Why did you get fired?

I've never been fired, but I somehow made a bass player fire us as a band!
Really good bass player but I didn't know he was temperamental.. maybe just mental.
In any case he'd read an article in 'Bass Player magazine' about how pro bands should conduct their practices and run their stage show.. and was explaining to the band why we should follow the advice and 'practice and play the same setlist over and over for every gig and practice - in the same order every time and never change it up; schedule a few short breaks in between songs on a gig to engage with the audience. etc.'
I made the mistake of making a small joke about something to add some levity..
.. and he stopped talking, packed his bass, grabbed his gear and amp - and left! Never to be heard from again!
What a freakin' weirdo.
We found an even better bass player after that!
 
The band leader’s high school buddy (and former band mate from that time) moved back into town. He came to a gig and asked to sit in. He gorilla-fisted his way through a song with the delicacy and musical sensibilities of a bull in a china shop (with me thinking “Oh my gawd—MY DRUMS!!!” the whole song). I got the break up call shortly thereafter.
 
timmdrum said:
I realize this sounds like sour grapes, but, I've been fired lots of times, and 100% truth, I was on the verge of leaving anyway due to others' immaturity, passive-aggressiveness, unprofessionalism, disproportionate work ethic/effort, duplicity, etc- but never once for musical reasons- and 100%, they were less productive after my departure and ended up disbanding, largely due to the same issues I'd been witnessing. A few of those bandleaders/members have told me after the fact that it was a mistake to let me go. :cautious: I'm easy to get along with and a great hang, but my bullshitometer is sharp, and man-babies (and one woman-baby) don't like it when it gets set off and exposes their issues. (I'm never rude/angry, but rather, politely outspoken.) I often wonder if it's the area I live in (Raleigh to Greenville NC), or if I've just been unlucky in landing the gigs I've had.
Click to expand...

Just curious...what musical genres were the bands that fired you?
 
PorkPieGuy said:
Just curious...what musical genres were the bands that fired you?
Click to expand...
90s grunge (I hate that word, lol), actually back in the 90s, original music. A beach music band (only folks who have lived in the Carolinas and SE VA will know what that means). Cpl different cover bands. An original alt-rock band- twice, actually, about 10 years apart. Another original band that was kinda rock, kinda Americana.

I've also been in bands that ran their courses naturally, with no one getting fired. I've been in a lot of bands. :D
 
Matt Suda said:
Do you remember where you played?
Click to expand...
I forget the name of the venue. It was on Beale Street. If the Peabody Hotel is on my left as I walk down Beale, the venue I played was on the left side of the street near where the police station is near the corner
 
I got fired from 2 bands I was playing in 2 weeks apart .

I was drinking very heavy and had a crystal meth issue along with a stupid bartender girlfriend…

I was a wreck and earned it ……
 
Only once, but it was a shocker. I knew a multi-instrumentalist who'd assembled a group of musicians who he used in different bands. It was fun. I got to play with some good people and sometimes was even paid half okay. He arranged a jam between him, me and a bassist who he hoped to add to his posse. He was a fusion-y kind of player.

So we played some fusion-y tunes. Then we came to Red Baron. During one of the breaks I tried to copy one of Billy C's hero fills down the toms and flubbed it badly, coming out of the fill late.

After the jam was over, the organiser guy tore me a new one. I remember him shouting, "I couldn't believe it when you dropped the beat". And he talked about how much it embarrassed him in front of the bassist. Yikes. I felt about a centimetre tall and, of course, lost the gig.

It still amazes me how dumb I was. These days, even Billy C doesn't bother with those hero fills in the song, because groovy fills actually sound better. It would have been so easy to play something groovy and solid but, no, dopey had to fly too high like Icarus, with similar results :ROFLMAO:

Funny thing, years later I had a call to fill in on drums in a rehearsal for a band who were much better players than me. OMG - another $%^$# fusion bassist! But at least they were playing pop. So I clung to the damn backbeat like my life depended on it and kept the fills simple and consistent. I was playing absolutely bog basic and the bassist was winding around the beat all over the place like a champ (great tone too). After it was over the bassist said he really liked my playing and hoped to play together again. I couldn't have been more surprised if the guy had suddenly sprouted a cuckoo clock out of his forehead.
 
Oh , I got fired for taking too much attention on stage ….I do not spin sticks or showboat ….
Guess I’m just extremely charming???
 
I left the active-duty US Army in 1999, got a civilian job and joined a popular 6-piece bar band. Life was good. Then... 9-11 happened and the Army asked me to join the Reserves. They were in desperate need of my skill set and I felt an obligation, so went back in.

I had already made arrangements for another drummer to fill in whenever my Army schedule conflicted with the band. Yes, that was a lot to ask of the band and the members weren't happy about my decision.

They ended up firing me through an email. This actually surprised me because up until then, we were best of friends, did stuff together apart from the band, helped each other out, etc... In the end, they really weren't my friends. Joining the Army Reserves turned out to be one of the best decisions of my professional career as it essentially unloaded a bunch of fake friends for a lifetime pension and benefits.
 
I know someone who was activated in that time. I won't talk with him about it so that we can remain friends.
 
larryace said:
I got fired for telling the truth...that we were WAY too loud. When 50 people majorly distanced themselves from the band within the first 5 notes...you would think that would have an effect. As pros, we are the ones who are supposed to KNOW what volume to play for the room involved. As soon as we were done the "big gig" the band "broke up" and reformed without me. The leader/guitarist is a "stare a hole in the guitar neck" type of guy. I didn't like the guy, still don't.

The big gig was competing in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, 2014. Which we got cut in the first round. Fun trip just the same. Except it was 9 degrees in Memphis, freakishly cold. It majorly affected the crowd turnout. I drove 18 hours from PA to Memphis, 9 hours of it we were in a blinding snowstorm...stuck behind 3 plow trucks abreast. Slow going. Got pulled over in Memphis because snow was hiding my license plate. The officer cleaned off my plate. That would NEVER happen in PA lol. The food was so good there...
Click to expand...
HATE bands playing too loud.
Buskers do it too: pushes people away across the street. Cretins.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top