Monkey Steve

well if we're including mooning, Angus Young has some form for that, and I still have nightmares from Dumpy's Rusty Nuts shows back in the 80's that never failed to give Dumpy's er, dumpster an airing Die Antwoord's singer did the same at Download this year...as did Tommy Lee when I saw Motley Crue back in the day

bands never work well as a democracy. They work best as a benevolent dictatorship, and maybe you need to be the dictator. Don't expect them to get round to the photos and video, tell them all that you're getting it done, and make the arrangements for it,

well, I'm sure you're a great bass player and this doesn't apply to you, but for the sake of playing devil's advocate A mate of mine had to put up with a bass player who basically couldn't play the bass - he was actually a rhythm guitarist who had ended up in the band for reasons too long and irrelevant to go into. And he wasn't a very good rhythm guitarist either. So my mate, a very talented lead guitarist, would routinely have to point out that the bass player wasn't playing the right lines for the songs., and show him which notes he should be playing, and this included suggesting where he played on the fretboard (although that was more because it was like dealing with a complete beginner) I've since depped with them and they are actually very tolerant about the bass player coming up with their own lines and interpretations of the songs, but they do have to be in line with what he band is playing, and if you're doubling a riff then you need to get the riff right So when the not-really-a-bass player spat back that he wasn't going to play what he was told, he was going to play what he had come up with...it didn't end well, and I can't say that I was on the bass player's side in that one

Yeah, I'm basically with SP work out what you want from each of the bands, and assess whether you honestly think they will be able to provide it for you. And is there any more that you could be doing to fix it? Because, pointing no fingers, I've sat in enough rehearsal rooms with band members complaining about this and that that they think the band should be doing more of, who then do absolutely nothing about it, instead waiting for the magic gig fairy to come along and find them the higher profile paying bookings that they think they deserve There's nothing wrong in quitting a band if it's not what you want, so don't feel guilty. What I would suggest is that if you want to leave on good terms (and you may not) is that before you simply text everybody to say you're out, let them all know what you're unhappy about, and see whether they will actually change. And don't believe them when they all say that they will change, because talk is very, very cheap. Set some goals and deadlines and if they haven't met them they can't say they weren't warned.

There's also something to be said for a strong band leader who keeps the band on message rather than letting band members make choices that the audience would not appreciate. It's sometimes a mistake to play your favourite songs rather than the audience's favourites, and I've been in bands which have learned something that one of the band members has insisted we do, only to see it greeted with complete silence by the crowd because it's not what they've come to hear Equally I've seen strong BL's ruin a set by making the band play all of their favourite songs rather than putting any thought into making it appealing to the audience, so i guess it doesn't really matter who picks the songs as long as they are the right ones

I did tune my low B up to a C for one band, but not for any clever alternate tuning reason, purely because the guitars were tuned down to a C, and the rest of my strings were also tuned up a semi tone

I'll always check how long the item will take to deliver - if it says "next day" then it's usually in stock, but if it's "3-5 days" or longer then it's probably at their suppliers and they're pretty confident that they can get one if you do actually order it Andertons are my local shop and they are miles ahead with on line stock levels and managing where things need to be. I've popped in before now to pick up something and been told to hang on while they send a minion to the warehouse to get it, and the website is very clear about whether the stock is in the shop or in the warehouse. And there's no price difference. I don't know if GAK have changed things yet (doesn't sound like it from some of the comments above) but a mate of mine has had issues with them not having stock in the shop that they have in the warehouse, and not matching prices, because (so they told him) the warehouse/on line shop is effectively run as a separate business

have to say, that while I like my five string tuned to a low B, my instinct for a higher string would be to set that to a high B rather than a C. i suspect purely because I play a lot of guitar (including a seven string) so it would feel natural. Completely understand why a bass player/ist would favour a high C

have you just never brought it up? or have you made suggestions before and been knocked back? I've made a couple of friendly suggestion while depping for an originals band that were dismissed, but no conflict as it was always their show and their choice. For covers bands I've always taken the view that I'm OK playing a few songs that aren't my favourites or wouldn't be my choice, but you need to compromise to keep everybody happy. But then I've never been the hired hand or relied on the gigs for my income, and would happily have left if the band started playing a lot of material that I actively disliked

The second or third gig I ever went to, my first at Hammersmith Odeon, was Uli Jon Roth and the Electric Sun. Don't remember much, other than him playing a lot of old Scorpions songs and being dressed as a Japanese wizard...looks like that hasn't changed great guitarist though

of course there's this https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/wjkdyw/rage-against-the-machine-nude-protest-at-lollapalooza-93 Uncensored pictures are available...as are interviews where Tim Commerford insists that it was a very cold day and he's just been surfing...

