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Thread: Band Politics Discussion Group?

  1. #26
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    I just created a group if anyone feels like joining.
    <sig out of order>

  2. #27
    Member Mikhael's Avatar
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    Okay, I'm in. I'm constantly amazed by the amount of stupid drama that's in something you're supposed to be having fun doing. I'm in two bands; one original, and one cover. We now also share the same bassist, which has been a never-ending source of drama on the cover band's part. The ex-keyboardist of the cover band was a real PITA for me. He resented the fact that I knew more about music theory than he did, and could play his parts correctly (not the hard stuff). I walked on eggshells around this bugger for over a year, then at one gig, where he was playing a part 1/2 step off, he went ballistic on me, saying stuff like "You always have to be f#$%ing RIGHT, don't you? Nobody else is ever right, it's always you!" To which I responded that I only countered when I knew I WAS right, otherwise I kept my mouth shut and listened. This was after me trying to put it off, saying that stuff happens and we'll go over it in practice, and a couple of other things to try and calm him down. I was tired of pussyfooting around with him, and was ready to punch him if he started anything. Luckily, he got in his truck, slammed the door, and screeched out of the parking lot.

    Later on, at practice, he found that sure enough, I WAS right. As usual. He clammed up, and never was friendly to me again. He eventually quit, thinking that would hurt us. I immediately called my friend from Gambit (a prog band), and asked him if he wanted to make a few bux playing in a copy band. He joined immediately, and having easily 10X the talent of the last guy, made us a better band. The old keyboardist was crestfallen that not only did we find someone quickly, but he was really good. It was a shame, since he had a decent voice, and was generally okay at the keys (although he continued to make clams up until the day after he left). I wouldn't have suggested any change in personnel - that was all his idea. But it's nice being without his bipolar nonsense.

    And that's just one; I now play guitar in the original band, because we needed a guitarist (I was then the drummer) and couldn't find one (in Austin, TX even!) that was a good player and didn't have his head up his ass. I'm sure they're out there, but we couldn't find him in two years of looking. But we DID blunder on to a decent drummer, so...

    Gambit folded because of the drummer. We had a GREAT one - I mean, talent just oozed out of this guy! His wife was a royal pain to deal with, and tried to run the band through him. It didn't last; he was a real nice guy, but the wife nagged him incessantly, and tried to change everything. We were an original prog band - the best band I've ever been in - and she just couldn't understand why we had to practice once a week, why we didn't play Eagles covers, etc. So she tried to control things, and eventually the band fell apart. A damn shame. A couple of years after the band folded we were still getting requests from Europe and South America for when we were going to release our next album. I still get pensive thinking about what could have been with that band.

    So this stupid drama crap happens everywhere, every time. My road band, the singer got fired by the drummer and keyboardist, and he was dammn good - originally a backup singer for Lou Rawls. Well, the stories can go on and on, but I can't.
    Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.

  3. #28
    Oh yeah, I'm down for that group. I love these kinds of stories, as long as they are someone else's stories.

    My old guitar player wanted to write pop rock like Warrant and White Lion, those types of bands from that era. I wanted to be the next incarnation of Rush. Needless to say, we had many heated discussions about how to write a song. As the guy said above, Ahhh, memories........

  4. #29
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Not a musician but I love these stories so I'm going to lurk
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  5. #30
    Member Mikhael's Avatar
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    The group is now active, and people are actively whinin'...
    Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.

  6. #31
    Member Guitarplyrjvb's Avatar
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    This topic is one of the main reasons we have home studio systems selling like hotcakes!
    Last edited by Guitarplyrjvb; 04-24-2014 at 07:56 AM.

  7. #32
    Jefferson James
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    I'm in.

  8. #33
    Member nosebone's Avatar
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    "whatever it is, don't do it, Joey!"

    OK, now I'm in!
    no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone

  9. #34
    I'm in, even though most of the kind of stuff like this that I went through is 30 years ago and I've blocked it all.

  10. #35
    Member No Pride's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nosebone View Post
    "whatever it is, don't do it, Joey!"

    OK, now I'm in!


    As am I.

  11. #36
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mikhael View Post
    The group is now active, and people are actively whinin'...
    I do what I can.
    <sig out of order>

  12. #37
    Member dgtlman's Avatar
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    IN!

  13. #38
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    I rember in college I had a friend who played guitar in a nothing band that had done nothing but practice in our attic. He had never written a song, but one day declared he was writing a rock opera. He got as far as a short, repeating chorus and never mentioned it again.

    LOL

  14. #39
    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    I've lived in Madison for more than 43 years.

    What initially brought me to Wisconsin involved a band I was the singer in based in Lewiston, ME in 1970-71.

    It was a 3 piece w/a frontman (me) with no keys. We did Hendrix, Love, Savoy Brown, Yardbirds etc. covers. I was born & raised in NYC, and the other 3 were all born & raised in Madison. They came to Maine looking for a singer since they had a place there to live and practice, and didn't in WI.

