Some friends of mine asked me to join a really prog metal thing. I'm a pretty good bassist, but i just didn't have the skills they needed (both the guitarist and drummer had their masters in their instruments). We did a few rehearsals and they were afraid to tell me so I started the conversation. I told them that maybe they should go in a different direction with a different player...and that I simply didn't have the skills they needed. We're still friends.
I give you so much respect for that . They should’ve have kept you after you demonstrated that you cared enough for the band and members to step aside . Will the next guy care about it as much as you?
I been working as musician my whole life. Only music no other jobs. This channel’s info has the best advice for real!!! This is what needs to be in music school!!! This info is 75%, hell maybe 90% of gigging. Or just to keep gigging. Playing the music should just be a given, but the content in this video… Man so important!!! Listen to this man! Thank you!!!!
I’ve found that the rarest thing is everyone having a shared vision, especially with original music, everyone has their agenda and most don’t line up, in their mind, your just a stepping stone to where they want to be😞
Yeah, I was part of a a band that was started with me and 2 high school friends. A couple of months in, the lead guitarist decided it was HIS band and no one else’s input mattered. He always knew best because he had awards and was sponsored years ago in high school. He couldn’t sing or do vocals for the life of him, but always had something to say. Were a metal band and not to toot my own horn, but I have crazy insane harsh vocals, that’s why they wanted me in the first place, but he decided how the sound should be as if I were a machine and could change my entire voice. “No do it like THIS vocalist!” Bro, no one has the same voice lol. The bassist was never right no matter what. Our drummer and rhythm guitarist quit because of him. All he wanted to do was be a carbon copy of this band Tesseract after weeks of saying he wanted to be different and find our own sound, then went to we need to be like every djent band. Got to the point where he said we all sucked and now does crappy Twitch streams that no one watches as he drinks and eats junk getting fatter and fatter with no music, just him trying to show off his shredding and chugging lol dude literally wanted to control every aspect of everything, and he was always the one like 2-3 hours late to practice EVERY time and then he’d act like we were in the wrong when HE set the time, demanded we be early, then would ignore all calls and texts and then be like “well I had to eat and I took a nap, what did you guys finish?” When we literally weren’t allowed to do anything unless he okayed it, so doing anything without him was a waste of our time and energy. Got to the point where me and my buddy got into his his saved files in Reaper and deleted all of our personal work and recording we did there so he couldn’t steal them and claim credit. All he had left was riffs he copied from already famous bands.
@@-whiskey-4134 sad, I don’t tell anyone how to do anything, when I hire someone I trust their judgment and abilities otherwise I wouldn’t hire them, I try to get everyone creatively involved, that way they all have skin in the game, if someone writes something?, they get to keep the publishing, I can’t say no to a good idea nor is it wise to do so, I hope you kept singing and that you found a band that suits your skills, bless you🤘
Ego's are one of the most difficult things to reel in. I agree with you. Show up consistently and on time, have your gear, and for the Love of God, know you material.
The last band that I was in, I was a co-founder of the band, there were no drugs aloud before, during, or after a rehearsal or gig. No drugs period. There was alcohol consumption, but not on my part, I was always the designated driver. We had a number of back-up musicians in case a band member was unavailable for a gig. We all had a wonderful time in that band and it was a very enjoyable experience for me.
That's so fking true my dude. Their priority list when they get to the gig is: Get drunk Get paid Be a bigshot for being in the band Try to get laid How their gear looks The music. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for those other things as much as the next guy, but it's the priority list that's all F'd up. And you're totally right, they're alchies first, and nothing will get in the way of them doing their self destruction.
Unreliability and lack of skill/commitment is a big reasons musicians get fired and also when we are given advice on how to enhance our skills we need to listen and work on it right away!
I always have a rule with the musicians I play with...We NEVER have band meetings/discussions by email or text. Always have meetings in person. There's no expression or vocal tone in a text, and someone can read it wrong and before you know it, World War 3 has begun. Good video.
Agree with that 100% the band should spend time after the gig socialising with those who want to chat about your song’s performance, etc.. and should meet in person to discuss new songs or change of direction.
I think that would depend on circumstances or the topic of discussion for the meeting. Assuming everyone has a mutual respect for each other, minor matters can be discussed/coordinated via text or phone call. Lengthy, detailed discussions probably need to be done in person. If someone needs to be replaced, I'd prefer it be done via phone call instead of me travelling to the practice/rehearsal/meeting/gig only to be told I'm fired.
Sounds good in theory, though with communication and technology ruling most people's lives nowdays, your idea is not practical in most cases......unless all the band members are 95 years old.
I've never been fired from a band, but I've quit several because of drunks. They just ruin everything. They never practice, they never put in effort, they're sloppy, and the excuses are enough to choke an elephant. I admit...I'll occasionally sip on a few coors light during a gig... but never enough to feel it. I usually bring a 2 liter of soda.
I would take a so-so player that shows up to everything and never complains, genuinely glad to be there than any Super Player. EVERY TIME. And then when i moved up higher - I BECAME this guy because I was in way over my head. Played on 6th Street Austin, said please and thank you to everyone. Find that guy or girl. BE that guy or girl.
My band actually passed over more skilled musicians for lesser skilled musicians simply because they were more reliable and had a more congenial personality.
These are points professionals in any trade can appreciate. Your explanations on why each point is important, really captures their necessity. Thank you for making this. Well done!
It depends on the gig and whether there’s an upfront conversation or even contract outlining standards. I’m thinking cruise ship type gigs with drug testing etc. That’s one reason I’d never do a cruise ship gig: I’d be made to walk the plank and swim home. I did one overseas tour where the band leader was a huge, threatening, violent guy who told us all “no drugs and no sleeping with anyone in the band.” Given that it was a 7 piece band with 1 woman and 6 straight guys, and in a part of the world where drug laws were strict, that was fair enough to keep me on the straight and narrow! Until the last night, at least. By then I’d spent my nights with the band playing, drinking, hanging with friendly fans, prostitutes, military personnel, perverted princes, all the time watching seedy new millennium courtship behaviour, fights, a stabbing, a massed drowning. The boss himself was speeding on prescribed weight loss drugs.
You hit the nail on the head regarding communication. Band members have such short attention span at times. I’ll give all the information for a gig, the date, address, time to set up, time to play, set list, but invariably I will get an email asking for the very same info I had sent them. Sheesh!
Most of us experience this in music or bands in general.. of course those situations don’t last that’s a given.. But patience and a solid foundation will in time persevere. I started a band doing ORIGINAL music , through time it attracted Original musicians and really talented musicians tired of the cover band scene. We ended up with a group of guys having fun and growing as musicians and people.. perfection to me was going through our set and every time I would glacé at a band member his eyes were closed and they were in another world 🌎 😊🎸nuff said
Great video. I had a gig lined up and asked everyone to let me know if they were available for the date ASAP, and one of the players responded with the four letter text : "ASAP". I wasn't sure if it was just a joke, or if he was telling me if he was available, and he got salty when I asked for him to confirm that was a yes. I haven't fired him(yet), but it's hard enough to line up gigs without players making it even more difficult.
Unless it's a last-second gig you should have an online band calendar so you know WELL in advance when fellow musicians are not available for the gig... honestly, this is a bit more on you than it is on your bandmates. The guy responding to ASAP is on his way out on his own...
Yeah maybe you shouldn't be booking gigs if you don't have a band together. And if you can't keep a band together then obviously you're missing some clues telling you to move on.
@@maxammo6282 Rather than respond passive aggressively, I had a direct discussion with the band member in question, and that appears to have done the trick.
Yeah there’s no reason for him to get salty when you asked for confirmation. But, I mean, your grammar in the question was a bit ambiguous and maybe, MAYBE he didn’t know what ASAP meant, so maybe he was texting to ask, or maybe he hit send by mistake? Was he an established or new band member, or were you just putting together a band for the possible gig?
In a 4 piece where 3 of us are non drinkers and one only occasionally. 2 are dopesmokers but they do that outside of practice and shows. We actually get things done in practice. It's pretty cool.
