Why did you quit a band?

[TjMetalhead]

Rehearsal space was in a condemned building. Smelled like something had died and it had warning posters everywhere saying something along the lines of "City property, will be prosecuted if discovered trespassing". Best part all the amps and power shared one plug strip with an exposed outlet. I was nervous the whole time thinking I was breathing in something toxic. This was only the second time I jammed with the BL and first time with a new line up she was trying to form. I pretty much bailed on them after that. I get that it's hard finding jam spots, but don't pick one where we could get arrested.

 

[JZQuantum]

To be in control of 100 percent of every decision, all the time. No nonsense allowed.

 

[2112]

If I could only form a band of 4 or 5 bassists, I think I'd be sorted!

How would you get 4 or 5 bassists all playing torted and flatted P's with high-mass bridges to cut thru the mix so they could all play lead bass? No offense brotato chip, but I just don't see it working out.

 

[Kmonk]

I've quit bands for several reasons. One was because the drummer always insisted on having everything his way.

About 20 years ago, I quit another band because the lead guitarist decided he wanted to use part of our rehearsal space to grow pot plants in order to supplement his income. At the time, marijuana was illegal in Massachusetts. I am very anti-drug. I don't care what people do in their own time but I don't want drugs around me.

I quit another band because the BL repeatedly promised the use of our gear to other bands who were playing the same gigs and never asked us. He just made the promise. When the other band members and I expressed our concern, he used a racial slur toward our drummer. At that point, the drummer, keyboard player and I quit the band.

Three years ago, I quit a band because the drummer was impossible to work with. I never did anything to him, in fact I always complimented him but for some reason, he didn't like me. He would rarely speak to me and when he did, it was usually in a confrontational manner. I expressed my concerns to the other band members but they wanted to keep him so I left. It was a difficult decision because I co-founded the band and we were playing nice gigs. Casinos, festivals, etc. A few months after I quit the band the drummer admitted to the other band members that he didn't like me but he had no idea why. Shortly after that he was arrested for domestic violence and fired from the band.

 

[HardNHeavy]

"Musical differences, we weren't gigging, tired of playing fast and not melodic, i moved farther away". There was never any personal drama, we all got along fine, but for the first few bands i really liked, those were the reasons i left.

 

[walking Bass]

Vietnam, the draft, you know, the 60s.

 

[Ellery]

One, drummer was a drama queen. He insisted we rehearse at his house and would use that as a lever to decide when we rehearsed, when we stopped, even what we would work on. One night I wanted to record a session just for us, to hear ourselves. He was the only one who thought this was a waste of time. I told him ahead of time I was coming with a 4 track and a few mic's and he didn't say anything. But by the time I arrived he was fuming. I was setting up the recorder and he finally exploded and yelled that I should finish playing around or get th the **** out of his house. That was it. I quit right then and there.

 

[bassicmike]

The drummer got drunk at shows.

Guitarist was a body cavity.

Drummer and guitarist were body cavities.

Just not very good players.

A bunch of stoners.

 

[2F/2F]

1. Pretentious singer, no pay for lots of work, realized the music really sucked, and the "band" was basically just the singer's long-term vanity project, while we were her free labor

2. They just wanted to sit around and drink beer and smoke weed in Hollywood (which I hate), they were crappy musicians, I didn't like the songs

3. A-hole drummer, too much family separation to suit me

That's it. The band that I'm still in, I've been in for 12 years. Those other three scenarios all happened within the timeframe of this main band.

Before the current 12-year band, I never really quit. The bands just sort of dissolved.

 

[Ellery]

Another band, the frontman had no family or steady job, all he wanted to do was play shows. I worked full time and the drummer worked full time AND had a family, but we still accomodated as much as we could. After all playing was fun and we wanted to help out our friend. But he would get upset when one of us turned down a gig because we had something else going on. One night we're squeezing in an 11pm gig that was kinda far away and both the drummer and I had to work the next day. Strangely, the promoter kept delaying us and letting other bands go ahead of us. I was gettin kinda mad, but the frontman kept telling us not to talk to the promoter, he had it handled. This kept going on until 1am when we finally played. Before we left I had some words with the promoter. He asked, what was I taking about? We had always been booked for 1am. I looked at a flyer and his own roster, and he was right. Frontman had been lying to us the whole time!

 

[mark roberts]

This is an offshoot of the "have you ever been fired" thread.

So why did you quit?

6-pc band, lead vocals divided between three players (I was a sporadic backing/harmonizing vocalist), only one real venue that we played, no gig leadership, several players, other than me, in other bands, and coordinating schedules was a cluster .... .

I suggested offshoots of the band where “some of us” would create a gig worthy set of tunes w/o one or two other members. Crickets.

I gave it five years...when our only venue closed...and it was a tips venue, but we were fed and watered...and no attempts by the de-facto leader (originator of the band) to find other venues, I had to inform them that I was moving on to focus on my solo extended-range bass original instrumental music and looking for more compensated playing opportunities with band(s) whether they be original, cover or combo of the latter.

