My bass players last gig was last night....................

[Outkaster]

I just lost a bass player last night who was with us from the beginning. His last gig was at a fireworks celebration last night. It’s a strange feeling, I feel upset, disappointed, sad, and relieved all at the same time. I had known this guy when I was a keyboard player in a soul band back in 1994. He was a singer and a front man. I hadn’t seen him in some years then we played together in a Reggae band from 2004 till 2005. Then he started a project with me based on some soul music with a guitarist I met on Craigslist. We got together in 2011 and decided we would play reggae and call back our old singer because it was easier. We have original tunes, CD, merchandise and a good web presence. We grabbed a drummer and that was it and started gigging in 2013. We have been pretty successful and got some great gigs but apparently it wasn’t enough for him. He started with me on the 12 of this month through texts saying we were not doing enough but not offering suggestions on how to be successful? It escalated and he finally called me at work. At 63 he wanted to play music full time and tour, he is kind of delusional I guess but all of this was an excuse to do his own thing. Thing is he didn’t want to be the bad guy but put it on other members for the reason for him leaving. He figured if he could project it on the band than he comes out looking clean. He had a past history of drugs so I know how addicts function as I was a counselor, nothing is their fault. He’s clean now and while I think it’s great there is always residuals that seep into people’s lives because of that past.

 

At any rate I never mind band members having opinions on things but when it came to suggesting strategies or booking he never did but would complain constantly. There were other issues. His rig always had problems, his approach to the bass was way too busy and not specific enough. He liked to back me up against the wall and quit two other times. After the second time I got sick of auditioning people. It would get better than he would revert to his old ways. I told him it’s always like this...kind of a smoke screen with his behavior because of the back in forth. He would complain about something and how he didn’t think the band is being run right and back and forth and we’d end up like this every time. I told him if you think you can do better let me know because you are not offering alternatives. He likes to cry wolf so I am then backed up against a wall, what was I supposed to do? This is the same place we ended up last year and the year before so I told him “don't put it on me. You are not happy here and this is not really the music you like but you know in the back of the mind we are one of the better bands out there so that is why you stay” plus we all get along pretty well together. I know him pretty well and have been through a lot with this guy. I understood that he wanted to sing more and be out front I understand. This is the FOURTH time there has been a problem with guy. He was staying around because we were friends but all the overplaying, jockeying for stage space with the lead singer, and not being disciplined was showing. It was like there were cracks in our foundation due to him. It became apparent when I would play live recordings of past shows that he was a problem. Well he finally called after the text conversation. Again he tried to blame others for us not being able to tour so I confronted him and asked him what “he wanted” not other members....what would make him happy. Again he was trying to manipulate the situation. He finally said he is a “different kind of artist” and the music is not enough for him. I told him I respected that and wished he told me 3 years ago when we first started as I could kind of tell it was true. You know I never want anyone to leave and hung onto the same members for almost 5 years but this guy just was wasting time and everyone else. We have two girls, the singer and other keyboard player in the band and they are upset but I told them despite their feelings it’s probably for the best. I am a little mentally fried at this point. Sorry for the long rant.

 

[RoadRanger]

I guess it comes down to no-one would become a musician unless there's something wrong with them LOL. Seems hopeless sometimes to get a whole band together of mostly-functional people. Too bad you're not nearby - there seems to be a surplus of bass players hereabouts.

 

I recently quit a project where the 66 yo BL is convinced he's gonna make it and get good paying gigs for originals LOL. He can't play to a click to record because he's too deaf to hear it I think - even when I sequenced a simple drum track instead - Oy Vey.

 

This week's disaster is having to cancel the one decent paying regular gig my 9 piece horn band has because the two sax players (they are married) forgot about a wedding they have to go to. Oy Vey. This after recently firing our pill popping front guy and trying to get a new front guy up-to-speed.

 

Tonight's a rehearsal with a drummer I stick with because he's a keeper but we have a hobby singer with no real frontman potential and two guitards that can't follow charts so we have to stick to simple structured songs or simplify the more complicated ones. But hey, yah gotta play to keep your chops up LOL.

 

Then there's the surf trio with a good guitarist/keyboard player lead singing BL and a alcoholic stoner drummer. Love the music and will stick it out for now.

 

Sit in on Cajon with with a "standards" duo at the farmer' market every week and an occasional free gig.

 

Best $$$ from a duo on bass uke but only a couple gigs this year - usually just have a couple rehearsals before a gig. That "band" is actually a trio where two of the guys won't gig anymore even tough they hit the $100+ a man level so I'm technically a fill-in - WTF?

 

Anyways thought you'd appreciate that we're all forked up out here LOL.

[Outkaster]

Well since I posted this it went around the musician community really fast so with texts and social media people asked why he left. I knew there would be fallout about this so I went carefully about what I said. People were asking if he ever kind of wanted to do it in the first place? My sound guy is older and he pointed out that he was using us hoping he could get to a front position or better yet launch a solo career. Kind of strange really for a regional band. I mean we all knew he liked being out front but the last few years it was obvious and it came out onstage. He wasn't on the same playing field as our lead singer....he wasn't hired to do that and some level I think he was jealous of her in her position....in a weird way. When we were in another band years ago he was fine as he wasn't part of the rhythm section so he just sang. Truthfully that is where he belongs..in soul music context. Looking back in the last few weeks at recordings it is obvious this wasn't the best place for him. He put so much time in and but it wasn't what he wanted to do. That is the part I can't figure out? What a waste of 5 years...