Good call but I was looking forward to more of the cranky drummer stories 
5 Likes
So am I! Wishing you good luck, that is. Not myself 
2 Likes
Good luck! You got this
2 Likes
is that idiot going to pay you to buy a pbass? how about, “yeah, are those the drums you play, because i really think you need to play ludwigs”. seriously, nobody would ever tell a guitar player to change his favorite guitar, ridiculous.
4 Likes
good luck!
2 Likes
Yeah that was my take too. “You’re just gonna use sample triggers, right? Or do you really think you’re gonna mic that thing?”
3 Likes
I know, right?! I mean, someone else on the thread said he’s entitled to his opinion, and I totally agree, but I also would never have the audacity to tell somebody — before they’ve even been given a chance to play — that their gear sucks. That was just lame.
3 Likes
Y’all are the best! Thanks so much for all your support.
The audition tonight was awesome! I pretty much nailed every song that was on the audition list, and I came prepared with some additional ones — some of the “standards” they typically play, plus a couple of songs that are in their “new” material (including “Footloose” which is pretty dang fast and squirrley, but tons of fun).
I made a few minor mistakes, but once you’ve got dual guitars and drums most of those get swallowed up in the overall sound. Mostly though, I played everything just right. I felt good, I was loose and moving around, obviously having a good time, which is something the bandleader told me from day one: “We want somebody who looks like they’re having fun so the audience can have fun, too.” And that’s definitely the vibe I brought – because it is fun!
I think I may have said somewhere else in the forums… I feel like I was made to play this instrument, like this is what I should’ve been doing all along — except I never would have wanted to play bass because, like most casual observers, I didn’t think bass was “cool.“ How wrong I was!
Anyway, like I told my wife, I have to imagine that they feel pleased and that it’s surely just a matter of everyone giving the thumbs up. If for some reason that isn’t the case, I know that I’ve done my dead level best to learn the material and “put on a good show,” and that’s all anyone can ask for.
Oh, one more thing… I actually asked these guys about my equipment and the fact that I usually play with a pick (I’m just a lot more confident and fluent because of having played so many years on other instruments using a plectrum) and they, without hesitation, said “hey, whatever works for you and lets you play your best, works for us,” which I thought was such a cool vibe — especially compared to the other guys who seemed completely hung up on every detail being the way they wanted. I have to admit, I’ve been a gear snob myself down through the years, but playing music and having a good time ought to be the focus. As long as it sounds decent and the crowd is into it, it shouldn’t matter.
So, that’s my story. Hopefully, pretty soon, I will be starting a new thread called, “Yikes! I’m in a band!”
25 Likes
Thanks for sharing @thebanjoplayer ! Sounds like a much better fit than the other band with the little drummer boy. Good luck!
4 Likes
Congratulations, that sounds awesome!
I’m looking forward to this thread. 
4 Likes
Cool beans! Hope you get it!
2 Likes
Ok… I guess this is it… My last post on this thread…
Tonight I met with the bandleader at the rehearsal studio to “roadmap” some songs that they play in a weird key or that have a spot where I need to come in or lay out or whatever.
It all went well, and I even got to work on my — get this! — BASS SOLO near the end of “Play That Funky Music.” It’s really just a few measures of improvisation that lead back into the iconic “lay down the boogie…” and then there’s a drum roll and then I immediately kick off “Brick House”!!!
At the end of rehearsal he said — if I feel ready — that he’d like for me to play my first gig with them on the weekend after next (October 22) at a major casino in our area! And then two more shows the next week (Tuesday and Friday), including a 4-hour outdoor gig (!) at a major new venue that’s opened on the downtown strip! These are legit shows!!!
In other words, it looks like I’m basically in a band (knock on wood). I mean, I’ve still not actually played a show, (so, I guess I’ll wait a while for the tattoo, 
) but I’m being integrated into the group, and he’s talking about “our” upcoming schedule.
It’s all kind of unbelievable… My daughter is assigned bass in the school band about a year ago… In January of this year, I decide to buy her a bass of her own — and end up mostly playing it myself… I had never cared a thing about bass guitar, had never paid it any attention, but immediately fell in love! And now, I’m a bassist in a legitimate local band, like, with paying gigs!!! It’s too cool! (And, yes, I told him “I’m definitely ready to play the casino!”)
So, be on the lookout for my next saga called “The Life of a Gigging Musician” or “What Have I Gotten Myself Into?!”
26 Likes
Wow! Congrats!
3 Likes
2 Likes
So amazing. Congrats! Looking forward to your upcoming topic!
3 Likes
2 Likes
Holy crap that’s awesome!
2 Likes
This post has greatly improved the quality of my day.
I am so very happy for you, congratulations!!! 
5 Likes
Congrats! Good work
4 hours gig holy hell, that needs a lot of stamina… Good luck and have fun!
3 Likes