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Worst. Drummer. Ever.

#62
FugaziBomb said:
I agree with this, but this time the drumming was so bad, it was essentially impossible to hold a groove or in any way shine even as a pocket player. I am weary of making too big a deal about it, as I like working with the BL and typically the performances are good. I dunno if I can go through that again, though. I was so embarrassed to be part of that...
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I understand what you are saying. I've been there.

What's most important for you? Having a fun hobby or being a professional. Sometimes both happen, but in the end you can't be both.

If you are a hobbyist, go ahead and make demands on your BL. You aren't having fun, you've got nothing to lose if it all blows up.
If you are a pro you have 2 options. Either suck it up and accept that some gigs are very difficult, or you can quit and walk away.

I've done a lot of quitting in my life when things got tough. I really regret it now so I advise against it unless you have a better gig.
 
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#63
FugaziBomb said:
The problem is It's not my gig, I'm just a hired gun. I don't have any authority to axe this drummer
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in that case just don't use an axe... :laugh:

poison.jpg


use a bottle ;)

Wise(b)ass
 
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#71
Being willing to say "no, not with him" or "no, not at that venue" is the ONLY leverage you have to protect your rep as a serious player. As long as you are respectful and calm when discussing it, there should be no problems.

Unsolicited advice: don't talk about this in reference to a particular gig. Just say, "I cannot play with X again. If X is the drummer, I will not play." Don't make it about the most recent gigs or other gigs. You don't really owe an explanation.
 
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#73
3orangewhips said:
Being willing to say "no, not with him" or "no, not at that venue" is the ONLY leverage you have to protect your rep as a serious player. As long as you are respectful and calm when discussing it, there should be no problems.

Unsolicited advice: don't talk about this in reference to a particular gig. Just say, "I cannot play with X again. If X is the drummer, I will not play." Don't make it about the most recent gigs or other gigs. You don't really owe an explanation.
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I agree with you, about not being specific regarding any gig. However, if asked by the BL, be willing to state times and dates, that is be specific. If you can't you develop the rep as a complainer.
 
#75
Old Garage-Bander said:
If it's that bad and you feel it's hurting your chances to play other gigs, I'd let the band leader know that if he wants to schedule his buddy as the drummer that he shouldn't bother calling you.
I mean gee whiz, how hard can it be to keep time well enough to not crash a song?
Certainly there is a root/fifth equivalent for drums, right?
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What Old Garage-Bander said...
 
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#76
Yeah, I'd tell him not to call if he's using that drummer.

I had the same issue with a guitar player, actually two of them. They wouldn't rehearse, wouldn't learn the songs, couldn't remember what key the songs were in... the last show I did with them (yep, both in the same band) was a train wreck from start to finish. I told the drummer (it was his gig) then and there: I'll NEVER play with these guys again. It's actually working out very well... I've never even seen those two guys since that night, and that was at least eight years ago.
 
#77
I will say, in my younger days I did some gigs with a festival gigging band with a really bad drummer. On more than one occasion I had sound guys and other musicians come up to me after a set and tell me that I did a great job holding things down and how difficult it must be never knowing where the downbeat is going to be, and I am an above average player at best. Good music minds can tell where the problem is and that it's not you. Now, the BL may be guilty by association for booking the drummer, but other than the embarrassment I think you won't be worse for wear.
 
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#80
FugaziBomb said:
So a friend of mine who is a BL contacted me earlier in the week to do a cover gig at a beach bar. This BL will throw together a band on the fly to do simple reggae standards. I am typically his bassist, but the line up is always rotating amongst players in the area. When I got to the bar I asked him who the drummer was going to be for the night. He informs me it's X who we are both familiar with and have worked with. We are also both aware and have agreed that he is a horrible drummer. We start the first song of the night and it is almost immediately a total travesty. As the night goes on things don't get any better. At one point the BL turns to the drummer and asks that we pick up the song to a double time. The drummer then precedes to do a triplet "Dancehall style" reggae rhythm which essentially crashes the song into a ditch - we barely recover. The whole night is like this.

This whole thing made my blood boil for a few reasons. First of all his awful performance made the rest of us look terrible in return. I can only do so much to keep a train wreck rolling. Two songs tonight had to be stopped arbitrarily because he got so lost that he could no longer find the beat. Often times I get gigs with new BLs by meeting them and networking at gigs I'm doing for other BLs. If there was a potential BL looking for a bassist, I doubt he would have hired me based on the sh*t show I was involved with tonight.

The other thing that pisses me right the **** off is that there are practiced, talented, ambitious drummers in our area who have put time in to hone their craft and they are dying for work while this guy is taking gigs and totally cavalier about how terrible he is. It's almost a joke to him... I've talked to him in the past about his horrible performance, specifically not holding tempos during fills, and his response was to the affect of "Yeah, I don't bother trying to hold down the tempo in drum fills" ...!

Another point of contention is that this BL and I have talked and both agreed that this drummer is no where near talented enough to do these shows, yet here we are again.

Would I be out of line to let this BL know that I refuse to work with the drummer again? Would I be out of line to cancel a gig at short notice if I find out this drummer is booked again? I do 2-3 nights a month with this BL which is significantly more than any other, so I'm weary about being ham fisted with the way I handle this. I cannot go through another gig like tonight, though.
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It seems to me that if this guy is the only drummer available to do a gig, it is the same as if you couldn't find a drummer so you cancel the gig. I am a gig whore on the highest order and rarely turn down any professional playing opportunities (unless my beloved queen has plans for us). However, I play mostly for fun and sucking is definitely NOT fun.
 

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