Need help choosing a drummer

[chord123]

Our 62 year old drummer just gave us notice.He is joining a three piece rock band forty five miles away from his home. He did it He said they have gigs lined up and is playing all over eastern Iowa Nice guy at times he has a $9000 PA system and trailer. He provided us sound the one private non paying party we played with him. We are a start up band and are finally playing a gig a bar for real money. There are things we don't like about him he says our classic rock music is going out of style our bass player is spreading himself to thin the bass player is in two other bands beside us. Well anyway the drummer was so enthused with this new band and said he was going make it his top priority and is leaving us. Before that he said the bass players other band wanted him to be in the bass players other band. Turned out the drummer was begging the bass player to be in the bass players band. He was lying cause bass player showed us the drummers text messages. So whats up with all this band hopping? .Now one month later he gives us a call and texts us he is offering his services to our band again. It turned out his new band does not have any gigs lined up anymore only knows 2 and a half sets of music is mostly jamming playing private parties for nothing. It would require him to drive 50 miles back to rehearse with this band for next 3 months to learn four sets of music.He said he is thru with them. I just wanted to write you guys and wish you the

best,for the future in getting your band started. I did not want to

leave a bad impression in the last attempt their to push forward as your

drummer. I am a pro drummer and I will push forward to get another project

easily. It may have seemed like I was trying to make an attempt to take

over your band. That is not what I was trying to do at all. I do however

expect to have a say in band business and quite frank, for players to play

in 3 bands is trouble down the road. It will create drama down the road and

I am tired of such drama. Been doin this for a long time. It is rather

greedy and actually ignorant for a player to think that it wont. The less

experienced people will soon find out and may realize it. It is NOT fair to

the members or other bands involved. Oh well it is your business. I would

like to again offer my services for fill ins or even to hook up on a

permanent basis.

 

 

 

It doesn't have to end on a bad note.

 

Anyway the band members feel he is saying Its either go with me(The drummer) or go with him (the bass player) and leave me out I am not going play with a bass player who is in three bands,it leads to trouble. He now wants to charge us $100 to use his PA system. Constanly complains he does not want to be in a band, like his old old band who spent 9 months in the basement, and got no gigs. He states again and again refuses to play two local bars that hire bands in the area He expects our band to go from $400 a show to $600 a show in six months to a year. He seems quite negative at at times.

So we are looking for a drummer. Our other candidate is around high school age does not own a drum set. He sold it to play guitar.Says he will play for free and save up. Meanwhile we are renting a drum set for next two months for just $50 so he can rehearse with us. We have a four hour gig Sept 10th at the pub and grill. He is very interested in playing with us. He is a friend of the singer in our band. The singer is going buy him a drum set so he can play with us and the high school kid will pay him back once he saves up. The other guys want the high school kid to be the drummer. The other band members don't care for the 63 year old drummers attitude his band hopping his unloyalty. The old guy has forty years of experience and is solid drummer and provides profesesional PA system. Are we making the wrong decision and going with the high school kid? So my concern we have 4 hour gig at a bar do we go with the veteran as a fill or go with the kid.The kid has to learn three sets of music in 4 weeks.

[RoadRanger]

Welcome to "Band Drama" 101 .

[wesg]

Yeah.

 

I think the hardest thing about starting a band is the drama. Seriously. Eventually things will settle down, but you might have to go through a few more players yet. In the meantime, go with the flow and don't get too emotionally invested in the drama.

 

My current main act was started in Sept 2012, booked our first gig for Jan 2013 and played our first gig Mar 2013.

Keys (Me)

Drums (2nd one)

Guitar (Still there)

Singer (3rd one)

Bass (3rd one)

 

And all of us have more experience than you.

 

Having a PA and experience can be REALLY helpful. Unfortunately, it also means he will walk when another act comes along IF you are not working.

 

A drummer with no drums is non-starter IMO.

 

Being in a band costs money. It is very unlikely you will turn a profit, so make sure you are on the same philosophical and economic page as your bandmates. Otherwise, the drama will never end. And you'll probably suck.

 

BTW I play in lots of bands. One our bass players (maybe both) griped about that a lot. Too bad. If you kept me busy enough, I wouldn't have to be in six groups at a time. I'm good at scheduling, and make it work.

 

Wes

[thatsbunk]

sounds like the older drummer is gonna bail on you the next time he gets the opportunity, but the fact that your younger drummer doesn't even own drums is obviously the bigger short term problem.

