What do you think ?

[Cazmarzak]

After being in a band that basically wasted my time and sucked to the point that I quit, I have developed this attitude where I know what I want and I'm not going to settle for anything less, and I'm not gooing to just let guys waste my time.

I got a call about an audition the other day. Well these guys wanted 2 guitar players and had none, so I sent the guys all my clips and videos and he quickly realized that I knew my **** and what I was doing with the guitar.

The other guy was auditioning before me , had no experience in a band and hardly any lead ability,so I was asked to check him out during my audition to see if he was a keeper or not.

Well the guy was really cool,, but he had no timing, and he didn't play well together with the drummer and the bassist, but he seemed like he may have been able to work out if he didn't mind someone who knows what they are talking about help him.

So I quickly made it a point to let the other guys know, how I felt and told them that it would take about 3 weeks for me to really tell if this guy could work out or not.

Plus none of them had any vocal ability at all. So I told them that they may want to try and find another rytyhm guitarist with some back up ability , cause I have some and would need someone else for the kind of stuff they were doig.

I also let them know that I knew how the bass parts and drum parts go to all this stuff and wanted them to play it right cause I had just gotten out of a band that sucked cause they played whatever they wanted to.

So I left on the note that they were gonna talk and think about the other guitarist, cause they really wanted 2, and they wanted me to do all the leads, cause I totally blew through the stuff they gave me and nailed everything.

Not to be conceded or anything, but I knew the stuff and I have been playing for 18 years and the bassist was only 23 to begin with, but had some talent.

Some of you guys have probably heard my clips and know that I can handle Crazy Train and such stuff and they want to play Lit, and Fuel and are a little shaky doing it.

So anyway the singer calls me the next day and sayst that the other 2 guys decided that they want to go with the other guy by himself, that they had more chemistry with him than with me I go and nail all the stuff in my half hour audtion and they had more chenistry with a guy who could barely play my own worst enemy AND Played Kryptonite wrong!

What the F***K???!!!!


So I ask, is it wrong for me to have this attitude , that I know how this kind of stuff goes and if you don't , I want to show you so we can do it right?

I mean they are talking about playing Bon Jovi and they have no backup vocals, yet totally turn me away when I tell them they need someone who can sing as well to add a second or third harmony with me.

That tells me how inexperienced they were, but I was willing to work with them cause they seemed pretty cool and had some talent, with the exception of the other guitarist,

Don't get me wrong, he didn;'t toally suck, but the timing issue and no vocal ability made me not want to work with him.

So am I a D**K head or did they just make the wrong desicion cause to be honest , it really made me feel bad to have done such a good job with the audition, Plus the singer saw videos of me wailing to I Don't know, Crazy Train and Man in the box, and then to be told tht they picked the other guy cause of the chemistry, again I'm cluless.


Again I want to add that I was asked to give my opinion on this oter guitar player,because the singer looked over all my live videos and sound clips and knew that I played th stuff right and could tell that had some stage experience, and didn 't just stand there looking at my toes while playing live.

 

[Cazmarzak]

Re: What do you think ?

I kknow I sound very arrogant, but I'm really not, I am ver y insecure about my lead playing, but I am a very solid overall guitarist.

There are about 3 guys around here that TOTALLY blow me away and the yare in the very few established bands around here, other than that , I am playing with guys who ask me how to play a B minor, or where is G on the fretboard, or even worse, telling me that it doesn't matter if I play an A chord and they play a B with it," Oh it;s only one fret difference
. Ranalli is a friend of mine and hopefully he will chime in hear casue he has seen some of these idiots I am talking about in my band, Like Bass players that can't play Some Kind of Wonderful, but think the y can play Ozzy and stuff :smack:

So I ask was I wrong in givingtmy opinion that they asked for, especially when this other guy was just going to be a waste of tiem.

The reason I said to them that I knew tha bass parts is casue , I do and the bass player played a part in the middle of Shimmer by Fuel that was so out o key it was horrible.

My brother is an Awesome Bassist and I have learned a lot from him, Again JAson(Ranalli) has heard him play and can verify that he is alos a better guitrist than hlf of the guitr players around her.

AAHH thisis a big mess :yell:

 

[MikeS]

Re: What do you think ?

I can completely understand your attitude. You feel like you were the clear cut #1 choice based on talent and musical knowledge and the gig was given to another guitarist. Leaves a bitter feeling in your mouth. I wouldn't at all say that you are wrong for feeling a bit slighted by the situation. In your case I'd likely react in the same manner that you have.

But, having been in their position I can see where they are coming from. "Chemistry" may sound like a lame-o excuse, but I find that it is extremely important. I've jammed with several drummers over the last couple years and have found that the guy who is recording our drums right now may not be the most technically skilled player I've jammed with, but in terms of being able to sit down at the drums and improve jam with the rest of us makes him #1 in our book. I wouldn't trade him for any other drummer.

