How Easily Could You Be Replaced ?

[Bluewine]

6 hours ago, tauzero said:

A few years ago, I was brought into a band as a replacement for the original bassist who was unreliable and didn't want to gig anywhere more than half a mile from his house, as the guitarist and I had played together in a band ten or fifteen years before. Then the vocalist disappeared without trace and Mrs Zero was drafted in to replace him. The material gradually changed after that. Then the drummer left and we got a replacement in, a colleague of mine, which was a considerable improvement. Then the guitarist, the final original member, left, and we replaced him, and there was another shift in the material because the new guitarist, another colleague of mine, was better but also didn't want to do original material (we had a couple of originals in the set). We went through another couple of drummers and then Mrs Zero decided to give up and at that point we called a halt as we didn't want to try and find a replacement for her.

 

I guess in some instances the cookie crumbles and there's nothing you can do about it.

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

I'll throw this out there. If you were told you were being replaced or the band told you they were moving in a different direction,  would you go out gracefully or kicking and screaming?

 

At my age I'd go out gracefully.  I'd even let them know I'd always be willing to dep if they needed me.

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

16 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Depping is something we've all agreed not to do. If someone can't make it we would cancel the gig and offer up another date possibly at a reduced rate.

I think that might mean the band wouldn't like to play with a different bass player so i guess i'm safe 

Dave

 

You are safe Dave. Our band is driven by money and they don't like leaving any money that's out there uncollected. I've never been depped in 15 years. However, I don't think they would turn down a gig if I couldn't make it.

 

Daryl

Edited December 25, 2024 by Bluewine

[Downunderwonder]

39 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

Agreed,  at the end of the day I'm a bass player. There are plenty of them around. I think I could be replaced,  how easy would it be? I don't know.

 

Daryl

I think they would be searching long and hard to find another Howdy Doody.

 

Other bassists have tried to get my spot so I would be very easily replaceable.

 

In ten years I think I only missed one rehearsal for a gig, and one for flu. Both times everyone very appreciative of having the glue back the following week. They might have to get used to playing sans bass if I left.

[dmccombe7]

20 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

I'll throw this out there. If you were told you were being replaced or the band told you they were moving in a different direction,  would you go out gracefully or kicking and screaming?

 

At my age I'd go out gracefully.  I'd even let them know I'd always be willing to dep if they needed me.

 

Daryl

Would depend on how it was put to me. If a valid reason for replacing me then i'd walk away and offer any help i could. If changing direction and i didn't agree with it i would walk away if it didn't suit me.

 

Dave

[Lozz196]

18 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

I'll throw this out there. If you were told you were being replaced or the band told you they were moving in a different direction,  would you go out gracefully or kicking and screaming?

 

At my age I'd go out gracefully.  I'd even let them know I'd always be willing to dep if they needed me.

 

Daryl

I’d go gracefully, I won’t stay where I’m not wanted but I’m also too long in the tooth for kicking & screaming. 

 

If the reasons for my firing were honourable, such as them suddenly wanting to do gigs every weekend from the 10 or so a year we currently do, or if the increase included flying gigs (I hate flying and unless for an emergency I’ll not fly again) then I’d agree to help out if ever needed. 

[dmccombe7]

17 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

You are safe Dave. Our band is driven by money and they don't like leaving any money that's out there uncollected. I've never been depped in 15 years. However, I don't think they would turn down a gig if I couldn't make it.

 

Daryl

Both my current bands work as a "family" unit so depping has never been an option. We enjoy what we do and working together.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

1 minute ago, Lozz196 said:

I’d go gracefully, I won’t stay where I’m not wanted but I’m also too long in the tooth for kicking & screaming. 

 

If the reasons for my firing were honourable, such as them suddenly wanting to do gigs every weekend from the 10 or so a year we currently do, or if the increase included flying gigs (I hate flying and unless for an emergency I’ll not fly again) then I’d agree to help out if ever needed. 

Think that's the mature and sensible way to go about it.

Dave

[Bluewine]

3 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

I think they would be searching long and hard to find another Howdy Doody.

 

Other bassists have tried to get my spot so I would be very easily replaceable.

 

In ten years I think I only missed one rehearsal for a gig, and one for flu. Both times everyone very appreciative of having the glue back the following week. They might have to get used to playing sans bass if I left.

