Two different band auditions, and I’m the only one who has learnt the songs!

[thebrig]

I’ve just auditioned for two different bands in the last two weeks, and both bands sent me six songs to learn from their setlists.

 

Now I wouldn’t class myself as the greatest bass player around, but I do work hard and have been told that I am a very steady, and reliable player.

 

Anyway, I did my homework and learnt the songs note for note, structurally 100%, and to gigging standard, because they want to play the songs as close to the originals as possible, but when I turned up for the auditions, both bands were all over the place with the songs, some members in both bands got their phones out to listen to some of the songs to remind them of how the songs went, and in both bands, the two guitarists were trying to learn their parts during my audition.

 

This has happened to me a number of times in the past when auditioning for bands, and I find it so frustrating, is this common, or have I just been unlucky?

Edited March 11, 2022 by thebrig

[warwickhunt]

Sadly I've had experience of this... on more than one occasion.    

 

I actually depped for a band with zero rehearsal (very short notice) and despite the band being established, there were times when they were looking to me for guidance on where songs went!  Goodness knows how they got by unless their regular bassist was the only one who knew what was going on... quite likely in fact.

 

I've nothing against a bit of interpretation but down right laziness is another matter.    

[thebrig]

I generally set out to learn the bass line as per the original, but I quite often change it a bit to suit the way the band plays the song.

 

And I agree with your point about "interpretation" and "laziness", I've come across many musicians who say that they like to put their own slant on songs, which I'm not against, but in reality, what they really mean is, they can't be bothered to learn the songs properly and are happy just to wing it.

[Old Horse Murphy]

Oh yes, too many times to mention. Very frustrating. 
 

People often seem to think that as they have played the songs before and "know" them, they don't have to worry about brushing up on them as it will automatically come together due to good old muscle memory. 

[Phil Starr]

It happens.

 

I'm like you I suspect, not the greatest but work hard and take it seriously. The trouble is that you don't always know the whole story with a band. They may be a start up band or one that hasn't gigged for a couple of years (especially now). There may be some churn with new people coming in who aren't up to speed or people who have promised lots but won't deliver. I did one audition where they had five guitarists andfive bassists and they auditioned us in pairs! Bad luck if your guitarist was poor. I've had auditions where one of the band members had decided to leave but the departure of another member let them off the hook of telling the band leader they'd had enough, When the new bassist comes along they just aren't committed and leave  as soon as you are recruited. I learned that bands whole set after the audition and never met with them again as the drummer left. I've also been band leader and let down by people in my own band not taking auditions seriously. Auditions where I've turned up and they've played in keys other than the one they told me or where they've all learned different songs from the list I was sent. I hate being 'between' bands.

 

There are so many musicians who are deluded dreamers or just plain lazy. Bands where one person has all the energy and the rest are just passengers. The trick I've learned is to research bands before I audition. If they are a working band or even working musicians they leave a trace all over the internet. If there is no video or sound recordings then you can pretty much assume they aren't serious. If they say busy or gigging bands you should be able to find some publicity stuff for at least some of the gigs. 

 

I used to undervalue myself a little, grateful for anyone who would look at me as a bassist but 'reliable', 'organised' and 'hard working' are in short supply so add those to 'steady and reliable'.  Really target what you want in a band and do some research before wasting your time on someone else's dream. 

 

I'm not one of life's pessimists, I've met some great people as well as some of the examples above but there is a world of difference between the genuine semi-pro gigging band and the bedroom dreamers and you need to spot the signs.

 

Good Luck

[thebrig]

15 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

I used to undervalue myself a little, grateful for anyone who would look at me as a bassist but 'reliable', 'organised' and 'hard working' are in short supply so add those to 'steady and reliable'.  Really target what you want in a band and do some research before wasting your time on someone else's dream. 

 

I'm not one of life's pessimists, I've met some great people as well as some of the examples above but there is a world of difference between the genuine semi-pro gigging band and the bedroom dreamers and you need to spot the signs.

