What % of gigs should band members be available for?

[chris_b]

So one member of the band is at a family do and everyone else has to sit at home because you won't used deps?  Wow!!

 

 

[steantval]

6 minutes ago, chris_b said:

So one member of the band is at a family do and everyone else has to sit at home because you won't used deps?  Wow!!

 

 

Yes.

 

I did state we only do about 20 gigs a year which everyone is happy with, there is absolutely no need to book any gigs that require at dep.

 

IMO and the rest of the band, when using a dep the band is not performing at its full potential, the stuff we play is reasonably complicated and it’s not worth the hassle just to secure a gig that the band will not be totally comfortable with.

 

As I stated earlier, if there was an unforeseen problem with a band member just prior to a gig, we would seek out a suitable dep rather than let the venue down by cancelling.

[jimmyb625]

I think it depends on the style of music you play. We're now a 6-piece (formerly 7-piece) playing a mixture of Country, Folk and Americana (apparently) original songs. 

 

We've played in a multitude of combinations, ranging from a 2-piece, through to the full 7. Some line-ups work better than others and personally, I don't enjoy it as much when the drummer isn't playing with us, but they all have their place.

 

If we were offered a really great gig/festival, where we had to play as a full band and the drummer couldn't make it, I don't think we'd have a problem using a dep. It gets harder to use dep players for the keys and violin though, as their parts are more intrinsic to the sound of the band.

 

I could be replaced by any one who has a pulse...

[Downunderwonder]

As always it"s horses for courses in the wild wide world of gigging bands.

[NancyJohnson]

The singer in my old band argued that drums and bass were pretty much expendable and interchangeable on his whim.  

 

While we'd argue we were a band, a musical unit ('Apes, stronger, together')...hell, we had an online calendar where we'd post dates we weren't available, but he'd just book gigs for these dates anyway.  I remember he moaned at me because I pulled out of a gig because my father in law died that day.

 

The guy was besotted with the guitarist (who couldn't stand him) and if the guitarist said he wasn't available, well that was okay.

 

[I'll chuck in an edit here.  Things came to a head shortly after my father-in-law passed away and the furore surrounding that.  We had a band meeting via WhatsApp and I asked nicely that if one of our number were unavailable for a particular date, we should politely decline it.  I was just looking at the archived WhatsApp conversation a few minutes ago.  Christ, what a knob the singer was.]

 

Oh, and he was a c*nt.

Edited January 19, 2023 by NancyJohnson

[Downunderwonder]

2 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

The singer in my old band argued that drums and bass were pretty much expendable and interchangeable on his whim.  

 

While we'd argue we were a band, a musical unit ('Apes, stronger, together')...hell, we had an online calendar where we'd post dates we weren't available, but he'd just book gigs for these dates anyway.  I remember he moaned at me because I pulled out of a gig because my father in law died that day.

 

The guy was besotted with the guitarist (who couldn't stand him) and if the guitarist said he wasn't available, well that was okay.

 

Oh, and he was a c*nt.

Not a horse I'd want to ride.

[franzbassist]

It depends.  In an originals band I would say if someone isn't available then the band forgo the gig and look for another date, but when I played in a busy function band for a few years everyone had at least one regular dep.  If someone's booked a holiday and a gig is offered on that date I don't think anyone would expect them to cancel their plans to play a gig, would they?

 

What really gets me is when someone pulls out of a booking at the last minute to play another, better paid, gig.

[Burns-bass]

11 minutes ago, franzbassist said:

It depends.  In an originals band I would say if someone isn't available then the band forgo the gig and look for another date, but when I played in a busy function band for a few years everyone had at least one regular dep.  If someone's booked a holiday and a gig is offered on that date I don't think anyone would expect them to cancel their plans to play a gig, would they?

 

What really gets me is when someone pulls out of a booking at the last minute to play another, better paid, gig.

I was in an originals band and was “encouraged” to miss one day of a holiday to do a gig that was an absolute waste of time. 
 

I understand the OPs point. I’d you’ve developed a set with transitions and arrangements with syncopation then a dep is never going to be able to drop in. So you’re worried that the band isn’t delivering its best.

