Too passive aggressive?

[MoireBass]

As stated, since the WS have no bass, now is your chance to experiment with your pedals (or buy more) so you can 'serve the song'...I'm thinking heavy fuzz and a wah.

Ring modulator bass solo!

 

[Egg250]

You guys should make your own arrangement of the song. Insert bass and have a guitar part that doesn't suck.

 

[mrcbass]

Part of being a good bandmate is tolerating songs/artists you don't like. Everyone needs to compromise a little. If they play too many songs you don't like, you're in the wrong band. Suck it up for a handful or less of undesirable songs.

 

[g-dude]

It doesn't hurt to occasionally remind guitar players that the only reason they sound so good is because of OUR support.

Bass is like the caffeine in Espresso…sure, you can do without it, but it just tastes hollow and empty.

 

[RoadieP]

I'm completely with you on the White Stripes, just unredeeming noise.

I have a hard time taking any musician seriously that says things like this in earnest

 

[ThudThudThud]

Singers get a free pass to leave the stage during instrumentals. Horns get to leave if there are no horns on a song.
There's no bass. Just leave the stage, and come back when they are done.

 

[HeavyJazz]

There's always a song in the set you have to hold your nose for. In a most recent project, the lead guy gave me a list of about 80 tunes and I separated them into 3 distinct groups:

#1 - Songs I'd like to play.
#2 - Songs I will play but indifferent to.
#3 - Songs that will hurt my soul if forced to play them.

In the end, we went with all of group-1, a small chunk of group-2 and none of group-3. Life is good.

 

[Bighouse]

Or, if you really want to point out that there's no bass in the song, get all set up and make some big movements like you're about to come in swinging full force- and then dramatically STOP and play nothing, constantly setting up for your bass line introduction...but stop just short of hitting those strings and look all disappointed each time. Hang your head and relax your shoulders in clear disappointment in the lack of bass in the song...those in the crowd might enjoy the antics if they're at all aware of the song and the often lack of bass in the WS songs. Could be stage presence comedy gold in the right hands.

Maybe fingerstyle or pick about a foot in FRONT of your strings as part of the gag.

 

[Freight Train]

It'd be a good lesson for the crowd to let them do it faithfully with no bass. Musicians usually fail to realize that beyond drums and obvious guitar solos, many (most?) average music fans can't discern what instrument is doing what. I had a 60 year old friend just recently sit right up on the corner of the stage in front of my amp, and he said he now understands what the bass actually does. So let them do it sans-bass right in the middle of a set so everyone understands how it sucks without bass. (I'm assuming you're a competent bassist and it won't have the opposite effect, which would be unfortunate.)

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Show them that they can get by without bass. That's a recipe for success.

 

[VoodooJazz]

“Lots of times you have to pretend to join a parade in which you're not really interested in order to get where you're going.” - Christopher Morley

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I have a hard time taking any musician seriously that says things like this in earnest

That's fine, it's all subjective. I stand by it regardless of your feelings.

 

[RVRSCO]

You might not like the White Stripes and think they suck, but my guess is they are musically more successful than most of us on here, so chances are someone in the audience is gonna like the White Stripes and whatever song it is. It’s one song. Play bass on it and have fun with it.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Some of the greatest music is super easy to play. perhaps musicianship is not the best yardstick for determining what sucks?

This right here ^

 

[Taborius]

Fully understand the need to vent. All good there. Don't have too much to offer as there has been a bunch of good comments, the only thing I'd add is a different perspective. Most of my gigging life was done as a "Tub Smacker" (thank you @Free Bassing for that). I cannot tell you how many songs I got annoyed with, fed up with, or down right sick of. When I started gigging with different instruments, it really changed the game for me. Made me appreciate the songs in a whole new light. By example, there are plenty of dance groove songs that your drummer HATES playing, but I bet the bass part is awesome, rather, I actually know that for a fact now. Good Luck and I hope you can make something meaningful out of it.

 

[Bighouse]

 

[Michedelic]

So, no Black Keys either? Cramps?

 

[Standalone]

I already know the answer. But I have a gig coming up with some buddies, all covers. And someone put a white stripes song on the set list. I HATE the white stripes passionately. It's guitar wanking music, and jack white sucks at guitar almost as much as meg white sucks at drums. If you were Joe Satriani and you made every song suffer just so you could wank off on the guitar that might be one thing, but when every song suffers just so you can wank off on the guitar, but you actually suck at the guitar, what's the point man?

So anyhow, this is one of their many songs that doesn't even have bass guitar. So I'm dying to just sitting there while they play it, true to the record. When that song sounds awful compared to the rest of the set and everyone looks at my sideways, I can just say I'm being true to the record and sitting this one out!

Anyhow, I love my bandmates. I don't want to be a passive aggressive turd. But god, the white stripes suck.

Moan fest over.

So what. Play a song you don’t like. Your bandmate likes it. Or the audience. Or whatever. No big deal.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I used to play at the Baltimore Ravens home games. I got tired of playing Seven Nation Army, their pump up song. But when 70,000 join in singing it, it’s still kinda cool.

 

[ComesATime]

Fully understand the need to vent. All good there. Don't have too much to offer as there has been a bunch of good comments, the only thing I'd add is a different perspective. Most of my gigging life was done as a "Tub Smacker" (thank you @Free Bassing for that). I cannot tell you how many songs I got annoyed with, fed up with, or down right sick of. When I started gigging with different instruments, it really changed the game for me. Made me appreciate the songs in a whole new light. By example, there are plenty of dance groove songs that your drummer HATES playing, but I bet the bass part is awesome, rather, I actually know that for a fact now. Good Luck and I hope you can make something meaningful out of it.

My first gigging band was a bluesy-punk band, so we definitely played a couple White Stripes and Black Keys covers, as this was around 2010 when those bands were both popular.

Most of those songs don't have bass, but it was a good "attitude" song. I'd either add a bass line and make it groove or just keep the chords moving, maybe with some fuzz or distortion and would use that time to interact with people up front. It got people involved and moving when the guitarist was busy looking down at his fretting hand. Definitely set the tone and it was cool to have the room rocking, even if I wasn't musically leading the charge.

That band dissolved years ago, but I always had a lot of fun playing those gigs, even if those songs weren't ones I was the most excited to play. And I definitely wasn't getting paid. We were lucky to get a drink ticket or a piece of pizza.