My frends really awful band - advice needed

[Uncle Rodney]

I went to see my friend's band last night in a pub. He would tell me how great his lead guitarist is, how almost famous the drummer was.. etc. He's not a bad singer himself and a really nice guy. So I was interested, in a nut shell, even after the first song... terrible 😝 They are all experienced players but.. awful, obviously people were leaving, I could feel those who remained of the audience were gently mocking them. A band that can empty a pub. 🙄

 

Asked what do I think... erm.. what can I say? I tried to find good points but there weren't any. What can I say to the guy?? 😳 I really don't want to upset him.

 

My view was:

1.this "great lead guitarist" was just another standard noisy power chord+fast meandering solo type, usual standard for a pub band.

2.drummer's kit sounded floppy, snare was saggy and his playing average at best

3.singer (my friend) - vocals mostly not good, some was truly horrible, thing is I know he can sing really well.

4.bassman was average, just plodding away with no real expression, as in, every note was a full length 8th, his sound was ok.

5.the song set was an odd mixture of pop and rock covers, I know some bands do their versions and usually "murder" a song

 

I was thinking of doing guest appearances in their band but having heard them, I wouldn't want to ruin my reputation 😄 - I could do the "musical director" role but again that would appear out of place. I think they are too stuck in their way to want change.

One suggestion was just to form a new band with my friend the singer, I could then steer the ship without offending anyone.

 

I'm sure many of you have seen similar situations, any suggestions on how to approach this sensitive issue? The easy one is just to stay away, keep out of it.

[ped]

Move to a different part of the country

[Gank Bass]

Have you thought about emigrating?

[itu]

Been there, seen that. 

 

If you are an authority to them, you could steer them to the right direction: what's good, where they need support. If they already know you well, the project may be hopeless. 

 

I have seen a few bands that have made a very good progress in short time with few supporting lines and suggestions: 

1) Simple: Pink Floyd is a fine band, but Dark side on a wedding gig?

2) Slightly complicated: What's the meaning of the singer if the g-word (among others!) doesn't support the story etc.

3) Complex: Can you play hard, but not loud? 

 

If you think they could and can do better, take your time with them. Most likely no one will remember or thank you in any way, but their playing may become better. If they want to. 

 

By the way, I have never tried to play anything to those that I have given comments to. They have to find the idea by themselves. 

[Len_derby]

Tough one. Using the rule , ‘if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all’,  I’d probably keep out of it.

However, if asked outright I’d probably start with, ‘I think you could do better’, and see where the conversation goes. He might possibly agree given the opportunity to be frank.

Although, if he/they don’t realise things are amiss from the audience reaction, well, they might be beyond help!

 

Good luck.

[AndyTravis]

Depends how good a mate he is - I know some mates of mine would take the critique, some would lose the plot and sulk.

 

If you’re at a loose end and want to form a band, you could use the gig as the excuse…

 

as someone else suggested 

 

”you’re a great singer, watching you struggle with those guys made me realise you deserve better…”

[fiatcoupe432]

Just tell him you have tinnitus and that night was really bad and couldn't concentrate on the music... 

 

Honestly?? If you think he is a good musician , tell him that and tell him that he can do better . If he asked for your opinion perhaps he knows you are more experienced and perhaps your advice would help him to find a better set of musician who could also help him grow . 

Edited 4 hours ago by fiatcoupe432

[Lozz196]

I’d say don’t criticise but offer some tips/guidance, but make sure it’s advice that they would be able to take on.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

It sounds like if they keep going the way they are , the gigs will dry up . Not sure how long they've  been gigging ,from what you said .

If it was the first or second gig, then maybe advise  gentle constructive criticism if asked . I must admit you did make me laugh at your observations .

I would keep out of it otherwise if it were me . I don’t know if you could be washing the cat 🐈‍⬛ the next time he asks you to go along 🤔.

Alternatively they could do some show stopping songs when the audience dwindles . Tracks such as ‘don’t leave me this way ‘, ‘ if you gotta go now ‘ ‘ should I stay or should I go ‘ etc 

 

musos react differently to criticism as we know . Having said that ,you have to keep on improving. This includes taking criticism not in a personal manner , but something to spur you on to improve . Trouble with that is , when most of the band are poor , not  all take the constructive criticism kindly ..

Edited 3 hours ago by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE

[Franticsmurf]

To a certain extent it depends on how friendly you are with the singer. 'Best mates' friendly and you could probably, with some tact, tell the truth to him/her over a coffee or a pint. 'Acquaintance' friendly and it would be much harder and probably better to stick to some generalisms (needs some work, not tight etc) or just walk away. It also depends on how your credibility is with your friend and the band. I'm not questioning your credibility but if they see you as an experienced player and are willing to listen you could say more than if they just see you as 'the singer's friend'.

 

I was in a band once that was a bit like the one you described. From within at rehearsals it was hard to spot the problems but once we started to record the sessions, it became painfully obvious that the singer couldn't sing and the the two guitarists weren't working together and by backing vocals were dire. Maybe suggesting they record rehearsals or gigs might allow them to spot the problems themselves? I was briefly in another band where, despite basic errors in tempo and timing, every song ended with one of the band saying a variation of 'that was special'. It made me smile as my interpretation of 'special' was different to his. But the serious point is that it can be hard to be objective, particularly if you are within the music, inexperienced r lacking in confidence and so concentrating hard on your own bit. 

 

The trick, as has been said above, is to ensure any comments you make are not taken personally. Easier said than done and a lesson I learnt over time.  

[chris_b]

Was it a one-off bad gig?

 

Why do you have to say anything? He was a friend before you knew how bad this band was, so just continue being a friend and ignore the band thing.

[binky_bass]

Maybe he KNEW it was terrible (perhaps on purpose?) and he's just testing the strength of your friendship... To pass the test you must be straight with him as he knows it was purposefully bad, or risk failing by saying nothing at all, or worse... lying!

 

Or... it's not a test... who knows? Honesty is usually/always the best policy (assuming he has directly asked for your opinion), but tact must be deployed in the correct proportion relevant to the level of your friendship.

 

 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I'd look for something positive to say, like how much you enjoyed 'I predict a riot' and it really added to the song by doing it in the style of the Shaggs.

[Sean]

My approach in these situations is not to give advice or comment per se but to switch to a purely coaching approach. Asking probing but open questions and getting them thinking in a reflective way.

 

So, how do you think that went?

If you were to score yourself out of 10, what number would it be? OK, so what does an 8/10 look like compared to your 6/10? 

 

Have you thought about recording the gigs and listening back to spot improvement opportunities? 

 

If you could go back in time and play "Wonderwall" again, how might you approach it differently? 

 

How have the rehearsals been? Are they as productive as you'd have hoped? How different is that from your ideal?

 

Obviously, you can tailor the language to make it less corporate-coaching but this stuff works and gets them doing the thinking. They don't get offended (usually) and could then see you as a genuine help rather than just giving what they see as negative criticism. Coaching does need a bit of practise, though and isn't a cure-all for everyone but it's worth trying. 

Edited 34 minutes ago by Sean

[Mrbigstuff]

Do they rehearse? Let them get better in their own time. That way you don’t ruin the relationship and they still have fun doing it. If they came to you and said we can’t get gigs, do you know why? Well then you will have to drop the truth bomb.