    All I knew about Madison was that it was the state capitol, but when our guitarist took acid before a gig and didn't tell the rest of the band, and midway through the gig stumbled around enough on stage to have the top amp of his Marshall stack fall on him mid-song ("Bummer In The Summer" by Love) and stagger offstage, the drummer (still a friend to this day) asked if I would go to Madison with him to start a different band. I did, and after 5 kids and a 25 year career in WI state government I'm still here. We learned a few months later that the guitar player had matriculated to heroin shortly after that incident. Don't know if he's still alive or not, but I know what I'd lay my money down on.
    "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"

    President Harry S. Truman

  15. #40
    Subterranean Tapir Hobo Chang Ba's Avatar
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    Thankfully the band I'm in spends most of it's time in different states so I rarely have to worry about serious stuff.

    I'll join the group though.
    Please don't ask questions, just use google.

    Never let good music get in the way of making a profit.

    I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.

  16. #41
    Oh, so much of that mirrors my time in a cover band. I only joined one cover band in my life, and I started out as the drummer. When I first joined, everything was pretty cool. I really never wanted to be in a cover band, but these guys seemed pretty cool and they were amazing musicians. Nothing was half-assed, and everyone in the band could sing and harmonize. A rare breed. There would be some heated arguments over music, but it seemed ok.

    After a year, I was starting to see the cracks in the pretty facade. The guitar player had all the power in the band, which he was fairly subtle about wielding when I first joined. Later on, it became more obvious. He owned the PA, he booked the gigs, he had his own drums at his house so all we had to do is just show up and play. It was a dream set up for sure, but then when it came time to get his way, all of a sudden all that stuff he did out of the "kindness" of his heart became tools to guilt people into caving to any of his demands. The rehearsals started becoming torture sessions of playing the same song over and over and over just because one member missed a note. The song would get worse as the night would wear on, because everyone was tired of playing it, and we would have to mutiny and refuse to play it, which would turn into an hour long argument about "dedication". Our fearless leader was so convinced that our 5 piece cover band playing a $350 gig at some shithole was a concert that could make or break the band. During some of these practices, our fearless leader would get so drunk and stoned he could barely keep his eyes open. Yet he was so concerned about us "getting it right". I was stone cold sober for 99.9 of our practices and gigs. As the drummer, I felt like I had to be clear to get the job done right, and I have always been that way. I didn't care what the other members do as long as they delivered. I have since lost that silly idea and now believe that it ALWAYS interferes with performance, just in subtle ways.

    The truth is, we were pretty damn good. We could get even the most apathetic crowds on our side though sheer force and determination. We left nothing in reserve and gave it our all. At first, it was worth all the headaches, but it got much worse at the practices and sometimes even at the gigs.

    There was a consensus from the audience and within the band that I was a better singer than our lead singer. he could play the drums too, so we would switch for a few songs a night. This was a death sentence for our poor lead singer, as I have a very powerful voice, and the crowds would often not want me to go back to the drums after a few AC/DC or Mountain tunes. Our lead singer really could not sing the blues at all, and that shit is my bread and butter. Somehow, the guy would not let me sing the Joe Cocker tunes, which was just idiotic. He also started singing flat all the time. When I joined, he sounded fine. I'm not sure what happened, but his pitch seemed to worsen as time went on. He also had another band that was booking shows at the same venues, and our band leader did not like that one bit. After a while we decided to hire a new drummer and put me in the lead vocal spot. So ends pt. 1 of my story. It gets much worse, if you want to hear it let me know...

  17. #42
    I was in a cover band years ago and we fired our drummer because he would only practice 5 nights a week... bastard! One night off is enough for anyone! He shouldn't even want that! Ah, the idiocy of youth

    We were at a battle of the bands once though and the guy dropped both his sticks at the same time, so we were probably looking for any excuse.

  18. #43
    Member No Pride's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by progeezer View Post
    when our guitarist took acid before a gig and didn't tell the rest of the band, and midway through the gig stumbled around enough on stage to have the top amp of his Marshall stack fall on him mid-song ("Bummer In The Summer" by Love) and stagger offstage, the drummer (still a friend to this day) asked if I would go to Madison with him to start a different band.
    He couldn't have picked a more appropriate song title for that.

    Quote Originally Posted by jupiter0rjapan View Post
    The guitar player had all the power in the band, which he was fairly subtle about wielding when I first joined. Later on, it became more obvious. He owned the PA, he booked the gigs, he had his own drums at his house so all we had to do is just show up and play. It was a dream set up for sure, but then when it came time to get his way, all of a sudden all that stuff he did out of the "kindness" of his heart became tools to guilt people into caving to any of his demands. The rehearsals started becoming torture sessions of playing the same song over and over and over just because one member missed a note. The song would get worse as the night would wear on, because everyone was tired of playing it, and we would have to mutiny and refuse to play it, which would turn into an hour long argument about "dedication". Our fearless leader was so convinced that our 5 piece cover band playing a $350 gig at some shithole was a concert that could make or break the band. During some of these practices, our fearless leader would get so drunk and stoned he could barely keep his eyes open. Yet he was so concerned about us "getting it right".
    If there's anything worse than having a control freak in a band, it's having one that doesn't hold himself to the same standards that he expects out of everyone else. I've had some first hand experience with a few guys like that. If you want the respect of others, you have to earn it.

