Members sorocknroll Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I find it horribly tacky and unprofessional when I'm in the middle of a gig and someone comes up, tells me they love the band, yada yada, and they sing/play too and would I mind if they sang/played one with us. Am I being too territorial? Or is this completely out of line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mstreck Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I find it horribly tacky and unprofessional when I'm in the middle of a gig and someone comes up, tells me they love the band, yada yada, and they sing/play too and would I mind if they sang/played one with us.Am I being too territorial? Or is this completely out of line? It's your gig, not theirs. Just tell them the drummer is OCD and will go postal if you change what you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Tacky is the right word. That's what open jam and karaoke nights are for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JohnnyRockit Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I've never ask to sit in but I will do so if they invite me to, which would usually only happen if I knew someone in the band.When I go to see a performance in a club or wherever, I figure the audience came to see them perfrom, not some volunteer from the audience. I have asked former bandmates/backup singers to sit in with us for a song or two, but only because I already am familiar with what they can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sorocknroll Posted January 7, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I have INVITED other musicians to hop on stage and jam one out, but NEVER if they ask. Especially if I don't know who they are! I keep running into this, too. Some dumbass is always telling me that they are in such-n-such band and they'd like to do a song, if it's ok. Well, it's not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TrickyBoy Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I come from a different school of thought. I have a mic set up just for crowd participation. I also have a sound man with a finger poised by the mute button, but IMO, the show's about the crowd. If they wanna get onstage, bring em on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I think one of the keys to keeping people from asking to get on stage is to set the bar high enough that they know they could never hang with the band. If its a constant problem with your band ,,, raise the bar on the performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xdrummer Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 It depends. In general....it's not OK. However, if it's a private party or a wedding and having the dork do a song will please the crowd (or more importantly, please whoever hired us)....then maybe. However, it would then depend on many things....are they so drunk they will fall into the gear, etc. etc. I would also ask the other band members if its OK....in particular the person who's mic, guitar, drums etc. would be used. If it's a suck ass bar gig with three people in the crowd....maybe. If it's a happening, packed venue...no way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sorocknroll Posted January 7, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I come from a different school of thought. I have a mic set up just for crowd participation. I also have a sound man with a finger poised by the mute button, but IMO, the show's about the crowd. If they wanna get onstage, bring em on! We're not that kind of band. We are a performance band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RupertB Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I come from a different school of thought. I have a mic set up just for crowd participation. I also have a sound man with a finger poised by the mute button, but IMO, the show's about the crowd. If they wanna get onstage, bring em on! I've done this a couple of times at solo gigs. At neighborhood taverns/bars where most people know each other, it can make for a fun night. The key difference is the open invitation. IMO, inviting yourself is extremely bad form. There are a few local bands that will ask me up to play. No matter how many times I'm told "you're always welcome," I still wouldn't consider asking to sit in or jumping behind the mic uninvited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TrickyBoy Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 The key difference is the open invitation. IMO, inviting yourself is extremely bad form. I agree with this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dancebass Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I keep having other musicians (most of whom are friends or close to it) asking me how "exactly" my band pulls off certain things. We spent a lot of time and effort creating our show. We're an electro-rock band and we use a large amount of sequencing and lights. Our light show is programmed and we have it customized for each song etc. I understand where they're coming from and I don't want to be a dick but damn man, we spent a lot of time working on getting these bugs worked out. It gives us a little bit of an edge live. I can't just GIVE it away. The guys in my band would beat my ass! I think they should know better than to ask me these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sorocknroll Posted January 7, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I keep having other musicians (most of whom are friends or close to it) asking me how "exactly" my band pulls off certain things. We spent a lot of time and effort creating our show. We're an electro-rock band and we use a large amount of sequencing and lights. Our light show is programmed and we have it customized for each song etc. I understand where they're coming from and I don't want to be a dick but damn man, we spent a lot of time working on getting these bugs worked out. It gives us a little bit of an edge live. I can't just GIVE it away. The guys in my band would beat my ass!I think they should know better than to ask me these things. I'm with you 100%! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chicken Monkey Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Nobody here has mentioned the occasion where the dude who hired the band for the night wants to sing along. We double-billed an office party (held in a bar) and the other band had the boss up to give a blind-drunk screamo version of "Whipping Post". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 We invite the following onstage with us: #1-played with the band before: ie subs, ex-players, friends of the band#2-Hosts or people that hire us... if they are paying us they are playing with us... the mic is kept low.#3- A know member of another band IF he's been supportive. If he's the type to backstab, talk smack or stand arms folded... no invite.#4 Lots of Chicks... an army of them. That's about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newmaxnew Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 We just don't allow anyone to sit in and we tell anyone who asks that this is our policy. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TrickyBoy Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 #4 Lots of Chicks... an army of them. I failed to mention, the mic we keep for crowd participation, is gender specific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Our singer does walk around with the wireless mic on a couple of sing-along type songs and gives people who are enthusiastic enough 10 seconds or so of mic time. That's usually fun and if they suck it's easy to take the mic back (usually). If they're good they may get a bit of extra time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jeff42 Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 lucky for me most drummers are afraid of electronic drums. but there is always "musician" who we don't know who wants to sit in. we usually say no. usually. Hot women are allowed to scream into a mic that's turned almost off anytime they want. but if there are members of another band in the crowd we'll give them a shout out and if they are really cool people (friends) we'll ask if they want to sing/jam with us. Sometimes it works out well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Christhee68 Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 The club where I work has live music every night. One of the bands knows I play acoustic with the church band, etc. and they always invited me to sit in. I was always too intimidated to take them up on their offer but one night I got up my nerve and joined them for about 5 songs. It went pretty well; I thought. I thanked them for letting me join in and they said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badhabit Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 IF one is invited up to sit in with a band, it's ok to do so. Don't overstay your welcome. One or two songs MAX. Inviting yourself up to sit in with a band shows zero class. You're a tacky individual. Open mic nights and jams are for sitting in with other musicians, not someone else's gig UNLESS invited. Our band will often INVITE one or two special guests to perform with us at our gigs as something extra to offer the audience. It is usually appreciated and adds to the diversity of the show. We frown upon those who invite themselves, ESPECIALLY amateur harmonica players! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChordGirl Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Some people just seem desperate to get onstage. It is kinda rude. People ask me to sit in with them a lot. I would never ask them, and I don't always say yes when they ask me, either. It is their show. I don't want to feel obligated to sing on command, either. I let/ask people to sit in with me all the time for short periods of time. I then try to play something with a limited chord structures. Most of my gigs are casual, small capacity, non-dance venues. If I'm playing something more complex, that's another story. There are some songs that only .01% of musicians could sit in on and not butcher the first time through. Ex. Son of a preacher man with key change, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, anything with two half-step key changes in it, etc. I will more often ask musicians if they'd like to play a few during my break. What's really awkward, though, is when one of your fans sees you on an off night and proceeds to ask some random band to let you sit in with them. I'm sure they loved that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nobody Told Me Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I have the winner in the tackiness contest. In a previous band, our lead guitarist had a buddy who fancied himself our unofficial "manager". You know the type - likes to be seen with band members, always posing for the camera, tells the door person that he's "with the band" even though he's not... Anyway, he would tell his musician friends in the crowd that he could get them onstage. Then he'd come up to us between songs and say, "I told "Bob" he could get up and play a few songs with you guys. You don't mind do you?" WTF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bish0p34 Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 I never ask to play with my friends when I go out to see them, I can't imagine asking strangers... I go sometimes when I'm invited up. When I go out to see a band I usually like to drink and smoke a little, so going up usually isnt the best idea. I've told them before "I'm a little too effed up, and I'd rather not take the chance of sounding bad". Usually I just want to go out, have fun, and listen to the band. My bass player has brought some real winners from the crowd. Brought a girl up at Seacrets in OCMD who said she went to Berklee. She couldn't play 867-5309 right, and it was bad. One of the singers always says "this isn't amateur hour!" I've invited guys who I know from other bands, but they rarely do it. Usually the only guys that come up are former members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X2Nforever Posted January 7, 2010 Members Share Posted January 7, 2010 Last weekend the vocalist came up during our set and started screaming over our lead guitarist/vocalists solo. Needless to say, we were pissed and the other bands didn't look too good on that vocalist for the rest of the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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