Regarding personality conflicts and the way casting directors hold auditions: Don't be afraid to ask someone who is auditioning to be a potential member of the band in question if they have issues with drugs and or alcohol. Do they work well with others? Are they trust worthy? Reliable? Dependable? Are they willing to marry and committed to the band? Do they come with other personal baggage that could potentially disrupt the band and its progress? Those are the types of questions that should be asked before, during or after an audition but thats not how it's done unfortunately. Management is responsible for taking care of that and if they aren't doing their jobs then fire them based on poor management skills.
David Foster formed a supergroup named Northern Lights. Bruce Allen handled the business side. Bryan Adams, Corey Hart, Geddy Lee of Rush, the late Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, Mike Reno of Loverboy and Neil Young are some of the singers. David Foster put the sign at the Toronto studio, "Keep your politics at the door 🚪 ". No ego problems. Some crying 😢 because 1 of the survivors from Africa 🌍 shared her story. Lots of laughter 🤣 from Neil Young, comedians Gene Levy (before American Pie), Paul Shaffer (then with David Letterman), late John Candy and Catherine O'Hara (before Hone Alone).
I used to be that musician who would smoke some weed before playing. It's fun for the first 3 months, but it all goes downhill when that stuff starts to negatively impact your focus and energy. Don't do it!
It depends on the musician. I used to play in a jazz quartet where 3/4 the band would pop outside before our last set… then the drummer would get louder and speed up. He’d close his eyes and drift off, meaning he couldn’t see how the band was moving/phrasing and we’d have to shout out to get his attention. We’d all laugh about it and he’d settle down a bit if we reminded him. We had some great nights too. One wedding gig all 4 of us disappeared from the bandstand during speeches and made our way over to a natural ampitheatre cricket ground beside a lake. As the sun went down we lit up, enjoyed the hang (which is what a lot of being in a band is about) and returned to play a psychedelic set for some guests dancing wildly. When the buses arrived to take them away, we carried on jamming whilst the caterers cleared the tables.
There are a lot of variables. If you get fired because you don’t have the right chemistry maybe it’s just the right outcome and you shouldn’t even try to avoid it.
The worst is the band member who shows up,half in the bag, and are drinking from the moment they get there, and just dragging the band down and making them all a joke, I tell them don’t drink until gig time, at least the first set or two won’t have to many mistakes.
In my opinion, a gig is a job. When I gig, I’m at work. I don’t drink at work. I’m a grown ass man. I can wait. When I gigged, I only drank water. That was just me. The other guys drank. The bassist drank to excess and made us look stupid. Seems unprofessional to me, so I don’t drink alcohol when I gig.
In one of my old bands, the lead guitarist randomly decided it was now his band and starred bossing everyone around. He wanted to be “unique and find our own sound” by ripping of Tesseract and random djent bands. I do harsh vocals/scream, and he would literally expect me to be able to change my voice itself to sound like other vocalists…like my voice is my voice, been doing these vocals for 20 years, and I’m damn good, but it wasn’t the ”sound” he wanted. All he really can do is shred and chug, cant actually write any riffs. He made the drummer and rhythm guitarist quit, he was always the one setting times for practice and demanding everyone be at least 20 minutes early, but would show up 2-3 hours late after ignoring everyones calls and texts, and would get mad at us for blowing his phone up. We didn’t have a bassist, but I’m a bassist as well as a vocalist, so I would actually try writing bass lines that worked in the song and complimented whatever trash he did write and literally just wanted only 1-2 note chugs on the low B…me and the other vocalist would try writing lyrics together and he would try to tells us what we needed to write about. Randomly asked some artists to make us an album cover before we had any actual songs written or recorded, didn’t tell us until way after the demanded 150 from each of us to pay the artist, he said he didn’t have to cause he found them so he did his part. Dude was trash. Now he does twitch streams alone eating junk food, getting drunk, and putting on all kinds of weight. He really things it’s going to make him famous.
Years ago I played in a band that landed a gig opening for a big name band in a high profile concert. This was a huge break for us and we went in totally prepared. Unfortunately our drummer and bass player undid that preparedness by firing-up with the headliner in the green room before we went on. They got so stoned they pretty much forgot the structure of the first 3 out of 5 songs we had in our playlist. And yes, we did fire them.
I used to play in a band with a bassist who was out of control. I remember playing a gig that paid us each $1,500 for a couple of nights. Our bassist drank all of his on a bar tab. At least that’s what I was told. He ended up leaving with no money because he drank it all. The night would start and he’d play pretty well. Then he had a drink and loosened up and started to really get into it and he played great! Then he kept drinking 🫤…and he missed notes and chord changes…eventually he fell off the stage. It was pathetic.
I would never be in a band in which anyone smoked anything. Gotta love freedom of association. But the interesting point is the group dynamics, by which the fired person recognizes that the other band members have the power to fire him for any reason at all.
You don’t have to worry if your a drinker or smoker in Myrtle Beach.. I’ve never seen a band not do 1 or both of those things while playing a gig. In all these years literally not one time, but I’ve seen plenty of dudes get fired for hard drugs. But that’s one of the downfalls of independent contracting work, especially when the purpose of your work is to create a party atmosphere
They are great pointers you have underlined. I know, I have being doing this sh#y for 35 years. I know my skill level, graduated from a music faculty, studied performance and arrangement, and I gave up on the whole bag of beans. No more patience with people who have no concept of what a musician is but dwell in their illusion of what they it to be! I will just play for myself and with close friends who have conmanly no interest in performing live any longer, and the result is a level of musicianship that is to be envied! Good insight keep up the good work. Thx
Ego is a huge band killer just like was mentioned every musician is at a different level of playing and demeaning or bullying other players you think are lesser musicians is an asshole move and honestly says more about the person doing the bullying than it does the one being bullied. Everyone in the band is essential to the band no one person is more important than the next . Stay humble .
As a sync licensing agent there are times when I'd like an artist to re-record something so we can get a cleaner mix to pitch to a music supervisor. Recently I was working with an artist I've known for a long time about remixing some of his work. I told him to check his email, voice messages, and texts every day and RESPOND to them. Of course he ghosted me. The FEW responses I did get had nothing to do with the emails/messages I had sent. I met with him and thoroughly chewed him a new one. His response? "I'M AN ARTIST! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?" I'm out. Never to return. I have artists who actually communicate and want to work and they are waiting for me.
I remember when I was on the road with a production and one of our singers had some legal issues and as result was not being allowed into a country. We had to look for someone else in another country-huge impact when traveling internationally. All valid reasons…
I’m a guitar player. Guitar players have such a poor reputation with other musicians I would often encounter this kind of attitude from the band leader when playing a ‘fill in gig’ - “hey, keep volume low, lay back and don’t play anything in these sections of songs…etc…”. It would usually take a few songs in where they’d realize “hey, this guy can play with chemistry and tact”…Then, after the gig I’d get apologies and invites to play again etc…I don’t post this to brag just to point out how many ‘jerk prima-Donna’ guitar players there are out there. Guys that crank up their amps and stomp all over songs etc…tactless super hero shred guys that play ‘over songs’ instead of playing ‘what the song requires’ blending seamlessly with the band.
I've been playing in bands for decades, focusing on original music, with the goal of getting a recording deal, rather than being a working band just for the money. That means your focus has to be the same for all band members. When one person wants to write songs, and the other person just wants to play what's popular for money making gigs, there is an extreme mismatch. I'm not famous, so my dreams didn't come true, but it was worth the time and effort. You all have to be on the same wavelength, no matter how well you sound together.
Terrence always nails it, while humorizing the ludicrousness of the bad actors. One thing though that has elements of all of these issues is summed up in one word: Stupid! Like one of the respondents, a person is really to be labeled as "stupid" to think because some bands tolerate this foolishness for a time that they always will. Not in a band, any job, and moreover, not in life. That is the point of the video: Your day and yay days is coming.
Ive been at it for 40 years , never played in a band. My friends played with themselves no instruments. Once or twice jammed with somebody for 20 minutes. Loved it great feeling
I remember when we would audition to replace a band member that quit or whatever, a few times we actually chose a musician with LESS skills because they had a more congenial personality than the other person who had some red flags.
It's smart to choose a person with the better personality and work ethic. The good part about using a lesser musician is they're teachable and eager to get better.
Oh, there was a reason. Maybe not a good one, and certainly one you were not made aware of and may never be able to guess what it was, but a reason none the less. They probably just thought your replacement was better and they don't have the guts to tell you.
