Can I bitch about something?

[ack1961]

First off, I have pretty cool kids - and my 14 year old, Nick, is a trooper - but (as a dad) this pissed me off last Friday night:
They were given the opportunity to open (40 minute set) in downtown Raleigh this past Friday. 3 bands in all.
My oldest (Chris) was in contact with the club owner and organizer about logistics and had it all sorted out weeks prior to the show and called him the day of the show.
They were opening the show - get there at 7:15PM, load in, set up, doors at 8PM and they go on at 8:55PM.
Nick spent an hour tearing down his massive drum kit and we hauled it downstairs, loaded it in my truck (it took 30 minutes to get my tools out of the bed).
Off we go and we arrive at 7:12PM in front of the club - where I'm told to go around back and unload - but not the drums.
They (the 2nd band) want Nick to play their drum kit. Nick's uncomfortable using other people's gear, so I tell them that he has his own and wants to play it.
I tell the organizer that I'll pull around back and meet him inside.  I go inside and the 2nd band's kit is already setup and is being mic'd.
Load in wasn't supposed to happen until 7:30PM. I don't normally get pissed, but I'm fuming inside.

Anyway, we swapped in Nick's snare and pedals and mounted his block.  I gotta hand it to him - he had no knowledge of this guy's kit and got around it pretty damn well. It just sucks that they practiced pretty hard for this show and setup their equipment according to their set and I felt that they were kind of set up to be bullied.
Then, we had to go out to my truck and move the bigger gear into the truck and lock it up while they were doing their set - then undo that after the show so I could take people back home.

Anyway, I know this is small potatoes but man did this burn me up - I know they wanted to conserve time between sets, but someone could have called the day prior (or the day of) and let us know what their intentions were.

I feel better now.  It helps to type these things out.

a short clip from the show:


Steve

[TBird1958]

 I sincerely think your kids have a pretty awesome, supportive father.

Mine never did anything like that for, he couldn't have cared less for any musical interests of mine.
Sorry about the show tho.

[lowend1]

Typical stuff. Put the ball in their court. Tell the owner of the other drumset that "Our drummer is a Keith Moon kind of character and tends to beat on his kit pretty hard. We wouldn't want to incur, nor would be responsible for, any damage that might be done due to his playing style" Then ask him to sign a waiver saying they're accepting responsibility. It may or may not work, but at least you're putting some of the stress back on them.

[Basvarken]

They should have told your son's band beforehand they weren't supposed to use their own gear.

On the other hand, it is pretty normal for an evening with three bands to share (some of) the gear. It saves time, plus it makes the job of the sound engineer(s) a whole lot easier.
And in the end it is less stressful for the bands.



A while ago I saw a band competition. Each band was allowed 20 playing time and 5 minutes change over time.
There was a complete backline provided by the club.
But the less experienced bands were determined to use their own gear. Which led to so much stress and bad stage sound they didn't make a chance in the competition.
The more experienced competing band just brought their guitars, pedal boards, snare and (double) kick pedals.
And did a very relaxed twenty minutes that sounded just fine...

[nofi]

a minor glitch. wait until they play all night and don't get paid!

[ack1961]

Thanks for all for the replies.
I like the concept of sharing drum kits - I really do. My only bitch is that someone should have told us before we did all the work for nothing.

Oh, and I told their drummer that Nick was going to bang the crap out of every piece of his kit.
He smiled awkwardly and said "he's 14, right?"

..and the no-pay thing.  Yup, they've probably done more "free" gigs than gigs where they saw any cash.
These kids (and rightfully so) will play for free soft drinks and the occasional burger...it's a hobby/learning experience for now.

[OldManC]

Damn, I wish my band sounded that good at 14! I was still jamming AC/DC, Priest, and KISS songs with kids from school in my living room at the time.

I sympathize and agree that they should have told you beforehand. All that busy work that could have been avoided...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

It was a pissing contest and the second band was showing just how much weight they have. It was a dick move, probably concocted the day of the gig because very few serious bands with regular shows would pull a stunt like that. Sharing is fine. Forced sharing with no warning is bullshit. Load-in times shouldn't be a race to see who gets to "own" the stage. It speaks volumes to the insecurity of the other band, BUT your kids are better for having overcome it.

