worst way to be dumped by a band

CountHavoc

CountHavoc

Member
Found out thru the bands myspace that i was goin to be replaced(even tho i was brought in to "heavy" up their sound)apparently,im too metal & too fast.Anyone else with worst way's of being kicked outta a band?
 
I knew a guy that was kicked out of a band mid-set! No joke--the band had a couple of rehearsals with the new drummer and had an elaborate scheme all worked out. During the 3rd song, the singer stopped the music and asked if there were any drummers in the audience who could do "better". Their planted drummer took the stage and proceeded to play the rest of the show after the singer roused the audience to cheer for the drummer who "didn't know the songs, but could play them better than their current drummer". What a rotten thing to do! Obviously, there was a three-person altercation that followed the gig...
 
Think what made it worse was that we had only rehersed once,everything was fine,then a week later i find out,then receive an e-mail a day later that it was a unanimous decision & when i did speak with the rest of the band,they claim to have known nothin about it.I just think it's a bit gutless to advertise b4 that let u know
 
CountHavoc said:
Found out thru the bands myspace that i was goin to be replaced(even tho i was brought in to "heavy" up their sound)apparently,im too metal & too fast.Anyone else with worst way's of being kicked outta a band?
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Man that sucks. That is poor personnel management and completely unprofessional. They aren't going to be together that long.
 
I had a few rehearsals with a band a couple of years ago. It was a pretty loose project, and I wasn't an "official" member, but I left my kit at their rehearsal space since I wasn't playing with anyone else at the time. After a few weeks without contact, I saw on their MySpace that they had a drummer listed, and it wasn't me. Now, I wouldn't have had a problem with this if it wasn't for the fact that they never called me to tell me to pick up my kit... I guess they were just hoping I'd find out at some point and then call them instead. I got hold of them after a few days and arranged to pick up my kit. Thankfully they hadn't used it, they'd just (clumsily) packed it away.
 
caddywumpus said:
I knew a guy that was kicked out of a band mid-set! No joke--the band had a couple of rehearsals with the new drummer and had an elaborate scheme all worked out. During the 3rd song, the singer stopped the music and asked if there were any drummers in the audience who could do "better". Their planted drummer took the stage and proceeded to play the rest of the show after the singer roused the audience to cheer for the drummer who "didn't know the songs, but could play them better than their current drummer". What a rotten thing to do! Obviously, there was a three-person altercation that followed the gig...
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If a singer surprised me that way and expected me to give up my kit to some stranger from the audience, I'd be like, "Yeah, right." That drummer should not have caved.
 
I have had a few experiences in my 32 years of playing.

When I was about 17 I was in a band. I called my close friend the bass player and asked about rehearsal. He told me it was canceled. I decided I wanted to go get my kit so I drove over to the guitarist to grab it and when I show up there is the entire band, including my friend and some other guy PLAYING MY KIT! I simply walked in and took my my gear and went home. I was so mad I did not say a word, I really felt if I said anything I would end up going to blows with someone. ahh youth ;-)

More recently about 2 years ago I was in a blues band. When I auditioned for the gig I told them I travel for my job and there would be a few times a year I would be out of the country for a few weeks at at time. They said "no problem, we want you" so it was done.
I am always browsing Criagslist looking for pick-up gigs and I see this ad, I am reading it and I am thinking, this sounds like my band. So I jump on yahoo and open an email account under another name and respond to the ad, sure enough it was them.
I then called the bass player and asked him to bring some stuff of mine to the guitarists house and met both of them there. I was giving them the chance to be up front but they said nothing. I took my kit and that was that. I told them I was not going to take time away from my family to spend time with people that had the lack of character that they possessed and I was gone.

I see there ads looking for drummers all the time now and I am in 4 bands and working almost every weekend, I am opening for major head liners here in Austin as well as one of my bands is going to be playing on the morning news in a few weeks.

So things have a way of working out for the better a lot of the time.
 