Different goals. I jammed with a couple of bands. We all got along, we sounded ok, it was fun. Then one or more wanted to "cut an album" "go on tour". I personally didn't want to turn my stress outlet into work. So I would "fire myself". Just responsibly bowed out when talk turned that direction.
I got kicked out of a band once because I was the only member that had a steady day job outside of the band, had just gotten a huge promotion at work, started buying all sorts of gear because I’d been broke my entire life and finally had some real money, and all the other guys in the band were super jealous, broke off their ass. We all were guitar players deep down in side, but one guy played drums, another keys, another bass, then there was a rhythm guitar player and I played lead. I’d start showing up with say a guy’s entire gigging rig he’d sold on Craigslist that included a Fender Strat and a Fender tube amp, then the next week I’d have a Les Paul that I got, then the next week a Martin acoustic, then the next week a Fender Starcaster semi hollow body. Everyone thought I was being bougie, and maybe I was, but I was having fun and thought that it benefited the band. I once quit a band because this guy (who happened to be the drummer in this first band. Should have known better.) was very critical of some weed that I had grown and had brought to share with the band. I told him “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to smoke it.” We finished rehearsal, and I left for good. The drummer moved to lead guitar, and they got another drummer. I started playing bass in a 3 piece then.
I switched from studio to live late 2022 to try out something new and a greater challenge… and I got fired from that band. 😅 My skill level wasn’t as even as the rest of the band I guess looking back now I was holding back the band it’s only best that I was let go of. I won’t lie it sucks but one take the hits equally as the wins. By the way I’m a sound engineer and not so much a musician. Great video and thank you for taking the time to put this together.
It’s not easy to play with other musicians and it takes a lot of adjusting and compromise when playing to a click track while tracking. Im always amazed with the solo YT musicians but not sure if they could pull that off in a band. Some times a song doesn’t need a guitar solo or slap bass.
The harder you work, the more skilled you become having a passion for growth taking on extremely difficult music and mastery of many genres the smaller and smaller the group of players around you becomes. In fact the greater your skill level playing higher and higher profile gigs can isolate you from being called for gigs because players feel intimidated or there's an assumption that opportunities are below your ability and interest. It can get lonely.
I've been a performing musician for 43 years. The issue of alcohol or drugs was settled in the first of those years. Yes, at very young ages, I was 17 myself, we had sense enough to end that problem the first time our lead singer got tipsy, then mouthy at a gig. From that moment on, neither myself nor my two brothers would perform with or even audition a potential member without knowing that particular issue would NOT occur going forward. Yes, drug and alcohol free Rock & Roll bands DO exist. But this is and has always been the most common problem among potential band members. I currently play in two 3 piece Classic Rock cover bands. I also have an acoustic solo show and perform solos and duets at church. I've had almost NO problems with needing to fire anyone or needing to bail out myself in all my years of playing. Simply put, I don't put myself in a position to have to tolerate most of the problems you address here. I've seen enough unacceptable behavior in other bands and in auditioning musicians through the years that I can usually spot problematic issues before a musician plays or sings the first note. In any given band at any time, there is always going to be someone who is more accomplished as well as someone who is less capable than the rest. In addition, there will always being varying levels of effort and committment over time. Often times, this is due simply to the demands of life outside the band. But it's been my experience that such concerns are minimized by the fact that hard work and committment from one or two band members tends to be contagious. It inspires and brings along the rest of the group because musicians will latch onto something good when they see it and it brings out the best in them and spurs a desire for improvement. In short, if you want a good band experience, weed out unreliable or problematic musicians from the get-go, and be the best performer and person you can be. The rest will usually take care of itself.
Yeah it kinda makes sense to avoid problematic musicians, but you do kinda limit your chances of a “good band experience” if you assume every musician who has alcohol or drugs is a problematic musician. Also, what would your repertoire consist of? Seriously, how about giving us an idea of your setlists comprised of songs writtien by alcohol and drug free artists.
@@MisterWade74 EVERY alcoholic or drug dependent musician, or human being, for that matter, IS a problem. That doesn't mean I hate them. In fact, I sincerely hope they seek treatment and once again experience the PURE, SOBER joys of life and of performing. And that certainly does not mean that I refuse to perform songs written, recorded, or performed by artists who've used alcohol or drugs. But alcohol and drug dependent musicians are beholding to their habit. They CANNOT give all that is required of a good musician when the majority of their thinking, their emotions, and their motor skills are occupied by an insatiable need for a brain altering substance and by how and where to get it. And before you say that some musicians perform better when they're high, if you believe that, then you must be on drugs yourself. It simply is not true. And before you wave the pity card, society didn't put drugs or alcohol into their bodies. They willingly and knowingly did that themselves. Furthermore, for complete honesty, while I do perform often in bars to drinking and drunk audiences covering songs written, recorded, or performed by drug users, I do not perform songs that glorify or celebrate drug use or drinking. Being a loving parent and grandparent, I simply won't. And NO, my beliefs and approach do not limit my repertoire, my schedule, or anything else except my exposure to impaired musicians lacking self control. In fact, history has proven that it makes for a very long, stable, and enjoyable musical journey in the company of lifelong, like minded friends. Friends who happen to be very experienced, dedicated, and focused musicians and vocalists along with all the other duties of a working 3 piece band.
Good points…and I hang out with Parliament/Funkadelic ! I was in a band and the drummer had two girlfriends? And we were auditioning guitar players and this guitar player tried to hit on one of the drummers chicks,and they told him that they were with the drummer! He kept on and it got back to drummer so I knew this guy wasn’t going to be around long. So the guitar player started bitching to me about the situation and ask me why the drummer has two chicks? I told him…cause he doesn’t have 3 ! Real shit. I’ll leave the PFunk stories alone…and doing gigs with to much equipment for the gig ? Keyboard racks , Huge drum sets , Guitar amp stacks, effects ? To do a wedding? Now if it was my wedding….Fuck yeah! But not a friend of your mother from the church?
Another issue I encounter are a musician's on-line posts. Some can be quite polarizing. No need to potentially alienate half of your audience. Like Michael Jordan once famously said: "Republicans buy shoes too."
It's so funny how low of a bar musicians have compared to regular jobs when it comes to this stuff. Like, being reliable, not doing drugs on the job.. Being a pleasant person to be around. Just all the basics of every other job ever lol
Okay, I was high, but I'm not the one who screwed up the bridge , man! I play better when I'm high, Right? I was there on time and the other guys were late and drunk, remember? I was rehearsed, in tune, on time, and now I'm getting yelled at? 🤣🤣🤣
I have a beard like Terence Fisher and all other band members have no beard nor mustache at all so they told me to get rid of the beard. I didn´t want to do it because I wanted to look like Terence Fisher. Do you think that´s a fair thing to be asked to do or should I fire all the band members? They keep asking me to get rid of the beard because supposedly if all have no beard but I do, it like "destroys" the homogeneous looks of the band? Thank you
Way back in the last millennium, I was in a hobby band. At one of our gigs, the bass player was so drunk that he had to try playing lying down. Didn't work, though. 🙂
I agree 👍. 1 Poor communication 2 Personality conflicts. 2 Alpha personalities lead to infighting. Many Beta personalities yield to nothing done or poor performance 🎭. 3 Not blending. Example back in 1990 to 1991. Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance had an impasse after 10 years writing together. Adams and Bob Clearmountain stopped gelling. Adams wanted to try Nile Rodgers but never did. Adams tried Steve Lilywhite, who produced U2, but that was a disaster. 😖 Adams worked well with Bob Rock 🎸 in the 1970s but was busy with Metallica. Late Bruce Fairbairn was busy too. Finally, Adams worked with Mutt Lange, meaning that the next Def Leppard album would be postponed. Adams and Lange worked well! 😊. Lesson. If your partner can no longer get with you even after 10 years, you might consider letting go and replacing the partner with somebody else, even if you must go through a laundry list.
All the things you are saying are true and will get you fired even at 9 to 5 jobs. I think the problem is musicians tend to be people who do not follow normal rules, and as a consequence, you tend to get free spirits. Its not a bad thing in and of itself, but there are still rules to follow. And it is a business, so too many feel bc they are talented they can get away with anything. That mentality catches up with you eventually.
