Just a Rant

[chaypup]

One of the most horrible gigs I've had to play this evening - just awful.
I've been doing a weekly residency at a swing night for the last few months, during that time the keyboard player has been getting more and more wayward - not adhering to dress code, not learning new tunes, playing the same out-of -style solo over everything, and far worse, turning up pished to the gigs.

I'd had words with him and, because he's a mate of a mate given him second chances. Last week he texts me 2 hours before the gig saying he's in Spain (!) but he's sorted a dep (the 2nd time he's done this) Cue 2 hours of me teaching the dep the setlist and making sure he's up to speed. The dep is great, professional, nice guy, plays the songs as they're meant to be without going off on some odyssey every 2 minutes. So, we ask him if he can do the role permanently, he can but not until next week.

So, I tell the original keys player he's out and he asks for one last week as he can do with the money, this suits me as I would otherwise have to find another dep. Gig comes along and he's a bit offish during the first set, but plays just about ok. During the break he asks for a chat and although I really don't want to get into it halfway through a gig he's pushing for details of why he's sacked - I simply point out the times he's left us in the lurch. 2nd set starts with a blues, he leaves MASSIVE gaps in his playing, like 16 bars! There's just me, sax and drums, it sounds awful. While he's doing this, he's drinking his beer and pulling faces at his mate. Next song, hejust starts playing absolute horrible discordant bullsheet chords and bring in weird synthy stuff. As soon as we make it to the end of the track, I pull the plug on him, apologise for 'technical difficulties' to the crowd, start the DJ stuff up ( we DJ the night as well) and ask him (outside) what the flip he's doing!

He can't see anything wrong with what he's done, he's rat-arsed as well, as much as I want to just chuck he keyboard out in the street and drive over it, I stay calm so as not to cause a scene in the posh bar place we're playing, get everyone paid (!) and leave him to it.
It's a shame that Cardiff is so small and he works the bar in my favourite venue

Apologies for the outpouring of nonsense, but I just needed to vent.

[yorks5stringer]

Sounds like you've handled it very professionally and you are well-rid.

[alyctes]

Sounds as if you've done the right thing and done it well. Good for you

[discreet]

Keyboard players!!

[gjones]

Drunks in bands are not good news. I've played with a few.
One (a singer guitarist) used to ask to be paid halfway through the gig and by the time the 2nd set came along he wouldn't be able to stand he'd drunk so much.
Another singer had to be tied to a chair to stop him falling off. We thought the crowd would boo us off but amazingly they loved him (I think they thought it was an act).
A drummer in a band I used to be in (who was a secret alcoholic), fell off the wagon one night and played hip hop beats throughout a blues set at a local Jazz bar. We had a residency there but he got us sacked that night.
And finally, another alcoholic drummer, was finally sacked after he had explosive diarrhoea, in the back of the van coming back from a gig.

Drunks don't ya luv em.

[Les]

A lousy situation very well handled. You did what you had to do and it's sorted.

[phil.c60]

I wouldn't want a serious drinker in the band but..... a few years ago the blues band I was in at the time had a booking on a night when it snowed - and I mean really snowed. Me, the singer and the guitarist made it with all the gear, the drummer got stuck and couldn't make it. We were standing there trying to work out what to do when the landlord said "I used to be a drummer, and I've still got a kit out the back, and that guy at the bar used to be a session drummer, so what do you think?" The drummer said he'd give it a go "It's only, blues, after all" and so we got going. That's when it became apparent that he'd clearly been on it since opening time. He couldn't stop himself drifting into some weird reggae type beat and generally wandering around at various tempos, while I struggled to keep some sort of shape to the songs and the guitarist just laughed and played whatever he could to fill the gaps. The singer/harmonica player kept turning round to try and make sense of what was going on behind him.The punters loved it. they all knew the drummer and clapped us (him?) to the rafters. And we got paid extra too, as no-one could get out of the village 'cos of the snow so the place was packed. Funny on the night, but as I said I wouldn't want that to be how it always is.

Edited September 26, 2014 by phil.c60

[FuNkShUi]

Yeh you seem to have handled it well. A lot calmer than i could've managed.
Good work. If i ever need to chuck someone from our band, do you take cheques?

