Why did you quit a band?

[NZBassman]

a drummer I used to play with over 20 years ago (we're still friends on facebook) was playing in a band after our band split up, and he said the singer / guitarist had an argument with him about something and short paid him for the gig, so he said stuff it I'm leaving... then 2 weeks later the same singer / guitarist phoned him up and asked where he was because they were setting up for a gig

Apparently the singer / guitarist didn't realise that when the drummer said "stuff it I'm leaving" he actually meant it.

 

[HolmeBass]

The last two:
- Drummer who would not groove right. Doing blues and soul and rock with a jazz drummer is hard.
- Conflicts w/ frontman-guitarist about arrangements upon realizing he wouldn’t learn them but rather just kept constantly changing the bass and/or drum parts. He turned out to be strangely controlling.

 

[crankypants]

I quit a band because they all were seriously on blow. I was driving the band down I-95 from NJ to Richmond Va when a Virginia trooper started tailgating me. I looked over at the drummer And he had white powder all over his face like out of Scarface. I shat me pants. The trooper pulled off after a few minutes. We were in a white perv van where you could see the music equipment from the back window. Never again. I took a bus home. I am now a defense lawyer and see people in these situations. LEO has no mercy and never believe that anyone in such a situation may be innocent.

Damn. No white stuff for me. That's why they made you drive.

 

[dr doofie]

Yeah we didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't going to work. It was too funny to watch him drink it at the BBQ we all worked at. We wanted to fire him anyway; we figured if he failed his pee test, he'd have probably gone to prison and we'd have been rid of him for free.

But for me, the worst thing about the music biz is the endless fighting and the drug dealing. Strange, shaggy drug dealers constantly in and out of the house/studio etc. all night, coke and pot all over and just hoards of coked-up red-eyed stinking drunks staggering around and yelling and grabbing your gear and knocking stuff over and all that crap.

I think if it weren't for that, I could probably handle the rest of gigging and playing for money. If it was just playing good music with good musicians and people actually came the gigs and enjoyed it, I'd probably go back to gigging. I'd even buy a fretted bass for doing it.

But because of that I don't miss it and don't really plan to go back into professional music. I might try to do my own projects on my own, though. Just depends on how things go.

L

You could get into the literary side of the music biz; you describe everything perfectly, like I’m there... feeling nauseous now...

 

[crankypants]

This is a great thread. So many stories...

 

[Riff Ranger]

It has been a while, but when I have quit, it was because bands I put together to play original music started turning into cover bands (and nobody booked metal cover bands at the time; “tribute” bands hadn’t quite become a thing yet), my creative contributions were sidelined, my commitment and effort went unappreciated while others chased and made ridiculous accommodations to try and land a player who wasn’t that interested, and more often amicably when it just became clear that the creative partners were heading in different directions.

 

[StatesideRambler]

My time in Japan was finished, I was headed home, so they had to find another bass player.

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

I've quit bands for various reasons including boredom, disorganization and delusions of grandeur!

 

[ShimSpacer]

exactly, see above ^
but mostly
# 1
i'm a non-committal ass
#2
i think i'll put up with most everything if i i really like the music - those few bands.. or was it one (?) someone else covered the quitting

 

[IamGroot]

Our band leader punched out the bar manager because the manager scolded us for starting late. We were immediately fired, of course. Then he threatened to punch me out as we were breaking down our equipment. He had the brainless audacity to call me a few days later and ask me if I was coming to band rehearsal. Not. Shame of it was is that it was a great and fun band.

M. M.

Ronnie?

 

[arbiterusa]

Singer had a lack of talent and a lack of awareness about her lack of talent.

 

[Dr Zee]

My story is not about quitting a band or being fired, although I've been through all that. For over thirty years I worked with a drummer and guitarist in a long row of projects involving a very large group of players really based on a common desire to play music. Reading all the posts here makes me realize how blessed I've been in my musical endeavors. We didn't always play everything with each other but from the three of us and everyone we knew, all kinds of shows happened. It was always fun, we made some good money and the only way anybody left the circle was by dyeing, which has happened all too often over the years. A

 

[IamGroot]

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.

Spinal Tap figured this out.

 

[factory presets]

steampunk death folk circus music... LOLOLOL !!
Is that... a thing? For real?

I imagine all rhat steampunk woollen wear could become quite a struggle in the Texas heat.

 

[mb94952]

Haven't quit yet because I'm at least playing and the music is "OK". But I struggle with this question every week. The guitar player is a total alcoholic and is wasted by the end of nearly every practice AND he's never been in a band before, so his opinions about his gear and my gear, regular band interaction between our collective gear and as our roles in the band, recording, etc is twisted, at best. He has no clue yet continues to call the shots because we play for free at his ranch. He's a moron and I have nearly zero respect for him. I'm the oldest guy in the band by 20 years and have loads of experience, yet my opinions mean NOTHING. In fact, three of the five of us have zero band experience and the singer has little experience, but he's REALLY good. The music is the only reason why I stick around. It's kind of cool, but I'd love to find a "real" band to play with with players who have experience. Otherwise, it's a complete joke and a buzz kill.

 

[Maki_Randy]

Well I was the drummer at the time. The bassist and guitarist couldn't agree on who was the leader of the band. One day we were ready for a gig. I had everything setup, we did a sound check and when I came back half an hour later to start the show, the bassist started packing his stuff.
Since I found he was an ass but also the much better singer. I couldn't go on in such a weird and shaged up environment...

 

[Resonance129]

Mainly:
- Lack of structure.
- Band leader had some anger management issues
- #2 lead to a good bit of animosity, anxiety, and the whole "revolving door" of members.

The music was original and pretty unique, which made it kinda fun and interesting when things were cool. But there was usually no pay for gigs, and over time, it got to a point where it wasn't worth the headache and drive anymore.

 

[NortyFiner]

My (now ex) brother in law is/was a guitarist. He talked me into trying to play with him and another guitarist friend of his, whom I shall call Gitard. Gitard brought his girlfriend with the insistence that she could be lead singer. Which might have worked IF she could actually sing (no) and IF she wasn't crazy (yes). The "band" quickly became all about her and her boyfriend, and the whole thing broke up amid their screaming drama within weeks. I don't think any of those involved ever spoke to each other again, and my brother in law later apologized for bringing me into it.

 

[tminus10]

I just got tired of the music and wanted to try something else. I've also quit because the lyrics sucked.

 

[Hypercaffium]

Psychopath female singer.