

Got fired from my band last night.

Discussion in 'Band Management [BG]' started by butchblack, Jan 25, 2009.

  1. stflbn


    May 10, 2007
    Sucks to be fired, but this situation may possibly have pointed out something that you could use to your advantage. Sometimes some players can get/be 'to' specialized. This would be a great opportunity for you to branch out your playing some and learn some different styles outside of just blues. It's inevitable that in the future there's going to be other people you play with who wish to stretch out a bit and dabble with things outside of blues.

    It sounds like you're not that comfortable playing things other than blues, so when it comes up it's a comfort and style issue for you. I'd take this down time as a good opportunity to spend time playing some of those other genre's that are loosely tied to blues. R&B, Motown, Classic Rock, etc.

    Definitely not saying you need to go learn to slap, etc. But being relatively 'confident' in loosely related styles is ALWAYS a plus in the long run.


  2. KPJ


    Oct 2, 2001
    Methuen, MA USA
    That's too bad, Butch. Are Bobby and John still in the band? I played with John off and on for ten years in a different band. I know he likes the bass player playing it like the recording, I just wished he would as well! It got to the point where I knew he was going to mess up before he did! I played with Bobby as well, but no where near as much as I did with John.

    Anyways, like others said, it is a new opportunity and it looks like you are going about it the right way. Best of luck, and if you come across more than one band needing a bass player, send the ones you pass on my way!
  3. Kenny Allyn

    Kenny Allyn

    Mar 25, 2006
    Best of luck ... probaly for the best

    We had that problem with a guitarist we had, he was the one wanting to stay in the straight blues mode and the band was moving to add more classic R&B and rock. In a bit of a temper-tantum he quit one night after a gig, then wanted to re-join the band elected no. It worked out best for all involved and we are all still friends.

    ;) ... Sounds as if you handled it well and have a plan that works for you.
  4. Mojo-Man


    Feb 11, 2003
    You handled it well.
    You will find another band.
    It's all a learning experience.
  5. Eilif

    Eilif Holding it down in K-Town. Supporting Member

    Oct 1, 2001
    Congrats on handling and analyzing the situation in a very level headed way.

    I'll be the first to say that learning other styles is a good thing, but if you're an amature musician, and you have a day job, then enjoying yourself is first priority. Why play music you don't like if you don't have to? It sounds like you weren't enjoying yourself at this point and it was all for the best. God speed finding a new gig that fits you better.

  6. When I was 18, I was into heavy rock and roll and progressive rock. Rush, Yes, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Van Halen (not Van Hagar...) - but you get the idea... I was a rocker in the middle 80's who had an original 'melodic heavy metal band' on the side...

    At that time I was at UMSL in their Jazz band, the keys player asked if I'd be interested in doing a 'pep-band' gig that he ran. It was sponsored by Grey Eagle Distributing (essentially Budweiser) - steady gigs, good pay... sure, why not?

    The music was mostly "Fake Book" + whatever snippets of any popular 'sports event, get the crowd going' songs. Think Paul Schaeffer's band - there to fill the gaps in the action. But in my mind, the music was bland, boring, 'old-fogie' stuff...

    The Keys player was about 9 years older than me, so he sort of looked at me as 'a kid who played bass but was probably not all that mature, musically'. He even said to me, "...this type of music really requires a special 'touch' to sound right on bass. It's not Rush or Zeppelin, you know... do you think you can do that?"

    I looked at this as an opportunity to prove to myself (and him) that I could deliver the goods as needed and that just because I was the 'baby' in the band and that I was a "rocker", it didn't mean I couldn't be musically broad.

    He liked what I brought to that gig and asked me to join his 'other band' - a cover band that did Jackson 5, Cure, Steely Dan, Jeffry Osbourne, even Spyro Gyra, - at that time, I called it "adult contemporary" and got a dirty look from Mark (keys player) but was offered the gig anyway - in spite of calling his band "Adult Contemporary".

    I played with them for 10 years after that and the music I was playing with them early on was so far from what I claimed to be "my flavor of music" at times I was even surprised. We were playing stuff I'd never in a million years have sought out on my own due to my prejudices about such styles.

    But if I'd allowed my "comfort zone" to influence my choice to play with them, I'd have never discovered the great, great motown, soul, R&B, and even the alternative pop that was coming out throughout the 80's. I eventually became a central figure in that band and ended up influencing song selection, helping select new members when others would move on... It ended up being one of the most professionally and musically rewarding gigs I've ever had - today included.
  7. butchblack


    Jan 25, 2007
    Waltham Massachusetts

    Yeah Bobby and John are still together. Did they have a tendency back then to rush coming out of breaks?
  8. KPJ


    Oct 2, 2001
    Methuen, MA USA
    Yes, John rushed quite a bit! Dropped a beat every so often as well. Is he still using his roto-tom as a cowbell? They way he played "The Thrill is Gone" messed me up for a while. I did a fill-in with the band that we used to be in last year. It took me a second to get the groove going when we kicked in to it. I started laughing, "Oh this drummer plays it right!"
  9. It does suck being let go, but don't let it get you down. You can use the time to practice and get some more stuff under your fingers. I've always found a period of being with out a band to be very productive in my personal musical growth. You'll find a new band.
  10. Tony In Philly

    Tony In Philly Gold Supporting Member Supporting Member

    Oct 25, 2007
    Filthydelphia, USA
    These guys sound like total douchebags. Find a really amazing guitarist and drummer, then make a loose blues/rock band that totally jams it out. Mix blues based songs with inspiring rocking instrumentals in the middle, etc. You''ll have ten times more fun and you will get paying gigs. In the long run you're much better off.
  11. Eilif

    Eilif Holding it down in K-Town. Supporting Member

    Oct 1, 2001
    More power to you man. I'm glad you discovered the benefits of playing other styles outside your comfort zone.
    I did say that...
    I get your point completely, and even lived it out by jumping from a disintegrating Pop Rock Band into a Country group when I knew nothing about country music. However, the OP said...
    If you know what you like, and you know what you do well, why not do it?

