Members Headbanger Posted October 30, 2005 Members Share Posted October 30, 2005 I've been looking for singers, bass players, drummers (in different bands at different times). I place an ad, people call, we agree on three songs to play, two weeks later they show up. And then 2 out of 3 can't play the songs we agreed on ! After two weeks ! These people drive one or two hours, some are really nervous (so I would think that they do care), they tell you how they would like to be in the band..., why don't they know their songs !!! Is that happening to you ? After finding out that they can't play it, we show them polite but without further waste of time to the door. I don't understand it.... And I find it not respectful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 69lespaul Posted October 30, 2005 Members Share Posted October 30, 2005 Originally posted by Headbanger I've been looking for singers, bass players, drummers (in different bands at different times). I place an ad, people call, we agree on three songs to play, two weeks later they show up. And then 2 out of 3 can't play the songs we agreed on ! After two weeks ! These people drive one or two hours, some are really nervous (so I would think that they do care), they tell you how they would like to be in the band..., why don't they know their songs !!! Is that happening to you ? After finding out that they can't play it, we show them polite but without further waste of time to the door. I don't understand it.... And I find it not respectful. My band spent 6 months auditioning over 20 guys and all but 2 did the same thing. We finally found our guy though. he showed up on time and prepared. it'll happen, you just have to deal with the flakes. You might try telling them on the phone that if they are unwilling to learn 3 songs, they may as well not bother coming over. The last 3 guys before the one we hired, arrived after telling me they knew the songs and then showed up and wanted us to do songs they already knew that were not on any of our lists. We asked all 3 of them to leave immediately. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Prog Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Musicians (as some call themselves) never cease to amaze me. I get this all the time. You're lucky they even showed up (another common trait of the posers). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ulank Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Yes, it happens. Dude, they're musicians. 87% of us are lucky we remember how to breathe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members curlymo Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 They actually showed up?!?! We spent 4 months looking for a new singer and just about every week we'd have 2 or 3 people agree on songs, date, and time...and not show up...any of them. Made the bass player in the band believe that no one would ever show up, so he gave this friend of his a chance...well, let's just say that he fell into the category of all of your try outs-he couldn't learn what he needed to learn in a timely fashion. 3 months of gigs cancelled from the fiasco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimi Ray Halen Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 We auditioned singers awhile back. I contact everybody who responds to the ad. I call one guy who happens to have the same phone number prefix as mine, so I know he lives close. We talk for awhile (everybody sounds like a winner on the phone) and he seemed like he wasn't bs-ing so I took him copies of the songs on CD AND lyrics to his house. A week later he shows up and doesn't know one song. I felt like kicking him in the ass. I guess some people are musicians until it's time to play. But why waste everybody's time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Headbanger Posted October 31, 2005 Author Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 So I'm not the only one... How about this one: I was talking to a guy who worked for a well known bass manufacturer. He said he's been to some auditions, at some places he didn't even take his bass out of the case, because those bands where so under his level of playing. I thought, wow that dude is a professional, he works for that company, and he's really experienced (he was around fifty). He shows up to rehearsal a few days later, and he has just one hand ! No {censored}, the left hand wasn't there ! I thought, well, fine, we play straight and simple Rock'n'Roll, that guy must be a killer with his right hand. Long story short, he couldn't play well with his right hand at all. I refuse to ask people on the phone if they have two hands !!! We said we would call him, he was a nice guy, I think he just didn't want to realize, he will not be in a real band... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimi Ray Halen Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by Headbanger So I'm not the only one... How about this one: I was talking to a guy who worked for a well known bass manufacturer. He said he's been to some auditions, at some places he didn't even take his bass out of the case, because those bands where so under his level of playing. I thought, wow that dude is a professional, he works for that company, and he's really experienced (he was around fifty). He shows up to rehearsal a few days later, and he has just one hand ! No {censored}, the left hand wasn't there ! I thought, well, fine, we play straight and simple Rock'n'Roll, that guy must be a killer with his right hand. Long story short, he couldn't play well with his right hand at all. I refuse to ask people on the phone if they have two hands !!! We said we would call him, he was a nice guy, I think he just didn't want to realize, he will not be in a real band... I have nightmares like that......