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They fired me.

#142
doktorfeelgood said:
Sorry to hear about this happening to you. Crap like this goes down way too much in this bizness. It happened to me one time back in 1993. I was having some health issues and was going to have to take some time off from the band that I was in at the time for some surgery. But nothing had been planned out yet and I was in total communication with the two other guys in the band. They knew it was coming but had told me not to sweat it and just let them know what was happening. On the night of the last gig that I did with them, about a half-dozen bass players show up and although nobody told me what was going on, right away I know what's up, but I try to be professional and do the gig and get my dough and then deal with the situation at the end of the night. Nobody had the sack to say anything to me and I even knew a couple of the guys that had showed up to check out the band and apply for an audition. Yeah, real buddies those guys were. But at the end of the night as we're back at the warehouse space we rehearsed at and stored the PA at, as we're unloading the PA out on MY van, which I transported for 3 years worth of gigs, while I have my back turned to both the drummer and guitar player, the drummer pipes up and says, "And oh yeah, we won't be needin' you anymore"...
I just shook my head, turned around and laughed and told them I figured that they'd pull some crap like this.
Real gutless wonders. I was ready to get out of that band because of a myriad of other mainly (their) ego problems, but I really needed the dough from the gigs we had booked and I would have given them notice and done it like a man and have been professional about it. This may not help much, but you gotta have a thick skin in this biz and always keep your options open and always watch your back. You'll do OK if you do... AND, you're WAY much better off to be rid of those scumbags anyway. At least you didn't get fired out in the middle of nowhere with no dough in your pocket, no car and no way to transport your gear and clothes. That happened to me once in 1977 in El Paso, but that's another story....lol
)-(:ninja:
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How COLD!!! To let you go over health problems!!! I can understand them getting a sub while you were down, but...its pretty cold to do that to someone who is getting over an illness. Tacky, tacky of them!

Fired in El Paso, on the road? Baby, there's a really good country song in that, somewhere. You should write the story down and make a tune on it!

Cherie :bassist:
 
#144
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:
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i'm sorry to hear this cherie. the music y'all were playing that i heard hardly called for anything more from the bass than you were providing, imo, and to be honest, i thought the singer could definitely use a little...assistance. a lot actually. how does she rate getting her name spot-lit? lol x10.
 
#146
txbasschik said:
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:
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well, you had been less than happy for awhile. you're probably better off. Now you can dedicate yourself to the project with the guitar guy you were so psyc'd about playing. with. I think you were saying you met him at an open jam night or something. They never respected you, or your talent, all along. That was evident from some of the things you've posted in the past. Go get that guitarist and get serious, then go out and smoke 'em. You have rep and a fan base, people will come to see YOU. Chrome Wheels...my a** ! :scowl::spit:
 
#147
txbasschik said:
I've e-mailed some of those people with the news that I won't be there. The word will go around. Like with your ex-guitarist, I'm sure the two stories of what happened will be markedly different, so I told the fans closest to me what happened from my POV.

I also told the people at the ice house. Had to. Hubby was already there, ranting about it and making some pretty nasty comments, so I figured a calm relation of the tale was in order. I also told the drummer that the people there know about this, so he wouldn't be shocked or upset and think I went behind his back.

It was good to able to tell him, "I've got a gig on Friday already." Lets him know I won't spend any time at home crying over this! ;) He seemed pleased...he must feel "off the hook" for this. Whatever. No skin off my nose! While they are at their gig, having to field questions from shocked fans, I will be at my new gig, making new fans and having a new experience.

Cherie :bassist:
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you know, i wouldn't be surprised if the drummer had a "thing" for you, and told his wife through some kind of twisted guilt. drummers get all attached to their bassists a lot of times, and having one of the opposite gender who was hot ;) probably lit his candle.
 
#148
Band shenanigans. Sheesh.

As Paul Kantner once said, "When you join a band you have to learn to accept the others warts and hope they will accept yours.".

You're better off without them if they couldn't be up front with you. Try to look on this as a new opportunity and you've just gotten a get out of jail free card.

Hang in there Cherie. Whatever doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.
 
#149
john turner said:
you know, i wouldn't be surprised if the drummer had a "thing" for you, and told his wife through some kind of twisted guilt. drummers get all attached to their bassists a lot of times, and having one of the opposite gender who was hot ;) probably lit his candle.
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Wellllll...he never gave any indication of that to me. He's never been flirty or behaved like I was at all attractive. And I notice my pics on the band page were always unflattering, and her's were always nice, so...I don't think he even wanted me to look attractive on the band page, so as not to take attention away from the singer.