There's a former band mate of mine who does something very similar. While he has some limitations, and I've played with much better guitarists, he's got an excellent tone for solos and is very good for the local pub covers scene. But he seems to deliberately pick bands with not very good rhythm guitarists, who he's happy to keep around. In fact despite the fact that he spent half his time complaining about how bad the rhythm guitarist was in our band (and he had a point), he then recruited him when starting his next band. In fact as i recall he was the one who invited the rhythm guitarist to be in our band as he'd played with him before, so that's at least three bands he's been in with a guitarist that he knows isn't very good Seems to me to be an ego thing, that he wants everybody to see that he's the best musician on stage, rather than wanting the band to be the best it can be

This does seem to be coming down to the personalities involved and the terms on which people left Reminds me of a singer who left one of my bands - completely his decision, although one that was welcomed by most of the band because he really couldn't sing. We replaced him with someone who was much better, and on the face of it singist #1 took it all OK, came to quite a few of our gigs and seemed generally supportive. But it was noticeable that he kept trying to get himself invited on stage and singist #2, out of politeness would let him, very much the lowlight of the evening. The invites were withdrawn and he then stopped coming to the gigs, and started becoming less than complimentary about the band. This was about 25 years ago, and he's never had a good word to say about any of the subsequent musical ventures of any of the band members, usually being quite dismissive - he flat out refused to come and see one band that i was in with the drummer on the basis that he'd seen up play before and didn't need to see us again

In these terms, what I mean by goals and ambitions can be both micro (learning all these songs for the next rehearsal) and macro (we want to be playing paying gigs every weekend). Sounds to me that you are aligned to the rest of the band in those terms - perhaps because they are paying you, but as long as you are ready and able to do all that is required by the other band members, i don't see a conflict

not too fussed - personally I'd say I was a bass player, but I wouldn't spit my dummy out at any of the others As for bass guitar or electric bass, I've always favoured electric bass, probably because when I first started playing, the Big Book Of How To Play Bass that I got insisted quite forcefully that it was an electric bass, because it is an electric version of an acoustic double bass (in terms of it's role in the band and who it was aimed at when first manufactured) and not an electric version of an acoustic bass guitar, regardless of the fact that there have been acoustic bass guitars of some form or another for quite a while.

seen Mr Pop a few times, which means I've seen Little Iggy a few times too The one that gives me nightmares was seeing Dwarves in the punk tent at Reading one year. The previously mentioned Nick Oliveri used to be a band member, and they do have a certain reputation for shedding their clothes. On this occasion the scrawny guitarist did the whole show in just a gimp mask Honourable mention for Zia McCabe of the Dandy Warhols. I only knew their music so was pleasantly surprised when she removed her top the first time i saw them, and the two or three times I've seen them since (and I haven't seen them for more than a decade) when she kept her clothes on there was usually a backdrop of her naked

Like @Stylon Pilson my bands tend to break up at the point I leave, but I have had a couple of experiences from the other side, having the former band member that I had replaced come to see the band. Where the exit was on good terms, it wasn't an issue - my predecessor was perfectly nice to me, mentioned that having seen us play made him realise that he was missing being in a band, but didn't expect to return (and the band made a point of telling me that this wasn't on the cards, in fact I'd suggested that he could get up and play a couple of songs and they wouldn't have it). I was playing guitar in that band, and we had something similar with the bass player - left on good terms, was replaced, and came to see us a couple of time, and was no bother at all. But the difference was that on realising how much he missed being in the band he then asked about coming back...and being a founder member and a much better bass player than his replacement, he got his wish I depped for a band and had two previous bass players at two different gigs, both of whom had left under less than good circumstances. One was in the main support band. He basically ignored me all night, while being little more than civil with the rest of the band. They finished, packed up and left, so I'm not sure how much (if any) of us he saw. The next night the immediate bass predecessor was at the gig (having spat out his dummy and quit at short notice, hence me depping). I knew him reasonably well and there were no hard feelings whatsoever, although he did admit to missing being in the band and wanting them to ask him to come back, which I passed on to the band but they'd already decided on his permanent replacement.