@@thebassclef007 How many takes? Paul McCartney said they had to do lot of takes when they were high. The electric version of Revolution John was so high the last couple of takes he was lying on the floor with the mic lowered. Then he said he couldn't do any more. It was one of those takes that made it on the album.
Yeah I want to be in a professional band, like Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Prince, James Brown. Oh wait…
Like Russ Ballard said * it’s never too late to work 9 to 5. I would not last long if I showed up to work stoned: *God Gave Rock and Roll to You. See Argent, Petra, KISS.
#1 - Dave Mustaine being fired by Metallica (because of drugs) #2 - The Beatles (from Sgt. Peppers to Let It Be album), Van Halen (DLR vs. EVH), etc. #3 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (legal issues) #4 - Every band member does this and that's why they disband (in a sour way)
I got fired from a cover band because I was in an originals band with a chick singer, and the guitarist from the cover band acted like a total ass to her, and I told him to knock it off, so I got fired. 3 months later, the covers band was regretting keeping him over me.....
#1 - Those drug additions will kill any band Gospel or secular. Personality conflicts. I have to admit this was me .I wanted to become all Professional. But seems every Gospel Group I played for wanted to do it as a hobby.
One thing that bugs me - "Musicians" who just want to be seen, that just want to hunt and peck and thump and thud on their guitars. And do a lot of finger poses and useless movement. Trying to fool a crowd into thinking they have any skill.
yeah, musicians "these days" are unreliable. Ask Black Sabbath how reliable the bands were that they followed around, knowing they wouldn;t show up, and were ready to jump on the stage instead. Ask the Stones.
What gigs are you taking about 50 percent of all music venues shutdown in Las Vegas after Covid The United States economy is and has been flat for 20 plus years The only gigs left are rare and in tourist spots
I have 13 lps streaming online. I have never performed any of the songs live, because I don't have a band. I couldn't pay them or a manager, or anybody anything because it doesn't matter what job I get, when I add up all the out goings compared to the incoming. Its always break even. Yet some folks get paid £500,000 per year to direct 15 overweight oddball chasers around for 5 games per year, for 80 minutes per game. This world is f##ked.
you can always pursue music for the art alone, this option has always been there and always will be. however if you don't try to market yourself, don't expect to earn any money, let alone a fan base. literally tens of thousands of songs are uploaded daily to online platforms. thinking your own ones will pop, solely because of the artistic value of them is somewhat arrogant and a bit delusional. not many make it in this industry and for a good reason... you can either suck up that it's not just rainbows and butterflies and intentionally decide to do anything it takes to get ahead, even the things you don't like and those which seem irrelevant to you as a musician, or just keep writing music and wait around for someone to randomly discover your music and make it for you, the chance of which is about as good as winning the lottery (also, yielding you a boss eventually). if you need luck? yeah, a lot! but luck is not the thing most people think it is, it's not a random occurence that magically grants you everything in a matter of a second. no, luck is when preparedness meets an opportunity, so you'd better be as best prepared as you can and constantly be on the lookout for when the opportunities present themselves. then you have a fighting chance
As someone on the Autism Spectrum, I make people "Uncomfortable" and my social awkwardness has always been a challenge. "Masking" to try to appear "Normal" also impares my ability to function. I've never been a Drug/Alcohol issues.
I have social anxiety stuff and awkward. Thankfully, my other bandmate has the same thing going on with the rest of the band knowing we're both a bit derpy, but accept us for who we are. We show up and focus on the task at hand in the band dynamic. We do try to make sure communication is clear and transparent as possible.
Dude, come on you’re a musician, We are all narcissistic that’s why we can get out there and play especially original music. A singer has to be an narcissist to get up there and just be in front of people and let it all hang out so does the lead guitar player the guy could be mellow but when it’s time to take a solo, he’s a narcissist otherwise she’s just not that good narcissistic as hell and you will do exactly what I tell you to do and be there when I tell you about me as you do what you do will go far and the reason why developed this attitude Jew had people who shit on the toilet seat if you let them do what they want do you have to guide them? You don’t have to be mean you just gotta be firm.
I get drunk at every show and I won't put up with uppity musicians who think they have a right to tell me what to do, I don't miss notes ("often" I'm not perfect and neither are you). I'm not late, in fact I'm almost always the first one there as its where the beer is, lol, I outperform every guitarist I ever been on stage with and I play the songs exactly like the record. if you 'need' me to be sober while you stand there and stare at your hand while you play hire someone else. you probably can't afford me anyway, lol.
how old does this guy think we are? most boomers are retired! the youngest of us are in their early 60's. if you are a boomer much older than that and still working, you were in trouble long before now.
My biggest pet peave is politics. We're a cover band, we're not influencing a huge audience like Taylor Swift. I wont be in a band that has to do that for attention, and yes, I'd quit if it wasn't enforced. Its hard enough building a local fan base. 2 of us are Ds, 1 is a staunch R and the other 3 are just confused. LOL So, we also dont talk about it either, keeps us friends.
@@FurtiveSkepticalThat’s a ridiculous comment. I keep my gigs too and I won’t be looked down upon by the likes of someone who calls themselves “Furtive Skeptical” because I have the odd puff. I play in several ensembles from 2-9 people and I know which leaders allow certain things and which don’t. I’ve played in larger ensembles, done shows, the works and I’ve always been organised, punctual, courteous. It’s been my job for 30 years now so I must be doing something right.
Some friends of mine asked me to join a really prog metal thing. I'm a pretty good bassist, but i just didn't have the skills they needed (both the guitarist and drummer had their masters in their instruments). We did a few rehearsals and they were afraid to tell me so I started the conversation. I told them that maybe they should go in a different direction with a different player...and that I simply didn't have the skills they needed. We're still friends.
I give you so much respect for that . They should’ve have kept you after you demonstrated that you cared enough for the band and members to step aside . Will the next guy care about it as much as you?
Good advice. Having honesty and integrity will get you far in life.
I been working as musician my whole life. Only music no other jobs.
This channel’s info has the best advice for real!!! This is what needs to be in music school!!! This info is 75%, hell maybe 90% of gigging. Or just to keep gigging.
Playing the music should just be a given, but the content in this video… Man so important!!!
Listen to this man! Thank you!!!!
I’ve found that the rarest thing is everyone having a shared vision, especially with original music, everyone has their agenda and most don’t line up, in their mind, your just a stepping stone to where they want to be😞
Yeah, I was part of a a band that was started with me and 2 high school friends. A couple of months in, the lead guitarist decided it was HIS band and no one else’s input mattered. He always knew best because he had awards and was sponsored years ago in high school. He couldn’t sing or do vocals for the life of him, but always had something to say. Were a metal band and not to toot my own horn, but I have crazy insane harsh vocals, that’s why they wanted me in the first place, but he decided how the sound should be as if I were a machine and could change my entire voice. “No do it like THIS vocalist!” Bro, no one has the same voice lol. The bassist was never right no matter what. Our drummer and rhythm guitarist quit because of him. All he wanted to do was be a carbon copy of this band Tesseract after weeks of saying he wanted to be different and find our own sound, then went to we need to be like every djent band. Got to the point where he said we all sucked and now does crappy Twitch streams that no one watches as he drinks and eats junk getting fatter and fatter with no music, just him trying to show off his shredding and chugging lol dude literally wanted to control every aspect of everything, and he was always the one like 2-3 hours late to practice EVERY time and then he’d act like we were in the wrong when HE set the time, demanded we be early, then would ignore all calls and texts and then be like “well I had to eat and I took a nap, what did you guys finish?” When we literally weren’t allowed to do anything unless he okayed it, so doing anything without him was a waste of our time and energy. Got to the point where me and my buddy got into his his saved files in Reaper and deleted all of our personal work and recording we did there so he couldn’t steal them and claim credit. All he had left was riffs he copied from already famous bands.
@@-whiskey-4134 sad, I don’t tell anyone how to do anything, when I hire someone I trust their judgment and abilities otherwise I wouldn’t hire them, I try to get everyone creatively involved, that way they all have skin in the game, if someone writes something?, they get to keep the publishing, I can’t say no to a good idea nor is it wise to do so, I hope you kept singing and that you found a band that suits your skills, bless you🤘
@@-whiskey-4134narcissists suck! Way too many of them pick up the guitar.
Ego's are one of the most difficult things to reel in. I agree with you. Show up consistently and on time, have your gear, and for the Love of God, know you material.
