Like most on here I've been in bands for longer than I care to remember, so people leaving is nothing new. But, having to source a new chap and then deal with all the pa shenanigans is pushing me to pursue my Rockabilly trio dream....
Frustratingly, it's all been brought about by other members of the band taking what the vocalist does for granted (supply pa/run soundcheck/ lots of other general management bits) leading to frustration and, finally, a resignation email.
I don't know, people eh?!
Thanks for allowing the vent...onwards and upwards!
Comments
I must admit I checked your location because I'll have him in my band. I sing in my band because vocalists are generally useless, don't own a microphone and wont help with gear setup (anecdotal evidence).
I would seriously consider dumping the band and forming a new one with the vocalist.
Yes, we are looking at doing exactly that once this years gigs are done and dusted!
So, yes, give some thought to following that singer.
I've been seeing this coming for a while and, like @EricTheWeary our guy is an ok singer, but is a good frontman and loves his pa gubbins (recently splashed out on some all singing, iPad enabled mixing thingamy...), just got hacked off with others showing no interest.
He did suggest, albeit lightheartedly, that he should take a slightly bigger cut of the cash given that he was always the first there, had to set-up the PA alone, mix the sound and adjust levels as required throughout etc. I could certainly see his point, but was the lone voice on that front!
Everyone use's the PA so it's only really fair that everyone pays for it. Ten gigs worth of putting the money in the kitty is enough for a pretty decent PA so it's no massive hardship
Who "owns" the band name and/or runs the website? You may be in the position to take this with you, and the current bookings. In those circumstances it should be easy to find other musicians.
That's why I own or will own everything. I'm not going to buy a massive pa but something to do smaller gigs.
I've turned the small bedroom into a rehearsal room with a Roland kit, bass amp and two guitar amps.
There's 2 things that will earn a band more money than their peers, one is being tight and well rehearsed, the other is sounding professional because they are using good PA equipment and preferably a good sound guy too. All the other stuff we fret about on here, what drive pedal and what pickups etc is pretty much irreverent to a bands earning potential but the quality of your PA and how is presents you is very important and well worth the investment .... because you will get the money back
There's been trouble brewing for a while - those who are happy to take any gig offered, so long as there is cash involved set against those (me included) who would rather be a bit more selective, sacrifice bigger cash for better marketing ops, audiences etc.
We all have our priorities, sadly none of these will be met by hacking off the singer with the PA...
Had an 8 piece soul band with two girl singers plus a sax and trumpet. For the band to sound good it required a powerful and clear PA with good quality monitors. Back in the day I built a 6k rig (sub, 2x12 and horns) and 2.5k monitors (4 wedges,4 independent mixes) I aquired all the stuff and built the rig whiilst learning how to optimise it. I found myself loading, storing, humping, setting up and generally getting frayed before I'd played a note -m or even got the guitar out of the case. We had words! eEveryone likes the results but the input was less popular, I stopped running about getting the gigs and gave everyone a job in setup/break down of the setup. I also made a small charge per gig for ware and tear (£35) bearing in mind that was less than half of what anyone was paid. I paid for the gear by doing sound and lights for other big gigs and mini festivals.
For me it was great being a part of something very successful and I do enjoy the technical challenge or building and operating a big 3 way rig withe the early digital contollers. But the physical aspects took their toll and I took longer to recover the following days. We worked the money out so that those that turned up to rig and soundcheck got more and those that walked in late with a tambourine got less. the money was always good, it's just that some earned more.
In the end some resented the work they had to do and didn't need the money particularly (affluent middle age). The band got less work because I didn't actively chase it and no one else would either so eventually it folded, some went off to have an easier life without all the gear and hassel, that ended in doing a few 'freebee' charity things and a couple of badly paid gigs.
You have to remember you are competing with live DVDs and big concerts, so a dodgy 1x12 with piezos and a 150w amp is woeful in todays market.
The second show was in an upstairs room, same situation, so I purposely arrived early to help him load in. Finish the set and, to be fair, the one lady helped load out...while the other sat at a table and painted her nails.
I told him he was a better man than I for putting up with it.
(formerly miserneil)
to be fair, the keyboard player was worse, to the point it was a running joke even with the audience that he was a lazy sod. Being a tad self-obsessed I don't think he ever figured out people were laughing at him.