Hang in there, bro! It sounds to me that based on your the way you described their sound that you might not have been too happy with the band in the long run. Maybe it's for the best. Why settle for being involved in a band that might not allow you to use your talents to their fullest capability?

 

[Cazmarzak]

Re: What do you think ?

Thanks Mike,

The thing is the chemistry thing is a bunch of BS in this case, casue that guy had only played with them for a half hour before I got there and I blew through the stuff with them, and it sounded really good with te exception of one thing th bAss player played horrible.

But I was jaming with the running around like I was on stage, not like an idiot, but basically like I would have been playing in front of a crowd and entertaining them, eye contact with the guys rocking back and forth etc.

To me that could have better ben considered chemistry thatn the other guy looking down at his feet rocking back and forth and playing all out of time and standing in the same spot.

I know this is petty stuff, but peop;e around here are few and far between to form a band with let alone good people, and when I though that this could have worked out good if the y got another rytym gutarist, to be shot dowhn by a bunch of amatures was very alarming to me , so :fing25: them.

That was my second audition since leaving my band and the first one I politley declined to play and didn't offer my opinions that he bass player sucked, but now this guy keeps calling me to pla y everyweekend. :smack:

 

[Kac]

Re: What do you think ?

But, having been in their position I can see where they are coming from. "Chemistry" may sound like a lame-o excuse, but I find that it is extremely important. I've jammed with several drummers over the last couple years and have found that the guy who is recording our drums right now may not be the most technically skilled player I've jammed with, but in terms of being able to sit down at the drums and improve jam with the rest of us makes him #1 in our book. I wouldn't trade him for any other drummer.

+1

We have had to turn away a guitarist in our band because he was just trying to take charge and tell people what to play, I realize you weren't doing that, I think that you're better than the guys you were auditioning for, so keep looking.
Rock On :smoker:

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: What do you think ?

When i frist started playing bass, I was almost instantly recruited into a bnad (depsite the fact that my ability level was so low that was less a bassist than a guy who owned a bass). The other members of the band were of intermediate skill level, I'd say, with the exception of one guitar player, who was very good. Your disposition reminds me very much of his. We fired him and went on to have a much better time without him.

These guys weren't looking to hire a coach to whip them into shape. They were looking to hire a partner with whom to have some fun playing music.

 

[Chaos]

Re: What do you think ?

There is a high probability that the band felt that your abilities, (while good for the band) would reflect negatively on them. Or that the band would quickly become back-up players to you.

Crude analogy: The last thing a group of ugly girls want to do is bring along a ‘pretty’ friend to a club…They know that they will get no attention…

 

[Artie]

Re: What do you think ?

I would tend to agree with St_Genesius. You probably didn't do anything wrong, other than being too pragmatic. You may have scared them.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: What do you think ?

My band is on guitarist #4 for this very reason: we've had guys that had could shred yoru face off all the way to virtually no lead playing.

And I can tell you: ultimately, ability means very little if there's no kismet. I want someone on the other side of the stage that's gonna give me goosebumps, and that psychic connexion you only get with people when you're on the same exact wavelength.

Seeing it from your side, I can understand your frustration, but it was probably for the best. Everything happens for a reason.

 

[JimiHWannaBe]

Re: What do you think ?

they probably didnt want you in the band because you were going a completly different direction musically and you wanted to bring the band there with you. if theres one thing i know bands dont like is a member who trys to control everyone, even if everyone else has no idea what they are doing. i personally wouldnt wanna be in a band that was that shaky anyways and playing that type of music.

 

[mr breaker]

Re: What do you think ?

I would definitely wait until you find the right people with abilities closer to your own....you'll be happier in the long run!

 

[Xeromus]

Re: What do you think ?

One of my best friends is a pretty good drummer. But, he's completely out of touch with reality. Last time we just jammed together with some guys he had it in his head that we had a band and he called it "rockwell". How gay is that. He tries to take control and has a stupid vision in his head of what he wants a band to be, he watches punk rock vids all the time, and is into those stupid ass emo bands. It's really a shame because he can rock and play jazz and everything pretty well, and he's easily accessible. But just because of the lame-o attitude I think we are going to find another drummer pretty soon.

 

[Gamera]

Re: What do you think ?

I've got to agree with what most everyone else here seems to be saying. Chemistry is a huge factor when you're playing together with a group of guys. I've been in several bands where there's always someone saying "that's not how they play it! You should do it this way!" Newsflash for all of you I've played with in the past or will play with in the future with this attitude:

These are cover tunes we're doing and I'm not (insert original band here!) If (original band) wants to play it that way, great! I don't want to!!! I know we all want to be rockstars, but the chances of you making the "big time" by playing Bon Jovi covers is zilch! Hell, Bon Jovi can't even make a living doing it anymore! So if you're stuck playing these songs with this group of guys, have fun with 'em! Put some of yourself in there, improvise, make it your own! And allow the rest of the guys to have fun with it too. Encourage it! If those drunk @!*&!!'s in the bar wanna hear Bon Jovi note-for-note then turn on the frickin' radio! Besides, other than possibly Elvis impersonators, nobody gets famous playing somebody else's material note-for-note. That's not my definition of musician. That's my definition of robot.

