What's your Weirdest/Strangest/Funniest reason you have had to quit a band?

My spouse said I was too moody,

 

Hmm, once my first wife and I took my (now ex) over to the drummer's place hoping to maybe hook them up. I was married to my first wife at the time, the (now ex) was just an acquaintance of ours. The drummer wisely didn't bite, and not long afterwards I (unwisely!) ended up marrying her instead. The strange twist of fate was that shortly after that, my first wife became the new drummer, after the drummer was promoted to rhythm guitar. It wasn't long after that my second wife (now ex) decided that I should quit the band (or rather 'disband the group', since I was actually the BL). Moral of the story? I'm still pondering that

 

I once had to quit a band due to the guitarist that wouldn’t stop tinkering with his gear- it became his universe; I doubt he noticed I left and it’s been five years.

Another band, I committed to a gig with them. The BL was also the drummer. He was easily the worst drummer I’ve ever had the displeasure of playing with.
Ironically, he came to resent the very things in me he sought me out for; solid time, groove and musicality.
I played the gig and couldn’t wait to quit the next morning

 

I quit a band once because they practiced every Friday night, never had any gigs after more than six months of rehearsal, and got mad at me when I got sick and missed a rehearsal. I'm like, seriously? This band doesn't even have a gig on the books and I'm not allowed to take a sick day? I'll take those Fridays back now, thank you very much

 

How about where I quit after the first rehearsal?
Was contacted by a guitar player needing a bassist. Told to meet up at a local rehearsal studio
I was told they were an established band with a killer vocalist and drummer. Gigs were lined up and I was sent a song list to learn.
The songs were pretty run of the mill heavy classic rock standards; Zepplin, Aerosmith, Doors, etc.
I woodshedded about half and had a cursory knowledge of the other half in the short time given before band rehearsal.
Show up early and find the guitarist plugging in his twin stack Marshall, then he brought in a large box, set it down and I saw a lot of smaller boxes inside. He then proceeds to carefully open each individual box which contained an FX pedal in plastic wrap. 20 minutes later he finally had opened and placed the last of 12 pedals in a long 6' foot chain then to the amp. I asked why he didn't just use a pedal board and I got a quizzical look from him. Yea, you know a board with all your pedals attached and ready to go. "A board" he says, "won't they get damaged and dirty?" Never mind...
Turns out the drummer was also new like myself and less restrained. He snickered at the guitarist through the whole set process.
Drummer and I quickly ran through the first 5 songs but were constantly being stopped because the guitarist would get lost or the singer didn't know where to come in. Guitarist had to start every song, it was the only way he could play them. If the drummer and I started a song he had a complete inability to jump in. Next 5 songs we just let them play through their mistakes and didn't bother to correct them. It took an hour and 20mins to play 10 songs through once each. Singer would fumble through lyric sheets and guitarist would be trying to remember which pedals get activated for the exact sound for each song. All the while explaining to us in great detail how the song should be played.
Drummer then jumps up, packs his cymbals and snare and says I gotta go, see you guys and heads for the door.
Guitar guy jumps up and says, "Wait! you gotta pay your share of the studio". I could see steam bellowing out of the drummer's ears as he peeled off a $20. Guitar guy started packing up, the reverse process with the pedals, each placed meticulously in plastic and each in their original box.
I left 10 minutes later and he was only halfway done. This was about a year ago and every couple of month he'll call wanting to "get the band going" I never answer. Sort of glad I paid my share, I didn't want him thinking I owed him another session or $20.

His pedals looked like this without the board under them

 

Started as a group of mates in a garage band and ended up as a part-time eco-terrorism cell. Moved on amicably somewhere between the transition from 'musicians with occasional drug problems' to 'addicts with occasional music problems' - luckily just before I ended up getting the group tattoo. They're all doing well now, amazingly.

Edit: oh, and I quit a function band because we frequently had to get changed in tiny spaces and life is too short to be playing Dodge The Cock every weekend. Or at least with those guys.

