What did I say wrong?

[solo4652]

I saw this ad on Join My Band:

[url="http://www.joinmyband.co.uk/classifieds/bass-player-t470825.html"]BASS PLAYER[/url] (Greater Manchester)
Hello, we are a three guys been in the business all our lives..........we have put together a high quality band playing to the wedding/lounge set. If interested get back with email, then we can chat and hopefully arrange something ASAP Stockport/Cheshire Standard: Semi-pro

[color=#0000CD]My reply[/color] (slightly edited to remove information about my current band):

I play bass (and, occasionally, cajon) and I live [locally]. I'm currently playing with this band: (website link) but I'm very uncertain about its future.

Could you tell me a little more about your band, please?

Do you have a setlist you could send me?
Where and when do you rehearse?
What sort of venues and gigs are you aiming at?

Thanks,

Steve

[color=#0000FF]His reply[/color], in full;

We have a percussionist, we want committment.

Thanks for your interest

The Band

[Gust0o]

Well, in short - you're in a band already.

Not wishing to cause offence, but your reply might have felt a little like window shopping if the chap was expecting commitment.

What do you feel?

[Earbrass]

Lucky escape by the sound of it. Been in "the business" all their lives, but still only semi-pro? Probably a bit crap then as well as being t*sspots.

[xilddx]

Sounds like your goldfish is looking a bit poorly so you went to the fayre to see if you could win another.

[Skol303]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1361465991' post='1986160']Sounds like your goldfish is looking a bit poorly so you went to the fayre to see if you could win another.[/quote]

I accidentally killed my goldfish as a kid. Not sure what that means metaphorically-speaking, but in this context I'd probably hand myself in to the police immediately.

[Cat Burrito]

They sound like a fun bunch of guys

[solo4652]

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1361465689' post='1986149']
Well, in short - you're in a band already.

Not wishing to cause offence, but your reply might have felt a little like window shopping if the chap was expecting commitment.

What do you feel?
[/quote]

Well, I feel that he's being unhelpful and unwelcoming almost to the point of rudeness.

[warwickhunt]

Your reply looks perfectly acceptable and plausible to me; in fact it is exactly the kind of thing that I might have sent off if I were in a position where I was unsure about the future of my current band and was looking for something else and maybe wanted to know a bit more about this band before committing. I'd say that if their response is indicative of their general demeanor then you're better off well out of it.

[JTUK]

I wouldn't have mentioned the other band you are in, but not sure about.

The key here is to only say as much to get you in with a shot..and then you decide
if/how you want to pursue.

I wouldn't worry about it tho, they haven't actually sold themselves either.

[skankdelvar]

What a strange reply from that band.

I can't imagine why currently being in another band would be a dealbreaker - surely that's a slightly more promising indicator than [i]not[/i] being in a band, noi to anyone who's between bands. Like me.

Perhaps the apparent touchiness about percussionism is the key to solving this mystery. No doubt the ad was placed by the band's bongo player; the OP's reply set off alarm bells; and the bongonista decided to stifle this potential competition in the bud by playing the old 'Cajon Players are inherently unreliable' card.

Besides which, when anyone refers to their musical endeavours as 'high quality' I raise an eyebrow. It's just the wrong class of descriptor. Rather like placing a 'for sale ad' for one's motor car that mentions that it's 'full of farm-fresh, creamy, wholesome goodness'.

[color=#ffffff].[/color]

Edited February 21, 2013 by skankdelvar

[wateroftyne]

That reply is just rude, IMO. On the face of it, I wouldn't want to work with him / her.

[EssentialTension]

Some people are funny about 'other bands' but still a useless reply. You don't want to be in that band anyway.

[BluRay]

yep the curt reply tells you all you need to know - they're NOT professional.

[steve-bbb]

A bit terse wasn't it. I wouldn't have mentioned the other band and would have just enquiried as to their set list and also throw in that you have own equipment and transport and reasonable radius you're prepared to travel then leave it up to them

Or you could reply and question why they have a percussionist is it to cover up lack of technical skills by the proper drummer and tell them you could only commit to them if YOU felt that their drummer was of sufficient technical standard to compliment your bass playing ;-)

[Jack]

People saying they're pro is like gear that's advertised as pro. As in not.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Jack

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='BluRay' timestamp='1361467653' post='1986197']
curt [/quote]

jurgens


[size=3]High Quality Actor - also played bongos.[/size]

[BluRay]

spelling meant to use a n

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='BluRay' timestamp='1361468291' post='1986212']
spelling meant to use a n[/quote]

Funnily enough, Mr Jurgen's original first name [i]was[/i] C**t. His agent advised him to change it and the rest is history.

In any event, I am tempted to place an ad in the NW section of JMB on the lines of:

'Bass player seeks Hgih qaulity wedding lounge band pref are three a guys in business some time commitment esnential NO PRECUSSION DO MY OWN"

[color=#ffffff].[/color]

Edited February 21, 2013 by skankdelvar

[Gust0o]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1361467157' post='1986181']
Well, I feel that he's being unhelpful and unwelcoming almost to the point of rudeness.
[/quote]

Absolutely. If that's how he responds now, when you're not even in the band...

[brensabre79]

Don't sweat it. It wasn't meant to be.
Think of it this way, you could have got an audition and maybe even as far as a few gigs, having learned the whole repertoire, to find out then that they are a bunch of curts. At least this way the band argument has already happened and you didn't waste any time

[stingrayPete1977]

If they (and fwiw others commenting in this thread) were so 'pro' I doubt anyone would be bothered about people being in other bands, all the best pro and semi pro bands (for want of a better term) I know have at least one stand in for every member of that function band, the best wedding bands have some bookings into 2015 with almost every weekend taken for this year, even 'pros' need a weekend off now and again

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1361469696' post='1986247']
... a bunch of curts ...
[/quote]
That really should go in the 'band names ... the hardest mission ever' thread.

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1361472770' post='1986330']
That really should go in the 'band names ... the hardest mission ever' thread.
[/quote]

Nirvana tribute band??

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1361473422' post='1986345']
Nirvana tribute band??
[/quote]
Very good.

[risingson]

In my opinion, alarm bells should have been ringing before you'd even sent the first email[font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"] - people who describe themselves as having 'been in the business all their lives' generally make me want to buy a gun and shoot myself. [/color][/font]