The Last Bass Outpost
Main Forums => The Outpost Cafe => Topic started by: gweimer on February 21, 2013, 02:01:45 PM
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This is too funny not to pass on. I've been playing again here and there with my church worship group. There's a rotation big enough for a few different bands. The pastor has this big plan he's been hinting at. Today, I got a phone call. He wants to work more with "the younger guys", and wanted to make sure I was good with being bumped "this week". I can't wait to see who else is removed, since half of us are not able to duck walk or do windmills anymore.
Just when I thought I'd been through all of it... :mrgreen:
My gracious response was to tell him that I was going to set up the Jazz Bass that his young guy always leaves in the corner. The G string is missing a saddle screw, and the whole string is basically fretting out.
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Hmm...younger guys.... is he a catholic priest.... :-X
Just kidding...
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I can only hope he knows more about spiritual matters than he does about musical talent.
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Hmm...younger guys.... is he a catholic priest.... :-X
Just kidding...
Neither Catholic nor Rob Halford.
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Halford may be gay but he's no file. It's actually the drummer Dave Holland who is currently serving time for attempted rape and indecent assault on a teenage boy. Dave denies the charges.
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Halford may be gay but he's no file. It's actually the drummer Dave Holland who is currently serving time for attempted rape and indecent assault on a teenage boy. Dave denies the charges.
I was making a Priest reference. Nothing more.
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Oh, I see. Maybe since you won't be playing in the service of the Lord you could try jamming on some of the Devil's music. I bet plenty of those bands could use you.
Rock on!
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The Priest just wanted to leave the old men behind.
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Jeez, guys, how about a little sympathy for Gary.
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Jeez, guys, how about a little sympathy for Gary.
Hey, hey, hey!!! I resent that....I think....
Of course, some of you may know that King Crimson was a synonym for the Devil, according to Peter Sinfield, so I guess my favorite band really IS the Devil's music. Hmmmmm......
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Jeez, guys, how about a little sympathy for Gary.
That's what I was trying to do when I said I hoped the pastor knew more about spiritual matters than music. I think this is outrageous. I can assure you if I were at that church, I would be going directly to the pastor telling him what I thought about this. It's like firing a pro baseball player and replacing him with a kid from the Little League.
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All kidding aside, I do appreciate the support. This pastor is good, but he is a little ADD, by his own admission. Like I said, I doubt that it's just me that's getting rearranged. The band is really one of the most disorganized I've ever played in. Each service, I spend the day before looking over bad chord sheets, and downloading songs from YouTube. Sometimes, the keys don't match, and one of the band leaders has a habit of taking off on a tangent without warning. One Sunday, I had 4 different versions of the same song in front of me, all in a different key. I liked playing again, but I'm truly not hurt by this.
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catholics don't have praise and worship groups. they had a folk mass in the early seventies that was kind of lame. of course things may have changed in the forty four years since i have been to mass.
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Might I suggest something "new" for the congregation to ponder upon...?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftZ3UCdTuWQ
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I liked playing again, but I'm truly not hurt by this.
It still sucks that you got sacked, and it bothered you enough to comment on it, which IMO, you certainly have a right to be. When US churches look at their declining rolls and wonder why, they need only look to those that remain on them for the cause. Kicking anyone working that hard out of legitimate service, no matter how benign it may seem at the time, does NOT have a "Christian" motive. You don't owe the pastor or God any favors. Moves like that are made from vanity, not servitude. Find a place that appreciates your musical contribution; life's too short to waste it on egotists using "praise" music as a prop for their fragile ego's.
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Neither Catholic nor Rob Halford.
That's a bad mix then.
I wouldn't hold it against anyone, but burning the church down - German reprisal style - seems to be in order.
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That's a bad mix then.
I wouldn't hold it against anyone, but burning the church down - German reprisal style - seems to be in order.
Well, I suppose I could summon my German/French heritage, and nail my outrage on the front door of the church. :mrgreen:
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Might I suggest something "new" for the congregation to ponder upon...?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftZ3UCdTuWQ
I had a guitarist friend who totally out of the blue wanted to play and sing that and "Angie" the other day. Pretty cool, especially since I wasn't aware of the fact that she cared much about the Stones at all.
