Drummer woes.

[Guest subaudio]

On 04/09/2016 at 14:50, NancyJohnson said:

In answer to Roger2611, I'll be straight and say he's a lovely bloke and would say that on a friend only basis, we'd all get on with him famously.

To reply to MacDaddy, his comment supports mine in as much as things seem to come together for gigs, although there's a great chasm (my favourite word at the moment) in ability in comparison to every band we've played with.

Interestingly, the last 24 hours have proved quite cathartic, almost therapeutical. Rather than bottling it all up and getting angsty, the matter is out there and being discussed openly between the rest of the band, plus the guy I'd like to get in is clearly chomping at the bit to come and play with us.

Just need to get him fired.

I think he needs to go.

We worry a lot about how decisions might hurt other people, but in fact, if he's serious about music and has just fallen into a rut, firing him might actually help him to look at his playing seriously.

If it's out in the open and he has a sense something's up, the kindest thing is to bring it to a close, let him go and let him decide his own future.

If the vibe isn't right, it isn't right.

Get a new drummer, save the angst and enjoy making the music you want to make, live and in rehearsals.

[Rich]

13 minutes ago, subaudio said:

Get a new drummer, save the angst and enjoy making the music you want to make, live and in rehearsals.

Given that it was 2.5 years ago, I'd imagine they might well have got a new one by now...

[NancyJohnson]

13 minutes ago, subaudio said:

I think he needs to go.

We worry a lot about how decisions might hurt other people, but in fact, if he's serious about music and has just fallen into a rut, firing him might actually help him to look at his playing seriously.

If it's out in the open and he has a sense something's up, the kindest thing is to bring it to a close, let him go and let him decide his own future.

If the vibe isn't right, it isn't right.

Get a new drummer, save the angst and enjoy making the music you want to make, live and in rehearsals.

You're taking the thread a little out of context!  He went, then I went about a year later.

That said, to echo a comment from earlier, you are only as good as your drummer; they're the engine room of the band.

[NancyJohnson]

Oh, I'll tell you something else too.  About a month ago, I started a new position as commercial analyst in Reading; day one I'm sitting in this little open pod thing having a meeting, I hear this laugh and guess who walks past me?

[Rich]

Was it sweary TV personality and alleged chef Gordon Ramsey?

[Monkey Steve]

17 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Oh, I'll tell you something else too.  About a month ago, I started a new position as commercial analyst in Reading; day one I'm sitting in this little open pod thing having a meeting, I hear this laugh and guess who walks past me?

out of interest (as him being a great bloke was a big issue in the original thread) how did things go on a personal/friendship level after the sacking?

[NancyJohnson]

We did the

2 hours ago, Monkey Steve said:

out of interest (as him being a great bloke was a big issue in the original thread) how did things go on a personal/friendship level after the sacking?

He is a lovely bloke, don't get me wrong, but it just wasn't happening musically with him at the time.  Let's get one thing very straight here, like a lot of drummers, they only drum when they're rehearsing with a band, so the guy was probably only playing for two or three hours a fortnight and it really did show.  Band politic took over for the same reasons why I walked before hitting anyone.

On a personal level, we did the final gigs with him (these were good cause, Musicians Against Homelessness events) and there was zero animosity, but his wife was a little standoffish with all of us.  He knew (irrespective of how grudgingly) why we gave him the Spanish archer and accepted that.  Insofar as to the personal relationship thing, we didn't know each other before the band and the members never socialised together outside of the band environment.  (My wife used to joke that once a bandmember gets the sack, then that's it, you'll never see them again.)  We remained friends on Facebook (if that means anything at all), and he did make a good grief I don't believe it type of comment when I walked from the same band about 15 months ago, but that was pretty much it.

About two years ago. I ran into him briefly when I was contracting elsewhere and it was all pretty civil, since running into him at the new job it's been much of the same.  We're never going to be BFFs, we never were.

[Guest subaudio]

9 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

You're taking the thread a little out of context!  He went, then I went about a year later.

That said, to echo a comment from earlier, you are only as good as your drummer; they're the engine room of the band.

Sincere apologies, I intended my post to actually be supportive of both parties but it didn't come across obviously, sorry.

I also realised it was an old thread just after posting. Doh!

Totally agree on the engine room thing

[Guest oZZma]

On 01/02/2019 at 12:24, Monkey Steve said:

ideal opportunity then

He practiced!! Tonight he played A LOT better the parts I had criticized. I asked him if he practiced... He did 

 

[LITTLEWING]

'A band is only as good as it's drummer'  is SO true. My first serious band was in the late 70's and we were lucky enough to have the 16 year old guy who went on to play in Wang Chung (Dance Hall Days etc). He made us sound good even then. I've played with a few reasonable tub thumpers and it's really frustrating when one simply can't cut it and you're all confined as to what songs are going to sound okay. My latest band's guy is so bloody perfect and it's making me play tighter with him and for the first time ever the two of us are a near perfect machine supplying the concrete floor for the keys, guitar and (amazing) female vocals to stand on.  It's a beautiful feeling leaving rehearsals and gigs with a huge grin on our faces.