How to break up a band 101

[Symarip]

I took a stroll down memory lane when someone in another thread suggested Mingus in conjuction with my mancannon...

Once upon a time, yours truly was in a mildly hyped ska band. Translated: instead of playing shows for free, we were going to enjoy the perks of free beer backstage and possibly playing a set after 10:00pm (!!!). Anyhow, the record deal was set, tours were scheduled, everything was poppin'. So what went wrong?

This:


Man, it's amazing what one little egocentric hippy with a copy of Word can do. The asshole even signed each individual copy. Needless to say, we didn't play Warped Tour that year.

[flvegan]

1. I thought this was going to involve the lead singer's girlfriend.

[Symarip]

2. It actually does!

In a band comprised of 9 people, he managed to squeeze a tenth into the tour van. Guess what her relation was to the band?

[flvegan]

4. His girlfriend and oddly enough, band manager?

[Symarip]

6. If he had given her an official title or maybe a fucking triangle to tap

It might have settled better with the other 8 of us.

[Richardo]

8. "A triangle to tap"

Sounds like that WAS her official title. :D

[Sheets of Easter]

46. ...

:rofl:

[Lost in CT]

3. Something tells me this didn't end well at all. nt

[no name no slogan]

5. IOW, somebody wanted a "solo career"

whether he knew it or not.

That's part of the reason I've never been in a group with more than five people: too many egos to massage, too many people who play well but think they can also write well (most can't), and too many people with too much personal baggage.

I play in a trio now, and life is much easier. I write songs, we all do the arrangements, and we don't take ourselves too seriously. Life is good.

Nice 'bone, BTW. :thumbsup:

[Symarip]

7. When 7 out of 9 members quit and start 'the new band' within 2 weeks of said letter

The message is pretty clear.

[MrScorpio]

10. I was just about to ask about that

What happened to the 8th guy?

[Symarip]

17. Things are kind of hazy

But if I remember right here's the list of events as best I can:

In February of 07, we record an album. Super Trent rents the most expensive studio (all analog) in LA. All the band's funds are dropped on studio time (roughly 3 grand or so) giving us a day and a half to record ~16 songs. There's no money in the bin for a recording engineer or a producer. The studio engineer basically turns on the equipment and we do the whole shibang live. The actual session went ok minus a few of us losing it every now and again. Lots of cigarettes are smoked.

Super Trent decides to mix and produce the album all by himself! He plays bass and sings. Remember this.

March rolls around and Super Trent signs a deal with a decent independent label to have the next batch of CDs printed and distributed through their payroll. Things look good but none of us have heard the album yet. At the end of the month, we receive the first shipment of CD's we printed ourselves. Guess what are the only two pieces of the ensemble you can hear in the mix? (See previous paragraph)

Tensions rise. The CD sounds like a floating turd in a sea of shit. We loosely agree to take money at a later date to remaster King Fucknuts handywork. I probably would have quit over the CD itself, but we had a ton of local shows to do and with the promise of decent tours over the Summer I press on. We gather enough scratch over the next couple weeks to cover a self financed tour. But it's during these months, we notice the books are no longer available for us to look over. Super Trent becomes secretive.

Somewhere at the end of Spring/Early Summer our Sax player quits. Granted, people quitting was nothing new but half of our songs were written around Sax. He was a long time member along with 3 or 4 of us and it devastated our morale when he said he just couldn't take it anymore. We hire in a mutual friend to sit in on tour. He entertains the idea of possibly joining. Remember that.

Summer rolls around and we're on our tour (which would, in theory, later parlay into the Warped Tour when we returned to San Diego). Oh guess what? Super Trent decides Yoko needs to join us in the tour van. So the ten of us fit uncomfortably into a rented van and hike across the South West. Eight of us get along. The other two are dead set on raining on our parade everytime any one of us weren't acting in a peace, love and granola kind of way. One night, someone said something to the effect of, the next one of you motherfuckers who talks while I'm sleeping is going to get their face raped. Everyone chuckled except for 2 people. Next thing you know, the van is parked in a Kroger parking lot as I try to keep 3 individuals from running off and catching the next bus to San Diego. This type of fighting is just one example.