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Well, I suppose I could summon my German/French heritage, and nail my outrage on the front door of the church. :mrgreen:
But then you'd need to adopt mluther as a screen name.
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Moves like that are made from vanity, not servitude.
This.
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Here's the update. I was there this morning (I help set up chairs), and the "new" band starts showing up. I was talking with the drummer, who doesn't know me, he said they were putting together a new band, and were starting practice at 10:00. I got to working on the bass. What a MESS! The G saddle was not only missing a screw, and bottoming out, but the one saddle screw there was had been mounted upside down. I found the same thing true about two other string saddle screws. I fixed all but one for lack of time. The spare bridge I had was fine thread, and I think his MIM Jazz has coarse, so I simply swapped out one whole saddle assembly. I set it up as best I could in 5 minutes, and did a quick intonation.
When I left around 10:30, the bass player still hadn't showed up, and they were practicing for tomorrow's service without him. The last time he played, he was out in the parking lot when the band came back up to play after the sermon. I sense a pattern. I don't know this kid, and I'm sure he's good guy, but he's obviously not focused on the times when he's asked to play.
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Not always showing up to play is most likely the only characteristic he shares with Jaco.
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I don't know this kid, and I'm sure he's good guy, but he's obviously not focused on the times when he's asked to play.
I think you're being much too kind. He sounds like a medium flake with little sense of responsibility. I predict that he will have a very short run as the bass player.
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You should really rehearse a new song with them, Gary, something light and worshippy me thinks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Nfj8wk-0Y
And I have good ideas for that priest too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vir7vDdPeuI
I believe I could get all creative with him. We haff ze vvvays to make you repent, Pfaffe ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77iaGwgEBPs
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I think you're being much too kind. He sounds like a medium flake with little sense of responsibility. I predict that he will have a very short run as the bass player.
And then Gary will get a call: "Hey Gary, yeah, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind filling in tonight? And tomorrow? And next weekend?"
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I'll report how tomorrow went.
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Don't forget to say your prayers and wish your replacement well... ;)
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Well, it went about as well as I had figured. It's a new band, so they were a little stiff. I've worked with the guitar player on other services, and he's pretty good. The drummer is OK, but lacks the finesse and experience of the main drummer. The bass player was good. The sound was bad, but the bass sounded the best it's been for a long time. I was looking over the settings at the sound board yesterday and made some adjustments. 8)
The worst moment came when they decided they were going to get down and funky, sort of an improv intro. It was a little painful. The bass player led off, and needs to listen to real funk. The drummer was clearly weak, and couldn't lay down that solid back beat. The fact that he could barely be heard made it worse. They finally found the pocket about halfway into the song, partially because the bass player realized that playing fewer notes, with better placement, was the key. I can't wait to see what unfolds at the mandatory meeting this week.
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Geez, good luck Gary I quit my church band a few years back. Too much drama for nothing. The blue hairs in the pews didn't appreciate it any way! Several members only came to church to play and show off. A lack of connection to the theme makes for a hollow experience. I hope yours turns out better!
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I've heard this story a million times. Politics, power struggles, gossip and back stabbing - all in church! These folks really need to look inward and remember they are in church and not junior high!
Case in point - My 81 year old mother has been playing the "traditional" service at their Baptist church for several years and she is damn good at it. She's played for most of her life and a large portion in church. The "music director" insists that every one that plays, and the choir, show up for Thursday night practice. She's elderly and doesn't care to drive at night AND she knows just about every Baptist hymn ever written like the back of her hand. She tells the director she is happy to play but she's not coming to rehearsal any more - the guy has a fit and tells her that she doesn't "get" to play if she won't. She's playing for free and still tithing and they're still not happy.
The cure for this kind of BS in a church setting is to pay the musicians for the services and rehearsals. It helps if you're not a member either.
My mom has a friend that plays the organ for a church and she's getting $100 per service every Sunday and she's done at noon. She's paid when they want to rehearse as well - which is rare. Seems like she's picking up at least $250 or so to play a wedding - rehearsal and ceremony.
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Same thing happened to the Pope.
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I've heard this story a million times. Politics, power struggles, gossip and back stabbing - all in church! These folks really need to look inward and remember they are in church and not junior high!
Case in point - My 81 year old mother has been playing the "traditional" service at their Baptist church for several years and she is damn good at it. She's played for most of her life and a large portion in church. The "music director" insists that every one that plays, and the choir, show up for Thursday night practice. She's elderly and doesn't care to drive at night AND she knows just about every Baptist hymn ever written like the back of her hand. She tells the director she is happy to play but she's not coming to rehearsal any more - the guy has a fit and tells her that she doesn't "get" to play if she won't. She's playing for free and still tithing and they're still not happy.
The cure for this kind of BS in a church setting is to pay the musicians for the services and rehearsals. It helps if you're not a member either.
My mom has a friend that plays the organ for a church and she's getting $100 per service every Sunday and she's done at noon. She's paid when they want to rehearse as well - which is rare. Seems like she's picking up at least $250 or so to play a wedding - rehearsal and ceremony.
The problem with organized religion isn't the faith it represents, it's the people who use it for their personal power trips and gratification. Happens every place where people troll for opportunities. You should see the colleges I've worked at. Geez! The politics were unreal.
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The problem with organized religion isn't the faith it represents, it's the people who use it for their personal power trips and gratification. Happens every place where people troll for opportunities. You should see the colleges I've worked at. Geez! The politics were unreal.
In my opinion, there is really nothing worse than administrative politics in colleges.
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The issue is always people. Someone gets a little power and wants more.
One friend of mine said: "At universities there's no money to fight over, so that leaves status."
I observed long ago that the technical issues in most jobs aren't difficult, and it's generally easy to master them in a short time. The real challenge is in working with people.
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I must have opened Pandora's Box! My only issue is a really disorganized band with a pastor that has a touch of ADD, and goes off on these tangents. I'll report back again on Thursday. We'll see where he's headed then. For all I know, he'll want to move the band into a jug band mode.
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Hey, what would this place be without tangents?!? ;D
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Hey, what would this place be without tangents?!? ;D
True. Still, it has been a fun conversa......Hey, there's Ritchie Blackmore!!!!
Ooohhhh....WWRD?
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maybe you could catch these young guys up on the last century of church modes
(http://www.ifmusic.co.uk/images/product_images/electricprunesmassinFLP.jpg)
and it helps keep you regular
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Same thing happened to the Pope.
He got kicked out of a church band? Wow!
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He got kicked out of a church band? Wow!
For too much slapping.
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For too much slapping.
Right. That's what nuns with rulers are for.
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Right. That's what nuns with rulers are for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nid6_GHGbbg
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhG__-Ql8_I
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Right. That's what nuns with rulers are for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujxDA9VsQG4
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Funny, a while ago I decided that if I was ever in a punk band I would name it "Beaten By Nuns". :)
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Loved the BB clip! I miss Belushi. My dad was raised Catholic and told tales of old fashioned discipline. Bill O'Reilly talks a lot about the nuns in his childhood in his book. Pretty funny stuff, except when it was happening to you as a kid, I'm sure.
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having done time in a catholic military school i can say preists hit just as hard as nuns. add in some slap happy officers and your in for a wonderful day. :rolleyes:
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When my daughter was in Jr. High they had a costume day - she went dressed as a nun. At this time, she was doing a lot of skeet shooting and outdoor stuff. She carried about a Smith & Wesson folding knife much of the time, and that day she had left it in her jeans pocket.
Someone had a birthday cake, and the teacher needed a knife - he said "Look, I know one of you guys has a big pocketknife. If I can borrow it, nothing will be said and it's just between us."
So who immediately outs with the 3" folding knife? My daughter, the nun! The teacher was blown away.
Ever since then, I've told her that if she starts a band, it MUST be called "Nuns With Knives".
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When my daughter was in Jr. High they had a costume day - she went dressed as a nun. At this time, she was doing a lot of skeet shooting and outdoor stuff. She carried about a Smith & Wesson folding knife much of the time, and that day she had left it in her jeans pocket.