 

I've actually only quit one band. Back in around 1970. What started wearing on me was every rehearsal (twice a week) the BL/keys insisted on doing a 20 minute Season of the Witch, with 10 minutes of it being keys solo/noodling. Plus he shot down any song suggestions I made.

After six months of this he booked our first gig, a wedding reception. Hmm... we were decidedly NOT a wedding type band but he was all hyped on what a good gig it was. Well, it was a small reception in a large but rundown ballroom, maybe 30 people total. Half of them were old folks who obviously didn't like long hairs. The rest were indifferent to us. Everyone sat in the back of the room preferring conversation over music. No applause after songs. The only compliment I got was from the 13 year old girl who hit on me as I was loading out.

The next day BL told us he thought it was a great gig. I quit the same day.

 

Ugh... those Skins fans... [eye roll]

 

Six months in, "band leader" (and I use the term loosely) still hadn't put my pics and bio on the social media. The previous bass player's pics and bio was still there. I'm busting my ass and directly contributing to the success of the band, but my friends and family are looking at the web sites and asking me if I'm really in the band or just subbing, and who's the guy in the pictures?

When I brought it to "band leader's" attention, instead of apologizing and pledging to remedy the situation, she got pissy and defensive about it. Like I had done something wrong. Turns out she never liked me right from the start and only brought me in because her band threatened a revolt if she didn't.

Buh-bye!

 

That guy, meet this guy >

Is it wrong to expect a box with purchase of a new pedal

 

We call that a "guitar carnival" with all the effects pedals.

 

Hold my beer. I got 'dis.

1) Guitar player's uncle lived in a pickup truck camper on blocks beside the club where we rehearsed. (That guy was the front man of the house band and was "security" during the day.) He was 50+ years old. I quit when he brought the fifth 13 +/- year old girl out of the camper and nobody else in the band was offended. That guy was arrested on the run from the law for statutory rape only weeks later. He was caught with a local 14 year old girl in the car. She thought they were going to get married. See pic below for what this guy's "house" looked like.

So, statutory rape at the rehearsal spot. Check.

2) Keyboard player was obsessed with opening for Howard Jones. (this was the late 80s or early 90s.) He had exchanged letters with Howard's mother and seemed to think he could make it happen. This was before the internet, and this guy did the pre internet version of STALKING Howard Jones. He thought they were buddies even though they had never met. I would take other members of the band off to the side and ask if they knew this guy was a nut job. But they thought I WAS THE ONE out of line. Yep. Quit. Good luck with that, pal. (He eventually did get to meet Howard and pose for a pic at a concert. So, follow your dreams, kids. )

Band member stalking a British pop singer. Check.

3) And now I think we can put this to bed....pun intended. My drummer and my wife (at the time) had an affair. Yep, they broke up a marriage and a rhythm section at the same time. They taught at the same elementary school. Then he would come hang at my house until rehearsal.... sometimes getting there before me.

I busted them by planning a trip to my hometown to visit family and setting them up. I had been able to determine through recording my own phone that they were going to stay together either at my place or his that Friday night. So I hid in my place with my dad in the parking lot of our apartment. If they came to my place, he would call to warn me and I would jump out and snap a pic of them in action and call it a day. If they went to his, my brother was laying in wait in a cornfield behind his house with an infrared camera. My cousin was waiting at the end of the road to call my brother if they pulled in and get him to start recording.

The plan worked flawlessly. They pulled into his place. A few minutes later they turned out the lights. My brother busted them with the video camera. And the rest is history.

Drummer banging my wife getting busted by my family and some tactical maneuvers. Check.

Who's next?

 

I KNEW that was coming!!

 

the other cats died.

 

I think you should have stayed with Fleetwood Mac. Less drama, all told Plus they made pretty good money.

 

@two fingers wins another thread.

 

Had they decided to meet at the guitar player's uncle's pickup truck camper you would have been out of luck.

 

Or lost.... depending on how you look at it.