When we get back the sit in Sax player sits out permanently. And about a week later, I get the letter you read in the OP.

To be honest, I was never that upset over any of it. It was a good learning experience. It still amazes me that someone I can identify with so politically I can also despise in all other facets of life. And again, we forged on and started the new band. It is what it is. The only aspect of everything I still feel a little sore over is the fact the books were closed to us and his obvious berating of musicianship in the letter. I don't need anyone to 'individually train' me when I play 2 hours a day by myself and I take lessons from musicians far greater than Mr Trent.

Oh well. That's how you break up a band.

[tigereye]

18. sounds like a lawyer wrote that and not a power-mad guy in a ska band

:D


Bands are crazy. Someone (usually one person) almost always ruins it for everyone else. Sounds like you had a pretty good run, though, prior to that.

[Symarip]

20. Ah yes

Oddly enough, the author of the letter worked at a lawfirm. Though I do find it funny he snuck in a nautical term incorrectly.

I don't really see it as a power play but more of a 'do as your told, bitch' apparatus. Look at it as someone who's in love with himself expressing that love to people who are not.

When I get home and off my blackerry I'll share some truly lulzy more recent events.

[Symarip]

21. As promised:

So a few months ago, after laying dormant for quite some time, Super T starts propping up posters all over San Diego local colleges. They look like this:



Some research shows that he has the old bands domain on myspace switched over to... Whatever the fuck that is up there. This is quite strange since if you read myspace disclaimers, they swear this can't be done. I have a feeling someone used all the power of his legal aid degree to have them see things his way. But guess what this means? Someone, anonymously, grabs the old myspace domain that has now been released into the public pool of myspace domains. Check it out!

http://www.myspace.com/thehilites

Oh. And it's amazing what you can do with open source graphic programs:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=414547538&albumID=368504&imageID=2821940

[redqueen]

14. Heheheh...

so this was the beginning of The Amalgamated, then?

[no name no slogan]

19. Hells yeah for you

:thumbsup:

I am sure you guys are much happier and much better without Super Trent dragging you down. That guy sounds like a giant douche, especially after hearing how he blew your studio funds.

[LeftyMom]

9. Nice letter, Yoko.

Seriously though, everybody knows creative types LOVE being told what to do.

[rcrush]

I will now assume control of this thread.

Cause i said so.

[rcrush]

11. Doublepost

[DS1]

12. Have a name that starts and ends with O

:)

[mitchum]

25. But Yoko Ono still didn't break up the greatest band in the world...Rashied Ali did

he ran off both Tyner and Jones from the Coltrane quartet

[bluesbassman]

13. One of the things I like about playing the Blues.

You can do it with three, four is great, and five is the max. I was asked to play in a R&B outfit once, full horn section and back-up singers, ten people in all. Went to one rehearsal and knew it wasn't for me.

That's not to say that a big band can't work with the right leadership and chemistry, it's awesome when you can find it.

I am surprised that Mr. Trent managed to make it to your rehearsals though. How the hell did his head fit through the studio door? :rofl:

[Shakespeare]

15. WOW what a dick.

I can't stop :rofl: ...but only out of a kind of horror. Glad you all told him to get bent.

[CreekDog]

16. Play at Knotts Berry Farm

"The Everly Brothers split on July 14, 1973, as Phil Everly smashed his guitar and stormed offstage at Knotts Berry Farm in California."

Why does that make me laugh? :rofl:

[MilesColtrane]

22. How did I know he was the singer?

What a douche choad.

[Cabcere]

23. Good grief, is this dude for real?

:wtf: I mean, I know it is and all, but...dude. Sounds like you're way better off without this guy.

[Symarip]

24. I'd say the new band is doing much better

Granted, I had to up and move to DC right when things were starting to get hot. But since they've already hit the road and have a good following. I couldn't be happier for them.

