I've been fired,,,,,,,

[lbpesq]

Flax buddy, you're really going to miss that paycheck, aren't you!  lol  Interpersonal dynamics among musicians can really be a bitch.  I've jammed with some excellent players who wouldn't let you even for a moment forget how good they were and you weren't.  Conversesly, I've had wonderful times playing with guys who were not only outstanding players, but made me feel comfortable and welcome.  I've done some of my finest playing in these situations.  I remember back in '96 or '97, after the final show of The Other Ones tour (Grateful Dead following Jerry's death with Steve Kimock and Mark Karan on lead), I jammed at a party with Mark for about 3 hours.  Several other guitarists joined in.  Mark was far more accomplished than the rest of us, yet everyone had a blast.  He was just a really nice guy who dug playing music.  That's what it's about.  You just got out of a dysfunctional musical marriage, now go have some fun.
 
Bill, tgo

[jacko]

Sorry to hear this Jeff. Finding a band that's fun where you get on with all the other musicians can be a hard thing to do. Sounds to me like Ice Blue roses is going to be Sage tea without the a$$hole guitarist. make sure you make it fun.
 
Graeme

[flaxattack]

i jst got my final email from him- look i can be a pain- but this one comment that got me was
you played the riff once and i complimented you on it and said thats the way i want it played- shit you think i remember what it was?
the lead guitar plays every intro to every song i do picking the beat and continues to play til i tell him to shut up = asked him not to do this for 2yrs- i cant,i need to set my sound- cant you set your sound with a chord or random notes? no...
i was dealing with 2 guys who its all about them
i even got my balls busted for not bringing entermens 2$ cake for after- gee i travel 2+ hrs to get there, aint that enough?
you might be right on the replacement comment- his other band auditioned bass players 2 weeks ago- that thought crossed my mind already
upsides- i can be my own man now
i get to spend more time with annie
sage tea is gonna get in gear next month
audutioning next wed for another band
going into the studio tonight for a run through with my own band in the works
what impressed me the most? the guy brought up stuff from three years ago in the last email.
i think a day or 2 and i will get over it
i dealt with one guy-bill for you that fat one who literally never shuts up between sets, repeats stories for 30yrs, and a guitar palyer who never stops playing during the set and adolff on drums. when i tell you that silence was rare i am being kind- its like- wow no ones pounding my ear- oh joy! cherish the moment
my final reply just to him was -0
GO ---- YOURSELF YOU A-------E

[glocke]

Just to reiterate, you are  MUCH better off without people like that in your life.  
 
Not to hijack this thread, but I have had guys try and tell me what bass to bring (for some reason people like to tell me to bring my '72 jazz instead of my series I), what effects to use, what tone to dial in, etc, etc....Ive even had people tell me to use their shit bass amp instead of my demeter pre/QSC power amp, and these were all non-paying, just for fun situations.  My overall philosphy about music anymore is that if someone wants to pay me money  to play, I'll do whatever they ask/tell me, but if Im not getting paid, and Im driving 30 minutes to an hour for what is basically a friday night jam/rehearsel band, Im going to do pretty much what makes me happy/feel good musically (not in an obnoxious/stand out way of course).
 
As far as his comment on smoking goes, that just seals the fact that this guy sounds like a complete Azzhole.....Anyone who holds out on herb or makes a comment like that deserves a smack upside the head.
 
Life is just way too short to spend it playing music with morons and assholes...

[bassman68]

Jeez, What an a--hole. Don't these people understand what a 'jam night' is,it's exactly that 'a jam', & as for the cake, I know where he could shove it!
Picture the scene last thursday night, a guitarist friend of mine invites me to a local jam night & when i get there,the house band are blowing the usual blues stuff they do.
Halfway through the night we get called up on stage & i remove my rogue from the gigbag..''Is that thing active?''i get asked, studying the bass players Gibson/Epiphone EB,''Yeah'' i reply & with that, i get a scowl/tut as he turns the gain on his amp to virtualy zero,''you're not going to slap that all night,are you?''.
So there i am for three numbers, barely audible, with a bass costing more than this guys complete set-up, virtualy miming & getting 'daggers' from 'house' guy every time i look at his amp.
My guitarist friend Laughed his head off all the way home!
Ignorence or jealousy, you decide....

[briant]

Karma is a wonderful thing.  In two months he'll be begging you to come back and play with them because they can't find a suitable replacement.
 