 

Good Luck

You some it up perfectly Phil, I used to undervalue myself too, hence me stating that "I'm not the greatest bass player around", but if I'm honest and without being bigheaded, if I was a drummer, guitarist, or whatever in a band that was looking for bass player, then I would love to have someone like me as the bassist because I would learn the songs properly, and always turn up to rehearsals and gigs fully prepared.

Edited March 11, 2022 by thebrig

[Machines]

I had one this week for an originals rock band. They sent me recordings but absolutely zero info on keys or tunings, when quizzed the guitarist said he doesn't know any of the chord names. Anyway - I learnt them note for note (thankfully quite simple stuff generally rooted in Eb with occasional low C# in there).

 

They were a quiet bunch, were quite close to their recordings and didn't give much away in terms of feedback. Awaiting a result on the weekend as I assume they have someone else to check out too. If they say no - i'm at least happy it won't be based on my playing, but possible mismatch in age/personality.

[Rich]

I remember an audition from many many moons ago, myself and another bassist turned up and we both did two songs each. I'd done my homework but the other guy very obviously hadn't, he was all over the shop. It also became apparent that the band were playing a bit fast & loose with it too.

They called me next day and said they were going with the other guy because he lived a bit closer to them. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Edited March 11, 2022 by Rich

[chris_b]

I don't do many auditions but on the most recent I was the only one who knew their material. I was even having to prompt the guy who wrote the songs!!

 

The audition before that I was hanging around for an hour before anyone else bothered to turn up!

 

99% of what I do is word of mouth. It's a much better way of doing things.

[Bleat]

I had something along these lines last year. It is so frustrating! 20 years away from bands and gigging, I finally I had an opportunity to get into a rock covers band again.

 

The supposed lead guitarist sent over a small set list of songs in December 2020, mostly simple rock songs with a couple of songs I didn't know so I learned them. The "band" finally got together in July 2021 for a rehearsal. I turned up with a list of 30+ songs including the list I was sent initially. Me and the drummer were the new boys and had never met , but turns out he could play well, was already gigging with another band, and he liked and knew a lot of the songs I had written down. We seemed to click which was good. However, the rhythm guitarist was a no show, the singer was a no show, and the guy who had initially sent his set list in December 2020 basically couldn't play any of the songs! He just hadn't learned them in all that time. He also thought that it was a good idea to waste the practice time plus mine and drummers money trying to learn said songs! What an utter waste of time and effort.

[gjones]

I recently joined a new band and when we auditioned singers, we asked them to learn songs we knew and were up to speed with.

 

If you were auditioning guitarists, would you take on the guys in those two bands? I suspect not, if they couldn't be bothered to learn the songs they'd been asked to learn.

 

 

[Downunderwonder]

You are the living proof that auditions cut both ways.

[BreadBin]

I once got offered a place in a band solely on the strength of my air bass.

Easiest audition I've ever had.

[Happy Jack]

Sadly @thebrig, this is pretty much standard practice when hooking up with strangers who claim to be musicians.

 

Two weeks ago I was contacted by a guy who had two guitarists and a vocalist but needed a rhythm section for a project. My immediate assumption was that this would crash and burn but I said fine, I'll supply a drummer. The organiser set up a WhatsApp group which went absolutely mental with banter and positive vibes, leaving me dreading what was to follow.

 

A week later one of the guitarists quit, never having actually met any of the other guys. Organiser managed to replace him in double-quick time, which I thought was impressive. 

 

We got together in my studio at the weekend. Organiser turned out to be delusional about his own playing abilities. Replacement guitarist was just about OK but had travelled from Bromley in Kent - I'm in Harrow, try using Google Maps to check that journey. Singer (of course) was a no-show. 

 

You're dealing, in the main, with flakes and fantasists. @Chris B is bang on the money here ... if you can play only with people who come personally recommended, then you're in a good place.

 

Edited March 12, 2022 by Happy Jack

[Bassfinger]

Sorry to hear that Brig. That sort of thing is part of the reason I prefer to get in with new bands at the point of formation.

[stewblack]

Put quite simply you're the bass player. An overwhelming proportion of bassists seem to be the most dedicated, under appreciated, and above all important member of the band.

