Drummer is on thin ice , and it's got a bunch of cracks.

#62
I'm, on a much lesser 'fame and exposure' scale, in the same situation right now. Drummer actually recruited me into the band as the missing piece to get us gig ready. I shredded like crazy, playing nothing but the tunes we needed to get up and running for several weeks. He presented them to me as a no drama group. He's a huge drama queen, posting pages and pages of butthurt crap on our chat app, the world revolves around him - he can't ever be wrong about anything, though he says words (using a legitimately big and proper vocabulary, he's not a dummy)that make him seem to be making sacrifices, but are just self serving. He doesn't know all the tunes inside out. He plays busy when simple is called for. And his meter is inconsistent, though when he gets going good is solid. All that said, we have made progress and are, we think, show ready and going to play out this weekend.

I do wish I were in your shoes with respect to hiring and firing, this guy would be out the door with both barrels in the back on the way out. But the 'democracy' is scared to make a change while we are clearly making progress at a decent clip. I say do it early on, let's not get too far before we have to start over.
 
#63
sedan_dad said:
He walked into a dream gig with us and he's committing suicide. He dresses like crap on stage.. He doesn't practice on his own. (My pet peeve) He goes brain dead at gigs. Not knowing how a song starts, the accents or even the lyrics on ones he sings. He will not check the bands web site for recently added gigs. His stupid phone is constantly glued to his eyes reading Facebook. We've recorded a CD thats getting national and international air play. High profile gigs being the backup band for people like Mitch Ryder , Magic Dick , Barrance Whitfield, Dereck St. Holmes, Joey Molland. Large festivals. Out of state touring. We're doing movie sound tracks. We're working every weekend. And this guy is so damn caviler about practicing.. He always has a fricking excuse. I don't except excuses. I think he's resting on his laurels. I will not put up with this. I'm actively looking. I'm the bass player. I run the rhythm section. My mind is made up. I'm just venting before tonights gig.
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How did he make it into the band to begin with ?
 
#64
Wesley R said:
Do you actually bid gigs? Is it a formal process like an RFP is issued and it states the songs, type of gear, number of musicians or what? I am just curious from the perspective of one who bids (non music related, except sound systems) most of my adult life.
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It's not all that formal. Someone calls with a gig, you tell them what you need, they say yay or nay.
 
#66
Do you the power of firing him, if so then what are you waiting for? If you don't have the power then talk to whoever is the decision maker and tell him/her what you think. Have a plan if the band owner decided to keep the drummer.
 
#67
Hey look, I didn't see anything about anyone reaching out and talking to the guy or anything. If its truly your call what to do and if you were ever enamored with his playing (I've played in some bands that I didn't lock with the drummer or care for their style) it would be worth it to see what's going on with him. You don't want to cut him loose then find he off'd himself or anything. Sounds like he's taking you and the band for granted and a wake up call is definitely in order and if he just openly flaunts the "I don't give a poopie" thing, well then get someone in the wings and moooove on!
 
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#68
sedan_dad said:
He walked into a dream gig with us and he's committing suicide. He dresses like crap on stage.. He doesn't practice on his own. (My pet peeve) He goes brain dead at gigs. Not knowing how a song starts, the accents or even the lyrics on ones he sings. He will not check the bands web site for recently added gigs. His stupid phone is constantly glued to his eyes reading Facebook. We've recorded a CD thats getting national and international air play. High profile gigs being the backup band for people like Mitch Ryder , Magic Dick , Barrance Whitfield, Dereck St. Holmes, Joey Molland. Large festivals. Out of state touring. We're doing movie sound tracks. We're working every weekend. And this guy is so damn caviler about practicing.. He always has a fricking excuse. I don't except excuses. I think he's resting on his laurels. I will not put up with this. I'm actively looking. I'm the bass player. I run the rhythm section. My mind is made up. I'm just venting before tonights gig.
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Is he being paid to be a full-time band member? (IE serious money) since you have so much success? Like $55-80K per year.
 
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#72
JimmyM said:
As someone who does these kinds of gigs all the time, including backing up Mitch a couple times in the past, I can tell you that I've seen musicians in backup bands who range from mind-blowing to incompetent. Not in mine, of course, but in other bands. How do they get those gigs? The time-honored practice of underbidding.
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A band I used to be in got offered an opening slot for Dwight Yoakam out here. As the opening band, they would have been on the hook financially for selling ~$3400 worth of tickets before they received a nickel...
 
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#74
G On Bass said:
A band I used to be in got offered an opening slot for Dwight Yoakam out here. As the opening band, they would have been on the hook financially for selling ~$3400 worth of tickets before they received a nickel...
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So they were the draw and not Dwight? Hope they got paid better than he did, then :D
 
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#80
BK bassist said:
Or "Human Seahorses"

View attachment 1151244
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Or, see human horses
upload_2017-6-13_8-37-25.jpeg
 
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