The last band that I was in, I was a co-founder of the band, there were no drugs aloud before, during, or after a rehearsal or gig. No drugs period. There was alcohol consumption, but not on my part, I was always the designated driver. We had a number of back-up musicians in case a band member was unavailable for a gig. We all had a wonderful time in that band and it was a very enjoyable experience for me.
Alcohol F...s up bands in no time, alcoholics that are musicians are alcoholics first. I've learned that lesson and won't deal with it ever again!!
That's so fking true my dude. Their priority list when they get to the gig is:
Get drunk
Get paid
Be a bigshot for being in the band
Try to get laid
How their gear looks
The music.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for those other things as much as the next guy, but it's the priority list that's all F'd up. And you're totally right, they're alchies first, and nothing will get in the way of them doing their self destruction.
Having been an alcoholic I can back that 100%
@@TwoBassed Ditto! Liquid stoopid.😢
A drug’s a drug.
I quit a band when rehearsals turned into a big beer drinking party. We wndwd up sounding worse than when we started. It was disappointing.
Unreliability and lack of skill/commitment is a big reasons musicians get fired and also when we are given advice on how to enhance our skills we need to listen and work on it right away!
I always have a rule with the musicians I play with...We NEVER have band meetings/discussions by email or text. Always have meetings in person. There's no expression or vocal tone in a text, and someone can read it wrong and before you know it, World War 3 has begun. Good video.
This. Coordinate the meetings in group chat or phone calls. The actual meeting has to be in person no matter what
Agree with that 100% the band should spend time after the gig socialising with those who want to chat about your song’s performance, etc.. and should meet in person to discuss new songs or change of direction.
I think that would depend on circumstances or the topic of discussion for the meeting. Assuming everyone has a mutual respect for each other, minor matters can be discussed/coordinated via text or phone call. Lengthy, detailed discussions probably need to be done in person. If someone needs to be replaced, I'd prefer it be done via phone call instead of me travelling to the practice/rehearsal/meeting/gig only to be told I'm fired.
Sounds good in theory, though with communication and technology ruling most people's lives nowdays, your idea is not practical in most cases......unless all the band members are 95 years old.
I've never been fired from a band, but I've quit several because of drunks. They just ruin everything. They never practice, they never put in effort, they're sloppy, and the excuses are enough to choke an elephant. I admit...I'll occasionally sip on a few coors light during a gig... but never enough to feel it. I usually bring a 2 liter of soda.
I love your videos. Such realistic and honest info without blowing smoke. Thank you 🙏 ❤
I would take a so-so player that shows up to everything and never complains, genuinely glad to be there than any Super Player. EVERY TIME. And then when i moved up higher - I BECAME this guy because I was in way over my head. Played on 6th Street Austin, said please and thank you to everyone. Find that guy or girl. BE that guy or girl.
My band actually passed over more skilled musicians for lesser skilled musicians simply because they were more reliable and had a more congenial personality.
These are points professionals in any trade can appreciate. Your explanations on why each point is important, really captures their necessity. Thank you for making this. Well done!
in music, for some crazy reason, all that bullshit is encouraged and pushed.
It depends on the gig and whether there’s an upfront conversation or even contract outlining standards. I’m thinking cruise ship type gigs with drug testing etc. That’s one reason I’d never do a cruise ship gig: I’d be made to walk the plank and swim home. I did one overseas tour where the band leader was a huge, threatening, violent guy who told us all “no drugs and no sleeping with anyone in the band.” Given that it was a 7 piece band with 1 woman and 6 straight guys, and in a part of the world where drug laws were strict, that was fair enough to keep me on the straight and narrow! Until the last night, at least. By then I’d spent my nights with the band playing, drinking, hanging with friendly fans, prostitutes, military personnel, perverted princes, all the time watching seedy new millennium courtship behaviour, fights, a stabbing, a massed drowning. The boss himself was speeding on prescribed weight loss drugs.
After almost 40 years I'm sick of most musicians.
Sometimes including myself tbh
Yes, I am as well.
alcoholics are fun though... lol
@@john.fespecially myself lol
Yep, the addictions are a problem.
I'll take drug addiction over the bad communication. I can't stand waiting days for a response when I'm trying to book a gig or a practice
practice? Practice is what you do at home learning the setlist. REHEARSAL is what you do as a band and you come PREPARED to perform the material
No to both addictions and bad communication.
A well connected addict is still hell to deal with in a musical context.
Once was enough for me.
Drug addicts are typically poor communicators so enjoy 🤠
How bout neither
I’ve played with some assholes who weren’t addicts.
You hit the nail on the head regarding communication. Band members have such short attention span at times. I’ll give all the information for a gig, the date, address, time to set up, time to play, set list, but invariably I will get an email asking for the very same info I had sent them. Sheesh!
Another great video! Thank you!
Most of us experience this in music or bands in general.. of course those situations don’t last that’s a given..
But patience and a solid foundation will in time persevere.
I started a band doing ORIGINAL music , through time it attracted Original musicians and really talented musicians tired of the cover band scene.
We ended up with a group of guys having fun and growing as musicians and people..
perfection to me was going through our set and every time I would glacé at a band member his eyes were closed and they were in another world 🌎
😊🎸nuff said
Great video. I had a gig lined up and asked everyone to let me know if they were available for the date ASAP, and one of the players responded with the four letter text : "ASAP". I wasn't sure if it was just a joke, or if he was telling me if he was available, and he got salty when I asked for him to confirm that was a yes. I haven't fired him(yet), but it's hard enough to line up gigs without players making it even more difficult.
Unless it's a last-second gig you should have an online band calendar so you know WELL in advance when fellow musicians are not available for the gig... honestly, this is a bit more on you than it is on your bandmates. The guy responding to ASAP is on his way out on his own...
Yeah maybe you shouldn't be booking gigs if you don't have a band together. And if you can't keep a band together then obviously you're missing some clues telling you to move on.
@@robschaller9061 ASAP
@@maxammo6282 Rather than respond passive aggressively, I had a direct discussion with the band member in question, and that appears to have done the trick.
Yeah there’s no reason for him to get salty when you asked for confirmation. But, I mean, your grammar in the question was a bit ambiguous and maybe, MAYBE he didn’t know what ASAP meant, so maybe he was texting to ask, or maybe he hit send by mistake? Was he an established or new band member, or were you just putting together a band for the possible gig?
In a 4 piece where 3 of us are non drinkers and one only occasionally. 2 are dopesmokers but they do that outside of practice and shows. We actually get things done in practice. It's pretty cool.
During the first example I was waiting for you to show a picture of Syd Barrett.
Regarding personality conflicts and the way casting directors hold auditions:
Don't be afraid to ask someone who is auditioning to be a potential member
of the band in question if they have issues with drugs and or alcohol. Do they
work well with others? Are they trust worthy? Reliable? Dependable? Are they
willing to marry and committed to the band? Do they come with other personal
baggage that could potentially disrupt the band and its progress? Those are the
types of questions that should be asked before, during or after an audition but thats
not how it's done unfortunately. Management is responsible for taking care of that
and if they aren't doing their jobs then fire them based on poor management skills.
Your advice often goes beyond the music industry.
No politics, no religion is my primary. Believe what you want, vote for whoever but leave that stuff at the door at rehearsal and gigs
David Foster formed a supergroup named Northern Lights. Bruce Allen handled the business side. Bryan Adams, Corey Hart, Geddy Lee of Rush, the late Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, Mike Reno of Loverboy and Neil Young are some of the singers.
David Foster put the sign at the Toronto studio, "Keep your politics at the door 🚪 ". No ego problems. Some crying 😢 because 1 of the survivors from Africa 🌍 shared her story. Lots of laughter 🤣 from Neil Young, comedians Gene Levy (before American Pie), Paul Shaffer (then with David Letterman), late John Candy and Catherine O'Hara (before Hone Alone).
I guess that all depends on the lyrical content of your songs and the style of your band.
I used to be that musician who would smoke some weed before playing. It's fun for the first 3 months, but it all goes downhill when that stuff starts to negatively impact your focus and energy. Don't do it!
Bull feathers... I wouldn't trust a musician that didn't smoke weed on the gig.
@@rockdanger Okay, I guess? 🤦♂️
@@rockdanger oh, you're THAT guy..
