So, I may be a sap...

[GADonis]

Okay, to be honest I probably am a sap. So here's the abridged story. I've been playing in a blues band for about two years. Several weeks ago the leader, we'll call him Kyle because that's his name, told me he convinced his guitar player from his home town to move and he was going to start using him as his guitar player. This was a young guy that Kyle had kind of taken under his wing, both musically and real life, before moving away. At first I was pissed, but I got over it fairly quickly. So I played my last gig with him and we shook hands parting amicably. We talked it out and I was okay with it. He told me that as far as local guitar players he wouldn't choose anyone over me. That was just flattery, but hey, it was nice to hear. There are several killer guitar players in this town. I even told him that if he needed a fill in he could call me. I should mention that Kyle is a pretty good front man. He has a the ability to get a crowd and to hold on to them for most of the night. Pretty good for the local bar scene. And while he is quite opinionated, he's not a bad guy.

So two weeks later he called me. The new guy had hurt his back sleeping on an air mattress that went flat overnight and he couldn't move the day of the gig. At first I declined the fill in. Okay, maybe I wasn't completely over it. But after some thought I told him I would do it if he couldn't find anybody else. He couldn't so I played. Gig went great. It was in a nice bar, plenty of beautiful young ladies drunkenly dancing and having a good time. That was last Saturday.

I just received a text from Kyle asking if I could rejoin the band. I don't know what happened but he said he was going to have to send his guy back home. I've never met the guy but I think he's early twenties. I'm guessing there is no lack of drama in his life at the moment. He also told me that I should punch him in the face if he ever suggests bringing the kid back down.

So I guess I'm back. And a sap.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Contract renegotiation time! I see more $$$ in your future.

 

[dmatthews]

I think you played that well.
No drama, no ego.
Kyle learned a lesson, and you're good to go.
No sap detected.

 

[markd21]

Nah, you played that right. Good job, and have fun!!

 

[alantig]

Contract renegotiation time! I see more $$$ in your future.

That’s right - singer no longer gets first pick of the groupies!

Sounds like you handled it pretty well. I’m big in not burning bridges - you never know when that might bite you in the a$$ in the future. Heck, when I left one job, I was late for my going away thing because I was finishing up work.

If nothing else, if the story gets around a bit, people won’t hesitate to consider you for gigs because they can be confident they’re not dealing with someone who’ll go off the handle if he doesn’t get his way.

 

[bodia]

Dude, props to you for taking the high road. That's a solid, right there.

 

[jxe]

good guy gadonis. maybe you are the fastest gun in town?

 

[RickP]

You handled it like a pro, @GADonis There’s always upside in doing the right thing, and what comes around indeed goes around. I’d venture to say you’re more appreciated these days.

 

[veinbuster]

I like how it worked out.

You are definitely not a sap.

 

[jxe]

i got to remember that air mattress excuse.

 

[danktat]

That worked out well. If nothing else, you know all their songs, so you would have probably gotten the call from time to time anyway. I understand that it wouldn't have been the same as being "IN" the band, but it appears as though that part worked itself out anyway.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I got kicked out of a band once, then asked to rejoin a year later. (I know I've told this story before). I was asked to leave because I was turning a "folk rock" band into a "rock band" per the band leaders wife. He went home all excited to play her some recordings from rehearsal and she said "those don't even sound like your songs anymore." Bye-bye DTR! LOL

I was asked to rejoin a year later, and found out that it was because they were playing a huge 3 day festival (playing all 3 days) and needed to go back to the rockin style we were playing his songs with for that big gig. The gig was out west and would have required me to take a week off work, that I hadn't planned for, and was only two months away. As soon as I found out, I left the band.

 

[jxe]

any reason to give dtr the boot, eh? couldn’t they have just added an extra fife? HOWEVER: you made folk rock good enough to play to a rock audience, you are a true champion.

I got kicked out of a band once, then asked to rejoin a year later. (I know I've told this story before). I was asked to leave because I was turning a "folk rock" band into a "rock band" per the band leaders wife. He went home all excited to play her some recordings from rehearsal and she said "those don't even sound like your songs anymore." Bye-bye DTR! LOL

I was asked to rejoin a year later, and found out that it was because they were playing a huge 3 day festival (playing all 3 days) and needed to go back to the rockin style we were playing his songs with for that big gig. The gig was out west and would have required me to take a week off work, that I hadn't planned for, and was only two months away. As soon as I found out, I left the band.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

any reason to give dtr the boot, eh? couldn’t they have just added an extra fife? HOWEVER: you made folk rock good enough to play to a rock audience, you are a true champion.

Seriously, I told more details the first time. But the guy basically played all his life by himself. He wrote the songs, sang them and played his Martin guitar and was a one man band. Decided he wanted a real band and added a drummer (a good friend of mine) and a bass. My friend kept saying "I got this friend that plays electric guitar if you want to add that. I can get him to play with us." The leader is enjoying his band a lot and decides it's time to take the next step.

