Band pet peeves?

[BC Powder]

"Do you have a 9v battery/cord I can use?"

 

Not making sure all your {censored} is in working order before the gig. Nothing will kill the momentum of a set quicker than having to round up another amp to use.

 

Not bringing a spare guitar, and having to change strings inbetween songs.

 

Too much dead air between songs.

 

Showing up late.

 

Forgetting stuff.

 

WHINING, when you're going to get paid at the end of the night for playing music. If you're playing, and you're getting paid, quit whining.

 

I'm sure y'all can think of some more.

[Sordid1]

My biggest one is bands that think they are rockstars and take WAY too long to setup or bring a stupid amount of gear to a small venue. We played a show with a band a few months ago and the {censored}ers took over an hour to setup! Their drummer is the drummer for a national act and was doing this on the side so he took most of it but it pissed me off. Last show we played one of the guitarist setup his guitar rack and had like six guitars with him! He played maybe two I think, I just don't get that.

[BndGrl]

Originally posted by BC Powder Too much dead air between songs.

+1

There is nothing I hate more when watching a show than dead air!

[BC Powder]

 

Originally posted by Sordid1 My biggest one is bands that think they are rockstars and take WAY too long to setup or bring a stupid amount of gear to a small venue. We played a show with a band a few months ago and the {censored}ers took over an hour to setup! Their drummer is the drummer for a national act and was doing this on the side so he took most of it but it pissed me off. Last show we played one of the guitarist setup his guitar rack and had like six guitars with him! He played maybe two I think, I just don't get that.

 

 

 

I know a country drummer who brings triggers and a big ol' amp along.

[Narcosynthesis]

 

Originally posted by Sordid1 Last show we played one of the guitarist setup his guitar rack and had like six guitars with him! He played maybe two I think, I just don't get that.

 

 

four guitars is understandable, two tunings and a spare of each, not sure where teh extra two come in though

 

David

[wheresgrant3]

#1 pet peeve... SINGERS who use music stands. Tape your notes and lyrics to the floor, the ceiling, your bass players back. Just NEVER use a music stand on stage... EVER! That is beyond un cool!

[Sordid1]

 

Originally posted by Narcosynthesis four guitars is understandable, two tunings and a spare of each, not sure where teh extra two come in though David

 

 

Yeah that's true I guess but I really got the feeling he was doing it just to look cool. The entire band had a stupid amount of gear. They were seriously loading stuff in for close to thirty minutes. With my last band we could do an entire load in under 10 minutes and we had a decent amount of gear.

[Sordid1]

 

Originally posted by wheresgrant3 #1 pet peeve... SINGERS who use music stands. Tape your notes and lyrics to the floor, the ceiling, your bass players back. Just NEVER use a music stand on stage... EVER! That is beyond un cool!

 

 

That is lame! I have yet to witness it but if I did I think I would have to leave!

[cozmicslop]

 

Originally posted by Sordid1 That is lame! I have yet to witness it but if I did I think I would have to leave!

 

 

I've not only been a witness, I've been a victim.

 

I might add, If you play a lot of original music and have trouble remembering the lyrics, leave the {censored}in booze alone, OK?

 

Piece of {censored} type muthaf*..(grumble, grumble, grumble).

[cozmicslop]

While I'm at it,

 

People that don't drive or can't get a sitter and have fill my house with their family and friends to rehearse. Inevitably, folks start {censored}ing with my gear. I try to be tolerant with the children, but it's not my job to keep them from touching stuff. It's the adults I want to smack. They should damn well know better.

[Body Bomb]

Opening bands that play for more than 45 minutes.

 

Bands that say "This is our last song!" and then proceed to play three or four more.

 

Guitar players who rip your head off with treble.

 

Bands that mention their website onstage.

 

Bands that wear shorts onstage.

 

There's tons more that I can think of. I'm only 23. I shouldn't be so cynical.

[BndGrl]

Originally posted by Body Bomb Bands that mention their website onstage.

You must not get many hits on your site. Uh, how the hell else are your fans supposed to know about your site?

