mcnach Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1497799801' post='3320601'] I'm the cheerleader for my band. Always upbeat and funny, telling jokes and keeping everyone in good spirit If a band member is really down I will do the invisible bear hump and that will fix everything. Hard to have a bad time when your humping an invisible bear 🐻 Blue [/quote] !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 (edited) [quote name='blue' timestamp='1497799801' post='3320601'] I'm the cheerleader for my band. Always upbeat and funny, telling jokes and keeping everyone in good spirit If a band member is really down I will do the invisible bear hump and that will fix everything. Hard to have a bad time when your humping an invisible bear �� Blue [/quote] You sound infuriating Edited June 19, 2017 by Dan Dare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 (edited) I haven't quit yet, but I feel like I'm on the cusp of doing so. I'm really just popping in here for a gamut of second opinions to confirm or allay my suspicions that I already know the answer... After six years of working at it, I think we've grown apart. A couple of years ago, I think we were all on more-or-less the same page, i.e., "let's try and make this profitable." I had a job which paid quite well, but it was turning out to be quite unfulfilling. Perhaps naively, I hoped I could transition to making music full-time. 2015 had some definite high points (alongside some real lows), but a few things were starting to come apart. Our guitarist and I felt we'd achieved a lot (new EP crowdfunded and recorded, first gig abroad, big festival to finish the year), but looking at the books it was quite clear that this venture was a long way off replacing our salaries. The main focus had been getting the EP released and playing as far and wide as we could, so we started looking at different approaches. Our drummer, on the other hand, was utterly convinced that if we just carried on with exactly the same model, this band would somehow start to pay four people a salary. When we questioned his logic, he insisted that the only reason it hadn't worked was because we didn't put on "enough of a show." Now, I understand the need for a band to be entertaining, and to be more than just four blokes going through the motions on a stage. But I thought our stage presence was pretty good, so we asked him what we should do differently. The response was vague, at best. So in 2016 I began a radically different approach: fewer gigs, emphasising quality over quantity, and in the meantime I started a new strategy to build the band's presence online. And it worked: suddenly we were taking more and more orders for CDs, and we had people dropping us messages via Twitter or Facetube to ask when we were going to come and play up their way. It certainly wasn't glamorous, but it was working - finally I felt like we had a footprint. Our first gig that year was up in Oxford. Things were off to a good start, we thought. Our singer stayed up there with some friends, and I crashed at my sister's place, leaving our guitarist to drive back with just the drummer for company. Apparently he whinged the whole way back to London: we're not playing enough gigs; we're not playing the right gigs; when Kiss were starting out in the '70s...; when Iron Maiden were going up and down the country in a van... It seems the problem is that I'm up against an ideology. He's read biographies of Kiss, Maiden, Zappa, Zeppelin, etc., and assumes he therefore knows the whole story: these bands went and played absolutely everywhere, and here are some bleak but faintly amusing anecdotes about sh***y motels and snorting coke off groupies, but ultimately it was touring that broke them. They succeeded where others failed by virtue of the quality of their live show. Which is kind of true, if you're prepared to gloss over the massive omissions, such as: who made sure that people were coming to see these shows in the first place? Who or what bankrolled them enough to go and play these places? Who handled the bookings and made sure they got paid? He seems content to look at the bigger picture but lose interest when asked to consider these fine but very important details. Worse still, he gets very flustered when presented with the awkward question of how one makes this old model work since, for a number of reasons, the bottom has completely dropped out of that market? Our priorities have changed, in the meantime. Our guitarist began making plans to move back to Wales, and operate remotely. Given the opportunities I'd found, I was quite happy with this. Drummer was speechless. When I then announced that my partner and I were expecting a baby, he flounced and quit the band (for about the fifth or sixth time in its existence), saying we weren't taking he band seriously enough. I haven't yet told him that I quite enjoy my new day job... In spite of all this, by the end of 2016, I was on a bit of a high: I had some great sales figures to report. They were still miles off transforming our fortunes but it was much better progress than we'd made previously, and it had great potential to grow. Sadly this fell on deaf ears. I'm still being asked why we're not playing more gigs, why we're not playing paid gigs, and I can only point out the bleedin' obvious so many times, especially given that I'm not a very argumentative person, especially in comparison to our singer and drummer who are more inclined to open their mouths first and engage their