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Subbing Issues part 2


etcetra

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As some of you may know, I've ran into issue subbing for this one guy couple of months ago

 

http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/...subbing-issues

 

My friend asked me to do a gig this week said he will let me know who I'd be playing with soon,but I didn't hear anything back for few days. I messaged him earlier this week and he said he had couple of people he is waiting for reply. Fast forward few more days, still no answer, So I told him the gig is in 2 days and I kind of need to know what's going on, and I told him that if he is having trouble finding a sub, I can start looking for suitable sub on my own. I also asked him who he has called so far as potential sub, to which replied "your job is to substitute, not make the gig." and that he will take care of it.

 

This rubbed me off the wrong way and I explained that his friend(whom he usually does the gig with) have sent a sub that was not cutting it for the job before and I am not cool with that happening again. It's one thing if I am just filling in for a band, but this is a duo gig and in the past I've been tasked with actually leading the gig. So it's a real pain if I am paired with someone who is not competent. There is also a real shortage of good musicians here for this kind of job and I told him I'd rather play with someone I know rather than risking playing with someone I don't know. He finally got a confirmation as to who is playing within half an hour of sending that message. Afterwards I've reiterated why it's important for me to know these things while letting him know that this is not anything personal against him.

 

What do you guys think of the situation and is it right for me to insist on these things? IMO this is no-brainer. If you are asking someone to do a gig you give them all the details, like pay, time, equipment, musicians your working with and set list(if you are doing music people may not necessary know). I also had good reasons to not feel confident about his ability to get a proper sub considering what happened couple of months ago too. I shouldn't have to be asking for these things more than 1-2 times and the times I've neglected or given up on doing so, the gigs usually end up in a train wreck.

 

It's starting to become a big dilemma for me, as this is something that happens quite often. Most people around me just avoid confrontation. They just don't ask question and just show up, even if there is a glaring problem and uncertainty as to what's happening. On the other hand it's uncomfortable for me to keep on hounding someone for these vital information, and I guess people avoid confrontation altogether rather than being thought of as being hard to work with

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You are correct and he didn't need to talk to you like that. Is this guy a good friend?

 

 

We aren't close friends but we've known each other for a while and he is one of the few subs I find reliable in town and vice versa. He did write back to me and he basically said that the way he does things, if something like that happened, he would just show up to the gig regardless and not ask questions. On one hand, I can see where he is coming from because that's how people usually do things here, but at the same time it's the reason why so much of the gigs here are so unprofessional and end up becoming a mess. People go to gigs and don't even ask about how much they are getting paid.

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So the gig is Robbie G & Friend. Yet Robbie G nor the original friend are going to be there?

 

It's a jam session so i guess it's a little different than a show where a particular band/people are booked for a show. But as a host it's kind of important to have a co host who can hold their own, otherwise you are carrying the whole jam by yourself.

 

outkaster,

 

I agree. I mean he is free to express his opinion, and he can tell me how he would handle the situation, but I don't see how he should expect me to do the same as if that's the right thing to do.

 

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