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should i stay or should i go !!


ziggydolphinboy
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Hi all,
Bit of a funny one here,
I am in a band were i love the drummer and keys player me and drummmer reallly work and its prob one of the best rythm sections ive been in.


we have 31 gigs this year not too bad but heres the crux...... the guitarist is in another band and the same guitarist and my drummer keeep playing with their old bass player that left the band (thats why i got the job).

so the guitarist has i reckon over 55 gigs this year when we spoke about the problem he turned round and said"i dont like certain aspects of the new line up so i dont promote the band". (hes said im tooo busy before now and he doesnt like my tight sound,hes also an awesome guitarist but doesnt learn the tunes like the tunes then moans at me when im playing them like the track).
the old set up plays quite regular and they do the gigs beaucause they are low paying gigs (they go out as a three peice) and so when they play me and keyboard player and sometines the singer are sitting at home playing with ourselves!!

i have loooked around extensively and theres not many bands wanting a bass player at moment in my area,,, so shalll i just stick with it for the 31 gigs or leave let someone else get trodd on and spend some time practising at home instead of giging on and off?
not sure what to do !!

neeed the wisdom from the society! x

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OK - you started the Clash song analogy so let's continue it properly.



If I go there will be trouble - if I stay there will be double.

Possibly the daftest song lyric ever because , from studying it to no great depth - the obvious answer is to go. Making it a pretty pointless question in the first place because it already contains the answer - therefore also making the song pointless.

And making it equally pointless for you to stay in a situation you're not happy with which will only get worse. Away from it you can reorganise along 'fresh start' lines.

BTW - someone telling you your sound is 'too tight' ............... does he like hospital food or what ?

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Tell them all, at the same time, up front that they should start looking for another bassist, that you`ll honour the 31 gigs but won`t do any more, and then tell them all, at the same time, why. No mud-slinging, just fact.

At that point you may well find that the rest of the band find they need a bassist who isn`t too busy to learn songs, learns the songs as they are written, and has a tight sound, than a guitarist who seems intent on disruption.

If they don`t, well no loss there.

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Hey guys thank you,
I got rehesals wednesday so i shallll hopefully get a chance to air my veiws.
The drummer is awesome ,and im sure helll wannna keep in contact , funny the other day we was playing 'jesus' by genisis and in the chorus the bass plays single note the gutarist asked me to put more notes in!! i couldnt beleive it!!
anyway gutarists and singers eh!!

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Lots of musicians are headstrong and can be total w***ers while at it, not just guitarists.
You're following the track since that is the one constant factor you can go by. Things will settle when you play with these guys a while longer and you will find more appreciation once things start to flow. I'd give it time and ignore the clumsy remarks made by the guitard player for now.

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Personally I'd stay, not sure what the work situation is in your area Ziggy but if your a pub covers band 31 gigs would probably be pretty much the average for a weekend warrior band. You'll be in a better position to find another band just by being in the loop, if you know what I mean. And your still doing more gigs than the other band (the 3 piece).

The guitarist is certainly entitled to an opinion but I don't like the statement that ends " so I don't promote the band", don't understand why he's still there if that's the way he feels. He may have a valid point or 2 about what your playing, I have no idea, I've never seen you, or he may just be pi$$ed off cos' his mate the old bass player isn't there anymore. Well he just needs to deal with that.

The other option is everyone in your band start promoting, if you get enough gigs in the diary then the other band will just die cos' there will be no space left for them to play. Just a thought.

Les


edit for crap typing

Edited by Les
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Use them the same way as they are using you.

Book other gigs and the first one is the diary is the band you'll do.
I would expect to be the number one unit though... so whilst you can be pro about the way to spread around the gigs...
the band that gets the most loyalty is the best band, however you measure that...

If the gtr thinks the unit is substandard or whatever, then get rid of him.. or leave if you find your self on the outside.

I don't think so much of regular band members who gets gigs for their other bands and not chipping in in your band.
I can understand if they are too busy to do it at all, but not otherwise....

You may well find the guy getting all the gigs...wants to pay himself for that... and then you have a whole new can of worms..

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[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1359367674' post='1953487']
If its not fun anymore, then it's time to move on.
[/quote]

This sums it up for me. When I played in a covers band I got very irritated if other band members learnt the material sloppily, or not at all. If someone suggested to me I should deliberately not play as per the original I think I'd just go radgy apeshit bananas and thow my poo at them.

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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1359577369' post='1957009']
This sums it up for me. When I played in a covers band I got very irritated if other band members learnt the material sloppily, or not at all. If someone suggested to me I should deliberately not play as per the original I think I'd just go radgy apeshit bananas and thow my poo at them.
[/quote]

some people would pay for that sort of thing!!! :P

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[quote name='ziggydolphinboy' timestamp='1359363164' post='1953423']
(hes said im tooo busy before now and he doesnt like my tight sound,hes also an awesome guitarist but doesnt learn the tunes like the tunes then moans at me when im playing them like the track).
[/quote]

I interperate this as: "even though I don't care much about this band I want you all to drop work/social life/family to make this work and massage my ego for me, your sound it's just too.... tight and present in the mix taking the attention away from me, oh and you know when you follow the songs, well I didn't learn them like that so can we do them how I think they are"
kick him out, or at least start a discussion (argument) with him over it all.

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There's loads of guitarists around, that's why many bands have two!

It sounds like your guitarist is in a pretty comfortable place right now for gigs - with you, keyboardist and sometimes singer as his 'backup' band. I would have a chat with the drummer, see where his loyalties are. You might be better getting a new guitarist but you might find that this results in you needing a new drummer too - and they are hard to find!

in my experience democratic bands don't work, as there's always someone who wants to be in charge but isn't prepared to put any effort in AND someone who does all the crappy jobs nobody wants to do and gets miffed a lot. I'm not sure who runs things for your band, if its a democracy, then you need to play the politics game, find out where everyone stands and judge whether or not to take action. If there is a band leader, this is much less political. Basically its up to them, air your views to them and let them decide what to do with it - you might be out of a job though...

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Radgy apeshit bananas.

Works for me

I have a singer who complains that we aren't a tribute band, so why do I insist on playing and singing the right note...
He still moans about the keys player who left last year, because he worked out their harmonies and emailed them to him.
I'd love someone to sit at home doing my work for me.

So,be up front, and see what the others say.
You might be surprised.

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