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So I gave a band member both barrels..............


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Communications are notoriously sh*te in most bands sadly. The last band i was in had a couple (at least) occasions where a forthcoming confirmed gig was mentioned at a gig while we were packing down and it was the first I'd known of it. Singer always swore blind that i 'had been texted about it' but curiously when I checked the band web site the gig in question was not on the list of forthcoming gigs nor could I ever find the text in question. Band before that I set up a Google shared calendar for them because their comms were so sh*t, only to realise that lat least 2 of the other 3 pretty much never bothered looking at it.

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we use a band google calendar everybody puts down when they're unavailable and forthcoming gigs are on there, I link it to my own google calendar, occasional cock ups occur but on the whole it works really well, but we still double confirm with everybody (email usually) before we commit to a gig
edit, there's a another thread going on this subject at the moment

Edited by PaulWarning
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I tried to set up a Google calendar a few times, but one guy only used an old Nokia and had no computer so that didnt work. I would also get excuses that they couldn't log on etc. I found the best way was to text each one and [s]expect[/s] hope they would make a note of them. On the whole i felt they needed to take responsibility for themselves.

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Bit of an odd one.
I'd expect everyone to keep their own calender but also expect some kind of communication between all the band members and whats coming up in future.

In my opinion i think the full band are at fault as you are not the only one that can remind the drummer of gigs.
You've taken it on yourself to tell everyone. Why did the other members not remind him. Full band share this.
Drummer really should be more organised. No excuse for that.

Is this a regular occurence with him. If so time to move on i would think. If its a one off its maybe a bit extreme to hurl abusive language at him specifically.

Dave

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[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1506444191' post='3378808']
Sorry mate, can't agree with you on this.

In my main band (Junkyard Dogs) the majority of gigs are got by me & Silvia working our tits off. The band's availability calendar is the 'Free' tab on the Lemonrock site: [url="https://www.lemonrock.com/junkyarddogs?page=diary"]https://www.lemonroc...dogs?page=diary[/url]

All we ask the rest of the band is that they keep us informed through that page which dates the band is ALL available to play.

If two visits, several pints, and some not very good over-priced food has finally got us to the point where the landlady has opened the her Event Diary and offered us dates, I am NOT about to say: "[i]Well give me a bunch of dates and I'll check which ones we can play, I'll maybe get back to you tomorrow[/i]."

The only people who ever think that situation is acceptable are those who never bother to get gigs but leave it all to someone else.

Harsh, but true.
[/quote]

I tell people when I'm not available, wouldn't that generally be easier? I should think there are fewer un-free days than free.

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My main jazz band is an ensemble, 3 bassists, 2 drummers, 3 keyboard players, a couple of singers, 3 sax players, 2 guitar players and a few deps.

Everyone is allocated a number of gigs through a 3 month period, these are sent around on a programme, with the date, venue and crosses by the name of each musician to show what they're doing. This is updated as new gigs come in. It works well, and is quite simple to operate, even for such a large ensemble.

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Is anyone here in a band in which responsibility for getting gigs and making sure everyone knows about them is not the bass player's job? Are there similar threads to this on guitar chat, drum chat, sing chat and keys chat? I often get the feeling that being organised always needs a bass player! My band has played 140 gigs over the last 4 years. Left to their own devices, I doubt that they'd have managed to get 14!

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I'm with Ambient and Jack. We all say when we are "not available". All other dates are free. If someone encounters a problem, we either dep it or they have to "unproblem" it.
On the one occasion when we couldn't do this and I had to go back and try and move the date of a new booking, it cost us the gig and the venue. No-one can afford that these days.

Post crossed with FinnDave: I'm lucky, the harmonica player does his share. But it's just him and me.....

Edited by phil.c60
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[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1506530007' post='3379396']
Is anyone here in a band in which responsibility for getting gigs and making sure everyone knows about them is not the bass player's job? Are there similar threads to this on guitar chat, drum chat, sing chat and keys chat? I often get the feeling that being organised always needs a bass player! My band has played 140 gigs over the last 4 years. Left to their own devices, I doubt that they'd have managed to get 14!
[/quote]

Yes, me! We`ve been together for 4 years now and I have got the band one gig (earlier this year).

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Shared Google calendar (everybody has a smartphone these days) lets us kee track of available dates to book. Everytime someone knows he will be unavailable we put it on the calendar. Simple and doesn't take time to keep it updated. If your band members are really interested in playing with the band this shouldn't be a issue.

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[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1506530915' post='3379402']
Yes, me! We`ve been together for 4 years now and I have got the band one gig (earlier this year).
[/quote]

Good for you, Lozz, I hope there are plenty more. I walked away from another band this year when I found that they expected me to find and book gigs for them, almost as if it is an automatic extension of the bass player's duties!