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members exploradorable Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 There's a dude in Kalamazoo who plays bass with one hand on the frets and a prostetic hook on the picking side. He's very good. He's won awards and recorded with a couple of bands. He ties a handkerchief around the nut to mute the open strings and uses only fretted notes. I wish he was my bass player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ned911 Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 We went through the flakes as well when auditioning singers. Amazed at how many people show up unprepared. If they didn't know the material when they showed up we asked them to leave immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Base Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that!!! Poor guy, still as long as he enjoys playing...! Early on when I had just joined a band, we had a very inexperienced singer so we looked for another one for a while. Only one guy ever showed up (we were only playing casually and stuck with the inexperienced guy in the end). We should have known straightaway it wasn't going to work when he asked if any of us worked in law enforcement...! Big hairy biker type, who actually did have a great voice, just didn't really fit us, sounded like he'd be better in a heavier, bluesier kind of band. Anyway, the main problem was that he was regaling us with some of his previous band experience. The 2 that stick out were the time that he was arrested for possession 5 minutes before the show and the time that he projectile vomited over the audience. And he was saying this like he thought it was plus points?!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hotblack Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by Headbanger These people drive one or two hours, some are really nervous (so I would think that they do care), they tell you how they would like to be in the band..., why don't they know their songs !!! Plenty of people want to be pop and rock stars, but very few want to put in the work of being musicians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 I had an ad out that I was looking for a bass player. Talked to a dude that sounded like a good fit, scheduled an audition. He showed up with a Les Paul and a Marshall. Then he got pissy with me when I threw him out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarella Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 I recently saw a great ad for a bass player. It solicited a player who could do metal and hard rock, practice twice a week, etc. Your standard ad. What made it funny was that it said "Serious inquiries only." The ad was scrawled on a small scrap of paper with a ball point pen and tacked to a bulletin board. Sounds serious to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members worthyjoe Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by Headbanger I refuse to ask people on the phone if they have two hands !!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rim Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 There are people who just do not/cannot see themselves in a realistic light and many want to be in bands. This is a major reason American Idol is popular because so many people think they can sing well. I think singers are more easily delusioned. People may be able to sing with a CD or karaoke and may sound good, but singing in front of a live band is at another level - you need to be able to project. IMO, if a guitarist/bassist/drummer can jam with a CD, then there's a good chance they can play in a band. Not necessarily so with singers. We found this out when we were auditioning for singers a few years back (we never found one and stuck with our current lineup). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members worthyjoe Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by rim I think singers are more easily delusioned. People may be able to sing with a CD or karaoke and may sound good, but singing in front of a live band is at another level - you need to be able to project. Very true. It's funny though cause I usually see the opposite. I see a lot of people who sing balls to the wall and can project but have no awareness of their key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JacieFB Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by Headbanger So I'm not the only one... How about this one: I was talking to a guy who worked for a well known bass manufacturer. He said he's been to some auditions, at some places he didn't even take his bass out of the case, because those bands where so under his level of playing. I thought, wow that dude is a professional, he works for that company, and he's really experienced (he was around fifty). He shows up to rehearsal a few days later, and he has just one hand ! No {censored}, the left hand wasn't there ! I thought, well, fine, we play straight and simple Rock'n'Roll, that guy must be a killer with his right hand. Long story short, he couldn't play well with his right hand at all. I refuse to ask people on the phone if they have two hands !!! We said we would call him, he was a nice guy, I think he just didn't want to realize, he will not be in a real band... I would honestly rather that guy show up for a rehearsal than the, "yeah, man, I don't have a guitar/amp/whatever, can I borrow something of yours?" But at least you know what the gear is gonna sound like in that case. Even worse is showing up with a guitar/amp/processor that creates instant, deafening feedback between the poorly tuned, sloppily fretted, over-overdriven distortion-fest that is their playing. I tried out a guy once that had his guitar so out of tune that it wouldn't get back in tune. The high-E string had a bent nail for a tuning key. The majority of those tuning keys wouldn't turn. I assume they had rusted into place. He had never used an electronic tuner. I mean, at times in my life, I've probably fallen into the camp where my gear was too good for my talent. But there are certain standards that people need to just open their eyes too. There is a bit of graduation that has to happen between the Squier starter pack and a real "professional" gigging setup. BLEH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimi Ray Halen Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by GCDEF I had an ad out that I was looking for a bass player. Talked to a dude that sounded like a good fit, scheduled an audition. He showed up with a Les Paul and a Marshall. Then he got pissy with me when I threw him out. What part of BASS PLAYER didn't he understand? Sheesh! What surprises me are the amount of people who show up and don't know the songs that we agreed upon. WTF?! I have an audition in two weeks with a good band and I already learned the 6 songs they want everybody who's trying out to learn. I stayed home all weekend and learned them. Or the ones who say they can do something and then can't. One guy came out for second guitarist saying that he had played rhythm and sang back-ups with a band for 2 years. He had 10K worth of gear and .50 worth of ability. I hate to be cruel but don't bs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dogtownmax Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 