Needless to say, as a “senior”, regardless of health and youthful of mind and body (save the silver locks and goatee)...and 50 years of playing experience...the current times have not been ones that provide many band opportunities that cater to my fairly broad preferences or provide some venue amenities or compensation. Even when I had a full PA, etc.

Even before the pandemic...local venues were, are going acoustic solo, duo, trio and shrinking. No or tips compensation. It is still happening now. Businesses are only “hiring” if they can get their music for “free” or close to it.

The local “iconic” venues are closed. They have their own set of requirements and “locals” are the lessor artists (until they climb the national ladder, then bragging rights begin).

Yeah, sorry for the “rain” on this. Kind of a rant.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

I've never quit a band. One time, I got fired, for cause (I was too rootsy). Another time, I had a bandleader get so upset at me that he didn't fire me, he shut the whole thing down. I lived to tell the tale.

 

[lokikallas]

1. Bad drummer the rest of the band tolerated.
2. Endless rehearsals with no gigs.
3. Bad gigs that didn't pay or have any satisfaction.
4. I Moved across the country.

 

[2playbass]

Disrespect and drama are the two biggies for me, and I have left several really good bands because of one or the other.

I have a really low tolerance for lack of respect shown to other people, not just band members. It's especially bad when people in the band cannot show respect for each other as people, and as musicians. If a member is not cutting it for some reason, have a mature discussion about it.

Drama is just an immature waste of time and energy. I can tolerate a little drama, but if it becomes a regular part of a band's culture, I'm out.

 

[Danny O Danny]

I've quit a few in the last 40 years. Sometimes it was because the band had stagnated over a long period of time (musically or directionally); sometimes it was because of chronic unprofessionalism; once or twice it was because the level of musicianship just wasn't cutting it and wasn't likely to improve; once it was because the band-leader was psychotic (seriously) as well as a major substance abuser.

 

[westrock]

Rule#22: When in doubt, know your way out-Always have an escape route.

 

[2112]

Rule#22: When in doubt, know your way out-Always have an escape route.

Interesting... that's also Rule #22 of storm chasing...

 

[RayWithFlats]

The only time I’ve ever left a band was because of the infamous “musical differences” that came on as the band progressed. Basically, the guitarist/lead singer and the drummer really got into singing harmonies and the new songs got simpler and less hard-rockin’ to leave space for the vocals. It was a wrench to leave because they were both good players and great blokes but I’d have been shortchanging them to stay and just phone it in on material I wasn’t into. I felt that was the “least worst” way to resolve things but I still felt like a tool for a while afterwards.

 

[Johnny StingRay]

15 years being Grace On Fire's bassist at St. Anthony parish in Belleville, Michigan.
Had to quit because:
1. To much hassle getting my gear to church, picking up my mother for church, getting back to church for pre-mass rehearsal, getting my mother back home, getting my gear back home.
2. Not being able to keep my gear at church.
3. Not being allowed to keep our music area set-up in church from week to week. Had to set-up and breakdown every week.
4. New priest dropped the Easter Vigil Mass that Grace On Fire did the singing and music for for over 15 years. Vigil was a three hour Mass and the highlight of our liturgical music year.
5. New priest dropped the Meditation after Communion during the Mass. Essentially ending our most prayerful music.
6. New priest set a time limit on every song we played during Mass. Our BL got a stop watch to time our music during rehearsals.
7. Due to the restrictions the new priest put on our set-up, I couldn't run an output line from my amp to the board to go through the church PA. I was not allowed to turn up my amp to compensate, so pretty much no one in the congregation could hear me. I was right next to the altar and was told "YOU WILL turn down that bass!"....
Adios!!!!!

 

[factory presets]

1. The artist was racist, misogynistic, and homophobic

I tend to not get in those bands in the first place. But a friend of mine wanted me to play in his band with a famously Nazi guitarist. At first I thought he was joking. Eventually agreed on the understanding that if I hear one word, it's on.

Turns out the pride of the Aryan race is pathologically shy and overcompensating up a storm. All the stay at home made for a brilliant guitarist who would learn new songs then turn up to practice with charts for everybody. Plus hewrote some crazy songs. The music was ostensibly rockabilly with about 30-40% originals but was often closer to western swing. We even learnd Cow Cow boogie, possiblity as a sop to me. Adolph enjoyed my facility with his diminished chord progressions.

I never heard the word per se, but he was won't to have a dig at my BL Jewish friend. No idea what was said behind my back. I found it hard to hate such an insecure man for his beliefs. In some ways I'd consider him a friend. It's not like I'd have to rely on him for anything outside music.

Eventually left cos the BL was the weak link. We'd start to learn so many songs and have to give up cos he couldn't do them. Plus I was over the poisonous symbiosis between the singer and the guitarist.