 

A pic of me wearing my official Howdy Dooty outfit. Lol

 

Daryl

[martin8708]

As a resident of the Isle of Wight ( where every second person walking down the street is a bass player ) - I think it’s called the Mark King Effect , I could be replaced at the drop of a hat.

However 2 band members don’t drive , and a LWB Landy  carries all PA and band members to gigs .

Half our gigs are with no drummer , and I’m the only one who can provide suitable back up drum machine tracks for these gigs , as well as backing vocals for the singist ( no one else does BV ) 

As previously said , no one is irreplaceable, but I bring a lot to the table .

[Bluewine]

8 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

I’d go gracefully, I won’t stay where I’m not wanted but I’m also too long in the tooth for kicking & screaming. 

 

If the reasons for my firing were honourable, such as them suddenly wanting to do gigs every weekend from the 10 or so a year we currently do, or if the increase included flying gigs (I hate flying and unless for an emergency I’ll not fly again) then I’d agree to help out if ever needed. 

 

Agreed, at 71 I have other worries far more important then being canned by a band. Mainly staying alive. Lol

 

Daryl

[Stub Mandrel]

I once got sacked for being too 'widdly' and was replaced by the rhythm guitarist playing root notes.

 

So no-one should think their level of technical ability makes them irreplaceable.

 

But if you can get on with people, pull your weight and have the ability to pull a song back together if things go pear-shaped you will probably last.

 

Ideally, if you can achieve a real musical rapport with the other musicians- when you are playing off each other and anticipating where they will go before they do it - then you should be securem

[dmccombe7]

27 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

Agreed, at 71 I have other worries far more important then being canned by a band. Mainly staying alive. Lol

 

Daryl

Remember age is just a number. Its a life hurdle so just get over it and enjoy what you're doing for what it is.

Appreciate its a bit more for you Daryl. To be honest i have become accustomed to the extra income from the Glam band these days so i understand your point of view a lot more now than when i first joined BC many moons ago and was full time employed with a good salary and bands were a hobby where money had no baring on it at all for me. How things change with retirement 👍

Dave

[dmccombe7]

12 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I once got sacked for being too 'widdly' and was replaced by the rhythm guitarist playing root notes.

 

So no-one should think their level of technical ability makes them irreplaceable.

 

But if you can get on with people, pull your weight and have the ability to pull a song back together if things go pear-shaped you will probably last.

 

Ideally, if you can achieve a real musical rapport with the other musicians- when you are playing off each other and anticipating where they will go before they do it - then you should be securem

Yep i like that too. Not the part where you got replaced tho  I did replace a guy recently who was continually showboating even tho he apparently wasn't that good at it. A Death Metal bassist doing 80's rock really isn't a good combination IME.

Dave

Edited December 26, 2024 by dmccombe7

[Bluewine]

1 minute ago, dmccombe7 said:

Remember age is just a number. Its a life hurdle so just get over it and enjoy what you're doing for what it is.

Appreciate its a bit more for you Daryl. To be honest i have become accustomed to the extra income from the Glam band these days so i understand your point of view a lot more now than when i first joined BC many moons ago and was full time employed with a good salary and bands were a hobby where money had no baring on it at all for me. How things change with retirement 👍

Dave

 

I'm not sure when it happened for me. When the money changed from extra fun cash to being serious supplemental income. Probably when I retired from a traditional career.

 

Daryl

[bassbiscuits]

In my main band I’d be quite hard to replace. I’m one third of the band - I play bass, sing harmonies and a couple of lead vocals, am involved in songwriting with the band leader and also own the PA and lights. 
 

As a three piece with plenty of room in the music we each sound quite distinctive and removing any one changes things a lot. 
 

In my other bands, yeah I can be replaced quite readily and occasionally I am when gigs are depped out. I like to think they miss my input if I’m away, but I’m sure they survive perfectly well. 

[Boodang]

53 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

I'll throw this out there. If you were told you were being replaced or the band told you they were moving in a different direction,  would you go out gracefully or kicking and screaming?

 

At my age I'd go out gracefully.  I'd even let them know I'd always be willing to dep if they needed me.

 

Daryl

I’ve just learnt this one this year and it all depends on how it’s handled. Im in a covers band, then I find there’s another band in town playing the same songs, and it’s my covers band (I did actually start it), but minus me, with a different bass player and different name. I get told the old covers band is still together, we’re just taking a hiatus! 
It’s funny because if they’d said ‘would you mind’ I would have been ok about it. But as it was done behind my back… not ok! Far from ok!!