brains later. I wanted to press on with the work I was doing, to prove a point, but I feel like the wind's been taken out of my sails. Things will change quite radically when our guitarist moves, but even knowing that, I'm finding it hard to muster the enthusiasm I used to have. At last night's rehearsal, drummer was still banging on about touring. I made my case quite clearly, that it wasn't fair for me for me to abandon my family for days on end. Text to the group as I was heading home read, "I'm going to look into touring the continent. When do you think you'll be able to leave your family for a week?" On the one hand, I'd like to watch him try, so maybe he can realise how much f***ing effort the guitarist and I have to put into arranging a half-decent gig. On the other hand, I don't know how much more of this I can put up with. [b]Edit:[/b] Jesus, that went on a bit, didn't it? Sorry for the length, but it was good to consolidate my thoughts... Edited June 20, 2017 by EliasMooseblaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 [quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1497781613' post='3320499'] I'm a miserable bastard and nobody likes me. That's usually my reason for leaving... [/quote] Isn't that a better reason to be kicked out than to leave? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1497953544' post='3321523'] Apparently he whinged the whole way back to London: we're not playing enough gigs; we're not playing the right gigs; when Kiss were starting out in the '70s...; when Iron Maiden were going up and down the country in a van... It seems the problem is that I'm up against an ideology. He's read biographies of Kiss, Maiden, Zappa, Zeppelin, etc., and assumes he therefore knows the whole story: these bands went and played absolutely everywhere, and here are some bleak but faintly amusing anecdotes about sh***y motels and snorting coke off groupies, but ultimately it was touring that broke them. They succeeded where others failed by virtue of the quality of their live show. [/quote] Not necessarily. THose were very different times to the times we are now, so however important those stories are doesn't mean that it translates to now. Also this is the 'how to start a successful business' story. group x, y, and z did this and got famous, therefore doing what group X, Y and Z did must be the way to get famous. Not, it isn't, because groups a-w also did the same thing and didn't get famous. There were other things as well, luck, chemistry, right place right time, etc. How many other groups who were good enough to make it didn't? I saw Maiden when they were starting. They were good. As were a lot of other bands at the time - one made it, the others didn't. They all did similar things. Personally it sounds like you have something worth doing at the moment, but the tensions are there to cause issues, you can try discussing it or try to do some compromise, but it sounds like you are on different pages at the moment. How you resolve that depends on the personalities involved and if you all can deal with each other, I doubt anyone can really help you with that and maybe some changes of people are needed before you kill each other. Anyway, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 (edited) [quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1497955594' post='3321552'] Not necessarily. THose were very different times to the times we are now, so however important those stories are doesn't mean that it translates to now. Also this is the 'how to start a successful business' story. group x, y, and z did this and got famous, therefore doing what group X, Y and Z did must be the way to get famous. Not, it isn't, because groups a-w also did the same thing and didn't get famous. There were other things as well, luck, chemistry, right place right time, etc. How many other groups who were good enough to make it didn't? I saw Maiden when they were starting. They were good. As were a lot of other bands at the time - one made it, the others didn't. They all did similar things. [/quote] Sorry, I probably should have made it clearer that that paragraph was meant to be read in Drummer's voice! And believe me, I've tried to challenge it by asking why Saxon or Diamond Head never enjoyed the same level of success. (He doesn't like it.) [quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1497955594' post='3321552'] Personally it sounds like you have something worth doing at the moment, but the tensions are there to cause issues, you can try discussing it or try to do some compromise, but it sounds like you are on different pages at the moment. How you resolve that depends on the personalities involved and if you all can deal with each other, I doubt anyone can really help you with that and maybe some changes of people are needed before you kill each other. Anyway, good luck! [/quote] Thank you! Unfortunately I've come to dread our "business meetings" because they have a habit of He With The Biggest Gob steamrollering them with his same old lecture. But I think I'm now at the point where if I can't get through that brick wall, I'm ready to pick up my ball and go home. Edited June 20, 2017 by EliasMooseblaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1497953544' post='3321523'] [b]Edit:[/b] Jesus, that went on a bit, didn't it? Sorry for the length, but it was good to consolidate my thoughts... [/quote] That's OK, treat it like a confessional... I think this is an issue for a lot of bands, and it's one of