not to mention transportation. reliable transportation. reliable transportation that can haul your gear. this may not apply in places like manhattan, but just about everywhere else, being able to transport yourself and your gear to rehearsal, shows, whatever is the responsibility of the individual musician. this means to be in a band, you have to have a car, truck, van or something. its a logistical difficulty as it is to get four people to coordinate without having to deal with someone who cant mobilize themselves. my primary vehicle is a motorcycle. for a while it was my ONLY vehicle. during that time i wasnt in a band. thats how it goes. -dogtown max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Locke Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 I had a ridiculous experience with a bass player once: We play mostly funk/rock and some progressive metal. This guy claimed it would be a walk in the park and that he plays stuff like that all the time. My alarm bells went off when he dug a pick out of his pocket. We were supposed to play Primus' John the Fisherman; what kind of a bassist plays Primus with a pick? Well, we start playing and turns out he can't play {censored}. I stop the music and ask what's the problem. He's quiet for a while and then, out of the blue, suggests that we play Iron Man by Black Sabbath. Turns out he knows ONLY Black Sabbath and Slayer tunes and that he's not willing to play anything BUT Black Sabbath and Slayer. I suggest, in a friendly manner, that perhaps it was best if we kept looking for another player and that he kept looking for another band. He then goes off onto a tirade of how everybody hates him and how he has no friends and how he should commit suicide. At that point I began to wonder just what kind of a nutcase this guy was. We have a cute chick singer and then this guy asks for her phone number. All three of us are like WTF!!!??? We proceeded to tell him, not so politely anymore, to leave...NOW! {censored}ing freak. Luckily enough I haven't had too many other weirdo experiences. Some singers have just come in saying "I haven't learned the tunes but *insert a lame-ass reason why they should be taken into the band*". I ask them why they haven't learned the songs and they only shrug. The audition usually ends at that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by Jimi Ray Halen What part of BASS PLAYER didn't he understand? Sheesh!What surprises me are the amount of people who show up and don't know the songs that we agreed upon. WTF?! I have an audition in two weeks with a good band and I already learned the 6 songs they want everybody who's trying out to learn. I stayed home all weekend and learned them. Or the ones who say they can do something and then can't. One guy came out for second guitarist saying that he had played rhythm and sang back-ups with a band for 2 years. He had 10K worth of gear and .50 worth of ability. I hate to be cruel but don't bs. I'm sure we could all go on all day about this. We were looking for a drummer. We were quite specific that we were seasoned vets, looking for someone experienced to hit the ground running. Got a call from a drummer who seemed to think he'd fit. Said he had practice space and a PA. We got there, he had a drum kit that I swear must have come from ToysRUs, plus it was very old and rusty. The practice space was his unairconditioned garage (in Florida) and his PA was an old solid state Fender guitar combo. Half the time he'd be playing, lose his place in the song then just stop for a few measures till he figured out where he was. Nice guy, but we made it clear we wanted someone who was pretty well seasoned, and he sure wasn't it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kid Klash Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by Hotblack Plenty of people want to be pop and rock stars, but very few want to put in the work of being musicians. Bingo! Unfortunately, you hit the nail on the head, for what seems like 95% of the people calling themselves musicians. I know a drummer that says he's playing in three bands at the same time... problem is, he doesn't practice any of the set lists for any of the bands. It's sad too, because he's actually pretty good. Every rehearsal with this guy is like his first rehearsal with a new band since he can't remember how the songs start, end, the meter of the songs, the rhythm of the songs, etc. He's usually sucking on a beer and a joint at the same time too, and is so wasted by the end of rehearsal that he falls off the stool. He's not a pro musician, he's a loser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members anonpostguy Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 You could do what I did. I placed an ad for a bass player with vocals, stating that there would be NO REHEARSALS, anyone responding should be seasoned enough to be able to get on stage and play the classic rock, R&B, and motown standards without a rehearsal. To respond to my ad a player would of had to be fairly confident in their abilites or a real dumbass because I would book a show and audition them live. However, the very first response I received was from a singer who wanted to come down to our rehearsals and just jam out with us while we rehearsed a new bass player. I think he missed the memo "NO REHEARSALS". Since then, I've made some really great contacts with some excellent bass players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members worthyjoe Posted October 31, 2005 Members Share Posted October 31, 2005 Originally posted by anonpostguy You could do what I did. I placed an ad for a bass player with vocals, stating that there would be NO REHEARSALS, anyone responding should be seasoned enough to be able to get on stage and play the classic rock, R&B, and motown standards without a rehearsal. To respond to my ad a player would of had to be fairly confident in their abilites or a real dumbass because I would book a show and audition them live. However, the very first response I received was from a singer who wanted to come down to our rehearsals and just jam out with us while we rehearsed a new bass player. I think he missed the memo "NO REHEARSALS".Since then, I've made some really great contacts with some excellent bass players. I hear where you're coming from but if you try people out live it seems like you run the risk of making your band look horrible. Atleast in private it doesn't hurt your show or your name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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