[Skybone]

I'm intrigued to know whether @thebrig was offered a position in either band.

 

Good luck to anyone looking for, or trying out for a band. As @Happy Jack put it, in the main, you're dealing with flakes and fantasists. Bloody musicians.  

[zero9]

Jonas Hellborg had the right idea when it was just him performing on bass - no delusional ‘snow flakes’ required.

 

 I‘ve ditched all my band members and focus on solo bass (in my bedroom, at home, on my own 😉). I won’t ever be disappointed.

[thebrig]

57 minutes ago, Skybone said:

I'm intrigued to know whether @thebrig was offered a position in either band.

 

Good luck to anyone looking for, or trying out for a band. As @Happy Jack put it, in the main, you're dealing with flakes and fantasists. Bloody musicians.  

I was offered a position in both bands, but I politely declined their offers. 😏

 

I've now been without a band since December 2019 and although I really want to get into a band again, I just can't put up with people who aren't prepared to put the work in.

[T-Bay]

Rehearsals should be for getting everyone playing well together NOT to learn the parts but sadly so many people don’t seem to realise this / care.

[thebrig]

3 minutes ago, T-Bay said:

Rehearsals should be for getting everyone playing well together NOT to learn the parts but sadly so many people don’t seem to realise this / care.

Absolutely agree, and I told them this but I just got blank looks.

[paul_5]

On 11/03/2022 at 11:52, Rich said:

I remember an audition from many many moons ago, myself and another bassist turned up and we both did two songs each. I'd done my homework but the other guy very obviously hadn't, he was all over the shop. It also became apparent that the band were playing a bit fast & loose with it too.

They called me next day and said they were going with the other guy because he lived a bit closer to them. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Sounds like you dodged a bullet.

[Paul S]

6 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

Organiser turned out to be delusional about his own playing abilities.

 

 

A few years back I got in touch with a guitarist who was advertising to populate a start up blues band - old school guitar-based blues.  This was at the tail end of a November and we didn't manage to arrange a full rehearsal until the end of January for one reason or another.  In the interim we'd been having some lovely discussions about blues in general, song choices for the set list, what kind of venues we'd be looking for etc etc.  On the night we all finally got together he had only actually learnt the structure of half the songs we had selected to play, despite it being on the cards for 2 months and obviously on his mind for a lot longer.  The others even less.  But in a way it was a blessing - he was one of those 'all the gear, no idea' types - no actual guitar playing aptitude but some lovely expensive guitars laid out on a rack, a side table sized effects board - all through a wonderful Fender Twin Reverb.  So, yes, delusional.  Otherwise I simply can't understand why a guitar player would want to form a guitar-centric blues band without having the necessary ability to carry it off.   

[Phil Starr]

2 hours ago, Paul S said:

guitarist who was advertising to populate a start up..... blues band

There's three warning signs

 

[theplumber]

On 11/03/2022 at 10:43, warwickhunt said:

Sadly I've had experience of this... on more than one occasion.    

 

I actually depped for a band with zero rehearsal (very short notice) and despite the band being established, there were times when they were looking to me for guidance on where songs went!  Goodness knows how they got by unless their regular bassist was the only one who knew what was going on... quite likely in fact.

 

I've nothing against a bit of interpretation but down right laziness is another matter.    

Joined a band a few years back through a Facebook advert. They had just sacked their bass player and had about 10 gigs needing covered. The did say that they dont rehearse as they know the songs well enough and more or less stuck to the same songs on all gigs....well that was the theory. It was a regular thing for the singer to shout out to the band...Anyone know this one? And if enough of us said yip,it got played. In a way it was good as it showed we could improvise and you surprised yourself if you got to the end of the song and it worked out! But on the odd ocasion things came unstuck. I do remember getting moody looks then a mouthful of abuse when I messed up a Led Zepplin song. I gave him plenty of abuse back and told him that they might be doing the rest of the gig as a 3 piece if I had anymore of his shite.....He did apologise but ....practise makes perfect!