BTW, been playing the black n maple Precision all day today, all good but feels and sounds a bit tame after my recent months of playing only Gibsons!

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[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1506530007' post='3379396']
Is anyone here in a band in which responsibility for getting gigs and making sure everyone knows about them is not the bass player's job? Are there similar threads to this on guitar chat, drum chat, sing chat and keys chat? I often get the feeling that being organised always needs a bass player! My band has played 140 gigs over the last 4 years. Left to their own devices, I doubt that they'd have managed to get 14!
[/quote]

Me.

After having spent most of my musical life being the person who sorted everything out in bands both musically and organisationally from my very first band in the mid 70s right up to 15 years ago, I decided that it was too much work on top of doing all the song writing and synth and sequencer programming and therefore I wasn't going to do it anymore. I stopped organising rehearsals and when it took 8 weeks before any of the other band members got in touch to ask when we were going to be getting together again, I realised that it was time to end the band.

Since then I've been happy to take a back seat from an organisational PoV. In The Terrortones I was more involved than just writing the music, but it turned out that my skills set and Mr Venom's complimented each others' very nicely and it was Mr Venom who did most of the getting gigs and sorting out rehearsing.

Both the bands I am playing with currently are well established and have other band members that already deal very competently with the non-musical aspects of running a band, and for now I am happy just to turn up and contribute the bass parts to the wonderful songs they have written.

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[quote name='steantval' timestamp='1506467756' post='3379012']


Gee man, that second statement is strong.

I'm married, but if I made the same statement, I would certainly be alone 😢😢😢
[/quote]

I am pretty much alone. Retired, single & more than happy.

Blue

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[quote name='gapiro' timestamp='1506517774' post='3379288']
sending every event/thing in my calendar with the band.
Quite frankly I don't want them knowing when i'm having a dirty weekend away, or if i'm having a doctors appointment.
This means I either have to create two events (one with info and one just "busy") (= space for mistake) in the calendar, so my calendar also looks sh*te and unreadable (as well as the potential for mistake).
[/quote]
My band uses Google calendar to keep track of gigs and member availability. Alongside it I run my own Google calendar which has personal stuff in. The band calendar entries are yellow and personal ones green, to avoid confusion. Personal entries will be detailed, e.g. "Weekend at bruv's" and corresponding band ones are vague, e.g. "Rich out". It works well and isn't at all unreadable.

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[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1506530007' post='3379396']
Is anyone here in a band in which responsibility for getting gigs and making sure everyone knows about them is not the bass player's job? Are there similar threads to this on guitar chat, drum chat, sing chat and keys chat? I often get the feeling that being organised always needs a bass player! My band has played 140 gigs over the last 4 years. Left to their own devices, I doubt that they'd have managed to get 14!
[/quote]

In the 80s and 90s I got most of our gigs. Being an originals band it took a hell of a lot more work than booking a cover band. After retiring in 95 I managed about a dozen bands til 2000 when I stopped completely.
Now I'm in another originals band with my old guitarist and the kid brother of our late other guitarist.
They asked me to be the manager/booker.
I said no way.
they said "but you were really good at it"
Me "yeah but I hated it"
I just wanna be a hired hand, turn up and play. Except , of course, we play originals so there is no money from which to hire me hehe
We all pitch in with everything now, much better.

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I did the originals thing for ten years with various bands and every time (most of) it was on me. The last band was the final straw - I was arranging every rehearsal, booking all the gigs, writing all the music and running all the stuff online! Rest of the band just needed to turn up when due! I quit the band saying you guys couldn't organise a reading club in a library... one month later the band collapsed.

Currently bandless but much happier for it. I have no problem helping out but when everything is on my head, as soon as something goes wrong, it's all my fault. A band is a team not a dictatorship.

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[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1506525109' post='3379347']
Band before that I set up a Google shared calendar for them because their comms were so sh*t, only to realise that lat least 2 of the other 3 pretty much never bothered looking at it.
[/quote]

Bin there, dun that.

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[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1506528659' post='3379385']
I tell people when I'm not available, wouldn't that generally be easier? I should think there are fewer un-free days than free.
[/quote]

If you look at the link I supplied, you'll probably understand.

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[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1506530007' post='3379396']
Is anyone here in a band in which responsibility for getting gigs and making sure everyone knows about them is not the bass player's job? Are there similar threads to this on guitar chat, drum chat, sing chat and keys chat? I often get the feeling that being organised always needs a bass player! My band has played 140 gigs over the last 4 years. Left to their own devices, I doubt that they'd have managed to get 14!
[/quote]

Yeh the front man for the main band I play in (Headsticks) organises everything and he's brilliant at it

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