Bluewine

I went through the same thing about 15 years ago. Great sounding 5 piece Rock band. Great front man too. However, it became clear this guy only wanted to play " rock star " in his basement and never gig. Daryl

I get it. I've been told I'm more of a presentation bass player. And I like owning my material too. And how about decades of experience understanding how to approach and handle all the curves gigging throws at us. The whole confidence thing is key. You cant be confident if your sliding up to hit the right note or hitting mysterious suspicious notes. I'm working on some new fills now that won't be usable until summer. Daryl

Exactly Daryl

I agree, however I'm starting to think what we call groove, feel and vibe is more important to bass players than the other guys. Daryl

I've seen that happen to more than one guy. You're told the band is breaking up. And what actually happened was they were replaced. There was no break up. By the way, the guy I replaced 15 years ago went out kicking and screaming. Daryl

And it can work in a positive way as well. 5 years ago our old 2nd guitarist moved out of state.. He was replaced with a much younger super talented lead guitarist with a great singing voice. He changed us from an everyday average blues/rock band to one of the areas top blues/rock bands. Daryl

Agreed 100%. One of our dep drummers is very technical with all the fancy fills. However, we don't need any of that . We need a simple in the pocket drummer with exceptional timing. Daryl

I'm not sure when it happened for me. When the money changed from extra fun cash to being serious supplemental income. Probably when I retired from a traditional career. Daryl

Agreed, at 71 I have other worries far more important then being canned by a band. Mainly staying alive. Lol Daryl

A pic of me wearing my official Howdy Dooty outfit. Lol Daryl

You are safe Dave. Our band is driven by money and they don't like leaving any money that's out there uncollected. I've never been depped in 15 years. However, I don't think they would turn down a gig if I couldn't make it. Daryl

I'll throw this out there. If you were told you were being replaced or the band told you they were moving in a different direction, would you go out gracefully or kicking and screaming? At my age I'd go out gracefully. I'd even let them know I'd always be willing to dep if they needed me. Daryl

I guess in some instances the cookie crumbles and there's nothing you can do about it. Daryl

We mainly have to dep our drummer and unfortunately it's usually a disaster. Daryl

I haven't heard anything. What have you heard about me? Lol Daryl

Agreed, at the end of the day I'm a bass player. There are plenty of them around. I think I could be replaced, how easy would it be? I don't know. Daryl

Agreed, our lead singer is also the band leader. We're so lucky. She has a genuine gift of gab and the audience loves her. Ever watch a band comprised of 4 " old guys" with absolutely no personality or ability to speak or work up a crowd? Daryl

Agreed 100% La Bam. Daryl

There are not many bass players that do what I do either. However, I could be replaced by someone else that does what they do all the same. Here's another thing. We played 65 gigs this year. I didn't miss one of them. A lot of weekend warriors don't want to commit to 65 gigs. Here's another thought if Freddy Mercury can be replaced I can be replaced. Realistically Freddy Mercury was never replaced. Adam can do the job but there's only one Freddy Mercury. Daryl

I don't book gigs . However, I can wind leads and set up mic stands. Does that count? Lol Daryl

I think any band originals or covers established or new with a proper business plan can avoid playing $h!t holes. You have to be willing to say no. Daryl

I think it also depends on the area the band would be playing.If there's a robust active originals scene with places to play it can be great. In my neck of the woulds there's no money to be made by originals bands because there's no place to play. I've tried it. Daryl

Maple Road is playing a 4:00-7:00 early New Years Eve gig at The Precinct in Germantown. It's our 2nd year playing this gig. New Years Eve gigs seem to be good regardless of the circumstances. Last year was great. Daryl

How easily could you be replaced? I think our male guitarist would be very difficult to replace. He sings , he's soulful, very advanced player and reliable with a great attitude. Our band leader once told me she wouldn't know what to do if he left. Me, I use to think they would have a hard time replacing my 70s sense of timing and groove. Now I'm not sure any of that matters. I think I could be replaced, not easily but replaced. I'm not sure the " soul" element I bring to the band would be missed. And outside of a few backing vocals I don't sing. Merry Christmas guys. No gigs unless til New Years Eve. Daryl

Does that mean you'd stay away from established bands with a heavy gigging schedule where monetary payoff is a big part of their business model ? Daryl