Bass Player Wanted

[stingrayPete1977]

Just now, Bluewine said:

For 5 gigs a year, I can't cope with any of their conditions. 

This is not an opportunity for me.

Blue

So their advert has done it's job. 

[dannybuoy]

I think you sometimes have trouble seeing things from other peoples perspectives, not everyone wants or needs to play bass to make a living. Just having a reason to get out and play every now and then around their busy lives is all some people are looking for. Being a family man myself, any band project would be a hobby for me, I could handle 5-6 gigs a year but any more would become a chore. Sounds like they are in the same boat, and are up front and honest about it. I don’t think their requirements are over the top at all, they obviously have little free time so don’t want to waste any more of it than necessary by auditioning people that aren’t up to scratch.

Edited January 30, 2018 by dannybuoy

[Brook_fan]

Great ad to me, very honest and personal.  Sounds li,e the kind of musicians I would get on with.

Robbie

[Bluewine]

2 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

A gig a month is ideal for me as playing is and always has been just a hobby for me. Any more than that starts to feel like a job.

Dave 

 

We're all different.

For me, when gigging started to feel like a job I celebrated. I finally felt accomplished and was getting somewhere.

Blue

[dmccombe7]

38 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

If they're reheasing weekly for 5 gigs then it's obviously more of a social outlet thing.

Blue

To be fair the band i joined last year were upfront about the fact they were just a group of guys that wanted to get together once a week and play songs they liked rather than a set list for a general pub audience. Funk / Blues based rock band so it was more a social event than a working band. Have to say it was quite relaxed and generally a good laugh and the best part was i learned a lot from these guys who were all older than me and had been playing for well over 40-50 yrs in different bands. 

Dave

Edited January 30, 2018 by dmccombe7

[dmccombe7]

5 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

We're all different.

For me, when gigging started to feel like a job I celebrated. I finally felt accomplished and was getting somewhere.

Blue

I can appreciate that Blue but different circumstances. I've always been worried that if i play every week it will become a chore. Of course that's because i was fitting it in between work commitments up until last year. I'm now in 2 different bands so who knows i could end up gigging every week after all. If the bands are good and i'm enjoying it then why not.

Dave

[Bluewine]

10 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

1.I think you sometimes have trouble seeing things from other peoples perspectives, not everyone wants or needs to play bass to make a living. 

2.They obviously have little free time so don’t want to waste any more of it than necessary by auditioning people that aren’t up to scratch.

1. Agreed, I do have trouble seeing certain things from other peoples perspective. However, I do respect their perspectives.

2. For 5 gigs a year, I don't think you deserve musicians that are up to scratch.

Blue

 

[Bluewine]

5 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I can appreciate that Blue but different circumstances. I've always been worried that if i play every week it will become a chore. Of course that's because i was fitting it in between work commitments up until last year. I'm now in 2 different bands so who knows i could end up gigging every week after all. If the bands are good and i'm enjoying it then why not.

Dave

Playing bass and singing is the only job I've ever had that I can honestly say is fun.

Blue

[dannybuoy]

1 minute ago, Bluewine said:

For 5 gigs a year, I don't think you deserve musicians that are up to scratch.

Why not?!

There are plenty of great musicians out there who also have careers / families and don’t want to play full time. These guys are obviously at a reasonably competent level and just want someone to fit in.

[dannybuoy]

[peteb]

I think that the advert is fine – clear about what they want and what they can offer and worded politely, etc. It’s not going to be of interest to most of the better players out there but may appeal to someone who wants to keep playing at a reasonable level but can’t commit to a busier band due to family / work commitments. I can think of a local band round here who would be a pretty similar outfit, apart from the bit about playing country!

I’ve just agreed to do a bit of work with a band over the next few months who take a different approach. Their advert (if they had needed to put one out) might have read: 

“Well established high energy R&B band need experienced bass payer to cover gigs for a few months while our regular bassist undergoes medical treatment. Must be able to cover a relatively easy set with no rehearsal. A variety of different types of gigs are in the book for this period, all with reasonable pay. Don’t worry if you have other commitments as we are happy to use more than one bass player to cover these gigs”.

What would you think of that advert and would you be interested?

[FinnDave]

I think the ad is good and clear, it lays out exactly what they expect and what they can offer. I wouldn't be interested in a band that gigs so infrequently myself, but they are up front about it. I can see it appealing to quite a few people if they have young families and/or demanding jobs. Like many 'musicians wanted' ads, it is realistic and not the work of dreamers.