Any good bass player can pick and choose gigs to do.  There is always a million bands looking for a good bass player.  You don't have to put up with obnoxious people - just move onto the next gig and don't look back.  Even better to have no hard feelings but things don't always sort out in the most optimum manner.

[flaxattack]

No going back brian,....
i never go back....
thanks guys... it still pisses the poop out of me- but honestly- i deserve some of it becuase i told myself if he pulled the stay on the bottom crap
i was gonna up and leave- and i didn't
i just wanted to play my bass...
been there on the open mic night
usually the first question is what did i pay for it-i surely wont say the real price- its non of your business- or 2 grand cause anyone who doesnt know alembics doesnt know the cost
 
what the other guys will do is torture the new player if there is one into playing stuff he doesn't know- this is what they do when the original bass player wanted to sit in for a night
i once asked them to do i fought the law- 3 chords
wouldnt do it., too hard

[hb3]

I've got nothing to add, except to say that everyone on this thread is making good sense. They're not paying you, so wtf?

[briant]

No going back brian,....  
i never go back....
 
Well yeah... I know that you won't I was just sayin' that they will likely be begging you and you can decline over and over again.  It's a very satisfying feeling to tell someone who previously fired you and/or was a complete jackass no over and over again. :-)

[alembic76407]

Congratulations jeff, getting fired is the easy way to force you to go out and find something better,
hell sometimes I wish my band would fire me so I could move on, but I'm to lazy to do it on my own.  
someday you'll look back on this, and it will all be funny, but now your mad, and your mama sad and papa says he knows I don't have any money!!!!!!
 
 
 
sorry got off on a Springsteen thing
keep on smilin
 
Sir David

[ajdover]

Unless someone is paying me a hideous amount of money, I usually play what I like.  Open mikes are notorious for the blues guitar player mindless solo mentality over I-IV-V progressions IME.  Why would any bass player expect a different reaction from what flax got?  Our only option is to do what flax did - walk.  I submit it was the right decision.
 
If I go to an open mike, I'll play what I like, period.  If they don't like it, well, tough &hit.  It's an open mike, not a musician's approval society.  
 
I've pretty much stopped going to open mikes.  Most of them are boring, featuring the same people playing the same things, hosted by individuals who use it as their platform to shine.  Guitar players play the same old crap (think every blues tune ever composed), and are disdainful of anyone who steps outside that comfort zone.  God help you if you're a bass player who can play past the seventh fret.  
 
Flax, you're better off, trust me.
 
Alan

[flaxattack]

ya know
i hear ya on the open mic stuff-
so anyway
i get this email tonight copied to the other 2 and he says look what jeff sent me
so i went off on the jerk snd apologized to the other 2 since he needed help fighting his battles
i mean really went off-
and of course he had to send something back which i deleted and replied back
grow up - dont you have anything better to do?
you think i have time for this garbage?
----
end of story
audition was ok- tweaky tweaky
and best of all -at one point i said self
this is YOUR band- take a solo- what the f---k
but i am really flattered that my bro on keys who is a professional musician is right there with me on this,. hell of a complement when someone says they wont do start up then says yes he would

[flaxattack]

in case anyone cares
it was scarlets night

[glocke]

I think this story just reinforces the fact the many musicians are just plain, downright nuts....I play in a Dead type cover band with some guys who are a little older than me (Im 40, their 50+)  and are frankly crispy critters...Some of the stuff that goes on is just nuts. They have been trying to get a band off the ground for years, but have been unsuccesful.  Why?  a) They dont want to jam with anyone who cant do EVERY friday night, b) Every two weeks they put together a new list of songs to learn,  so this means I spend time learning one list, than go back the next week and theyve ditched that list and put another one together.
 
To top it off, we have been looking for a Bobby guy for awhile, and this guy came out to audition last friday.  He wasnt that familiar with the Dead repertorie, and was alot more clean cut than the other guys, but having a strong jazz background, the guy could play, and was obviously the type of guy that could take things to the next level, and also wouldnt have a problem picking up on the Dead/Bobby style.
 
Despite everything sounding awesome with the guy, and me being pretty vocal about keeping the guy, did they keep him?  Nope...Why?  Two reasons, 1) he wasnt a dead head, and 2) he was too clean cut....

[bigredbass]

I'd gift wrap a #0 Phillips screwdriver (just get a Stanley, no need wasting money on something really good) and send it to him.
 
 
 
J o e y