WAAAY Off topic-What would you do!!!?

[bstocky]

The main problem with being a musician is that you have to work with musicians.

Bahahahaha. That's great.

[MRhet]

Yea, has happened to me. A band leader's favorite drummer is his former drummer and his next drummer.

[Ghostnoter]

ghostnoter,
This stuff is unfortunately very common. As much as possible, I would still try to be on good terms with everyone. "What goes around, comes around..." and all that.

I played a weekly gig in a good band at an upper scale jazz club. One night, there must have been 20 drummers in the audience who wanted to sit in. What are the chances of 20 drummers showing up to your gig and they all ask to sit in? Well as you may have guessed, the guys in the band (my great friends) put out the word that they were looking for a new drummer. And all these guys were auditioning for my spot. Of course my bandmates never told me about their plan. We had rehearsed about 4 nights a week for 5 weeks to get this gig. I charted out and learned 40 tunes. Needless to say, it was a not a great experience. I was replaced by a friend of mine. I kept on good terms with everyone. The band even asked me to come back and "sub" for my replacement. On one of these sub gigs, I overheard the "leader" tell some young lady, "Doesn't the band sound better tonight? It's because our old drummer is playing the gig!" I just shook my head and walked away.

Years before this, I was with a band that was just offered a recording contract, a tour across the states and a tour across England. We had worked really hard for this. Tons of rehearsals. The "leader" of that band called me out of the blue and said I was fired. This really took me by surprise. They brought in their former drummer (another friend of mine). Two weeks latter the band broke up. I received a call about a year later saying that the band was reforming without the former "leader" and they asked if I would be interested in joining them. I said "sure" and we met for a rehearsal. While I was setting up, the guys in the band started talking about the time I quit the band. I said, "What, I didn't quit, I was fired." They said that not what the former "leader" said.

Weird personality things happen in bands, it can be due to great egos coupled with great insecurity. If what you bring to the table is no longer valued, it's a good sign that it's time to move on...and what follows can be a really nice improvement in your situation.

All the best,

Andy

Thanks for that! G

[Jim Richman]

What's the movie about the haunted house that says "GET OUT!!!!" ?

I believe in keeping bridges intact, but some just need to be blown up. I do not believe in going over a bridge back to hell. It's always good to talk to everyone involved in these kinds of situations to hear all sides.
But my opinion for you is to find another gig. Then give notice. Or just quit.

[littlegrooves]

The main problem with being a musician is that you have to work with musicians.

Man, I almost fell out when I read that. I have felt that way for years, but never had the brains to be able to put it so concisely.

I basically dropped out of school for a short while to try and do music full-time. Things started out beautifully-- I had a tour lined up; in-town gigs to play; an actual well-paying recording gig with a local teeny-bop singer doing a demo (parents were loaded and I had an "in"). Things were looking great...

.... But it turns out the tour fell through because I didn't smoke weed and they wanted a kindred spirit; the in-town gigs were not as plentiful as I was lead to believe by my suitors; and the recording gig got postponed three times.

It was many, many months of being strung along before I wised up and said "f-this". I decided to go back to school and finish my engineering degree. I still love zee drums, but I can't stand musicians.

[willyz]

What's funny about all this to me is that these sort of situations arise over some very stupid issues- people getting fired/hired over small political reasons or lack of communication/misunderstanding, etc, etc. If people were just upfront and vocal about things from the start our lives would be much easier.

As much as I agree that musicians can be the weirdest, flakiest, and unreasonable type, I have to admit that working as a professional musician isn't too different from working in any sort of workplace environment.

I was fired from one of my gigs last night after 2 and a half years. We had a residency at a joint down town and we usually did another 2 gigs or so in addition per week. The guitar player and I were close (I thought), we got a long really well, dug some of the same stuff… I even went to Thanksgiving at his house one year.

Long story short I was fired for two reasons: 1) this guitar player picked the worst tunes at the worst time. For example, last night, he called Yellow by Coldplay, followed by WithYou Without You by U2, back to back. Needless to say, all 6 people in the bar promptly left. Perhaps it was a mistake, but I called him out on that. If you’re working as a cover band at a bar, you should really stray away from ballad-ish tunes, especially down on 6th street in Austin. 2) last week after a successful gig I counted the money from the tip jar. The guitarist was pretty drunk and left all the money sitting at the front of the stage as the bar was closing (2am) and all sorts of people were shuffling out the door. It could have very easily been stolen, and the poor guy was too lit to notice. So I counted the money. He said nothing about it then, but it apparently really pissed him off because he was the “leader”…

Again, this is a gig we’ve done together for 2 and a half years…

I was a little hurt and upset after the gig last night (why not just talk about these issues up front?), but the more that I think about it; the more relieved I’m feeling. He never wanted to rehearse, he never wanted to add new tunes, plus I ended up doing a lot of the booking (a lot of gigs he didn’t want to take) and I did a lot of promotion stuff too. And this is just all of the political workings- musically the gig was just a lot of work, lots of playing loud and hard as he shredded over all the tunes. It was exhausting- I felt as if I always had to work to hold the band together, instead of the band listening and feeling and getting the groove happening… I don’t know, maybe he feels the same way.

In the end, musicians are difficult people to work with. Nine times out of ten someone’s ego is going to come first. My schedule has freed up a lot without this gig and I have to re-budget my funds for the coming months as this was a good chunk of my income from music. I’ve got some other stuff I’ve been doing that’s much for satisfying, much easier- less work (and I’ve got a much more active role in the decision making). Sometimes regardless of how these situations end, right or wrong, it’s for our benefit- dig?

[YamahaPlayer]

That sucks Willyz, I think any working musician has been there. I totally feel you on the tune selection, sometimes you're just like "What!??!"

The guitarist was pretty drunk and left all the money sitting at the front of the stage as the bar was closing (2am) and all sorts of people were shuffling out the door. It could have very easily been stolen, and the poor guy was too lit to notice.

That right there though, I would walk on. I refuse to work with people who get drunk while playing. Period. I'm a pro, I bring my A game. It's my job. I expect the same out of everyone else, leader or sideman equally.

You are better then that and deserve to work with professionals. That is not a professional by any means. It might not come around on him tomorrow, but eventually it will. Most the working musicians I know, including other instruments, refuse to work with anyone that is a drunk.

[Ghostnoter]

Man what a drag! Sorry to here about your gig situation...I hope you can rebound and move forward after this. Alot of what you experienced insofar as developing a friendship, hanging out socially was the same in my case. You think you develop something meaningful that bridges the musical to personal gap and seemingly makes the situation pretty good and appear to progress for a while, then slam! Betrayal!...Yeah, I feel you on the doing the 'homework' and trying to keep thing going musically and otherwise. I think of the so called drum heroes who've gotten the short end of the stick in recent years and how they were able to 'cry' a little, pull their bootstraps up and get to work! and being able to acheive some measure of success inspite of the negativity of being fired, replaced unceremonially and carve a niche out of the music business, reach goals and inspire others. In the big scheme of things, perhaps it is for our benefit...stay positive, drum brother...
G

[willyz]

Thanks cats.

Yeah, I’ve got some other work lined up- some more stuff out of town that pays a little better, and a band that I’m actually a part of, which is a lot of fun.

Funny thing is that I’ve learned a lot very quickly (still am learning) here in Austin. Most of that is what NOT to do. Ah well, C'est la vie...

[YamahaPlayer]

Most of that is what NOT to do. Ah well, C'est la vie...

That's how it seems to work!