Down a bass player (again)

[danktat]

Yep. In typical, YOUNG musician fashion, the lack of reliability of the new guy caused Angela to say enough. We are all grown adults, with jobs, kids, responsibilities, etc.......So, to get all of us together to rehearse or play out is sometimes difficult. This kid was early 20s. Not much going on other than school (most of which right now is virtual for him anyway). Out of the few practices we have had since bringing him on. He bailed on two causing us to have to reschedule. And is acting like he wasn't going to be able to make a sept. 11th thing we are supposed to be playing. So, she gave him the boot. At least it wasn't a lot of time invested in him yet before it was figured out. But, now it is back to the drawing board now.

I brought my keyboard and Angela played the bass lines on it for a few songs. It was actually kind of fun. {PIX FOR ATTENTION OF COURSE} ... pix were snagged from her social media post earlier this morning. She likes to play with filters. That is why the pictures look a little 'funky'.

 

[danktat]

I tried to put this in the "Studio and Stage" section, but it kept giving me an internal server error. Wouldn't let me post it. So, I put it over here.

 

[chicagoslim]

Try a Digitech Trio pedal. It's a backup for both bass players and drummers. When I played as a Duo, with just a singer, I recorded 8 to 10 of our best dance songs, with a digital drum pattern. Then I recorded bass or additional guitar part. Having a backing tracks for a few songs, will help.

When I fronted a rockabilly band, the bass player always seemed to cancel for the biggest shows. I could find other bass players who had played with me in the past. But they could never keep up, on the more complicated jazz songs. So I would often have to work with reduced/simplified song selections.

 

[Tony M.]

Better that this happened now than 6 months in.

 

[bodia]

That sucks

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Shame you ain't in Maryland...and good luck.

 

[danktat]

Shame you ain't in Maryland...and good luck.

I did the Baltimore Tattoo Convention several times (And was actually the voice of, and in, the commercials for it back in the day). It is like a solid two hours from here.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Unfortunately, my bass talents aren't worth a 2 hour trip down here...
I work near the Baltimore Convention Center often.

 

[danktat]

Unfortunately, my bass talents aren't worth a 2 hour trip down here...
I work near the Baltimore Convention Center often.

This was one of the commercials I was in. (I am 28 seconds in and only for a split second. But I bet you'll recognize the hat..lol) . And I didn't do the voiceover for this one, but I was able to find it on Youtube.

 

[danktat]

Unfortunately, my bass talents aren't worth a 2 hour trip down here...
I work near the Baltimore Convention Center often.

Found one that I AM the voice in (and I am tattooing 7 seconds in as well). Again...it was Philly instead of Baltimore, but these are kind of a long time ago. They aren't as easy to find any more.

 

[László]

Bands are a headache, unless you're making decent dough when you play. Then people fall all over themselves to join one.

 

[DISTORT6]

If it ain’t the singer, it’s the bass player…
Sorry, man. I TOTALLY understand.

 

[Ovibos]

If it ain’t the singer, it’s the bass player…
Sorry, man. I TOTALLY understand.

It's always been drummers for me. Like to a Spinal Tap-is degree.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Could be the best thing to happen. You never know who may be around the corner.

 

[Herr Squid]

Oof. Yeah, the band I was in shortly out of college taught me that you really want to build a band out of people who match well in terms of where they are in life and what they need out of the band. In the longest incarnation of that one, we all had day jobs, started unmarried (or barely-married) and wanted to play weekends. All well and good, but two of us worked retail and needed all the extra income the band could bring in, and two of us had solid salaries and were doing it for entertainment and pocket money. So the motivations to do gigs came from totally different places.

I finally threw in the towel after the weekend gig in Walla Walla Washington where I drove an hour to the gig, set up, played a Sunday(?) night in some bar I can't even remember the name of, tore down, drove back home another hour, unloaded, staggered into bed at 4:00 am, then promptly got chased into the shower by my wife, who complained I reeked of cigarette smoke. All for just under a hundred bucks, IIRC. It just wasn't worth it to me any more. I haven't tried to get paid for playing since, and I think that was the early 90s.

 

[danktat]

Just kind of sucks, because musically, he slid in really quickly and fit the flow well. But, if OTHER THINGS are always more important, and there is an upcoming recording project that is in the works that is ALREADY a year and a half behind.......well, it was time to move on. In theory, if it HAD to be like that, Chris could lay down bass tracks separately and we could play over them, or mix them down in post. But that isn't ideal. We will see what direction she wants to go at this point.

 

[dmatthews]

Oof. Yeah, the band I was in shortly out of college taught me that you really want to build a band out of people who match well in terms of where they are in life and what they need out of the band. In the longest incarnation of that one, we all had day jobs, started unmarried (or barely-married) and wanted to play weekends. All well and good, but two of us worked retail and needed all the extra income the band could bring in, and two of us had solid salaries and were doing it for entertainment and pocket money. So the motivations to do gigs came from totally different places.

I finally threw in the towel after the weekend gig in Walla Walla Washington where I drove an hour to the gig, set up, played a Sunday(?) night in some bar I can't even remember the name of, tore down, drove back home another hour, unloaded, staggered into bed at 4:00 am, then promptly got chased into the shower by my wife, who complained I reeked of cigarette smoke. All for just under a hundred bucks, IIRC. It just wasn't worth it to me any more. I haven't tried to get paid for playing since, and I think that was the early 90s.

Yup... a few times there were long days/nights.
Teardown/drive/setup/play/teardown/drive/setup, pretty much resulting in $8/hr along with some love, pride, and... I dunno...

 

[Moondog Wily]

Bummer to have to deal with people who can't live up to their own words! I gave up along time ago on expecting from people anything other than what they say, and if they go beyond it, hooray!! But when they don't even reach the level that they have set with their own words, I can not tolerate it!!! You are better off without. You will find someone better. And you will be glad this happened!

Happy bandin'!
MW

 

[aphantomvaper]

You've survived worse! Like others, I'd be game if I wasn't in Illinois!

 

[danktat]

UPDATE:

A friend of mine, who actually sold me MY FIRST PRS way back in like 2001 when he worked for Zapf's music (down the block from the tattoo shop I worked at at the time) seemed interested in the bass player slot. So, I was able to talk the rest of the band into giving him an audition this Saturday. His background is MUCH different than what we play, but he knows 'music'....not just how to play an instrument. And lets face it...what we do isn't all that complicated. So, we will see how things go.