The best musicians and singers I have ever known are potheads!
It depends on the musician. I used to play in a jazz quartet where 3/4 the band would pop outside before our last set… then the drummer would get louder and speed up. He’d close his eyes and drift off, meaning he couldn’t see how the band was moving/phrasing and we’d have to shout out to get his attention. We’d all laugh about it and he’d settle down a bit if we reminded him. We had some great nights too. One wedding gig all 4 of us disappeared from the bandstand during speeches and made our way over to a natural ampitheatre cricket ground beside a lake. As the sun went down we lit up, enjoyed the hang (which is what a lot of being in a band is about) and returned to play a psychedelic set for some guests dancing wildly. When the buses arrived to take them away, we carried on jamming whilst the caterers cleared the tables.
There are a lot of variables. If you get fired because you don’t have the right chemistry maybe it’s just the right outcome and you shouldn’t even try to avoid it.
The worst is the band member who shows up,half in the bag, and are drinking from the moment they get there, and just dragging the band down and making them all a joke, I tell them don’t drink until gig time, at least the first set or two won’t have to many mistakes.
In my opinion, a gig is a job. When I gig, I’m at work. I don’t drink at work. I’m a grown ass man. I can wait. When I gigged, I only drank water. That was just me. The other guys drank. The bassist drank to excess and made us look stupid. Seems unprofessional to me, so I don’t drink alcohol when I gig.
In one of my old bands, the lead guitarist randomly decided it was now his band and starred bossing everyone around. He wanted to be “unique and find our own sound” by ripping of Tesseract and random djent bands. I do harsh vocals/scream, and he would literally expect me to be able to change my voice itself to sound like other vocalists…like my voice is my voice, been doing these vocals for 20 years, and I’m damn good, but it wasn’t the ”sound” he wanted. All he really can do is shred and chug, cant actually write any riffs. He made the drummer and rhythm guitarist quit, he was always the one setting times for practice and demanding everyone be at least 20 minutes early, but would show up 2-3 hours late after ignoring everyones calls and texts, and would get mad at us for blowing his phone up. We didn’t have a bassist, but I’m a bassist as well as a vocalist, so I would actually try writing bass lines that worked in the song and complimented whatever trash he did write and literally just wanted only 1-2 note chugs on the low B…me and the other vocalist would try writing lyrics together and he would try to tells us what we needed to write about. Randomly asked some artists to make us an album cover before we had any actual songs written or recorded, didn’t tell us until way after the demanded 150 from each of us to pay the artist, he said he didn’t have to cause he found them so he did his part. Dude was trash. Now he does twitch streams alone eating junk food, getting drunk, and putting on all kinds of weight. He really things it’s going to make him famous.
Years ago I played in a band that landed a gig opening for a big name band in a high profile concert. This was a huge break for us and we went in totally prepared. Unfortunately our drummer and bass player undid that preparedness by firing-up with the headliner in the green room before we went on. They got so stoned they pretty much forgot the structure of the first 3 out of 5 songs we had in our playlist.
And yes, we did fire them.
Very good advice. As always. Being a band leader is a cat herding job. These issues make it much tougher.
THAT, literally, would make a great video clip!
I used to play in a band with a bassist who was out of control. I remember playing a gig that paid us each $1,500 for a couple of nights. Our bassist drank all of his on a bar tab. At least that’s what I was told. He ended up leaving with no money because he drank it all. The night would start and he’d play pretty well. Then he had a drink and loosened up and started to really get into it and he played great! Then he kept drinking 🫤…and he missed notes and chord changes…eventually he fell off the stage. It was pathetic.
i would NEVER work with a band that would fire people for smoking a joint during set break . lame af
I would never be in a band in which anyone smoked anything. Gotta love freedom of association. But the interesting point is the group dynamics, by which the fired person recognizes that the other band members have the power to fire him for any reason at all.
Nobody gets fired for smoking or drinking at a gig. You WILL get fired for fucking up and it appears you were intoxicated.
You can put this into not just musicians. This can all apply to just all people you have relationships with
You don’t have to worry if your a drinker or smoker in Myrtle Beach.. I’ve never seen a band not do 1 or both of those things while playing a gig. In all these years literally not one time, but I’ve seen plenty of dudes get fired for hard drugs. But that’s one of the downfalls of independent contracting work, especially when the purpose of your work is to create a party atmosphere
They are great pointers you have underlined. I know, I have being doing this sh#y for 35 years. I know my skill level, graduated from a music faculty, studied performance and arrangement, and I gave up on the whole bag of beans. No more patience with people who have no concept of what a musician is but dwell in their illusion of what they it to be! I will just play for myself and with close friends who have conmanly no interest in performing live any longer, and the result is a level of musicianship that is to be envied! Good insight keep up the good work. Thx
Ego is a huge band killer just like was mentioned every musician is at a different level of playing and demeaning or bullying other players you think are lesser musicians is an asshole move and honestly says more about the person doing the bullying than it does the one being bullied. Everyone in the band is essential to the band no one person is more important than the next . Stay humble .
As a sync licensing agent there are times when I'd like an artist to re-record something so we can get a cleaner mix to pitch to a music supervisor. Recently I was working with an artist I've known for a long time about remixing some of his work. I told him to check his email, voice messages, and texts every day and RESPOND to them. Of course he ghosted me. The FEW responses I did get had nothing to do with the emails/messages I had sent. I met with him and thoroughly chewed him a new one. His response? "I'M AN ARTIST! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?" I'm out. Never to return. I have artists who actually communicate and want to work and they are waiting for me.
I remember when I was on the road with a production and one of our singers had some legal issues and as result was not being allowed into a country. We had to look for someone else in another country-huge impact when traveling internationally. All valid reasons…
Pink Floyd said it best:
"When the band you're in starts playing different tunes,
I'll see you on the Dark Side of the Moon"
I’m a guitar player. Guitar players have such a poor reputation with other musicians I would often encounter this kind of attitude from the band leader when playing a ‘fill in gig’ - “hey, keep volume low, lay back and don’t play anything in these sections of songs…etc…”. It would usually take a few songs in where they’d realize “hey, this guy can play with chemistry and tact”…Then, after the gig I’d get apologies and invites to play again etc…I don’t post this to brag just to point out how many ‘jerk prima-Donna’ guitar players there are out there. Guys that crank up their amps and stomp all over songs etc…tactless super hero shred guys that play ‘over songs’ instead of playing ‘what the song requires’ blending seamlessly with the band.
Guitarists. I've yet to meet one I like.
@@theunaccompaniedsenior yea, I get that a lot….
I'm a bass player that will take keys over guitars every time. Besides an inability to listen and mesh, they typically don't know jack about music
@@theunaccompaniedsenior I feel this way about drummers.
@@theunaccompaniedseniorperhaps you should learn to accompany your self?
I've been playing in bands for decades, focusing on original music, with the goal of getting a recording deal, rather than being a working band just for the money. That means your focus has to be the same for all band members. When one person wants to write songs, and the other person just wants to play what's popular for money making gigs, there is an extreme mismatch. I'm not famous, so my dreams didn't come true, but it was worth the time and effort. You all have to be on the same wavelength, no matter how well you sound together.
respect
Terrence always nails it, while humorizing the ludicrousness of the bad actors. One thing though that has elements of all of these issues is summed up in one word: Stupid! Like one of the respondents, a person is really to be labeled as "stupid" to think because some bands tolerate this foolishness for a time that they always will. Not in a band, any job, and moreover, not in life. That is the point of the video: Your day and yay days is coming.
Ive been at it for 40 years , never played in a band. My friends played with themselves no instruments. Once or twice jammed with somebody for 20 minutes. Loved it great feeling
🫤 I see what you did there.
I remember when we would audition to replace a band member that quit or whatever, a few times we actually chose a musician with LESS skills because they had a more congenial personality than the other person who had some red flags.
It's smart to choose a person with the better personality and work ethic. The good part about using a lesser musician is they're teachable and eager to get better.
I was fired for no reason. What’s even worse is that I was never told that I was replaced, let alone that I was fired.
Oh, there was a reason. Maybe not a good one, and certainly one you were not made aware of and may never be able to guess what it was, but a reason none the less. They probably just thought your replacement was better and they don't have the guts to tell you.
