Clarky Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 My band booked a gig in Birmingham that was then moved a week by the promoter without checking with us - I cannot do the new date (next Saturday). Rather than cancelling the other guys have arranged for a dep bass player and sent him our CD. Not sure what to think about this. While I want our band's reputation to flourish, two things strike me: 1. I am a bit p*ssed that they are going ahead with this as I consider myself an integral part of the band (we are only a trio and I could never imagine the singer/guitarist agreeing for the band to gig without HIM); 2. they may realise, if the stand-in is any good, that I am not really a particularly good bass player! How would you feel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Did they ask if it was cool with you to get a dep? If so, you should have been more assertive and said no. If not, then you should be seriously p*ssed off and tell them so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) [quote name='cheddatom' post='556381' date='Jul 30 2009, 05:39 PM']Did they ask if it was cool with you to get a dep? If so, you should have been more assertive and said no. If not, then you should be seriously p*ssed off and tell them so.[/quote] When I said I couldn't do the gig the guitarist told me he would find a stand-in but didn't ask my opinion. In the interests of harmony I haven't said anything about the principle of the thing - although after a rehearsal this week, I told them - as if it was a joke - that I hoped it went very badly! They laughed not realising that I really do bear a grudge! Edited July 30, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I'd not worry about it. It's a bit off to not ask you but if it's get in a dep or cancel then I'd go with depping every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveO Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) What can you do? If you demand they pull the gig the band (and you) will get a bad rep. If they go ahead then at least the promoter will apreciate that you guys will make an effort and adapt to come up with the goods (and I'd really really let him know how much trouble the band's gone to to fulfil the gig.) Personaly I'd wish them well, hoping that it's a good gig (good entertainment for the audience = more work) yet not too good for the rest of the band (i.e. hard work to play with the dep so they'll be less likely to do it again) I'd have a word with the guys and give them a load of tips on working your set with a dep... along the lines of 'give him a nod here, here, here and here so he can cope with the changes' even if it's all bull then if the gig goes well you can claim it was down to your preperation. Weren't you good to do that for them? aren't they lucky to have you etc.etc. [spellin edit] Edited July 30, 2009 by SteveO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 A band I dep with recently told me they prefer my playing to the incumbent's. But I would consider it bad form to try and get his gig, just as I am sure they have no intention of offering it me. At the end of the day, unless it's your living, there should be a bit of honour among musicians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) I know I should wish them well and that its good for the band but I can't help myself feeling at least a lttle bit miffed. As I said, if it had moved to a date our front man couldn't do, there is no way in the world he would let us find a stand-in (and there is a potential replacement as his old band has a singer who knows all our stuff). Its just that I feel I am being treated as "only the bassist" Regarding rehearsing etc, I told them we should rehearse this week to get them up to speed for the gig. So they know I have helped them PS, we turned down several good gigs last year (eg with UK Subs) that our drummer couldn't do ... Edited July 30, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 well, I can sympathise as I do lots of deps anyway... but then the make-up of these bands tend to be all about the gig so a band-leader will take the gig 1st and then put the band around the date and any other considerations he may have or prefer, later.. So, I don't get upset or put-out about these things...but if this is pretty unusual for your band to do this, then be ok with it, but keep tabs on it.... it may be a move within to see how things could be different.. You might want to say or make your feelings known, that you are a bit upset/annoyed/whatever but don't make it the issue that pushes them further towads a dep situation ...IYKWIM Most deps aren't looking for regular regular gigs anyway, they like to have gigs in the diary but they like to be able to turn them down as well... rather than be a slave to someone elses gig list and every weekend working or whatever. If the dep is good, then this is likely the case.. as he will want to be able to do all sorts and the money then is mostly king..so will want to keep those big payers available and the date open for them If the 'dep' is more of a mate of someone else in the band...be wary.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) Well, the dep lives in Birmingham and we are a London band, so its definitely not a back door way to getting a mate into the band. Thats a saving grace at least PS, note childish edit to my signature Edited July 30, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 [quote name='Clarky' post='556396' date='Jul 30 2009, 05:53 PM']I know I should wish them well and that its good for the band but I can't help myself feeling at least a lttle bit miffed. As I said, if it had moved to a date our front man couldn't do, there is no way in the world he would let us find a stand-in (and there is a potential replacement as his old band has a singer who knows all our stuff). Its just that I feel I am being treated as "only the bassist" Regarding rehearsing etc, I told them we should rehearse this week to get them up to speed for the gig. So they know I have helped them PS, we turned down several good gigs last year (eg with UK Subs) that our drummer couldn't do ...[/quote] Well if you are like most bands the singer and drummer are crucial to the flow of things. 