 Be glad nothing left in the truck got stolen. There used to be a band locally who would always show up early during and set up their whole stage rig when they weren't openers. They would always "offer" to share to "save time."  When a friend's band played with them and they pulled that stunt, his band took them up on their offer, but their roadies/buddies were unhappily surprised to see me waiting for them at the truck when they came to "check out the gear" during my friend's set.

[Basvarken]

Thumbs up for your son for pulling it off on someone else's kit without being prepared for it.
He sound pretty solid for a 14 year old.

And thumbs up for yourself too. For being the supportive dad! 
 
 

[GonzoBass]

Ahh yes, welcome to "the music biz".
 

Rarely does everything go as planned,
especially on a multi-band bill
(Five minute change overs? Rrrrright. lol).

My son plays, has subbed for me
and has learned to expect the unexpected through my experiences.

It's how you react/handle it that makes the difference between;
"What a bunch of dicks"
and
"Those guys were cool"
which can mean either call backs or black ball.

Wait till he gets to learn the meaning of "percentage of the percentage",
has to meet pre-sale ticket quotas (AKA: Pay-to-Play),
deal with corporate gigs that only pay out according to their invoice cycle
or the lying doorman who collects the cover charge, claiming only X amount of people when the club was full.

Then there's the "pro" headliners that limit your use of sound/light equipment,
eat up your sound check time (if you get any at all)
and forbid you to sell your merch for less than theirs.

The all too famous idiot who double books the night
and you show up to find another band already there
(which is the ultimate test of grace).

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to anyone?
 

Call me jaded but nothing surprises me any more.

Just lead by example Dad-
Don't sweat the small shit and accentuate the positive.

[godofthunder]

 To bad about all the R&R BS but they had to learn some time and they/you handled it like pros. While everyone in the band is excellent your son drumming is amazing, I'd be thrilled to play along with him.

[ack1961]

Thanks for all the kind words. I'm immensely proud of my boys - they are 5 years apart in age, but get along great.
Having never been on stage myself, my wife and I get the deepest thrill watching them try their best and having fun on stage.

It's funny - I have very little musical talent - I grew up playing sports and still do (I just walked in the door from playing hockey) - but they have little to no interest in sports...ever.  When musical instruments came into our lives, they jumped on it, and I rejoiced. I started playing bass at 47 - just to fill out what they were doing upstairs.

Personally, I'd much rather haul amps, guitars and drums around and hang out in dive bars than go to the ball field.
Even with the douche bands and the egos, the music scene is filled with interesting characters and there is so much to learn.

Thanks all.
Steve

[Highlander]

Treat it as a "learning-curve" for the industry, Steve, and always to expect the unexpected, especially bottom-of-the-bill slots...

About '83, for a first of three, it transpired that I had a "really cool rig" (the other two guys saw my Hiwatt and pair of Sound City 4x12's, asked to run through it during sound check, which was also split through for the PA and wedges) and they decided, there and then, that it would "speed up the changeovers" if I just left it in place... top of the bill left the Hiwatt on standby for the whole of his set...

Always remember this maxim... life is a sh!t sandwich... the better the bread, the less sh!t you have to take with it... and as Warren Zevon said, "enjoy every sandwich..."

[rahock]

a minor glitch. wait until they play all night and don't get paid!

I can't even remember how many times I lived through this
Rick

[ack1961]

Yup - they saw no cash from this last gig, HOWEVER...the headliner from that night contacted them and asked them to open more shows (at better venues) throughout the rest of the year - plus there are some side projects that they want to get the kids involved with.

The kids got some decent audio/video from that night (for a website they're trying to put together) AND they found a lead guitarist, which will allow Chris to focus on Rhythm Guitar, writing and vocals.
We'll take the trade-off any day.
Best of all, they're all smiling and having a blast...and I get to see my basses on stage.