Sounds like you dodged a bullet. You don’t want to work with cowards.
Poor communication is problematic everywhere.
Legal issues?? Geez…! That’s one I’m surprised about.
Agree. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty and forgiveness.
Different goals.
I jammed with a couple of bands. We all got along, we sounded ok, it was fun.
Then one or more wanted to "cut an album" "go on tour".
I personally didn't want to turn my stress outlet into work. So I would "fire myself". Just responsibly bowed out when talk turned that direction.
I got kicked out of a band once because I was the only member that had a steady day job outside of the band, had just gotten a huge promotion at work, started buying all sorts of gear because I’d been broke my entire life and finally had some real money, and all the other guys in the band were super jealous, broke off their ass. We all were guitar players deep down in side, but one guy played drums, another keys, another bass, then there was a rhythm guitar player and I played lead. I’d start showing up with say a guy’s entire gigging rig he’d sold on Craigslist that included a Fender Strat and a Fender tube amp, then the next week I’d have a Les Paul that I got, then the next week a Martin acoustic, then the next week a Fender Starcaster semi hollow body. Everyone thought I was being bougie, and maybe I was, but I was having fun and thought that it benefited the band.
I once quit a band because this guy (who happened to be the drummer in this first band. Should have known better.) was very critical of some weed that I had grown and had brought to share with the band. I told him “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to smoke it.” We finished rehearsal, and I left for good.
The drummer moved to lead guitar, and they got another drummer. I started playing bass in a 3 piece then.
lol, you cant let them disrespect your weed,,
@@jackhaugh Never look a gift bud in the cone
I switched from studio to live late 2022 to try out something new and a greater challenge… and I got fired from that band. 😅 My skill level wasn’t as even as the rest of the band I guess looking back now I was holding back the band it’s only best that I was let go of. I won’t lie it sucks but one take the hits equally as the wins. By the way I’m a sound engineer and not so much a musician.
Great video and thank you for taking the time to put this together.
It’s not easy to play with other musicians and it takes a lot of adjusting and compromise when playing to a click track while tracking. Im always amazed with the solo YT musicians but not sure if they could pull that off in a band. Some times a song doesn’t need a guitar solo or slap bass.
The harder you work, the more skilled you become having a passion for growth taking on extremely difficult music and mastery of many genres the smaller and smaller the group of players around you becomes. In fact the greater your skill level playing higher and higher profile gigs can isolate you from being called for gigs because players feel intimidated or there's an assumption that opportunities are below your ability and interest. It can get lonely.
Covering pop tunes is a waste of time…unless you’re playing with the original artist!
I've been a performing musician for 43 years. The issue of alcohol or drugs was settled in the first of those years. Yes, at very young ages, I was 17 myself, we had sense enough to end that problem the first time our lead singer got tipsy, then mouthy at a gig. From that moment on, neither myself nor my two brothers would perform with or even audition a potential member without knowing that particular issue would NOT occur going forward. Yes, drug and alcohol free Rock & Roll bands DO exist. But this is and has always been the most common problem among potential band members.
I currently play in two 3 piece Classic Rock cover bands. I also have an acoustic solo show and perform solos and duets at church.
I've had almost NO problems with needing to fire anyone or needing to bail out myself in all my years of playing. Simply put, I don't put myself in a position to have to tolerate most of the problems you address here. I've seen enough unacceptable behavior in other bands and in auditioning musicians through the years that I can usually spot problematic issues before a musician plays or sings the first note.
In any given band at any time, there is always going to be someone who is more accomplished as well as someone who is less capable than the rest. In addition, there will always being varying levels of effort and committment over time. Often times, this is due simply to the demands of life outside the band.
But it's been my experience that such concerns are minimized by the fact that hard work and committment from one or two band members tends to be contagious. It inspires and brings along the rest of the group because musicians will latch onto something good when they see it and it brings out the best in them and spurs a desire for improvement.
In short, if you want a good band experience, weed out unreliable or problematic musicians from the get-go, and be the best performer and person you can be. The rest will usually take care of itself.
Yeah it kinda makes sense to avoid problematic musicians, but you do kinda limit your chances of a “good band experience” if you assume every musician who has alcohol or drugs is a problematic musician. Also, what would your repertoire consist of? Seriously, how about giving us an idea of your setlists comprised of songs writtien by alcohol and drug free artists.
@@MisterWade74
EVERY alcoholic or drug dependent musician, or human being, for that matter, IS a problem.
That doesn't mean I hate them. In fact, I sincerely hope they seek treatment and once again experience the PURE, SOBER joys of life and of performing.
And that certainly does not mean that I refuse to perform songs written, recorded, or performed by artists who've used alcohol or drugs.
But alcohol and drug dependent musicians are beholding to their habit. They CANNOT give all that is required of a good musician when the majority of their thinking, their emotions, and their motor skills are occupied by an insatiable need for a brain altering substance and by how and where to get it.
And before you say that some musicians perform better when they're high, if you believe that, then you must be on drugs yourself. It simply is not true.
And before you wave the pity card, society didn't put drugs or alcohol into their bodies. They willingly and knowingly did that themselves.
Furthermore, for complete honesty, while I do perform often in bars to drinking and drunk audiences covering songs written, recorded, or performed by drug users, I do not perform songs that glorify or celebrate drug use or drinking. Being a loving parent and grandparent, I simply won't.
And NO, my beliefs and approach do not limit my repertoire, my schedule, or anything else except my exposure to impaired musicians lacking self control.
In fact, history has proven that it makes for a very long, stable, and enjoyable musical journey in the company of lifelong, like minded friends. Friends who happen to be very experienced, dedicated, and focused musicians and vocalists along with all the other duties of a working 3 piece band.
Good points…and I hang out with Parliament/Funkadelic ! I was in a band and the drummer had two girlfriends? And we were auditioning guitar players and this guitar player tried to hit on one of the drummers chicks,and they told him that they were with the drummer! He kept on and it got back to drummer so I knew this guy wasn’t going to be around long. So the guitar player started bitching to me about the situation and ask me why the drummer has two chicks? I told him…cause he doesn’t have 3 ! Real shit.
I’ll leave the PFunk stories alone…and doing gigs with to much equipment for the gig ? Keyboard racks , Huge drum sets , Guitar amp stacks, effects ? To do a wedding? Now if it was my wedding….Fuck yeah! But not a friend of your mother from the church?
Another issue I encounter are a musician's on-line posts. Some can be quite polarizing. No need to potentially alienate half of your audience. Like Michael Jordan once famously said: "Republicans buy shoes too."
It's so funny how low of a bar musicians have compared to regular jobs when it comes to this stuff. Like, being reliable, not doing drugs on the job.. Being a pleasant person to be around. Just all the basics of every other job ever lol
Okay, I was high, but I'm not the one who screwed up the bridge , man! I play better when I'm high, Right? I was there on time and the other guys were late and drunk, remember? I was rehearsed, in tune, on time, and now I'm getting yelled at? 🤣🤣🤣
Better a Viper than a Lush.
Im reading all these comments and am im agreeing. That said hiw did guns and roses and alchoholica ever make it 😅
I have a beard like Terence Fisher and all other band members have no beard nor mustache at all so they told me to get rid of the beard. I didn´t want to do it because I wanted to look like Terence Fisher. Do you think that´s a fair thing to be asked to do or should I fire all the band members? They keep asking me to get rid of the beard because supposedly if all have no beard but I do, it like "destroys" the homogeneous looks of the band? Thank you
Musicians are the absolute lowest performers in essential communication skills. You have a better chance of clear understanding with a pre-schooler!
Way back in the last millennium, I was in a hobby band. At one of our gigs, the bass player was so drunk that he had to try playing lying down. Didn't work, though. 🙂
I agree 👍. 1 Poor communication 2 Personality conflicts. 2 Alpha personalities lead to infighting. Many Beta personalities yield to nothing done or poor performance 🎭.
3 Not blending. Example back in 1990 to 1991. Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance had an impasse after 10 years writing together. Adams and Bob Clearmountain stopped gelling. Adams wanted to try Nile Rodgers but never did. Adams tried Steve Lilywhite, who produced U2, but that was a disaster. 😖 Adams worked well with Bob Rock 🎸 in the 1970s but was busy with Metallica. Late Bruce Fairbairn was busy too. Finally, Adams worked with Mutt Lange, meaning that the next Def Leppard album would be postponed. Adams and Lange worked well! 😊.