[axe2 2001]

Tune your {censored}ing guitars! Seems elementary but i've seen good bands with good players way out of tune. I'm like, can't you hear that??? TUNE UP MAN!!! Then, at rehearsal, don't {censored} around with songs not being worked on. TOTAL waste of time. Practice isn't open jam night. For guitar players, don't sit there at sound check tweekin your rig for 20 minutes crankin away loud as hell . You should know enough about your rig and how it will respond to a room that a few quick tweeks should do. Not sure why shorts are bad, especially if it's 95 out.

[Body Bomb]

Originally posted by BndGrl You must not get many hits on your site. Uh, how the hell else are your fans supposed to know about your site?

 

The merch table. People who want to know about your website can find out about it there. Those who don't will just think you're a cheeseball.

 

Or... Google!

[Fat Bastage]

I got some....

 

Band bios that go on forever about how the band met or how talented the band is.... um, nobody cares!!! If you have to explain it, it's cuz you can't sell it.

 

Bands that play to empty rooms but proclaim loudly that they are the best band in the world or they play music the way it should "be played". That sort of hype will kill you!

 

 

Bands who list their gear like it makes up for the fact they play to empty rooms. If you play to less than 20 people on a good night you need to sell some gear and invest it in flyers.

 

 

[fastplant]

 

Originally posted by Body Bomb Bands that wear shorts onstage.

 

 

I have a problem with this too, for some reason. It's ok if it's an outdoor/hot type thing. But if it's inside I think it looks dumb... unless you're the drummer and can hide behind your kit.

[Tedster]

I've used music stands on occasion. I have an unbelievably hard time remembering lyrics. I've seen national acts do it, too, among them Michael Stipe, Gloria Estefan, and others. Most of the time all I really need is a cue, but having a cue is infinitely better than stumbling and hemming 'cause your brain went out the window.

 

But, it does depend on the band. I would never do that with some big ass rock show. It works fine for my folkie singer/songwriter acoustic shtick.

 

My biggest pet peeve...

 

Bar owner: "You guys are too loud"

 

Me: "No problem" (twiddle...fiddle...turn down...)

 

Bar owner: "I asked you guys to turn it down..."

 

Me: "I did. It's still too loud?"

 

Bar owner: "Yes"

 

Me: (twiddle...fiddle, turn down more)

 

Me: 1 2 3 4 (launches into song)

 

Clink...cling...clatter...sound of dishes...spoons...dull roar of audience chattering...

 

Bar owner: "Mmofuosp"

 

Me: "Huh? I can't hear you over the silverware and glasses"

 

Bar owner: TURN IT DOWN.

 

Me: "Thank you...good night!"

 

Jukebox: "Ah'm proud to be an Okee from Muskogee"

[JBJ]

ones people have already metnioned: dead air in between songs. you finish, tune up if you need to, maybe a TINY monologue then start the other song don't {censored} about.

 

tuning.... i've seen a guy I know walk around holding his bass by the strings and bouncing it up and down minutes before he went ontsage. he genuinely looked perplexed when it wasnt in tune. being an amatuer he had no tuner on stage and as you could probably imagine, tuning from ear was out of the bounds of his abilities.

 

the massive amounts of gear. 1st gig we played in a proper music venue inthe city centre was with this heavy metal band. we turned up with a small bass amp, 2 combos for the guitars, the drummers cymbals, kick pedal and snare. this other band (a trio) turned up with 3 guitars, a bass, a marshall 1960A cab, 2 jcm heads to run into it, an ampeg 8 speaker bass cab and head and 2 pedal boards that i couldnt even guess a size. it just looked like a mess of cables but to give an indication of how big this was. on one the guy had 3 {censored}ing big muffs and I couldn't even see them because they were surrounded by so much other junk. I'd struggle to fit one muff on my pedalboard now. these were older guys too not some young idiots wanting to show off their new toys. oh yeah and they were terrible. the club cleared until they went off and we came on

 

proclaiming you're great when you're not. I've lost count of the amount of times I've seen bands with "x is the best drummer in area Y" to go and find that X could keep time in a rolex factory.

 

telling in jokes that only the band and 3 people in the audience know. it's {censored}ing pointless, idiotic and not stupid at all. one gig my bro ran was with a band we know (the dude with the bass by coincidence) and every song they'd be talking to their people who weren't old enough to be int he place, weren't drinking and not even trying to look as if they were over 18 plus they were eating McDonalds in the place and just generally pissing off the owners, my bro and everyone else in the place. anyways after several of these little hilarious in joke exchanges the singer from the other band on the bill shouted at the band to shut the {censored} up and finish their set to which their singer shouted down the mic, what was that? want to come up and say it onstage.... to which the guy promptly got up on stage grabbed the mic and said somethign along the lines of, you're a {censored} band but you're a worse comedian so just {censored}ing finish your set and give everyone peace.

