So....What do you think that they're trying to say here?.....
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Why We don’t do battles
- Thread starter Nephilymbass
- Start date
So....What do you think that they're trying to say here?.....
go ahead and do it again next year, just make sure it's a half hour NOBODY will EVER forget...
We did one this summer to make our drummer happy. It was for recording time and some bucks. Up against 2 other bands, one a professional Dio tribute, another a coffee house/wine bar group. We were the only band to do some original songs. Luckily they excluded the Dio band. One of the judges hits on us was the guitar player's shoes, which were just nice gym shoes. The coffee house group won even though it's a rock bar.
Our drummer, who insisted on doing it wouldn't let us rehearse the day before. Come to find out he was rehearsing with another band instead. Think he badmouthed us to the judges too. We sent him on his other band way shortly after. They fired him after their first gig. Definitely upset our schedule this summer prepping for this.
They got 3 bands to play their bar for free, while their fans ate and drank, the end.
Our drummer, who insisted on doing it wouldn't let us rehearse the day before. Come to find out he was rehearsing with another band instead. Think he badmouthed us to the judges too. We sent him on his other band way shortly after. They fired him after their first gig. Definitely upset our schedule this summer prepping for this.
They got 3 bands to play their bar for free, while their fans ate and drank, the end.
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One of my bands recently participated in a radio station "battle of the bands" that went on for weeks. I was hesitant to do it but the guitar player bought us some studio time to records a few covers for the contest. One band has won several years in a row. I figured out why. The keyboard player mass-texts every contact on his phone phone as soon as the voting opens up for his band and tells them to vote. Never again. Plus I just don't approve of the whole "battle" concept. Musicians should not be "battling" each other. I go out of my way to support other bands and musicians.
jive1
Commercial User
I do it all the time. Yeah, it's signing checks for a bunch of bill collectors, but...................
Having just finished a BotB gig, I can tell you that the rest of my band are convinced that we will likely not be participating in that type of scenario again. Seemed pretty well fixed from the start. Thankfully most of the participating band members were really cool, and good contacts were made. There were some excellent musicians and some really cool cats there. Additionally, we at least made enough money to pay for gas and food expenses.
So while one could raise a stink about the suspicion that a competition was fixed, you risk coming off as whining because you lost. The best option is to not be "that guy", recognize the likelihood of the situation being just that and let things fall as they will. Make the best of it, make contacts and some money if possible, but don't make a habit of being in BotB's for several reasons., not the least of which is the psychology of continually losing to other bands in a "fixed" competition. It can rob you of your joy in playing very quickly.
So while one could raise a stink about the suspicion that a competition was fixed, you risk coming off as whining because you lost. The best option is to not be "that guy", recognize the likelihood of the situation being just that and let things fall as they will. Make the best of it, make contacts and some money if possible, but don't make a habit of being in BotB's for several reasons., not the least of which is the psychology of continually losing to other bands in a "fixed" competition. It can rob you of your joy in playing very quickly.
Only one that we ever played was obviously rigged, and we were told so before we even played for the night.
This was a local rock stations battle. We made it to the finals and there were some good prizes that would have been cool to win (studio time especially... this was back int he day when you needed to go to a studio. lol). Bands all set up and the hosting DJ calls all the bands over. He then announces that "Band XYZ" has won the battle because of "ticket sales". We were pissed as there were "Judges" there and we were under the impression that this was an actual competition. One band walks out, we play (place was packed after all, might as well give them a show), and the next band announces right on the mic "We would like to congratulate Band XYZ for winning this obviously rigged competition before any of us even played. Great job guys"...
Needless to say, we never played another battle ever again.
On the plus side, the prizes were actually crap. The "Backline" that you won was the same crappy stuff they used for the entire competition (the bass speakers were blown, heads on the cheap drum set were trashed, etc). The studio time was some kids basement, not a pro studio like they advertised, and the "van" you got to haul the equipment in was an 80's Dodge Caravan with stickers all over it. Oh and you could not take the stickers off the van or you would forfeit all the prizes.
