on a weeknight, an hour away, basically in the ghetto. Supposed to be from 8-11 which is manageable. Instead it's show up from eight. wait an hour while everyone gets high and *********, than sort of go and run through songs but only certain sections. Since there are a couple of people in recovery in the band that don't want to be around MJ, frequent breaks so the non-recovery folks can go out and get high means the rehearsal isn't over until midnight.

2) Song list sent 3 days before a gig. Most are things I've never played, I ask if they are all the same key/arrangement as the original, get told yes. At gig it turns out they are both different keys and entirely different arrangements.

3) What I was told was a one gig a month band now wants multiple gigs a month, with some weeknights thrown in.

Despite all that Im still having fun and making it work. I just don't ask when the next rehearsal is...
 
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#40
guy n. cognito said:
It's a helpful suggestion, but it won't help me today. My charts are done and I don't have time to redo them. The beautiful thing about my iPad is that it's small and unobtrusive. I keep it low and out of the way, and I don't spend the whole night staring at it. My "charts" are really more cheat sheets than anything else, so I usually just glance at them occasionally until I've got the song memorized.

The BL finally called. Apologetic, but still trying to justify the last minute request. He acknowledges that it's unreasonable at least and won't object to my charts.
Click to expand...
Ask him where the teleprompter usually is so you can ditch the notes next time. If they don't have a teleprompter, what kind of luddites are they? Half baked, I tell ya.
 
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