There are always exceptions to this rule, but that has been and always will be my philosophy when playing in cover bands.

 

[Nightburst]

Re: What do you think ?

Crude analogy: The last thing a group of ugly girls want to do is bring along a ‘pretty’ friend to a club…They know that they will get no attention…

Exactly what I was thinking after reading your story.

Kinda unfair that they made up a lame excuse instead of telling you the truth. IMHO That reflects something about their point of view and could possibly have caused problems in the future. You simply showed them and they couldn't follow.

 

[some_dude]

Re: What do you think ?

I think you'd get along better with a band closer to your abilities anyway.

 

[RushOfBlood]

Re: What do you think ?

I think you'd get along better with a band closer to your abilities anyway.

no doubt, don't sweat it.

 

[usagi]

Re: What do you think ?

Sounds like that band would have been an absolute disaster for you. You like Ozzy and they like Lit. How's that going to work out? You said you've been playing 18 years. I doubt you're 23, like the bass player, or even close. At best you are my age, 32 or older. You're going to have a hard time relating to them and vice versa. I think they knew it as well. If you are desperate to be a rock star you have to be in a band and you may need to compromise your principles sometimes. Read some interviews with guys like George Lynch if you think you don't have to compromise. However, if you don't care about all that find some like minded people and have fun.

 

[Cazmarzak]

Re: What do you think ?

I agree with you guys except for two small things. FIrst, since they asked for my opinion based on my experience, I assumed that they DID want to be coached. Now mind you , I wouldn't be telling these guys every practice, " You do this, You do that ", But when you want to play Bon Jovi and have no backup vocals, well something need to be said.

The other thing is, I feel when playing covers, especially ones as easy as LIT, they sould just be played the way they are. People expect t hear them that way and just cause you can't play them right is no excuse to say, Oh it deosn't matter.

I also tend to kind of know when you can get away with changing something and when not. For instance, we added a few solos and a couple audience participation type things to the song, Some Kind of Wonderful, but you CAN"T play a differnt solo for Crazy Train, or even worse, chsnget he lead for Detroit Rock City, and I'm sure you guys who play this stuff know what I mean.

I really do'n't want to be the guys who runs a band, that is a pain, but someones gotta see that everything is running right and these guys were just off in the wrong direction from the get go, wit hno vocals.

Now the singer ws 41 so I know my age was't the factor here among other things cause , they saw waht I looked like and saw me play before they asked me to come over.

Hell , the singer called me about 4 times that week just to make sure I wasn't gonna bail on them, and he was the one who was asking for my opinions adnd stuff.

I think maybe he wanted me, but the oter two guys beingthe real youg guys may have decided that they didbn;'t need me and maybe could just deal with the other guy better.

These guys didn't even thnk you needed a sound guy to play thes clubs around her and they were sadly mistaken.

Now with stuff like that , I didn't mind telling them , why you need a sound guy and how things were on stage, bla bla bla , I just thought that was the way peoplelearned things, and they definatly needed to knw about some of this stuff.

I guess I just came across wrong and if they just aren't willing to accept the fact that they have a lot to learn, then I don't want to play with them

Just for the record, I'm not an amazing guitarist, but htis guy couldn't play the intro to Kryptonite, so what does that tell you?

 

[moog1000]

Re: What do you think ?

Sounds like the chemistry reason was an easy way to let you down. It sounds like these guys liked you to begin with, but when they thought about how much better you were, perhaps they thought trying to keep up with you wouldn't be that much fun - because ultimately it's about having fun. People of a lower ability generally have more fun playing with people of a similar standard, as there's no pressure to try and outplay themselves.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: What do you think ?

I've had similar problems with members in bands I was involved with before.

Gearjoneser had it right when he said your bandmates aren't your best friends, they are people that are dedicated to the same stuff you are and will work at one vision. If you are friends with them, that's all the better, but hanging onto weak members is a poor idea. I wasted a year of my life trying to get a band together and it folded in no time.

I just started up with a new band and I'm working with a completely different band member. He's talented, dedicated, has tons of experience, and is open minded. If I show him that I'm working hard to get the band going, I know it'll all work out. It's nice to have direction as well. In a few months, if all goes as planned, we'll be setting up some gigs.

Nobody likes members that show off or boss others. That's why I go out of my way to be down-to-earth and respectful of others; it makes all the difference. When egos get in the way, that's when making music stops being fun. I'm not a fantastic player, but I make the best of what I can and write as much hooks and melodies as possible. I can't solo anything remotely serious, but let's just say I'm better than Fred Durst (remember the link on here a while ago? )