Lesson. If your partner can no longer get with you even after 10 years, you might consider letting go and replacing the partner with somebody else, even if you must go through a laundry list.
All the things you are saying are true and will get you fired even at 9 to 5 jobs. I think the problem is musicians tend to be people who do not follow normal rules, and as a consequence, you tend to get free spirits. Its not a bad thing in and of itself, but there are still rules to follow. And it is a business, so too many feel bc they are talented they can get away with anything. That mentality catches up with you eventually.
When your high you only think your playing better, record yourself when your high then listen later. You'll be surprised.
Not as badly as with alcohol.
Except the majority of legendary rock, blues and jazz recordings were done while the bands were loaded.
@@123jkjk123 Yeh, my mother took a life insurance policy out on me for when I killed myself not if. In a month I'll have been sober 39 years..
@@thebassclef007 How many takes? Paul McCartney said they had to do lot of takes when they were high. The electric version of Revolution John was so high the last couple of takes he was lying on the floor with the mic lowered. Then he said he couldn't do any more. It was one of those takes that made it on the album.
@@123jkjk123 Second that. Hopefully in a month I'll be 39 years sober. What an old fart I've become.
2 bands I played in imploded for this very reason have been a major frustration for decades, drugs ,alcohol , and undependable muscians.
Agreed. While I sympathize with the struggle, I won't be in bands with people with unmanaged addiction issues.
Yeah I want to be in a professional band, like Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Prince, James Brown. Oh wait…
Like Russ Ballard said * it’s never too late to work 9 to 5. I would not last long if I showed up to work stoned:
*God Gave Rock and Roll to You. See Argent, Petra, KISS.
Voices.
@@Jameschewingfoillove that song. Had that single of Russ's when I was a kid. Song still holds up.
#1 - Dave Mustaine being fired by Metallica (because of drugs)
#2 - The Beatles (from Sgt. Peppers to Let It Be album), Van Halen (DLR vs. EVH), etc.
#3 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (legal issues)
#4 - Every band member does this and that's why they disband (in a sour way)
I got fired from a cover band because I was in an originals band with a chick singer, and the guitarist from the cover band acted like a total ass to her, and I told him to knock it off, so I got fired. 3 months later, the covers band was regretting keeping him over me.....
Yeah... I bet....
#1&2 100%.. lived it. Quit bands because singers did that shit.
If you had legal issues and you were in a genuine punk band they're going to hold onto you amongst the fans.....
Solid advice.
#1 - Those drug additions will kill any band Gospel or secular.
Personality conflicts. I have to admit this was me .I wanted to become all Professional. But seems every Gospel Group I played for wanted to do it as a hobby.
One thing that bugs me - "Musicians" who just want to be seen, that just want to hunt and peck and thump and thud on their guitars. And do a lot of finger poses and useless movement. Trying to fool a crowd into thinking they have any skill.
yeah, musicians "these days" are unreliable. Ask Black Sabbath how reliable the bands were that they followed around, knowing they wouldn;t show up, and were ready to jump on the stage instead. Ask the Stones.
Reason why I got fired case I refused to pick up riders but karma always going come back regardless
Because of health problems I don't drive. And I'm sure that's a big reason I'm not in a band.
What gigs are you taking about 50 percent of all music venues shutdown in Las Vegas after Covid
The United States economy is and has been flat for 20 plus years
The only gigs left are rare and in tourist spots
1:50 Dude is BLOWN OUT HAHAHAHAHA
I know why I fell on my face in music. Booze.
I have 13 lps streaming online. I have never performed any of the songs live, because I don't have a band. I couldn't pay them or a manager, or anybody anything because it doesn't matter what job I get, when I add up all the out goings compared to the incoming. Its always break even. Yet some folks get paid £500,000 per year to direct 15 overweight oddball chasers around for 5 games per year, for 80 minutes per game. This world is f##ked.
But you can't fire the guy that comes up with the ideas and writes the songs. Mostly the lead guitarist and the singer.
Sure you can. Happens all the time. And who would and why give them that power over the band?
Good video
Lol, remember when playing music was art, rather than merely commerce?
you can always pursue music for the art alone, this option has always been there and always will be. however if you don't try to market yourself, don't expect to earn any money, let alone a fan base. literally tens of thousands of songs are uploaded daily to online platforms. thinking your own ones will pop, solely because of the artistic value of them is somewhat arrogant and a bit delusional. not many make it in this industry and for a good reason... you can either suck up that it's not just rainbows and butterflies and intentionally decide to do anything it takes to get ahead, even the things you don't like and those which seem irrelevant to you as a musician, or just keep writing music and wait around for someone to randomly discover your music and make it for you, the chance of which is about as good as winning the lottery (also, yielding you a boss eventually). if you need luck? yeah, a lot! but luck is not the thing most people think it is, it's not a random occurence that magically grants you everything in a matter of a second. no, luck is when preparedness meets an opportunity, so you'd better be as best prepared as you can and constantly be on the lookout for when the opportunities present themselves. then you have a fighting chance
LOL I love that shirt
Nice shirt.
In a nutshell: Don’t be a stupid a-hole or you might get fired.
As someone on the Autism Spectrum, I make people "Uncomfortable" and my social awkwardness has always been a challenge.
"Masking" to try to appear "Normal" also impares my ability to function.
I've never been a Drug/Alcohol issues.
I have social anxiety stuff and awkward. Thankfully, my other bandmate has the same thing going on with the rest of the band knowing we're both a bit derpy, but accept us for who we are.
We show up and focus on the task at hand in the band dynamic. We do try to make sure communication is clear and transparent as possible.
I was in a band in the early 90s and we fired our drummer because he WASN'T abusing substances!
Love this channel but the stock footage is awful.
Then stay away from the now mega-popular "Stoner Rock" genre - you will certainly be a complete buzz-kill! Stick to 50's/60's pop vocals ...🤣🤣🤣😂😆
Boring 👎💥🎸🤘
Dude, come on you’re a musician,
We are all narcissistic that’s why we can get out there and play especially original music. A singer has to be an narcissist to get up there and just be in front of people and let it all hang out so does the lead guitar player the guy could be mellow but when it’s time to take a solo, he’s a narcissist otherwise she’s just not that good narcissistic as hell and you will do exactly what I tell you to do and be there when I tell you about me as you do what you do will go far and the reason why developed this attitude Jew had people who shit on the toilet seat if you let them do what they want do you have to guide them? You don’t have to be mean you just gotta be firm.
I get drunk at every show and I won't put up with uppity musicians who think they have a right to tell me what to do, I don't miss notes ("often" I'm not perfect and neither are you). I'm not late, in fact I'm almost always the first one there as its where the beer is, lol, I outperform every guitarist I ever been on stage with and I play the songs exactly like the record. if you 'need' me to be sober while you stand there and stare at your hand while you play hire someone else. you probably can't afford me anyway, lol.
this video goes too slow and takes too long to get going.
how old does this guy think we are? most boomers are retired! the youngest of us are in their early 60's. if you are a boomer much older than that and still working, you were in trouble long before now.
My biggest pet peave is politics. We're a cover band, we're not influencing a huge audience like Taylor Swift. I wont be in a band that has to do that for attention, and yes, I'd quit if it wasn't enforced. Its hard enough building a local fan base. 2 of us are Ds, 1 is a staunch R and the other 3 are just confused. LOL So, we also dont talk about it either, keeps us friends.
I am all of these and I keep my gigs… so I call bullshit.
You’re an under talented/unmotivated, poor communicating substance abuser with legal problems?? You’re lucky to still have your You Tube account!! 😂
You’re fired!
If you aren't a solo gig now, you will be eventually.
Good luck.
Lol you admitted it, so no you're not. That's one of the keys to all those things is selfish ego.
@@FurtiveSkepticalThat’s a ridiculous comment. I keep my gigs too and I won’t be looked down upon by the likes of someone who calls themselves “Furtive Skeptical” because I have the odd puff. I play in several ensembles from 2-9 people and I know which leaders allow certain things and which don’t. I’ve played in larger ensembles, done shows, the works and I’ve always been organised, punctual, courteous. It’s been my job for 30 years now so I must be doing something right.