  19. #44
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by trurl View Post
    I was in a cover band years ago and we fired our drummer because he would only practice 5 nights a week... bastard! One night off is enough for anyone! He shouldn't even want that! Ah, the idiocy of youth

    We were at a battle of the bands once though and the guy dropped both his sticks at the same time, so we were probably looking for any excuse.
    Unconscionable of him!
    <sig out of order>

  20. #45
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by No Pride View Post
    If you want the respect of others, you have to earn it.
    Unless you're the one signing the paychecks.
    <sig out of order>

  21. #46
    Subterranean Tapir Hobo Chang Ba's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jupiter0rjapan View Post
    Oh, so much of that mirrors my time in a cover band. I only joined one cover band in my life, and I started out as the drummer. When I first joined, everything was pretty cool. I really never wanted to be in a cover band, but these guys seemed pretty cool and they were amazing musicians. Nothing was half-assed, and everyone in the band could sing and harmonize. A rare breed. There would be some heated arguments over music, but it seemed ok.

    After a year, I was starting to see the cracks in the pretty facade. The guitar player had all the power in the band, which he was fairly subtle about wielding when I first joined. Later on, it became more obvious. He owned the PA, he booked the gigs, he had his own drums at his house so all we had to do is just show up and play. It was a dream set up for sure, but then when it came time to get his way, all of a sudden all that stuff he did out of the "kindness" of his heart became tools to guilt people into caving to any of his demands. The rehearsals started becoming torture sessions of playing the same song over and over and over just because one member missed a note. The song would get worse as the night would wear on, because everyone was tired of playing it, and we would have to mutiny and refuse to play it, which would turn into an hour long argument about "dedication". Our fearless leader was so convinced that our 5 piece cover band playing a $350 gig at some shithole was a concert that could make or break the band. During some of these practices, our fearless leader would get so drunk and stoned he could barely keep his eyes open. Yet he was so concerned about us "getting it right". I was stone cold sober for 99.9 of our practices and gigs. As the drummer, I felt like I had to be clear to get the job done right, and I have always been that way. I didn't care what the other members do as long as they delivered. I have since lost that silly idea and now believe that it ALWAYS interferes with performance, just in subtle ways.

    The truth is, we were pretty damn good. We could get even the most apathetic crowds on our side though sheer force and determination. We left nothing in reserve and gave it our all. At first, it was worth all the headaches, but it got much worse at the practices and sometimes even at the gigs.

    There was a consensus from the audience and within the band that I was a better singer than our lead singer. he could play the drums too, so we would switch for a few songs a night. This was a death sentence for our poor lead singer, as I have a very powerful voice, and the crowds would often not want me to go back to the drums after a few AC/DC or Mountain tunes. Our lead singer really could not sing the blues at all, and that shit is my bread and butter. Somehow, the guy would not let me sing the Joe Cocker tunes, which was just idiotic. He also started singing flat all the time. When I joined, he sounded fine. I'm not sure what happened, but his pitch seemed to worsen as time went on. He also had another band that was booking shows at the same venues, and our band leader did not like that one bit. After a while we decided to hire a new drummer and put me in the lead vocal spot. So ends pt. 1 of my story. It gets much worse, if you want to hear it let me know...
    Do it.
    Please don't ask questions, just use google.

    Never let good music get in the way of making a profit.

    I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.

  22. #47
    Oh No! Bass Solo! klothos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by No Pride View Post
    If there's anything worse than having a control freak in a band, it's having one that doesn't hold himself to the same standards that he expects out of everyone else. I've had some first hand experience with a few guys like that. If you want the respect of others, you have to earn it.

    +1000000000

  23. #48
    Member Mikhael's Avatar
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    I'm not a control freak, but I do have some hot points that bug me. I want the band to sound good and put on a professional show. Beyond that I don't care. But it's amazing how hard it is to accomplish those two points; you'd think that anyone wanting to be in a performing band would want those two points as well. However...
    Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.

  24. #49
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by klothos View Post
    One big question here:

    -- Is Mittens one of those anal-retentive musician/sound-guys with a ton of gear but most of it is all over a decade-and-a-half old and also thinks he knows everything?

    I dunno: i can play a wiiiiiiide variety of styles although I consider my fortes funk, modern jazz, and urban blues....It still doesnt stop me from listening to Bon Jovi, Honeymoon Suite, or even a Warrant CD on occasion
    That is definitely Mittens to a "t".

    Not trying to denigrate Bon Jovi, et al - it's just not something I particularly enjoy. I have no problem if people enjoy that stuff.
    <sig out of order>

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