my annoyances with bandmates - people have different ideas about what "commitment" means. I can see it from both sides and funnily enough had a very similarly themed conversation with a mate about joining his band recently. he is very much on your drummer's side - sees himself as a musician who only does the day job to keep a roof over his head and would give it up in a heartbeat if his (name) band could make a decent living. He's always had that focus and has been like that since teenage years. But when he asked me about possibly replacing his incumbent bass player I set out my stall - I'm not about to give up my job to go on tours. Fortunately for me it isn't a huge issue: the rest of the band are all in my position, men of a certain age who need to book time off from jobs that they cannot afford to lose for anything midweek - this year their autumn tour will be staged over several weekends so they only need to take Friday's off. So, hooray for me, but it doesn't help you at all. The problem is that nobody with a different idea of what "commitment" looks like is ever going to see it another way - my own frustration is usually with band members who view being "very committed" as rehearsing once a week if they don't have anything else to do that night and playing gigs if their girlfriend hasn't made other plans. And even people who I would view as "very committed" can be completely inflexible in their approach - their view of how to make it in music (despite never having made it in music) is to do A then B then C, so they simply will not consider doing D even of everybody else thinks its a good idea. There is perhaps one thing that does apply from my mate's band's middle aged men tour, which is that apart from holiday entitlements, they are also reflecting the realities of the music scene, that playing on a Friday or Saturday night will bring out a far bigger crowd than playing on a school night. They did the same last year and noticed much smaller crowds on the Sunday night gigs. I've seen mates playing in established bands who couldn't get a crowd out to the Dog & Duck on a Tuesday night but would sell out the Civic Hall on a Saturday. The market has changed and taking the model of how to make it in 1972 doesn't really help now. As you're finding, using social media to build a following and playing bigger, better quality gigs, is a smart thing to do, but it's also perhaps giving the drummer the wrong impression: gigs are working brilliantly so let's play more of them...I'm not sure that you're ever going to agree on this. And he may simply really, really love playing gigs - I know I'd rather be playing than being at home watching TV. But i can see that Tuesday at the Dog and Duck in front of six people isn't helping the band whereas Saturday at the Civil Hall is. I also note your frustrations over the drummers inability to explain or back up his ideas...well, he is a drummer, what do you expect? Two practical suggestions before you jack it all in, which would be real shame if you're on the verge of great things. First, you all need to sit down and agree a plan for the next year. Emphasis on "agree". And be prepared to listen (and hope that everybody else will too). Know your red lines and stick to those, and try to get everybody else to honestly declare theirs. If everybody else wants to be on tour playing every night of the week then it'll give you a very clear message about your future involvement. Second, have you got any management or a gig booker? Rather than spending all of your time sorting out the gigs and promotion that clearly isn't being appreciated by the band members who don't do it, see if somebody else can take the strain for you. Hopefully somebody with the right contacts and experience who can give you some advice on how best to move to the next level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewisK1975 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 [quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1497956514' post='3321567'] Second, have you got any management or a gig booker? Rather than spending all of your time sorting out the gigs and promotion that clearly isn't being appreciated by the band members who don't do it, see if somebody else can take the strain for you. Hopefully somebody with the right contacts and experience who can give you some advice on how best to move to the next level. [/quote] Saved me typing that. If your drummer mentions Maiden as a yardstick often, it's worth mentioning that they have had one of the best managers in the business (Rod Smallwood) since very early on in their career. He has been (and continues to be, I assume) pretty much instrumental in all of the business side of things for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 [quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1497956514' post='3321567'] That's OK, treat it like a confessional... I think this is an issue for a lot of bands, and it's one of my annoyances with bandmates - people have different ideas about what "commitment" means. .. I also note your frustrations over the drummers inability to explain or back up his ideas...well, he is a drummer, what do you expect? Two practical suggestions before you jack it all in, which would be real shame if you're on the verge of great things. [/quote] Thank you for this insight - it's quite reassuring to know that I'm not the only musician who's found themselves banging their head against a brick wall in situations like this. I suspect a