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They fired me.

T

txbasschik

Nov 11, 2005
7,219
31
63
Leander, Texas
www.myspace.com
#1
The drummer just called to tell me that I have been replaced. He stated the following reasons: 1) I cannot take road gigs of a duration longer than a weekend. 2) I asked the band to get a sub (two weeks ago, plenty of advance time) for a bar gig the night of July 4th, since we always spend that time as a family, for our children's sake. 3) My failure to take ongoing lessons.

Even though they have both only received limited instruction, I'm supposed to have been taking lessons all this time. But they never said anything about it after I took my lessons from Big Mike last winter. So...dishonest, much, oh erstwhile bandmates? You have a bassist who speaks to you when she has a problem, but you don't have enough respect for her to do the same?

For weeks now, the Couple have cancelled rehearsals, giving various reasons such as injury, illness, and fatigue. But they were lying to me. All this time, they've been working with someone else. They like him, find him to be a "good fit", and they want to keep him. Some guy from Vegas who was in an SRV cover band.

They don't even want me to play our local gig tomorrow night. I'm picking up my equipment tonight.

Three years. Three years of turning down other offers out of loyalty. Three years of putting up with the singer's drama-queen b.s.

Things had been going so well!!! We weren't having so much drama, and we have been building up our fan base like mad. We've been having *great* gigs! I have received *nothing* but compliments on my playing, from fans and fellow musicians alike, and it seems I have my own cadre of fans, without trying to get them.

But no, I'm not good enough for this band. Riiiiiiight.

They stood there and let me buy t-shirts for myself and my husbands, and make promotion plans, and take pictures and talk about upcoming gigs, knowing they were going to fire me. They hired someone behind my back, weeks ago. What a sorry couple of individuals!!!

Bastages. Liars. Phoneys. :scowl: :spit: :mad:

Danged sure no friends of mine!

Cherie :bassist:
 
#3
Welcome to the industry. This sort of stuff happens all too often. I think we've all been back doored like that a time or two in our lives as musicians. Still, sorry to hear that. You'll find another band soon enough.
 
#7
Another case of a band taking themselves way to seriously?

Sorry to hear about this, but as stated above you are better off. Just keep plugging away and when they come crawling back after "Johnny Vegas" runs off with another cover band tell them to stuff it in their pie hole.
 
#8
fourstringdrums said:
Sorry to hear that. You are better off without them. I'm curious though, why would you taking or not taking lessons matter to them?
Click to expand...

They feel that I need a *lot* of improvement as a bassist. That I don't put in enough fills, and I don't know how to play chords like their old bassist did, and yada yada.

Yeah. Ok. I don't see them taking regular lessons, and they have plenty of room for improvement, too.

Honestly, I think they just used that one as an excuse to get rid of me. The new bassist is male. The Queen Bee won't be threatened by another female who can play and sing being on the same stage as her, anymore.

Cherie :scowl:
 
#10
How awful - on so many different levels. Jeesh.

Honesty - at all costs - has to be built into band practice, but it's very hard to do. I'd hate to play with *any* drama queens.

The worst part is that you were all friends - or so it seemed. I hate how they made stuff up (like a requirement about lessons) in order to make you feel sh*ttier than you would have had they simply said, "Hey we found someone we like better."
 
#12
txbasschik said:
They feel that I need a *lot* of improvement as a bassist. That I don't put in enough fills, and I don't know how to play chords like their old bassist did, and yada yada.

Yeah. Ok. I don't see them taking regular lessons, and they have plenty of room for improvement, too.

Honestly, I think they just used that one as an excuse to get rid of me. The new bassist is male. The Queen Bee won't be threatened by another female who can play and sing being on the same stage as her, anymore.

Cherie :scowl:
Click to expand...

You are who you are as a bassist. If what you added wasn't good enough for them, they shouldn't have hired you in the first place. Forcing improvement on you is not right at all.

Don't worry about it. I don't know you as a bassist, but I like I said, we are the musicians that we are and we do what we can to improve ourselves. That will take us however far we're destined to get.
 
#14
gonzorob said:
Another case of a band taking themselves way to seriously?

Sorry to hear about this, but as stated above you are better off. Just keep plugging away and when they come crawling back after "Johnny Vegas" runs off with another cover band tell them to stuff it in their pie hole.
Click to expand...

Yep. We're a bar band. The singer has a career. The drummer has his own business. Its not like we go a-touring every day. They want to do a ten-day tour of the NE, since they vacation up there every year. I let them know I could not be gone from home for ten days just as school begins, as I have an elementary-age girl. That's another one of their excuses...they had to train a sub for that and for 7/4, so they decided to just keep him.

Yeah. Behind my back.

They say they love me, I'm their friend, its nothing personal. Uh-huh. If that were the case, they would not have lied. Friends don't lie and screw you over. A friend would be upfront, voice his or her concerns, and do this kind of thing with some respect.

I think I'll take some time to work up material that I really, really like, then bring that to the local jam in order to attract other musicians with like tastes.

Cherie
 
#15
Geddyfleaharris said:
+1

Excatly what I was thinking. Are they prodigys or something on their instruments and you are several steps below them? :hmm:
Click to expand...

Nope. Not prodigies at all. Good, but not great. Much like myself.

I've received many comments from listeners, both at gigs and of our recordings, that the rhythm section was the best thing about that band. The guitar playing is the "weakest link".

Oh well. They'll be forging new links now, I s'pose.

Cherie :rollno:
 
#16
txbasschik said:
...

Things had been going so well!!! We weren't having so much drama, and we have been building up our fan base like mad. We've been having *great* gigs! I have received *nothing* but compliments on my playing, from fans and fellow musicians alike, and it seems I have my own cadre of fans, without trying to get them.

...
Click to expand...

After reading this I have no doubt that you will be getting a number of offers in the near future. Most will be upgrades from your erstwhile band.

Keep a positive attitude. :)
 
#18
E2daGGurl said:
How awful - on so many different levels. Jeesh.

Honesty - at all costs - has to be built into band practice, but it's very hard to do. I'd hate to play with *any* drama queens.

The worst part is that you were all friends - or so it seemed. I hate how they made stuff up (like a requirement about lessons) in order to make you feel sh*ttier than you would have had they simply said, "Hey we found someone we like better."
Click to expand...

Right? Or, you know, if they felt my playing had not improved enough, they could have said something like, "We'd like to see more improvement. Would it be possible for you to take another set of lessons?" *Something* up-front. But no, they chose to lie and sneak around, instead. That behavior does not reflect "friendship" at all.

Lesson learned. I like to believe people are basically honest, but...

Lesson learned.

Cherie
 
#19
"For weeks now, the Couple have cancelled rehearsals, giving various reasons such as injury, illness, and fatigue. But they were lying to me. All this time, they've been working with someone else."

^ That's just wrong. They don't sound like anyone I'd want to play with. You're better off without them.
 

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