    If you're a pro then you need to get out there and learn it all, but for the rest of us weekend warriors, it's ok to just want to enjoy ourselves.
  12. bassfrenzie


    May 26, 2008
    Happens to the best of us bro!

    I'm sure you'll get something else.

    I'm in a blues/rock band and am loving it. I don't mind playing it just like the record if the bass line is interesting enough - but a lot of times it's not. I just do my thing & kick the living crap out of it and usually nobody notices it's different and enjoy the groove.

    There are a few tunes that we do that I WISH I could get exactly like the record - Low Down Dirty Shame by Carey Bell for one. What a freak that bass player is.

    Anyway good luck. I hope you find a great bunch of guys on the same page.
  13. Cheer up, kid.
  14. Eilif - I get his and your points.

    There's nothing wrong with knowing what you really like and focusing on that. The intent behind my posts centers more around a perspective shift that would allow the definition of what one likes to expand without him necessarily having to buckle down and learn a ton of new stuff. If you listen to music from "a different angle" you discover that a lot of those different styles - especially when you're talking about "blues" and "classic rock" - you see that they're VERY similar - and sometimes interchangeable.

    And for the record - I too am a weekend warrior - so this is not coming from someone whose in it up to his neck and making a living at it. I have been playing for a long time - but only at 'weekend warrior' status - like the OP.

    I feel for anyone who is asked to leave a band - that's just not a pleasant experience. Since the OP inserted his style preference, how the band he left was pursuing a "different" style and I could easily see how his stated style preference and their "new" style could really be considered not too dissimilar from one another, I felt it was an OK thing to offer the idea that musical styles can be (and indeed are) mutable. The idea being his comfort zone may actually be a lot broader than he thinks.

    I've seen a lot of very capable players unnecessarily pigeonhole themselves in this way and end up passing opportunities that could (and very likely would) have been quite rewarding to them if they simply stepped over the superficial classifications - "I like Rock - not Alternative..." - "I like Punk, not Grunge" - "I like Blues, not Country or Classic Rock".

    I'll admit there are ways to clarify and classify popular musical styles, but I also see how many, if not most of them share common characteristics much more than differences, when it comes down to it.

    And butchblack - I don't intend to be harsh - it's just my honest take on your situation.

    Good luck to you no matter what situation you choose to pursue!
  15. bassfrenzie


    May 26, 2008
    I've played just about every genre there is except classical and I personally I find the blues & jazz to be the most emotionally satisfying.

    Maybe that's the case with the OP?

    Sometimes it goes deeper than simply stepping over the superficial classifications - "I like Rock - not Alternative..." - "I like Punk, not Grunge" - "I like Blues, not Country or Classic Rock".
  16. Sounds like you handled it well. I have seen my husband in and out of various bands for over twenty years (another weekend warrior), and my mother is a professional musician as well. They have ALWAYS moved on to better situations after leaving a band. Shoot, my husband, originally a drummer, taught himself keyboards and is now heavily involved in the electronic music scene in Atlanta. He's basically a one-man band which works for him on many levels. But he is playing in another band as well.

    My point: This could end up being a welcome change in your life.

    My only complaint would be that your former band mates should have told you in person. That would be a courtesy in any profession. Geez, sounds like they need to grow up a bit.

    Good luck in your new endeavors.
  17. txbasschik


    Nov 11, 2005
    Leander, Texas
    Hitting the jam is the best thing to do! Get right back on the horse, when you've been thrown. You'll have a new project in no time. You're a bassist!

    Cherie :)
  18. bassfrenzie - I dig that and I know that sometimes people just like what they like and no amount of rethinking will change that.

    I also know from personal experience that there are styles of music that at one time didn't appeal to me at all and I said much the same sort of thing - "I'm a rocker - I don't really get into that dance music stuff..." - Looking back I see how I unintentionally was limiting my opportunities to play lines I honestly would have loved to play. While it was 100% true that I really didn't like those other styles of music all that much way back when, it's equally true that those styles of music did indeed hold a huge amount of appeal for me once I gave them a try.

    My only intention was to open the possibility that he'd not necessarily have to reinvent himself or even work all that hard to learn different music and that maybe it is possible to hear aspects of your favorite style of bass playing in just about whatever style of music your listening to.
  19. Ric5

    Ric5 Supporting Member Commercial User

    Jan 29, 2008
    I grow organic carrots and they are not for sale
    Some of the greatest moments of my life were when I quit certain bands ... being in the wrong band can be painful.
  20. Skarekrough


    Aug 7, 2006
    One of the great keys to success is knowing what you're NOT good at and making is so that you're in as few situations as possible where you're forced to do what you know you don't do well.

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