[peteb]

13 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

2. For 5 gigs a year, I don't think you deserve musicians that are up to scratch.

Blue

 

Not necessarily. The band I mentioned above are all half decent players (the drummer is far better than half decent) but in addition to having families, a couple of them have big paying jobs and three of them have to travel a bit for work. For them, a band like that still gives them the opportunity to carry on gigging (about once a month or so) without getting in the way of their busy lives. They are all very good friends, so it is undoubtedly a big social thing for them as well. 

Edited January 30, 2018 by peteb

[thebrig]

37 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

Exactly, but not for me. I'm definitely not and never have been in this for chat & drink. 

I play bass guitar and sing for a fee. Commerce allows me to do that.

Blue

That's your choice Blue, we all know you play for living and I respect you for it, but for a lot of us, that ad is really appealing 

[ead]

I've recently left a band that did 40 or so shows a year to do around one a month.  It was becoming too invasive into my family time, plus Mrs ead is getting over cancer atm so I need to be around a lot more.  Something like would be fine for me.

Aside from the 'gigging' band I also belong to an 3-piece originals band.  Definitely hobby/social aspect to it.  A couple of rehearsals a month and we'll do a few gigs when we feel like it, although of course venues for original music are getting hard to find around here.

[Bluewine]

5 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

Why not?!

There are plenty of great musicians out there who also have careers / families and don’t want to play full time. These guys are obviously at a reasonably competent level and just want someone to fit in.

I have no problem with up to scratch musicians that want this sort of thing.

I have a problem with a band that does 5 gigs a year and expects top notch candidates. Why? I think it's expecting too much and offering too little.

Blue

[Bluewine]

10 minutes ago, peteb said:

I think that the advert is fine – clear about what they want and what they can offer and worded politely, etc. It’s not going to be of interest to most of the better players out there but may appeal to someone who wants to keep playing at a reasonable level but can’t commit to a busier band due to family / work commitments. I can think of a local band round here who would be a pretty similar outfit, apart from the bit about playing country!

I’ve just agreed to do a bit of work with a band over the next few months who take a different approach. Their advert (if they had needed to put one out) might have read: 

“Well established high energy R&B band need experienced bass payer to cover gigs for a few months while our regular bassist undergoes medical treatment. Must be able to cover a relatively easy set with no rehearsal. A variety of different types of gigs are in the book for this period, all with reasonable pay. Don’t worry if you have other commitments as we are happy to use more than one bass player to cover these gigs”.

What would you think of that advert and would you be interested?

I like your ad Pete, fair and reasonable. Definitely not one sided.

Blue

[thebrig]

3 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

I have no problem with up to scratch musicians that want this sort of thing.

I have a problem with a band that does 5 gigs a year and expects top notch candidates. Why? I think it's expecting too much and offering too little.

Blue

You still don't get it Blue, there a loads of top muso's out there who only want to gig 5/6 times a year for various reasons

Edited January 30, 2018 by thebrig

[peteb]

1 minute ago, Bluewine said:

I have no problem with up to scratch musicians that want this sort of thing.

I have a problem with a band that does 5 gigs a year and expects top notch candidates. Why? I think it's expecting too much and offering too little.

Blue

But not if those top-notch musicians are in a place in their life where other obligations mean that they can't commit to a busier band. Not for the likes of you and me at this point in our lives, but there are plenty of great players who might well be interested in this type of opportunity.

[peteb]

11 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

I like your ad Pete, fair and reasonable. Definitely not one sided.

Blue

The thing is, of course, that they never put an advert out. A promoter who had worked both of us made the connection and put us in touch.

Edited January 30, 2018 by peteb

[Bluewine]

2 minutes ago, thebrig said:

You still don't get it Blue, there a loads of top muso's out there who only want to gig 5/6 times a year for various reasons

And I'm fine with those guys that only want to gig 5 times a year.

I don't like bands asking the world for 5 gigs.

Admittedly, hard to understand my position. It's a little screwy.

Blue

[dmccombe7]

Maybe that's where i've gone wrong Blue   

[oldslapper]

Number of gigs doesn't equate to level of competence. 

To suggest a band that only plays 6 gig's a year doesn't deserve good musicians is a bizarre stand point. 

[thebrig]

1 minute ago, Bluewine said:

And I'm fine with those guys that only want to gig 5 times a year.

I don't like bands asking the world for 5 gigs.

Admittedly, hard to understand my position. It's a little screwy.

Blue

They are exactly the type of people I would want to play with because, especially if 5 gigs a years is what I'm looking for

[peteb]

3 minutes ago, oldslapper said:

Number of gigs doesn't equate to level of competence. 

To suggest a band that only plays 6 gig's a year doesn't deserve good musicians is a bizarre stand point. 

It might not necessarily equate to competence, but it's fair to say that the majority of very good players will play in bands who do a lot more than 5 or 6 gigs a year. 

Edited January 30, 2018 by peteb