I once had this happen to me. I tried out with a band and I played a few gigs with them. All was fine! I didn't know that they were also courting a drummer who I admit was better than me at the time. The other drummer joined them and they started giving me the same lines of crap! Rehearsal is cancelled this week etc! I found out through an outside source that they had replaced me. I confronted them and they said that no one in the band would take on the task of telling me that I was out! Ever since that experience I always make it clear that if for any reason the band doesn't want me please let me know as soon as possible so that we don't waste each others time. I tell them that I don't want to be where Im not wanted! I say that if you want me, Im there 110%, If you don't want me I don't want to be here at all either.
I haven't ever been replaced since. When I left a band by my choice I always gave notice and I stayed until a new drummer could be worked in.
If my bands decide to replace someone I always choose to be the one that tells that person. I always tell them the truth. I didn't like it when it was done to me and I won't let it happen to someone else. It is better to have someone disappointed for a short while than jerked around and made a fool of!
 
I got fired at the end of a tour once we had a band meeting and they told me I was sacked. It was mainly a personality thing because we had 4 guys in the band that like to DO-IT ALL. and nobody really wanted to give up control of anything. I'm alot more relaxed now and I realize that things aren't always going to go with the plan.

every other band i've been in has just dis-banded or I quit.

getting dumped and quitting always sucks though. alot of problems in bands can be avoided by communicating. anything that is said behind somebodies back should be said to their face.
 
I deployed for 4 mos and my band kept going with a replacement. It got to be too much drama and headache for the one guy so he left as well. Since then the other two replaced me and still play as trio...badly so I've heard. Eventually it turns out the backstabbing snake of the group wanted me out of the band because he was jealous of the other band I play in. I always dedicated everything and the other band never interfered. Even though it's legal for them to do so, I could still sue them although it's not worth my time. They stink now anyways. That and the other band kicks a**.

I have to say some of these stories of reading ads for your own bands and other people secretly practicing without you is TERRIBLE. What a horrible way to learn of the band's future without you. You're all better off though, just don't be involved in doing it to someone else.
 
caddywumpus said:
I knew a guy that was kicked out of a band mid-set! No joke--the band had a couple of rehearsals with the new drummer and had an elaborate scheme all worked out. During the 3rd song, the singer stopped the music and asked if there were any drummers in the audience who could do "better". Their planted drummer took the stage and proceeded to play the rest of the show after the singer roused the audience to cheer for the drummer who "didn't know the songs, but could play them better than their current drummer". What a rotten thing to do! Obviously, there was a three-person altercation that followed the gig...
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If I were the other drummer that they called to the stage, I never would have gone along with it! I would have told them to fire the other guy first! Is there more to this story? Revenge perhaps? Or something like that! It seems to cruel to not have a hidden agenda behind it!
 
turns out i didnt have a "feel" for the music.
Feel is all i have when i play!!
Im going to go play the triangle now.LOL
 
caddywumpus said:
I knew a guy that was kicked out of a band mid-set! No joke--the band had a couple of rehearsals with the new drummer and had an elaborate scheme all worked out. During the 3rd song, the singer stopped the music and asked if there were any drummers in the audience who could do "better". Their planted drummer took the stage and proceeded to play the rest of the show after the singer roused the audience to cheer for the drummer who "didn't know the songs, but could play them better than their current drummer". What a rotten thing to do! Obviously, there was a three-person altercation that followed the gig...
Click to expand...
My Dad was hired at age 20 by Buddy Rich in New Orleans, 15 minutes before a down beat. Buddy's regular 2nd trombonist was fired for being too drunk to play. Dad was then fired by Rich in the middle of a set 2 nights later when the regular trombonist showed up sober to ask for his old job back. Dad would then go on to play with Rich twice more for longer periods.
 
mattsmith said:
My Dad was hired at age 20 by Buddy Rich in New Orleans, 15 minutes before a down beat. Buddy's regular 2nd trombonist was fired for being too drunk to play. Dad was then fired by Rich in the middle of a set 2 nights later when the regular trombonist showed up sober to ask for his old job back. Dad would then go on to play with Rich twice more for longer periods.
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That's a great story!! You didn't want to argue with that guy haha.
 
