TK-421
Senior Member
Back around May or June, I answered a Craigslist ad for a jazz/fusion guitarist looking for a drummer. The two of us got together in my studio to feel each other out, and it seemed like a reasonably good fit. But neither one of us knew a good bassist who was available (even in LA, good ones are hard to find), so nothing happened until September, when the guitarist said he found someone.
Ok great, so we agree to begin rehearsals at my studio. But the bassist has a request, he wants to bring a cameraman to film everything. On our first rehearsal. Where we don't even know any material. I didn't think it was a good idea, but for some reason the guitarist seemed into it, so I eventually agreed. Apparently he wanted to put everything up onto Instagram. Whatever. I don't even have an Instagram account.
Anyway, despite the cameraman filming while we're all just making shit up on the fly, it was fairly uneventful. The bassist seemed a little strange, like one of those guys who gets so absorbed into his own thoughts, he's completely oblivious to what's going on around him. Example: during one of our more recent rehearsals, he played an entire song in the wrong key. Like an obviously wrong key that sounded way off. I nearly stopped the song several times, but decided to wait and see if he ever figured it out, which he didn't. And frankly, I didn't really like his tone—he uses way too much reverb and effects—or his playing. He's one of those 6-string bassists who overplays everything and wants to take a solo every 16 bars. So even though I think he's a bit odd and not that good of a player, I've been letting it go, mostly because I really wasn't all that into this project.
But then this past Sunday changed everything.
It was the last song before they were going to pack up, and the bassist, lost in thought as usual, somehow ended up with his foot on one of my cymbal stands, and he was rocking the stand wildly (it's not a huge studio, so his spot was always just in front of my kit). I kept playing, but grabbed the cymbal stand and tried to yank it way from his foot so he wouldn't knock it over. Then somehow he managed to get his foot stuck on my big tom/cymbal stand that holds two toms and a crash, and proceeded to kick it so violently that the toms were slamming into my snare. Even though I didn't think it was intentional, I'd had enough, so I stopped playing and yelled at him "What the F*** are you doing?" or something to that extent. He then proceeds to yell at me about how I had all these cords on the floor and that he was slipping on them (it's a STUDIO and my kit is mic'ed up, so yeah there are going to be some cords laying around, but they're all confined to the area directly beneath my kit).
Then instead of saying sorry, he said "Just don't piss me off, or I'll f*** you up." WHAT?!!?? Did this guy just threaten me? So I said "What did you say?" Then he repeated "Don't piss me off, or I'll f*** you up."
That was the final straw. I told him to pack his shit and get the hell out of my studio, and that I was NEVER going to play with him again. Then he starts going on about how he's going to kick my ass out in the parking lot, and on and on. I just want him out of the studio ASAP, because there's at least $12,000 worth of gear in there, and I don't want any of it messed up. All the while, the guitarist seemed confused about what was going on... he's Brazilian, so English isn't his first language and I don't think he heard the bassist threaten me.
Long story short, they both eventually leave, and fortunately no further incidents occurred. But then last night I went to my studio for the first time since then, and there's a big scratch on the door frame right next to the deadbolt, like someone was using a tool to try to break into my studio. I took pictures and sent them to the studio manager, and he's going to review the security footage today to see what exactly took place. If this guy did try to break into the studio, I'm definitely reporting him to the police.
What a psycho. From now on, I'm never letting anyone near my studio unless I know him or her beforehand.
Ok great, so we agree to begin rehearsals at my studio. But the bassist has a request, he wants to bring a cameraman to film everything. On our first rehearsal. Where we don't even know any material. I didn't think it was a good idea, but for some reason the guitarist seemed into it, so I eventually agreed. Apparently he wanted to put everything up onto Instagram. Whatever. I don't even have an Instagram account.
Anyway, despite the cameraman filming while we're all just making shit up on the fly, it was fairly uneventful. The bassist seemed a little strange, like one of those guys who gets so absorbed into his own thoughts, he's completely oblivious to what's going on around him. Example: during one of our more recent rehearsals, he played an entire song in the wrong key. Like an obviously wrong key that sounded way off. I nearly stopped the song several times, but decided to wait and see if he ever figured it out, which he didn't. And frankly, I didn't really like his tone—he uses way too much reverb and effects—or his playing. He's one of those 6-string bassists who overplays everything and wants to take a solo every 16 bars. So even though I think he's a bit odd and not that good of a player, I've been letting it go, mostly because I really wasn't all that into this project.
But then this past Sunday changed everything.
It was the last song before they were going to pack up, and the bassist, lost in thought as usual, somehow ended up with his foot on one of my cymbal stands, and he was rocking the stand wildly (it's not a huge studio, so his spot was always just in front of my kit). I kept playing, but grabbed the cymbal stand and tried to yank it way from his foot so he wouldn't knock it over. Then somehow he managed to get his foot stuck on my big tom/cymbal stand that holds two toms and a crash, and proceeded to kick it so violently that the toms were slamming into my snare. Even though I didn't think it was intentional, I'd had enough, so I stopped playing and yelled at him "What the F*** are you doing?" or something to that extent. He then proceeds to yell at me about how I had all these cords on the floor and that he was slipping on them (it's a STUDIO and my kit is mic'ed up, so yeah there are going to be some cords laying around, but they're all confined to the area directly beneath my kit).
Then instead of saying sorry, he said "Just don't piss me off, or I'll f*** you up." WHAT?!!?? Did this guy just threaten me? So I said "What did you say?" Then he repeated "Don't piss me off, or I'll f*** you up."
That was the final straw. I told him to pack his shit and get the hell out of my studio, and that I was NEVER going to play with him again. Then he starts going on about how he's going to kick my ass out in the parking lot, and on and on. I just want him out of the studio ASAP, because there's at least $12,000 worth of gear in there, and I don't want any of it messed up. All the while, the guitarist seemed confused about what was going on... he's Brazilian, so English isn't his first language and I don't think he heard the bassist threaten me.
Long story short, they both eventually leave, and fortunately no further incidents occurred. But then last night I went to my studio for the first time since then, and there's a big scratch on the door frame right next to the deadbolt, like someone was using a tool to try to break into my studio. I took pictures and sent them to the studio manager, and he's going to review the security footage today to see what exactly took place. If this guy did try to break into the studio, I'm definitely reporting him to the police.
What a psycho. From now on, I'm never letting anyone near my studio unless I know him or her beforehand.
Last edited: