# Band mate drama



## ShaneO))) (Aug 29, 2010)

So I've been in band for about 8 months now with four of my good friends. We play a heavy fusion style incorporating Progressive rock, Psychedelic, classic, improv  and electronic genres. Much like acts like the disco biscuits and Umphrees Mcgee.

             I play bass with a guitarist, drummer and keyboardist. Recently our keyboardist was leaning more towards a direction the rest of us were not trying to go. He also recently moved about an hour and fifteen away. So we decided that we had to let him go for lack of a better term. He had kind of figured it out and asked us last night while he was back in town. We were all up at my buddies house drinking and such. He confronted me at first, we talked i laid it all out for him. He seem fine with it just disappointed, so we went back inside played some cards. Then he asked my guitarist if he wanted to step out for a smoke.

           My drummer then followed them both outside. I stayed inside not knowing they were talking about the band. About a half hour goes by so i headed out to see what was going on. They were talking and it seemed pretty civil. But my drummer and keyboardist have had a lot of confrontations in the past. When they started talking it all went to shit. He started saying how he sacrificed the most for the band when he really didn't. We 
all had to make sacrifices for the band not just him. He started in on us about how he could be going to an ivy league school cause of his GPA. Which is complete Bullshit he is responsible for his own actions not us. And that he was the most dedicated. He was dedicated in a sense but he really didn't have set parts for the songs. And when we would jam he would never look up for changes or segues and transfers. This was also part of why we had to let him go. 

         It just got worse after that. He started attacking my drummer on his weakest drumming point which IMO is a low blow. He eventually told my drummer to shut the fuck up. My drummer then told him he was going to leave because he was being attack when he was being extremely polite and apologetic. His final words to my drummer were "learn how to hold a fucking untz beat you faggot." This is when we all decided to leave. But he has recently apologized for the way he acted and still wants to be friends so i hope for the best for him because he is extremely creative and talented. It was just a little too dramatic for the situation. Anyone experience similar  circumstances?


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## Jude (Aug 29, 2010)

No offense, but it sounds like your keyboardist is a douche. I hate band drama, my band experiences it too.

Right now, I'm part of a power trio. A guitarist, me, and a bassist/singer. Which is awesome, I love those types of bands, ones that can create a massive sound with just a small group of people. There are a lot of problems with my band. We've been together for like a year, and have only played in public once, for a high school talent show. I don't even think you can consider us a band just yet.

Basically, my singer/bassist is awesome. I love his musical tastes. He constantly talks about classic rock, progressive, and indie as a whole. He is totally laid back. I have no problems with him right now, other than the fact that he is majorly slowing us down because of his lack of bass skills. He's only been playing like three months, so I can forgive him. I'll be patient, it's no big deal.

My guitarist is a little full of himself. Most of the time, he doesn't realize it. He takes on the role of "band leader". He told our singer not to get a bass guitar just because it might make him seem like the leader of the band. Total BS. He got really mad when I jokingly made up a name for the band. "Casey and the Finches", which because our singer's name is Casey Finch, which is freaking awesome and clever. Who cares if it makes him "seem" like the leader of the band. He's the freaking singer. Especially when we don't even have a name yet. We wrote most of a song. I came up with the basic idea and some lyrics, he came up with the guitar parts. Now suddenly he's the writer of every song. I'm sorry I play a percussive instrument, OK, don't rub it in my face that you wrote every single song we half-made. He also is recruiting a rhythm guitarist into the band (without me or Casey's permission) that's been playing for three weeks, and is two weeks sober. Yup. Lots of problems.

My singer and guitarist don't get along too well. I don't get along with the guitarist, but he gets along with me. I feel really awkward when I talk to our singer and guitarist separately behind eachother's backs. I'm not your goddamn messenger.

Our guitarist also is off to make a solo album (WTF?) when we barely meet up as a band as it is.


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## ShaneO))) (Aug 30, 2010)

Yea he can be a douche, but he can be a real cool dude too. He is bi-polar and has heavy anxiety and various other mental issues. This is also part of why we let him go because he was too unpredictable. We would be playing a song and the jam would be going great and he would get frustrated and just get up and leave. One thing he said that really pissed me off was "you guys better not go into that heavy peak in g song(we are lazy so we have no actual name for our songs)." What he does not realize is that the peak he is speaking of is actually a set part of the song that my GUITARIST wrote 2 years prior to ever playing with him. Actually all the songs are written by our guitarist before the band got together. He also said our new keyboardist(if we get one) can't play blue notes like he did. HE DIDN'T FUCKING INVENT BLUE NOTES!!! Again like i said he apologized for the way he acted so i think things are all gravy now.


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## The DK (Aug 31, 2010)

that good he apologized, pointing out someones musical lowpoints in an argument is pretty low. also that is the best call you can make by letting him go, you dont want another Axel Rose just up and leaving in the middle of a show, that looks entirely unprofessional.


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## Fenrir Lupus (Sep 3, 2010)

First 3 posts make me need to say 

OMG WALL OF TEXT, TL;DR!

But yes, drama in bands very prevalent.  I haven't seen the same members in a local band with members around my age for over a couple years...  Usually the bands they form after the break up are better anyway.

I got out of the whole live music thing to save myself from that, but I wish I hadn't...  because I don't think i'm ever getting back in until well after i'm out of college.


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