I'd suck it up & keep the older guy for now but keep the kid on the back burner for when the older guy inevitably jumps ship.

[t_e_l_e]

i perosnally would not want to make music with the older guy (again)...

 

how important is the gig? how much does it matter if you suck?

if you play this one more with the old guy, you might suck the next time he is not available anymore.

he is unreliable and unloyal and will be gone any minute again, so its a timebomb.

 

so start now over, you will need to anyhow in the long term

[Phil O'Keefe]

Your old drummer will bail again as soon as something better comes along.

 

The young guy doesn't have a kit - how is he supposed to practice? I don't mean "rehearse", but practice on his own? The whole point of rehearsal is for the band to get tight, not to learn your individual parts - you need to practice that on your own away from the band, and it's going to be very difficult without a kit.

 

I would hire the older guy as needed if he's interested, but as a hired gun as opposed to as a full band member, and in the meantime hopefully the younger guy will show that he's serious and committed by working to get a kit and learning your setlist. Then you can take it from there - assuming he's a half-way decent player....

 

[GtrGeorge!]

Drummers=Hassles. Sorry to say it, but its true. While every team member has certain characteristics, to me, none seem so Progress-halting as drummers. I even remember a famous producer of hits in the 1980s saying "I don't know what it is about drummers..but they never seem to work for Us"... While a great drummer is a wonder to behold, it's a rare skill set..and is often found with some peculiar baggage. Eddie Van Halen once said "Think about it...my brother gets paid to hit things with sticks!!!" It's a difficult instrument, those who master it and remain sane are rare.YMMV

[Shaster]

I'm in a leader based band, meaning only the leader hires and fires. In the last year he has fired or "let go" three drummers. The first, because he didn't like his attitude. the second because the leader couldn't get in touch with the drummer for two days. The third guy was let go because he periodically worked with a recording act and they would go out on tour. The leader didn't like subs. Bands and drama go hand in hand, that's why I do mostly freelance and solo work.

 

At your stage of the game, do what's best for the gig - figure out the long haul when you come to that fork in the road. If you take this stuff too seriously it will drive you crazy. That's why your veteran drummer has no loyalty. He found out the hard way, loyalty doesn't pay - literally! I'm not saying you shouldn't keep looking, but pragmatism is the key here. Get the gig done and then look for your dream drummer. My two cents...

[senorblues]

A good drummer can write his own ticket, which is to say, he can play with whomever he likes whenever he's available. That's not true of any other chair. From my experience, off and on for fifty years, it's reasonable to have a core group of players who get on the phone when they have a gig to find out who's the best player available to cover drums that night.

 

A good drummer makes the gig fun; a bad one kills it. More than any other chair, by a long shot.

 

But there's another interesting perspective here in Maine and perhaps elsewhere that I never expected. More and more musical groups are performing without a drummer. I went to a music festival this past weekend and here are the lineups of the four groups:

 

1) Three HS-aged guys. guitar, bass, cajon. Excellent 3-part harmony. Standing O.

2) Family Americana band. Six people. A lot of instrument switching. No percussion. Experienced multigenerational entertainers.

3) Five piece authentic Cuban band. Two percussionists. No drums. Everyone dances. I mean everyone. Top Drawer.

4) Guitar-bass-keys-drums. Tried to play New Orleans repertoire. Everyone left . . . because they weren't very good. Why? Mostly because the drummer didn't have the weight to reign in the busy bass player.

[Shaster]

A good drummer can write his own ticket, which is to say, he can play with whomever he likes whenever he's available. That's not true of any other chair. From my experience, off and on for fifty years, it's reasonable to have a core group of players who get on the phone when they have a gig to find out who's the best player available to cover drums that night.

 

A good drummer makes the gig fun; a bad one kills it. More than any other chair, by a long shot.

 

 

Indeed.

 

I just jammed with a very good drummer that I've known for years. Many decades ago, he had a bit of a drinking problem. At the jam session, some of us were recounting band stories (in a kind way) of his drunken escapades. Now sober for many years, he asked me, why we had put up with his behaviour? I simply replied, because you were so good, it was worth it!

 

I've rarely worked with bad drummers, and I certainly won't hire one, but once in a while I will work with a band that does have a bad drummer. I just want to end it all at that point.

 

Drummers are extremely important, but as noted, some groups are going without. Frankly, I would rather work without a drummer than with a bad one.

[Voltan]

sanity has its drawbacks... just sayin...