Band leader is like a kid at Christmas. Just having a ball at practices and said he's never enjoyed music this much in his whole life. But... he also wasn't used to playing with a rock guitar player. The more he heard me solo, the more he wanted me to solo. Over weeks of time, some of the songs completely transformed into a different style. He loved it. His wife heard it and told him they didn't even sound like his music anymore. DTR out! LOL Funny thing is, we had played about 4 gigs and even the gigs changed from the first one to the last, as we continued to rock more and more. But she hadn't been at any of those due to work. And when she heard us that night, I guess she didn't like what I had done to his music. LOL

My buddy the drummer told me a few weeks later, that it was like going back in time. He said "the very next practice after you left, we were back to playing the songs slow and no solos, like we did before you joined." The funny (and disappointing) thing to me was, I NEVER CHANGED THE SONGS! He did. I could have played straight man and none of that would have ever happened, but he WANTED me to solo and when that started, the whole band turned it up a notch and it went from there. But I didn't ask to solo more, HE asked me too. I'm more than certain, that if his wife had approved, we'd have stayed together and kept playing out, because he sure as heck was enjoying the change.

 

[toothace]

Okay, to be honest I probably am a sap. So here's the abridged story. I've been playing in a blues band for about two years. Several weeks ago the leader, we'll call him Kyle because that's his name, told me he convinced his guitar player from his home town to move and he was going to start using him as his guitar player. This was a young guy that Kyle had kind of taken under his wing, both musically and real life, before moving away. At first I was pissed, but I got over it fairly quickly. So I played my last gig with him and we shook hands parting amicably. We talked it out and I was okay with it. He told me that as far as local guitar players he wouldn't choose anyone over me. That was just flattery, but hey, it was nice to hear. There are several killer guitar players in this town. I even told him that if he needed a fill in he could call me. I should mention that Kyle is a pretty good front man. He has a the ability to get a crowd and to hold on to them for most of the night. Pretty good for the local bar scene. And while he is quite opinionated, he's not a bad guy.

So two weeks later he called me. The new guy had hurt his back sleeping on an air mattress that went flat overnight and he couldn't move the day of the gig. At first I declined the fill in. Okay, maybe I wasn't completely over it. But after some thought I told him I would do it if he couldn't find anybody else. He couldn't so I played. Gig went great. It was in a nice bar, plenty of beautiful young ladies drunkenly dancing and having a good time. That was last Saturday.

I just received a text from Kyle asking if I could rejoin the band. I don't know what happened but he said he was going to have to send his guy back home. I've never met the guy but I think he's early twenties. I'm guessing there is no lack of drama in his life at the moment. He also told me that I should punch him in the face if he ever suggests bringing the kid back down.

So I guess I'm back. And a sap.

You done good kid!! I think you handled it like a champ, and no sap detected!

 

[László]

You’re not a sap. The other guy was.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

You’re not a sap. The other guy was.

+1!

 

[Tony M.]

You chose...wisely.

 

[mark cassidy]

Cool story and probably material for a new blues tune! Well done, good on you.

 

[Tucson Thump]

Okay, to be honest I probably am a sap. So here's the abridged story. I've been playing in a blues band for about two years. Several weeks ago the leader, we'll call him Kyle because that's his name, told me he convinced his guitar player from his home town to move and he was going to start using him as his guitar player. This was a young guy that Kyle had kind of taken under his wing, both musically and real life, before moving away. At first I was pissed, but I got over it fairly quickly. So I played my last gig with him and we shook hands parting amicably. We talked it out and I was okay with it. He told me that as far as local guitar players he wouldn't choose anyone over me. That was just flattery, but hey, it was nice to hear. There are several killer guitar players in this town. I even told him that if he needed a fill in he could call me. I should mention that Kyle is a pretty good front man. He has a the ability to get a crowd and to hold on to them for most of the night. Pretty good for the local bar scene. And while he is quite opinionated, he's not a bad guy.

So two weeks later he called me. The new guy had hurt his back sleeping on an air mattress that went flat overnight and he couldn't move the day of the gig. At first I declined the fill in. Okay, maybe I wasn't completely over it. But after some thought I told him I would do it if he couldn't find anybody else. He couldn't so I played. Gig went great. It was in a nice bar, plenty of beautiful young ladies drunkenly dancing and having a good time. That was last Saturday.

I just received a text from Kyle asking if I could rejoin the band. I don't know what happened but he said he was going to have to send his guy back home. I've never met the guy but I think he's early twenties. I'm guessing there is no lack of drama in his life at the moment. He also told me that I should punch him in the face if he ever suggests bringing the kid back down.

So I guess I'm back. And a sap.

Maybe the whole thing happened because he was the one who was supposed to learn the lesson. You followed your gut and stayed true.