fairly frank conversation is going to follow once we've got a festival gig out of the way in a couple of weeks, and then I strongly suspect we'll end up shedding a band member. If the drummer goes then I might be more inclined to stay...it's hard to imagine regaining my enthusiasm, but you never know! [quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1497957758' post='3321577'] If your drummer mentions Maiden as a yardstick often, it's worth mentioning that they have had one of the best managers in the business (Rod Smallwood) since very early on in their career. He has been (and continues to be, I assume) pretty much instrumental in all of the business side of things for them. [/quote] This could be very useful for halting his usual stream of verbal diarrhoea - ta kindly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Tough story and circumstance. Unfortunately when you do this for a living and depend on the money your really locked in a box. You can't quit because things aren't going well for any reason. Not until something better comes along and your income stream isn't interested. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1497988673' post='3321862'] Tough story and circumstance. Unfortunately when you do this for a living and depend on the money your really locked in a box. You can't quit because things aren't going well for any reason. Not until something better comes along and your income stream isn't interested. Blue [/quote] Indeed, and I think if my hopes were still pinned entirely to the band then I would be more ready to dig in my heels and fight my corner. The difference now is that I quite like my current job, and I've a family to support. Sure, it would break my heart to walk away from six years' labour of love, but it won't kill me to be without a band for a little while. And admittedly, setting up something new, on my own terms (perhaps a bit like Steve's mate's "middle-aged-men tour" described above) is starting to sound appealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 (edited) [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1498036608' post='3322076'] Indeed, and I think if my hopes were still pinned entirely to the band then I would be more ready to dig in my heels and fight my corner. The difference now is that I quite like my current job, and I've a family to support. Sure, it would break my heart to walk away from six years' labour of love, but it won't kill me to be without a band for a little while. And admittedly, setting up something new, on my own terms (perhaps a bit like Steve's mate's "middle-aged-men tour" described above) is starting to sound appealing. [/quote] yep, life'll always get in the way. Me and a couple of non-breeder mates have a running joke/bet of how long musicians we know (on the non/semi-pro circuit) will remain in their bands once they have kids. A mate of mine was in an almost identical position to you (in terms of band profile and being on the verge of stepping up to the next level) at the end of last year when the job of his dreams came up that would require him to quit the band and move several hundred miles away. Being a grown up the decision was easy and he took the job - he's secured his family's future and does something he loves which would never come up again in a million years. But when his grown up brain is taking a nap he does have regrets... I do wonder if your drummer is thinking that "making it" will lead to the rewards that Kiss and Maiden got in the '70's & 80's. I know some people from bands that are household names that barely make ends meet and have to have jobs when they come back off tour. One "big in the '80s but still going and making great music now" lot have a roster of band members that gets ever younger as the hired hands can't get by for more than a few years and need a more regular source of higher income. they can't believe that the drummer has been with them for so long as he's the only one with kids who's lasted more than a couple of years. usually they have to leave and are replaced by a younger model who's happy to play in a name band and live a cut down version of the rock n roll dream. And for all that they play good venues and tour the world, they mostly rely on T-shirt sales to pay the bills. Edited June 21, 2017 by Monkey Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christhammer666 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I have recently just left a band because I cant just book x amount of time off at the drop of a hat to swan over into Europe. They had toured before in eastern Europe and admitted some nights they stopped playing after 2 songs where the places were empty, yet they were still rattling on about about lets pay £6000 to tour with so and so or lets go and play out the back end of the world to no one........nope not for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 about making it, or almost making it... one of the saddest examples I know is the metal band "Anvil". There is a documentary about them from a few years ago. They were mingling with a bunch of bands in the 80s that all became big... and they did not. The main guy is still trying... It was very interesting, but sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 [quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1498058260' post='3322277'] yep, life'll always get in the way. Me and a couple of non-breeder mates have a running joke/bet of how long musicians we know (on the non/semi-pro circuit) will remain