From: kerrybeach@gmail.com   
      
   On 2015-04-14 14:35:56 -0500, Jim D  said:   
      
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >> IN the beginning -   
   >> I used to play Acoustic guitar, growing up in Rhodesia in the 60's. No   
   >> commercial radio stations playing music, 30 minutes of the "Top 10" on   
   >> a Saturday morning. No portable music, unless you were somewhere that   
   >> you could pick up a foreign radioi station on Shortwave (gosh, this   
   >> dates me!!)   
   >> I was the music - take my guitar anywhere and play for my friends. I   
   >> would do anything from "My Way" to "Pinball Wizard" and beyond...   
   >> my friends loved it, and so did I.   
   >> That is why I have never really liked bands. They are great for a   
   >> while, but then the glue comes unstuck, and you end up arguing about   
   >> stuff. That is when I think "time to go", and I do.   
   >> It's my life, it's my income, it's my music.   
   >> I don't need anybody's permission to do things the way I do.   
   >> That was a long preamble!   
   >> If the people in the band annoy you, get rid of them. Replace them   
   >> with whatever it takes to get you out and working. One or two people   
   >> might complain, but who cares? The thing you sell on stage is your   
   >> performance, if you do that well enough, no-one cares what you have   
   >> with you.   
   >> Play with people who make you happy, it's the only way to stay sane. I   
   >> believe you are over thinking this.   
   >> Go with your heart, it has not been wrong yet?   
   >> Amen, and the sermon is over! :-)   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > I guess what I'm doing is thinking this thru as I type.   
   >   
   > Just home from a nice solo gig, a community luncheon thing. And not   
   > really solo, as the band girl was nearby and came along. She was on a   
   > parts shopping errand to a town about a half hour west of where my gig   
   > was, so dropped in. So it was like a winery duo :-)   
   >   
   > We went to a burger place and had a chat afterwards. I think what I'm   
   > reacting to is all the pent up emotions that lead up to the band   
   > changes. Now that we've done a gig on our own, all the things I've been   
   > holding inside are coming out.  Frustrations with the old bass guy, and   
   > those before him who left. Basically that band was self destructing   
   > when I joined, and the process just continued up to where we are now.   
   > All that's left are me, the girl, and our drummer. And that's plenty.   
   >   
   > So her and I did my gig today.  It went fine.   Was a LOT easier than   
   > sunday.  Without the drums and all that pa gear, it's way less   
   > stressful.  We can lose the pa stuff. Don't need all that.  And the   
   > drummer is a plus, he adds to the show. I just need to get past that he   
   > really wanted to just replace the bass guy with another and continue   
   > the bands slide into no gigs at all. You know, when somethings not   
   > working, the best plan is to do more of it  . . . . yeah, right :-)   
   >   
   > Play with people who make me happy.  Yep, that's about the sum of all   
   > the wisdom there.  No one really wants to be around people who are   
   > downers.  I don't.  I want to be doing things, enjoying life. Not   
   > sucked into depression by someone who, as often as not, just refuses to   
   > enjoy themselves and their work.   
   >   
   >   
   > Home now, got the gear unloaded, took the dog out, he's all curled by   
   > me on the couch.  Can't stay here tho, I have to go pick wife up from   
   > work.  We're running on one vehicle still, the truck isn't drivable.   
   > Well, maybe it is, but not really. I have the new ignition switch in   
   > and it works, but the mechanical key hasn't come.   
   >   
   > Thinking hard about how nice and easy today's gig was.  Maybe the band   
   > can get to a relaxed point, or maybe we'll explode. I dunno.   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > Jim   
      
   I always enjoy reading your exchanges, though I rarely comment.   
   However, this thread reminded me of a recent band thing for me.   
   We had a drummer who tempo wise and lick wise was a genius.  As good as   
   any i had ever played with and I have played steady coming up on 50   
   yrs.  But (you knew there was one coming...):  About 60% of the time he   
   would get a wild hair and play unbearablely loud.  Not just my opinion   
   - patrons would complain - we tend to play for older crowds and that   
   crap just doesn't sell...  Anyway, I kept keeping it to myself because   
   if you even gently suggested something like "I think WE are too loud"   
   he would go ballistic and double the volume...  Eventually I talked to   
   the bass player who was the only other musician in the group who could   
   really play and he was right there with me.  We both felt the same but   
   just didn't get it out.  Anyway, we started a trio and are ten times   
   happier and gigs are coming easily.  Sorry for the ramble, but the   
   point is that Neil is exactly right.  Life is to short (and getting   
   shorter) to put up with musos that just don't fit (for whatever   
   reason).  One thing I have learned in all those years is that if you   
   really want to keep performing, a person can figure out a way to do it   
   (like using the bass track thing your band is using).   
   We ended up using a drum track with our tunes and doing a trio with   
   keys, bass and guitar - all of us sing and the drum track is working   
   fine. Obviously we aren't a stadium band or we would be out of luck but   
   for fraternal organization gigs and the like, it works fine.  If we   
   could find a good cooperative, steady, dependable drummer, with a   
   volume control, we would hire him in a heartbeat - till then we keep   
   playing this way...   
      
   Thanks for letting me share my two cents...   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)