They've been married less than a year, so she's still, you know, Disney World to him. ;)

Mom thinks, and she's a wise old woman, that it wasn't a conscious thing. Just the mere fact that we had a bond at *all* would make a lot of wives very defensive and jealous. Since she's a "spotlight" kinda girl...has to have the bulk of the attention...that bond would feel like a threat to her, even if she never admitted it to herself. In such a case, people tend to find other excuses to be upset or angry, because they don't want to admit the *true* reason for their ire.

And that could be true, or their stated reasons could be real. But they do feel rather like excuses for something more deep-seated.

Oh well. Its their problem now! LOL!!!

Cherie :)
 
#150
QORC said:
tell them to go them to (*word meaning to render and torture themselves anally*) themselves. Never sub for them. Let them sink on their own.

Maybe just maybe they'll learn how to treat people in the future
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Oh, I'm not likely to sub for them, or even be asked to. I think the drummer was just trying to be nice, at parting. The singer didn't even come out and say goodbye. The drummer helped me load my stuff into my car, and sat and talked with me for a little bit. But I could tell he wanted me gone before the new guy showed up for practice. They have two other guys who sub for them, so...they won't actually be asking me. It was all just, you know, empty platitudes.

Cherie
 
#152
bassbrock said:
The worst part for me is how they hired someone behind your back. Lying to you that rehearsals were canceled only to be getting someone else up to speed on your songs and so forth.

It doesn't get any lower than that.

Stay encouraged.
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Yeah, that really was the hurtful thing. Being fired doesn't hurt so much. Being lied to, over and over, for a month, does hurt.

I'd rather have honest bad news, than soothing lies, any day.

Cherie
 
#154
txbasschik said:
They already asked me if I would sub. LOL!!!

Sure. For $100 takehome.

If I'm available.

Which isn't likely.

:ninja: ;) :D :hiding:

Cherie :bassist:
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Hahaha. :) They hire someone behind your back and expect that you would like to sub. Like that's going to happen. Who the hell are these people? Brainless comes to mind. Sigh!

Get a new band when you feel like you can handle it. :) Enjoy the summer.
 
#156
ganga said:
Hahaha. :) They hire someone behind your back and expect that you would like to sub. Like that's going to happen. Who the hell are these people? Brainless comes to mind. Sigh!

Get a new band when you feel like you can handle it. :) Enjoy the summer.
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Yeah, its kinda nutty to expect me to actually sub for the guy they replaced me with. Honestly, I think the drummer was just offering a platitude he didn't really mean.

My husband says, "They'll be needing a sub real soon, once the drama starts up and that guy runs for his life!"

Cherie :D
 
#160
Cherie! Can't say I didn't see this coming...

In your other threads on the subject, I was always trying to prod you into leaving them, wasn't I? I did that because:

A) Queen Bee has a harsh voice, with only an "ON=LOUD" button

B) That band was too monotonous for you. You were bored, and the head games were a bit much.

C) You were easily the most professional in the band.

You've been fighting this in your head, I think, for over 2 years now. So they have now gone and shot themselves in the foot. I'll be looking forward to video clips of you in one of your many upcoming projects- complete with intelligible vocals, and a mix that doesn't suck! You are way better than they deserved- you groove, the drummer and you almost never seemed to get that "E.S.P." thing going on, where you thought the same, rhythmically. That's what you should be cultivating- drummers who you really lock with. "Jules' B!otch" didn't have very good timing. Nor did she. Her guitard tone was grating, as well, and she really wasn't a very good player- nowhere near strong enough to carry a band.

Jealous Jule, did I call her once? She let the jealousy thing spill over into the band. She's terribly insecure, unlike you- you've got a good deal of self-confidence, while she reeks of insecurity about nearly every facet of her being, except the facets out front (;)). You, on the other hand, do indeed have a kick-ass attitude. I can't wait to see you with a good drummer, and a supportive guitard (yes, they're out there!), maybe someone playing a B-3 as well. THAT would suit you so much more than their dreck.

I'm sorry about the hurtful way they went about it, that part really sucks. Mental hugs your way for that part. But I'm really proud of you for jumping on that festival gig with someone new tonight! That rocks! Maybe someone could run the camcorder and you could put up some clips? :hyper:

Anyway, good luck tonight, not that you'll need it. You're a good, solid player, Cherie. You'll do fine! Go make us proud, and be glad you're not going to get dragged through CW's implosion. BTW- don't even consider subbing for them after the way they treated you! If I ever hear about you rejoining that band, well....let's just leave it at "Don't make me come down there and talk some sense into you!" ;) :D
 

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