[petronius]

26. What's a "rehearsal coxson"?

I'd be pretty grateful to get a letter like that from someone I was working with - the only way for him to be clearer would be to get "Danger! Incredible Jackass!" tattooed on his forehead...

(That said, do your bandmates know you're posting their names on a discussion board? That would tick me off a bit, personally.)

[Symarip]

27. It's all over the net

Our names are all over our cd. It's on myspace. It's practically been wallpapered in the So Cal Ska scene.

To top it off, it's been published in The San Diego Reader.

It's not that big of a deal. If anyone were to ever complain, I'd take it right off. But it's not like our names aren't public. Do a google search for my name, trombone, and ska. I'm sure it's the same for the other members.

[Symarip]

28. I'd also like to congratulate you on finding...

The improper nautical term I referred to upthread.

[petronius]

29. I recognized the misspelling - I was actually wondering if it was really

a job description, and if so, what?

:shrug:

[Symarip]

30. It should be coxswain

And it's the dude who runs the captains dingy from the ship to the shore.

[petronius]

31. Right, I got that - what I meant was: is 'rehearsal coxswain' any sort of genuine

job description in the music industry? What would such a person do? Just idle curiousity, really...

:)

[Symarip]

32. No

This hard to explain. But I'll try.

Back in the early 60s, in Jamaica, a producer took the handle 'Sir Coxsone Dodd' as a play on the word coxswain. Dipshit was trying to be authentic, I guess. Even the guy at the Reader was like, uh, what the fuck?

[petronius]

33. Gotcha. So it's like a whole sublayer of douchebaggery in addition to

the overt douchebagginess. I guess you have to give the guy credit for not giving himself a knighthood, at least.

:eyes: for him, :rofl: for the tale...

[Iggo]

34. How did you not punch him in his face?

Yer a better man than I.

[Symarip]

36. Violence was involved

Iced tea was ejected. Words were exchanged. Slaps between grown men (both of whom probably weigh about 250 lbs. combined) were issued.


Sadly, the iced tea was never recovered.

[enigmatic]

35. That's why I'll never, ever be in a band again

When I was a working musician, I had to deal w/ this kind of shit w/ 2 bands I played in, and in the second instance it took everything in my power not to make him try to pick up his teeth w/ broken fingers.

I'm strictly DIY now and own my own internet radio station that has an show designed for unsigned/indie artists, and I've gotten to be good friends w/ a few of the bands we've played over the years. The stories they tell me about this kind of stuff is hilarious. and a little frightening, too.

[NashVegas]

37. Either He'll Do Well, Or He Won't

It sounds like he was shooting for a Wilco-style record deal where he's the only one who's actually signed to anything.

[crispini]

38. What a douchebag.

Thanks for sharing, though. Quite the story. Eeeeesh.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

39. Jeebus, what an egomaniacal douchebag

Roger Waters wasn't that overbearing at his worst, back when Floyd were recording "The Wall." At least Roger had really accomplished something in the business, to put it mildly, before evolving into an obnoxious control freak. I hope this klown gets all the success he deserves. :sarcasm:

[Symarip]

40. At least Roger Waters broke new ground

By no means am I much more than a mild Pink Floyd fan. But the guy at least had the chops to back his shit up and do new things after, not before, reaching certain milestones.

This dude you're reading about up top? Not so much.

[Danger Mouse]

41. That guy's not just a dick, but a whole bag of them.

Geez.

[Blue_Tires]

42. damn...i'd love to see some of the memos he sends out in his regular job

(if he has one)

oh yeah; now is good a time as any to announce i'm assuming command of the interwebb...all standing orders to remain in place until further notice

[Symarip]

44. *Ahem*

You must defer to my leadership at all times.

[crimsonblue]

43. He did this as a power play didn't he?

It seems like the arrogant bastard wanted to put his claim in right away for all the copyright royalties and ownership of the band. What a douche.

[PVnRT]

45. Or just hire Bernie Rhodes as your manager

Bernie says that Bernie created punk rock and that Bernie is a creative genius.