 

seems a bit harsh but they did deserve it.

 

bands whot ake things too seriously. fair enough yiou want to be the best on the bill but hiding away in a little corner and not even attempting to be civil to other bands is just gay. To be fair whenever we've played outside glasgow it's been the exact oppostie and the bands and people there go out of their way to talk and be nice to you so i dunno if it's just because the scene here is so crowded and competative or people in the other places just like us cause we're a bit of a novelty not being from that place.

[Mike_E_McGee]

My biggest peeves are the band members who are above loading in/out. I was Mr. Equipment in my last band. I only wanted to play guitar, but they "needed" me to play both alto and tenor sax as well. That adds two horns plus stands to my load (2 guitars (one was a backup), amp, and pedal board). Then of course there were the mic stands, and mics that I'd bring, and my music stand (oops!). Of course when they found out I played an EWI, I had to start schlepping that around as well. I'd get all this gear in and set up (including mics for each singer as well as myself. Once loaded in, I'd help whoever needed it. Usually the drummer, but I'd often give the bass player a hand with his cab.

 

Our singers would walk into set up gear. They'd sing, and after the show they'd disappear until we were done tearing down. Damn sexy girls! Uggos aren't afraid to lift things.

 

These same girls introduced me to my second and third biggest pet peeves. When we'd go into a song they didn't have a part on, they'd go out into the audience and sit with their friends. LAME!!! Dance on stage. Dance in front of the audience. Dance all through the audience. Do not sit down in the back of the room and hang out. Do not make me vamp because you forgot that you needed to come back to sing the next song!

 

And my third (perhaps biggest) peeve. YOU DO NOT PLAY THE SAME SONG TWICE!!!!!!! "They want another one". "we're out of material". "Let's do Lowrider again" "ABSO-{censored}ING-LUTELY NOT!!!!!" "Hey, we're so glad you like us, here's Lowrider again!" If I'd had a little more self respect, I'd have walked out right then. I played the song, the girls evaporated as load out began and I told the rest of the guys that I quit. I'm assuming that someone told the girls. I'm sure they were heartbroken to find out that they may have had to carry their own mic stands (then again, the bassist probably stepped in for them).

 

As far as music stands, I agree that it's lame if a singer needs one because they don't know the words. Learn the words. It's your job! For horns and realbook gigs though, I think it's okay. Hell, in my last band I needed cheat sheets just to tell me what instrument I was supposed to be holding at a given time!

[fastplant]

I don't mind music stands so much if the singer doesn't just stare at it the entire set and never look up. If they just glance at it for a second, that's not so bad. It never looks good, but at least just do that. There are far too many singers that set the stand in front of them and position the mic so that they never look up from the stand all night.

[guitarmook]

There was a band here who used to berate the audience..

 

'Get up off your BUTTS and get down here in FRONT!'...

 

Buh-bye...

 

 

 

Bands that ask the crowd to sing along... especially when there are only 20 people there... WE came to see YOU perform...

 

 

 

Pinheads that bring a 100-watt full-stack into a small room, and either blast unforgivingly, or whine that they 'don't sound right' when the master volume is on 0.3

 

 

 

Bands that suck.

[fastplant]

Bands that yell at the sound guy. That's uncalled for. If you need more monitor it's not that hard to ask politely, don't act like a premadonna about it.

[Mike_E_McGee]

Mook,

I see your point, but when Parliament chanted "{censored}, God Damn, Get off your ass and Jam!" or "If you ain't gonna get it on, take your dead ass home" that was way cool! They never had a berating tone though.

[fastplant]

 

Originally posted by guitarmook Bands that suck.

 

 

 

You'd totally hate my band.

[machinegun78_2]

 

Originally posted by Shamuspizzbutt Mook, I see your point, but when Parliament chanted "{censored}, God Damn, Get off your ass and Jam!" or "If you ain't gonna get it on, take your dead ass home" that was way cool! They never had a berating tone though.

 

 

 

+1