[madshadows]

Sounds like you handled things correctly, good luck with new guy

John

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1411689443' post='2562026']
Sounds like you've handled it very professionally and you are well-rid.
[/quote]
[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1411691751' post='2562036']
Sounds as if you've done the right thing and done it well. Good for you
[/quote]
[quote name='Les' timestamp='1411710564' post='2562063']
A lousy situation very well handled. You did what you had to do and it's sorted.
[/quote]
[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1411714825' post='2562089']
Yeh you seem to have handled it well. A lot calmer than i could've managed.
Good work. If i ever need to chuck someone from our band, do you take cheques?
[/quote]
[quote name='madshadows' timestamp='1411716918' post='2562105']
Sounds like you handled things correctly, good luck with new guy

John
[/quote]
All of the above!

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Wouldn't want him pulling my pints from now on though..you might get a little more head than bargained for :-(

[JTUK]

I can't see any problem with the way you handled it. The only other thing I'd do... if you wanted to help
the guy... is spell out why you couldn't tolerate his behaviour...it was threatening your gigs.
Players with these problems seem to have lost their bearings and they actually don't see the problem ..
otherwise they wouldn't behave like that... so if you spell it out, you may be doing them a favour.
Some people do need help...not saying that is something you have to get involved in... but you should
tell them what YOU found unacceptable. Then it is upto them...??

[Weststarx]

I thought keyboard players did things like church and reading - not getting pissed!

[size=1][i](A joke of course)[/i][/size]

[DogHammer]

Wow, your ex-keyboard player does sound like a massive annoyance. You kept much more of a cool head than I would have.

Our singer has a bit of an issue like this when hes really drunk. He will forget words, sing slurred and mess things up. But he knows how he is and its very rare that he gets drunk before a gig. Only if its one of those low key forest or barn festivals where everyone is smashed....

I seem to be blessed with getting absolutely smashed and still being able to play bass. My guitarist is the same.

Though I am also starting to play synth live in the band aswell as bass, so I may need to keep a clearer head from now on!

[discreet]

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1411721869' post='2562194']
I thought keyboard players did things like church and reading - not getting pissed!
[size=1][i](A joke of course)[/i][/size]
[/quote]

Haahahaha!! In the early nineties I was in a band which had just signed a deal with a major label and we were rehearsing our set 9-5 for weeks. When we finally got onto the circuit the singer was never, ever sober. And it wasn't just booze, either. It turned out that the success of our careers was based on the likelihood of a heroin addict (the singer) not taking heroin and an alcoholic (also the singer) not having a drink. Which might have been OK if he had been able to keep it together enough to perform, but he failed to do so in the most spectacular way imaginable. So hilarity ensued and we went from strength to strength. Actually, no... we didn't. It was an embarrassing train-wreck which got litigious and I abandoned ship. My current band have a no-drinking rule.

[IzzyT2807]

well handled.. sometimes remaining professional is the hardest thing to do.

[Weststarx]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1411724985' post='2562248']
Haahahaha!! In the early nineties I was in a band which had just signed a deal with a major label and we were rehearsing our set 9-5 for weeks. When we finally got onto the circuit the singer was never, ever sober. And it wasn't just booze, either. It turned out that the success of our careers was based on the likelihood of a heroin addict (the singer) not taking heroin and an alcoholic (also the singer) not having a drink. Which might have been OK if he had been able to keep it together enough to perform, but he failed to do so in the most spectacular way imaginable. So hilarity ensued and we went from strength to strength. Actually, no... we didn't. It was an embarrassing train-wreck which got litigious and I abandoned ship. My current band have a no-drinking rule.
[/quote]

I cant drink and play...

Beer really de-hydrates me and makes my mouth really dry which is useless for backup vocals.

I'm not a massive drinker either so 2-3 beers and im feeling it at that stage already - I'd be a wreck if started drinking when we turned up to set up.

[Norris]

I used to have a drink while playing when I was younger. These days we don't have a band van any more and have to drive ourselves to the gigs. The music is far better quality for being sober, and far more enjoyable to play.

Well done to the OP for his professional handling of the situation.

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1411694141' post='2562049']
Keyboard players!!
[/quote]

Key-tard?

[discreet]

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1411731390' post='2562321']
Key-tard?
[/quote]

Key Largo.

[Raslee]

I wonder whats going on for the keyboard player for him to act the way he is, of course the drinking appears to be the immediate issue and cannot be tolerated for the professionalism required. However I can't help but think there is most probabaly an unwell person with much more serious issues than his musical vilification.