Someone had a birthday cake, and the teacher needed a knife - he said "Look, I know one of you guys has a big pocketknife. If I can borrow it, nothing will be said and it's just between us."
So who immediately outs with the 3" folding knife? My daughter, the nun! The teacher was blown away.
Ever since then, I've told her that if she starts a band, it MUST be called "Nuns With Knives".
I love it, Nuns with Knives. Kinda makes a ruler sound pretty tame!
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A buddy of mine was sent to Catholic boys boarding school in upstate New York in the late fifties and early sixties. He said that they played hockey out doors all winter and it was always students against the brothers. The brothers hated to loose and played very dirty to ensure a win. It was always the new kids that wound up pounded into the ice evidently.
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I'll bet everyone didn't get trophies either.
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The brothers hated to loose and played very dirty to ensure a win. It was always the new kids that wound up pounded into the ice evidently.
Better to be pounded into the ice by the brothers, than pounded in the ass by them.
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I'll bet everyone didn't get trophies either.
Nope, according to my friend keeping your teeth sounded like an award. It does sound like they got a good education. ;)
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Better to be pounded into the ice by the brothers, than pounded in the ass by them.
Fortunately not all of them are pedophiles. As a good Presbyterian, I always thought priests should be allowed to marry. That would set them straight!!! ;D
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Nope, according to my friend keeping your teeth sounded like an award. It does sound like they got a good education. ;)
The good is often overshadowed by few bad apples or behaviors.
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I'm sure you've all been waiting for the update. We all got there at 7:00. Pastor Tom set the mood with a prayer, and the group went into 45 minutes of spontaneous a capella singing. It was a little difficult at times, since I really don't know all the songs. For a little background, there is a core group of musicians that have been part of the worship team for several years, and it shows when they play. Solid as you can get. It was one reason I was hesitant to start playing again, because I could tell that the rhythm section was the foundation of all of it.
So, he finally starts talking about how we should take it to the next level. We should embody the music and spirit of our faith when we play. As he unfolds his vision, he tells us that we are splitting into 3 permanent musical groups, dedicated for the songs and rehearsing. Then, he tells the worship leaders to pick their team.
In the end, it boiled down to something that I expected, and wasn't surprised by. The bands are going to be - the old A listers, us new B listers, and the young kids. Each band has to rehearse on their own, which is badly needed. I've been winging it the whole time, and the few rehearsals I've been to have been less focused than bands who drank and smoked dope more than practice.
There was a lot of discussion and prayer over what seems to be nothing but an organizational meeting. It wasn't even a re-org. Just a confirmation of what was already pretty clear.
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Sounds like an interesting mix. So, your church can support 3 different groups? We had one group and it floundered.
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In the end, it boiled down to something that I expected, and wasn't surprised by. The bands are going to be - the old A listers, us new B listers, and the young kids. Each band has to rehearse on their own, which is badly needed. I've been winging it the whole time, and the few rehearsals I've been to have been less focused than bands who drank and smoked dope more than practice.
It will be interesting to see how well those three groups survive. It would be unusual if they exhibited the same levels of interest and energy.
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'Tis the Holy Trinity me thinks then. Father, Son and that other guy.
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It will be interesting to see how well those three groups survive. It would be unusual if they exhibited the same levels of interest and energy.
Well, here's an update. For a number of reasons, primarily my shoulder and pressure at work, I have pulled out of playing. It's tough playing when you can't feel your arm for 10 minutes while you play. In the past couple months, it has been what I expected - nice people, good musicians, but not very organized, and not a solid sense of commitment to getting the music tight. The drummer and I were starting to mesh pretty well, but I don't see this getting better and I need to focus on work right now. My last service was this morning. I wasn't able to confirm I was playing until yesterday and I didn't get a song list until after 10:00 pm last night. I think you get the idea.
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Given that situation, I wouldn't need a bad shoulder to say "pass". Well done.
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I don't blame you a bit. It's obviously just what you needed to do.
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Hope the shoulder and band opportunities improve for soon! I have some shoulder issues too, I can relate.