I feel your pain. I've played a couple where the band have been asked to play because the birthday boy loves that kind of music...and it turns out that he's the only one

I don't really agree with this. Regardless of the pay, the band has to share a certain level of shared goals and ambitions. Even if the aim is to get together once a week and run through some songs, if one band member is stopping the others being able to do that because of their attitude then that's a problem that should be sorted out. Perhaps it's showing, but I'm sick of the odd band member (usually the lead guitarist, but that's just my experience) who uses the "I'm only doing this for fun so I'm not doing anything that I don't want to do" excuse while expecting all of the other band members to do exactly what they want to do regardless of whether they are enjoying it. Of course, if you're the only one who finds it annoying, then, like the OP, maybe it's you that needs to leave

obviously we're massively biased, and even the flakiest band members think that they haven't put a foot wrong no matter how badly they behave, so possibly we're all rubbish and we just don't realise it... but I do think that there is something in the people that play bass which reflects the role of the instrument in the band - solid, reliable, doing all the heavy lifting and carrying all the melody and the dynamics, but often unobtrusively and in a way that others don't appreciate until it's not there. So we tend towards being the people who get stuff done Of course there are outliers and YMMV

probably says a lot that other musicians being bellends is pretty much standard operating procedure for bands, and in itself not necessarily something that would make me quit the band, and certainly not something that would make me give up music though my tolerance for it has certainly lessened over the years. Even then, I can put up with a certain amount of bellendery, but have very little time for those who just aren't up to their role in the band. The one thing that was a trigger for me in the OP's post was them still not having learned the songs that they were supposed to have learned the previous week. I've refused to join bands where having turned up at the first practice I'm the only one who knows their parts, or am the only one who cares about not having played the songs correctly. My rule of thumb is that if I'm clearly the best musician in the room, it's not a very good band The rest of it would get to me in time though

Always determined by the wider aims of the band. For an originals band looking to build a following it's got to be C, even if you're not covering costs. Doesn't sound like there is a big earner on the list anyway, so the difference between covering fuel and a couple of beers and not covering fuel probably isn't huge. While it may not be as much fun as A right now, I see it as an investment that might pay off with bigger crowds, better gigs and more fun in the future But this assumes it's a direct clash (and the OP doesn't say as much, just which is better for the band). Personally I'd be happy to do all three if they didn't clash. A for fun and to keep the local crowd happy, and I've done plenty of those. Can't survive on them, but they are brilliant to do B to play a good venue that's new to the band and see if there's a crowd, and you can do a bit of promotion around it yourselves. Having done a few B type gigs with an originals band there can also be a positive effect even if it's empty if the venue or promoters see that you are a band worth having back for a better slot - say a more C type gig supporting a band who's fans will enjoy what you're doing. If it doesn't work out, nobody comes and the promoters don't ask you back, there's no harm done

This is the big change isn't it. Back in the day I certainly remember the standard attitude matching the offending drummer's, that you were in one band and one band only, and if you wanted to be in a band with other people then you had to leave the one you were currently in. Because being in a band was potentially a route to fame and fortune, and the band wanted to get signed, release records, go on tour, etc and that meant dedicating all of your musical efforts to it That's all gone now Out of interest @BrunoBass is the drummer a man of a certain age?

yeah, I tend to agree - if everybody is happy with one gig a month (and as with the OP, that will suit a lot of people) then that's fine. I've been in plenty of bands that have played a lot less. But equally I can't see an issue with anybody who wants to be playing more gigs going off and doing something else on their non-gigging weekends

can't see a problem - the concept of only being in one band and "cheating" on your band mates is sooo last century. But if the singer is doing this because he isn't playing enough gigs with you, why does the drummer think that he'll pick your band if made to choose? I'd tell him (the drummer) to suck it up and stop thinking that he gets to tell somebody what they can or can't do when they aren't playing with your band. It's pathetic. And if I was the singer I wouldn't have asked, I'd have politely informed your lot what I was doing, it wouldn't be a debate. The singer will need to sort out his priorities, but I've got mates who are in two or three signed, gigging/touring bands and they never have a conflict, they just allocate time to the bands as required. Mind you, they typically have a pecking order for any conflicts, some bands being regarded as more important than others, but will stick to the "first gig in the diary wins" I've done it at a lower level too and it was pretty easy for day to day things like practices. How I would have loved to have enough gigs for there to be a conflict!