in their bands once they have kids. A mate of mine was in an almost identical position to you (in terms of band profile and being on the verge of stepping up to the next level) at the end of last year when the job of his dreams came up that would require him to quit the band and move several hundred miles away. Being a grown up the decision was easy and he took the job - he's secured his family's future and does something he loves which would never come up again in a million years. But when his grown up brain is taking a nap he does have regrets... I do wonder if your drummer is thinking that "making it" will lead to the rewards that Kiss and Maiden got in the '70's & 80's. I know some people from bands that are household names that barely make ends meet and have to have jobs when they come back off tour. One "big in the '80s but still going and making great music now" lot have a roster of band members that gets ever younger as the hired hands can't get by for more than a few years and need a more regular source of higher income. they can't believe that the drummer has been with them for so long as he's the only one with kids who's lasted more than a couple of years. usually they have to leave and are replaced by a younger model who's happy to play in a name band and live a cut down version of the rock n roll dream. And for all that they play good venues and tour the world, they mostly rely on T-shirt sales to pay the bills. [/quote] 64, making it like Maiden or Kiss, never even crosses my mind. Being able to pay my bills at the end of the month without working for the man is my definition of making it. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 [quote name='christhammer666' timestamp='1498058878' post='3322282'] I have recently just left a band because I cant just book x amount of time off at the drop of a hat to swan over into Europe. They had toured before in eastern Europe and admitted some nights they stopped playing after 2 songs where the places were empty, yet they were still rattling on about about lets pay £6000 to tour with so and so or lets go and play out the back end of the world to no one........nope not for me [/quote] I've heard that regional bands like mine make out financially better than some touring bands.It might be because we have little to no expenses. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1498066035' post='3322337'] about making it, or almost making it... one of the saddest examples I know is the metal band "Anvil". There is a documentary about them from a few years ago. They were mingling with a bunch of bands in the 80s that all became big... and they did not. The main guy is still trying... It was very interesting, but sad. [/quote] I have that DVD. I've always thought there's more to that story than what's in the film. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 [quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1498058260' post='3322277'] I do wonder if your drummer is thinking that "making it" will lead to the rewards that Kiss and Maiden got in the '70's & 80's. I know some people from bands that are household names that barely make ends meet and have to have jobs when they come back off tour. [/quote] Funny you should bring this up - a couple of years ago, he did ask us point blank what level of success we hoped to achieve from this outfit. I had a very similar outlook to blue at this point, i.e: [quote name='blue' timestamp='1498066476' post='3322340'] Being able to pay my bills at the end of the month without working for the man is my definition of making it. [/quote] ...but when I told him as much, he scoffed and declared that he wanted to be "rich and famous." I don't know if this is just the optimist's philosophy of aiming high, but I do wonder if he genuinely believes he can achieve that lifestyle from what we're doing. You've got to admire the continued optimism in the face of both his age (late 40s) and constant negativity around everything else, but I don't know if we've put enough emphasis on the fact that groups like, e.g., Mastodon apparently lay bricks between tours to keep their bank accounts in the black. Which is daft, given that our singer knows what it's like being a charting pop singer and told us quite openly that her income was pretty modest. But then I do wonder if he's actually listening to anything that contradicts his view...see what I mean about an ideology? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 [quote name='christhammer666' timestamp='1498058878' post='3322282'] I have recently just left a band because I cant just book x amount of time off at the drop of a hat to swan over into Europe. They had toured before in eastern Europe and admitted some nights they stopped playing after 2 songs where the places were empty, yet they were still rattling on about about lets pay £6000 to tour with so and so or lets go and play out the back end of the world to no one........nope not for me [/quote] I completely sympathise with your stance on this one. Coincidentally, we did recently receive an invitation to buy onto a tour with some American group who were booking dates in Europe. The deal worked out at something like two grand for a fortnight's worth of dates before we even considered any accommodation, and with clearly limited ways to claw that money back from ticket sales, so our guitarist and I decided to politely decline. Just as well our drummer doesn't look at the band's email address because I'm sure he'd have had an absolute s**tfit if he knew we'd turned down a tour... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1498066896' post='3322343'] I have that DVD. I've always thought there's more to that story than what's in the film. Blue [/quote] There may be more, of course... but I would not be surprised if 'luck' was a factor why other bands in the same bill now are well established wealthy bands and they... well, they put everything they've got to be able to tour once more, and barely break even. Whatever the reasons why they didn't make it, it must sting when you know you were at the right place and the right time... and all the others but you 'made it' while you still work in a factory... I was a young 'metalhead' back then in the 80s and I remember them (Anvil) being played on the radio just like Anthrax and Metallica... I wonder if they can trace their fate to a particular decision, someone they pissed off, or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 [quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1497427982' post='3317974'] Been there. Unfortunately an unstable drummer upsets the whole band. [/quote] Yup, been there too. Played with such a chap in a pub-rock band many years ago. Luckily he was a nice guy with a realistic outlook: he knew full well that he was fairly dreadful, so he found us a great replacement and sacked himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1498079099' post='3322447'] Funny you should bring this up - a couple of years ago, he did ask us point blank what level of success we hoped to achieve from this outfit. I had a very similar outlook to blue at this point, i.e: ...but when I told him as much, he scoffed and declared that he wanted to be "rich and famous." I don't know if this is just the optimist's philosophy of aiming high, but I do wonder if he genuinely believes he can achieve that lifestyle from what we're doing. You've got to admire the continued optimism in the face of both his age (late 40s) and constant negativity around everything else, but I don't know if we've put enough emphasis on the fact that groups like, e.g., Mastodon apparently lay bricks between tours to keep their bank accounts in the black. Which is daft, given that our singer knows what it's like being a charting pop singer and told us quite openly that her income was pretty modest. But then I do wonder if he's actually listening to anything that contradicts his view...see what I mean about an ideology? [/quote] Late 40s? As far as making it big in Rock or Pop 26 is a stretch. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1498066476' post='3322340'] 64, making it like Maiden or Kiss, never even crosses my mind. Being able to pay my bills at the end of the month without working for the man is my definition of making it. Blue [/quote] Back to my mate's middle-aged-men's-weekend-tour band, the reason I'm in the frame to join (other than being really close to the lead guitarist) is that I'm playing bass in a recently formed covers band with all of the band's original members, with the idea of playing biker festivals and those sort of large events (and they have the connections to make the bookings). While there's a lot of stuff being spouted about having a blast playing covers of the music we loved in our youth, a far more succinct point was let slip by the band leader, that while the originals band will always be their passion and main focus, it would be nice to actually earn some proper money for a change and just get paid to play. And this is a band that can sell out the Underworld and play international festivals...not that that always means much more than getting your plane tickets paid for... On the topic of buy-ons, by coincidence I was discussing it last night with a friend who was main support on a european tour a couple of years ago. They have a bad reputation, like you are paying to play, but they should simply be covering shares tour expenses - you might be paying £6k but it could be costing the headliners £20k for the tour bus, roadies, merch sellers, etc that you will be sharing, and you still get your payment for the gig and your merch sales to offset against the cost. In his case they more or less broke even after a six week tour, and if you can do that and increase the band's profile then you've had a real result. However, he says he gets a lot of offers where there is clearly a pay just to play element - one band recently sent him two rates: one if they use the tour bus, etc and one if they make all their own arrangements and just show up to play. Not tempting for him (he knows the band's position, fanbase and likely merch sales very well and has long since given up on the fairytale that one great tour will break them to the next level) but they can get away with it because some band will always think that it's a great opportunity... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SisterAbdullahX Posted September 15, 2017 Share Posted September 15, 2017 [quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1461962044' post='3039248'] I left one band because the keyboard player liked the Beautiful South. [/quote] Perfectly valid reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzy138 Posted September 15, 2017 Share Posted September 15, 2017 (edited) I left a band because they wanted me to wear a wig, a common enough reason I suppose........ Edited September 15, 2017 by ozzy138 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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