I replaced a drummer who was unreliable and prone to substance abuse.
He showed up at a rehearsal drunk or stoned or both. I was friendly to him and let him have a play on my kit. He played pretty well considering.
Then he got in his car and weaved off down the road.
I felt sorry for him because he had an addiction that stopped his musical carreer.
 
Drumrunner said:
Here is one for ya. I was in a club watching a live band and the singer started changing the lyrics of a song with lyrics saying how much the drummer sucked. Then he proceded up on the drum riser and spit on the drummer. After that all i saw was fists, sabians, and saturns flying.
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And the drummer won right? If he lost the fight AND his cymbals that's one hell of an insult.
 
I'd been playing for 7 months with a praise band at a little church 30 minutes from my home. No pay, totally volunteer. I wanted to give something back. In January the regular leader left to join his old church again. The young pastor brings in this guitar player to lead. This guy was cocky and arrogant from the start. Egotistical to the extreme. For 7 months I get all kinds of compliments on my playing, even this egotistical guitar leader compliments me.

Three weeks ago, the rhythm guitar player invites me out for BBQ. Friendly gesture. We've become friends over the 7 months I was at the church. We discuss all kinds of stuff over dinner and eventually it leads to the praise band. Granted, I'm not the most religious guy, but I try.

Then he drops the bombshell. The leader wants to bring in another drummer - his friend and drummer from another band he plays in.

Neither the young pastor, nor the leader had the guts to tell me themselves! No reason given, no warning. Just he wants to bring in the drummer from his other band.

After seven months of volunteering and being absent only once for illness I was sacked. But get this, they wanted to still use my equipment and wanted me to train as an audio tech up in their sound booth "helping" with audio and visual.

I exploded I was so pissed. I quit immediately, wrote the pastor a nasty letter and wrote most of the church members a letter saying why I would not be back.

I've not heard a word from anyone since.... Hypocritical bastards......
 
rogue_drummer said:
I'd been playing for 7 months with a praise band at a little church 30 minutes from my home. No pay, totally volunteer. I wanted to give something back. In January the regular leader left to join his old church again. The young pastor brings in this guitar player to lead. This guy was cocky and arrogant from the start. Egotistical to the extreme. For 7 months I get all kinds of compliments on my playing, even this egotistical guitar leader compliments me.

Three weeks ago, the rhythm guitar player invites me out for BBQ. Friendly gesture. We've become friends over the 7 months I was at the church. We discuss all kinds of stuff over dinner and eventually it leads to the praise band. Granted, I'm not the most religious guy, but I try.

Then he drops the bombshell. The leader wants to bring in another drummer - his friend and drummer from another band he plays in.

Neither the young pastor, nor the leader had the guts to tell me themselves! No reason given, no warning. Just he wants to bring in the drummer from his other band.

After seven months of volunteering and being absent only once for illness I was sacked. But get this, they wanted to still use my equipment and wanted me to train as an audio tech up in their sound booth "helping" with audio and visual.

I exploded I was so pissed. I quit immediately, wrote the pastor a nasty letter and wrote most of the church members a letter saying why I would not be back.

I've not heard a word from anyone since.... Hypocritical bastards......
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That's a raunchy way to treat someone. Just pack up your stuff and leave immediately. I can't believe they would have the nerve to ask you to use your gear (a stretch even for people on good terms) and time. Personally, I wouldn't have sent a letter to anyone but the pastor, reminding him that you have the decency to talk to him directly about this issue even when he didn't. Most people probably wouldn't care.

This often happens when you play for free. People do not value you or your work. The worst treatment I have endured happened at free gigs and the best, at gigs where the band was paid well. Go figure.
 
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