This was a local rock stations battle. We made it to the finals and there were some good prizes that would have been cool to win (studio time especially... this was back int he day when you needed to go to a studio. lol). Bands all set up and the hosting DJ calls all the bands over. He then announces that "Band XYZ" has won the battle because of "ticket sales". We were pissed as there were "Judges" there and we were under the impression that this was an actual competition. One band walks out, we play (place was packed after all, might as well give them a show), and the next band announces right on the mic "We would like to congratulate Band XYZ for winning this obviously rigged competition before any of us even played. Great job guys"...
Needless to say, we never played another battle ever again.
On the plus side, the prizes were actually crap. The "Backline" that you won was the same crappy stuff they used for the entire competition (the bass speakers were blown, heads on the cheap drum set were trashed, etc). The studio time was some kids basement, not a pro studio like they advertised, and the "van" you got to haul the equipment in was an 80's Dodge Caravan with stickers all over it. Oh and you could not take the stickers off the van or you would forfeit all the prizes.
Ya... Battles of the Bands is always a waste of time and usually thinly veiled way for "promoter" to make money off bands without paying.
I was in a band that went into a BOTB with this mindset. We knew we were good and didn't care about winning, really. We knew the fix was in LONG before we ever got asked to play. We did a great show and used it to sell a bunch of CD's and expand our fanbase since the place was outside of our usual stomping grounds.
Highlight was at the end of the night one of the BOTB organizers of the event high-tailing it through the crowd to me and the rest of the guys in the band asking us to "calm our fans down" because they were chanting the name of our band over the announcement of the "winner."
When you know the fix is in never take flipping the table and causing a riot off of the list of possibilities. We sold alot of CD's that night and got a lot of new fans from the event. And we didn't burn a bridge with the venue either; it was all on the backs of the BOTB organizers. We started gigging there regularly and the Manager LOVED us!
More of the same. Sounds similar to a situation we played in years ago. The show was meant to be a fund raiser for charity with the winner booked onto a cruise. Oddly enough the band that won organised the event , including the judges, and played old crap covers that would have worked on a cruise ship. unlike all the other bands!!!
as one with a table flipping past I fully concur, and causing a riot worked well for Ministry, Al still talks about the Pearl Harbor riot they caused. it was a great nite!
Ridin' down the highway
Goin' to a show
Stop in all the by-ways
Playin' rock 'n' roll
Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you folks
It's harder than it looks
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you think it's easy doin' one night stands
Try playin' in a rock roll band
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
Hotel, motel
Make you wanna cry
Lady do the hard sell
Know the reason why
Gettin' old
Gettin' grey
Gettin' ripped off
Under-paid
Gettin' sold
Second hand
That's how it goes
Playin' in a band
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you wanna be a star of stage and screen
Look out it's rough and mean
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
Well, it's a long way
It's a long way, (they tell me)
It's a long way, such a long way
Goin' to a show
Stop in all the by-ways
Playin' rock 'n' roll
Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you folks
It's harder than it looks
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you think it's easy doin' one night stands
Try playin' in a rock roll band
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
Hotel, motel
Make you wanna cry
Lady do the hard sell
Know the reason why
Gettin' old
Gettin' grey
Gettin' ripped off
Under-paid
Gettin' sold
Second hand
That's how it goes
Playin' in a band
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you wanna be a star of stage and screen
Look out it's rough and mean
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
Well, it's a long way
It's a long way, (they tell me)
It's a long way, such a long way
Usually the way those work is you're at the bottom. So if you're at the top you're ahead of the curve!
And yeah, this thing was definitely rigged. But it's not really uto you what your fans do. I say just observe quietly and stay out of it because almost no good can come of almost any public comments the band could make. If the station or venue complain about the accusations of rigging just shrug like "what do you expect?"