99% of the cues in the music will be from them. So yes most bass players are interchangeable unless they are the front person as well. As a dep I do my absolute best for the band I am depping for but I never try to muscle in and steal the other person's place. In most cases I have totally different musical objectives to the band and this is just a bit of prostitution work to (ahem) get them out of a hole. They'd only dump you if there was something else wrong. As a band we've worked with dep guitarists the whole life of the band, dep drummers on rare occasions and only once a dep front person team (it took two extra people and me doing lead vocals (aargh!) to replace our front man who was taken ill at 9 am the morning of someone's wedding gig) We did replace guitarists with people who had depped with us but only when the original person left of their own volition. So don't worry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithless Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 [quote name='Clarky' post='556408' date='Jul 30 2009, 08:07 PM']Well, the dep lives in Birmingham and we are a London band, so its definitely not a back door way to getting a mate into the band. Thats a saving grace at least PS, note childish edit to my signature [/quote] I don't get it - if you said, you're 'integral part of the band', why the hell would you worry about it now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Faithless' post='556423' date='Jul 30 2009, 06:26 PM']I don't get it - if you said, you're 'integral part of the band', why the hell would you worry about it now?[/quote] I am not worried about being replaced, its just that I feel that a band should stand or fall together with the emphasis on together I spend countless hours practising, rehearsing, sorting out gigs, travelling to/from gigs etc for this band and I don't like to be made to feel dispensable - I guess it all comes down to whether you view the band as a unit or as a collective Edited July 30, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) Were I in the fortunate position of being in a band at the moment, I'd greet this development with nonchalant indifference, phone the dep with some handy tips and wish them all well. Then I'd go and stick pins in some voodoo dolls. Edited July 30, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerdragon Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I voted for the bit Peeved, but i think you should have put another option between that and the S..t one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) [quote name='beerdragon' post='556449' date='Jul 30 2009, 06:55 PM']I voted for the bit Peeved, but i think you should have put another option between that and the S..t one.[/quote] "More than slightly peeved but not enough to wish that an on-the-loose Marmot* chews through the electricity cables at the venue, rendering the gig a non-starter" .... perhaps? Perhaps I should have added earlier that Brum is our front man's native city so he is desperate to play there Edit: * this Marmot [attachment=30007:marmot.jpg] Edited July 30, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 It sounds like they just want to fulfill this gig for whatever reasons and this dep allows them to do this... I wouldn't take it so personally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I would be pissed, we sometimes play without our guitarist but we don't replace him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 [quote name='OldGit' post='556388' date='Jul 30 2009, 05:46 PM']I'd not worry about it. It's a bit off to not ask you but if it's get in a dep or cancel then I'd go with depping every time.[/quote] I agree. Depping is part of the business. Cancelling a gig for a reason the promoter won't understand will do none of you any good. Don't know if you have serious plans to be a pro, but if you do you need to get used to it. It's ok to have a life outside the business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbloke Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 You said it yourself - you spend hours rehearsing, practising, [b]sorting out gigs[/b] for your band. The other guy is just filling in for a gig you can't do. There's always someone better than you and worse than you. I joined a band recently. Not bragging, but within a few days had perfected material that had taken my predecessor weeks, if not months to sort out. We're playing a festival in a couple of weeks and I dare say that there'll be plenty of players there that crap on me from a great height. It's not how 'good' you are, but how well you fit in. There are bands out there that are constantly on the look out for the best musicians for their band. They're not necessarily god bands though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedontcarebear Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I don't think depping in an originals band is a thing that should be done unless really needed, for example it's with a huge band etc, just playing a club or pub somewhere is not as important as keeping all members happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Ideal world a band is like a gang, you play in one band and you are loyal to the cause. The reality is that we get older & wives, jobs, kids etc get in the way. I currently play in 3 bands (a situation I would never have imagined a few years ago) and bands gig in various different states. I don't tend to miss gigs but an old band once gigged without me (& without asking). I was a bit upset but it's life and I chose to just get on with it. It's not nice but it's a downside to gigging in a band of slightly older people where the show must go on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 [quote name='bassbloke' post='556479' date='Jul 30 2009, 07:34 PM']It's not how 'good' you are, but how well you fit in.[/quote] Fantastically put sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 (edited) [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='556494' date='Jul 30 2009, 07:45 PM']Fantastically put sir.[/quote] My comment about the dep being better than me was tongue in cheek. We do get on very well in general and I really am not worried about them seeking to replace me. Its more the fact that I think my commitment to the band is not being wholly repaid in this situation (incidentally, I have to travel further to every practice and gig, I have kids where the others don't so I have to make more compromises on the family front etc). As I said before, it really depends whether you view the band as a unit or a collective (and again, if its relevant here, we are an originals band with no covers). In short, if I can't do the gig then I think they should have said 'no' just like we do when either of them can't make a gig. BTW, the Brum promoter knows he mucked up the date as I spoke to him after he changed it and I told him I couldn't do that day, so it would have been no surprise to him - and he couldn't feel aggrieved - if the others had simply cancelled Edited July 30, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I don't currently play in an originals band so it wouldn't bother me. I'd rather the other lads got paid and had a good night, recently we had to cancel a gig (private party with 200 guests) on the same day because of a guitarist's injury, we were gutted and the hosts were less than impressed. Wish we had a dep to call! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I just meant as a philosophy in general, I thought it summed up bands really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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