[Bluewine]

9 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I once got sacked for being too 'widdly' and was replaced by the rhythm guitarist playing root notes.

 

So no-one should think their level of technical ability makes them irreplaceable.

 

But if you can get on with people, pull your weight and have the ability to pull a song back together if things go pear-shaped you will probably last.

 

Ideally, if you can achieve a real musical rapport with the other musicians- when you are playing off each other and anticipating where they will go before they do it - then you should be securem

 

Agreed 100%. One of our dep drummers is very technical with all the fancy fills. However, we don't need any of that . We need a simple in the pocket drummer with exceptional timing.

 

Daryl

[diskwave]

I spent my entire playing life looking over my shoulder and there isnt much I cant play. There's always someone new around the corner who's just fresher than you, got little to do with your chops.

[Bluewine]

11 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

 

As a three piece with plenty of room in the music we each sound quite distinctive and removing any one changes things a lot

 

And it can work in a positive way as well. 5 years ago our old 2nd guitarist moved out of state.. He was replaced with a much younger super talented lead guitarist with a great singing voice. He changed us from an everyday average blues/rock band to one of the areas top blues/rock bands.

 

Daryl

Edited December 25, 2024 by Bluewine

[Bluewine]

11 minutes ago, Boodang said:

I’ve just learnt this one this year and it all depends on how it’s handled. Im in a covers band, then I find there’s another band in town playing the same songs, and it’s my covers band (I did actually start it), but minus me, with a different bass player and different name. I get told the old covers band is still together, we’re just taking a hiatus! 
It’s funny because if they’d said ‘would you mind’ I would have been ok about it. But as it was done behind my back… not ok! Far from ok!!

 

I've seen that happen to more than one guy. You're told the band is breaking up. And what actually happened was they were replaced. There was no break up.

 

By the way, the guy I replaced 15 years ago went out kicking and screaming. 

 

Daryl

[dmccombe7]

38 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

And it can work in a positive way as well. 5 years ago our old 2nd guitarist moved out of state.. He was replaced with a much younger super talented lead guitarist with a great singing voice. He changed us from an everyday average blues/rock band to one of the areas top blues/rock bands.

 

Daryl

Its amazing how just one personnel change can make such a dramatic change in a band but its good when it does and works out for the best for everyone in the band.

Dave

[Downunderwonder]

1 hour ago, Bluewine said:

We need a simple in the pocket drummer with exceptional timing

By that I think you mean an exceptional drummer that can hold the time when everyone is playing around the beat, even the soulful bassist now and then. 

[SumOne]

With over 8 billion other people on the planet and ever improving technology I expect we're all replaceable in some way or another.

 

....whether other band mates (or employers etc) would want to go to the effort is probably the deciding factor. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2024 by SumOne

[gjones]

2 hours ago, Bluewine said:

I'll throw this out there. If you were told you were being replaced or the band told you they were moving in a different direction,  would you go out gracefully or kicking and screaming?

 

At my age I'd go out gracefully.  I'd even let them know I'd always be willing to dep if they needed me.

 

Daryl

 

Well, at the beginning of 2024 the drummer, singer and guitarist of the band I'd been playing with for 20 years, told me they'd be doing a few gigs with a band formed by a sax player and a bassist they knew. They said it was going to be a Rockabilly band and they'd be doing Rock & Roll festivals around the UK. I'm not particularly into Rockabilly, so wished them luck in their new venture.

 

The problem was they started playing venues that the old band was playing, which I thought was odd as they were supposed to be playing festivals. What was even odder was that a guy, who videos bands as a hobby, put the videos of their full set up on Youtube and it was exactly the same set as the old band I was a member of.

 

I, as most bassists would, started to get paranoid and suspected they wanted to get rid of me and this was their way of doing it. I got quite wound up about it and was very close to quitting. Weirdly, they kept on moaning to me about the sax player and the bassist but continued to gig with the new band, sometimes 4 or 5 times a month.

 

With gritted teeth I played with them in the old band (we had at the most 1 gig a month at that stage) and then out of the blue, after 10 months, the new band folded as mysteriously as it had started.

 

I've never raised the subject about what the deal was all about and it's good that I didn't quit. But you do have to wonder, why start a new band that plays an identical set to your old band, at the same venues and has virtually the same band members, where the only difference is that new the band has a different name to the old band? I still have no idea?

Edited December 25, 2024 by gjones