 

If you’re playing “Sex on Fire” at an estate agents’ conference it hardly matters, but if you’re playing to a fee paying crowd I’d be disappointed.

 

Im in a band with a super-busy drummer and he’s always open and honest about what he can and can’t do and (so far) not been an issue. 

[casapete]

In my previous life (in an 8 piece function band) we had to often use deps in order to

carry on working. Can’t remember any booker ever complaining, but the key part

of this was ensuring everybody had reasonable parts available should a dep be

needed. Sounds easy, but the state of some of the player’s pads meant that deps

had to be pretty experienced to make sense of the gig. As the band moved away

from using parts/music stands then it obviously made using deps more difficult.

Singers were the hardest to obtain, as (in my area at least) few or none of them 

could read music - some had trouble with reading lyrics! 

The larger the band, the more likelihood of needing deps. If we’d had to cancel 

gigs when anyone was unavailable we’d never have lasted long. 

[Lozz196]

8 hours ago, steantval said:

I don’t quite understand the question here, unless your gig bookings are done in an entirely different way.

 

I was the only person in our band who sought and booked the gigs.

 

Firstly, all the band members have full commitment to the band and are not involved in any secondary projects, so zero conflicts of interest.

 

I contacted the venues and they gave me the dates they had available, I checked our band calendar which showed dates specific band members were not available, if all band members were available for the available gig dates, the gigs would be booked, no gig was ever booked unless all the band were available to do it.

The extremely rare occasions we had to use a dep was if a band member fell ill just before a gig.

 

This ensures with all things being OK, we have 100% commitment.

 

 

 

 

 

This was the same with my last band, 50+ gigs, gigs which covered the whole of the UK and a fair bit of Europe.

 

The only times we cancelled gigs were when the singer/guitarist (so pretty much impossible for anyone to dep for) had a heart operation.

[Cat Burrito]

In my old band where we stayed together for ten years, our drummer had a difficult year early on where we supported him. It was work commitments rather than personal issues but we used deps and I think he managed about 30% of our shows. It got much, much better and he wasn't a problem after that.

 

I don't think there is a number that can be put on a percentage. If someone making 90% of gigs is a problem, it is a problem for that band. Equally if someone is only making 20% of shows but you can manage it, no dramas. 

[Earbrass]

I don't really get this. If OP's band aren't happy with the standard of performance they can achieve using deps, why would they accept bookings for gigs when not all members are available? Is it only OP who is not happy with the performances using deps, or is the drummer pulling out of gigs he had previously agreed to?

[Boodang]

14 hours ago, paul_c2 said:

I've never fully understood this thing about being in multiple bands - is it like hedging your bets in case one of them goes bad? Why not just focus 100% of your effort on one band? 

Where feasible I've always done multiple bands. It's not hedging your bets, it's just more fun. That way I can play different styles of music, the folk/ rock trio plays to a different crowd than the jazz trio or the covers band. Plus, I get exposed to different genres and styles or playing which helps me grow as a musician. Unless you're a purest (and nothing wrong with that), why limit yourself. Juggling gig dates can be a bit tricky sometimes but not impossible. 

[jezzaboy]

In a previous version of our band, we did use other people to dep but it wasn`t really the same. Not that we do lots of gigs now but if all members can`t make the gig, we don`t do it.

[Franticsmurf]

Its difficult to put an exact % figure on it. What happens if, for genuine reasons, it's exceeded one year? 

 

Edit: That said, I think 50% isn't good enough. 

 

I have played in a band which regularly used (different) deps for drums and rhythm guitar because the singer/BL wouldn't commit to a regular line up. It was never as a good as a full band who have played together and know each other. It's not a reflection on the dep's technical ability or personality, but there will always be a difference between full regular line up and dep line up and usually that will be negative. 

 

Ironically, I now dep occasionally for that BL in his duo/trio.    

Edited January 19, 2023 by Franticsmurf

[TimR]

20 gigs a year for a 4 piece gig requires a lot of coordination. Especially if anyone has a family. That's pretty much every other week.

 

If you've always done 20 a week then anyone joining will be aware of that. But someone being in 2 bands won't be able to co-ordinate at that level. 

 

If the band has slowly increased gig levels then there will become a point where giging isn't sustainable unless you get deps in.