A Strange Way To Do Things,

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

I was picked up this past Friday night as a fill in for a county band at a local bar not far from my home town and ended up in a situation that p**sed off the entire band.

The manager (owner) of the bar insisted that the band allow patrons to come up and sing a song or two if they wanted. Without having to go into a full description with this, most steelers in here can imagine what transpired by the evening's end.

The band had obviously signed into a contract without reading it over properly and had to comply with their ensuing mess. I politely asked the band leader not to call me again if this is their usual practise.

Would you have walked?

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

[This message was edited by Les Anderson on 25 September 2005 at 01:29 PM.]

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

By "walked" if you mean walked out in the middle of the night, no I wouldn't have although I'd have been plenty disgusted. I would have most likely done just what you did, said "never again".

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

Maybe you could bring a wah-wah and fuzztone and start playing solos whenever you "wanted to?"

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

There you go!

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

Good thing he didn't expect you all to wash their cars too.....

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I would keep the gig

We don't have guests sing often with our group, now and then but not by anyones request but ours..

If I sit in with a band, which I do now and then, it's there gig..as long as the band is playing ok then I'm ok with it...

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 25 September 2005 at 03:46 PM.]

Ken Lang · From: Simi Valley, Ca

Untill he got out of the bid'nes, I worked 7 years for the same owner. He enjoyed having us get people up, and it could be fun.

Sure, there would be clunkers now and then but sometimes a person came up that was so good they'd curl the hairs on the back of your neck.

Would I do it again? I believe I would.

JW Day · From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA

After quitting the bar scene,I started playing for various gospel groups and then added the senior dances. I have heard a few clunkers,but by and large I've heard some of the best voices that ever come out of these here country hills.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

Since I quit drinking a few years back, my appreciation of the vocal talents of drunks has waned considerably.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I'm not always against sitters-in, but I wouldn't like having forced-karaoke foisted off on me like this. The context dictates whether this is appropriate or not, but unless the band knowingly signs on, it's not. I would expect to be very clearly told the format, and might very well make trouble if I wasn't. I wouldn't walk off a job like this, but I wouldn't go back under the circumstances you described.

There is a way to avoid really annoying sit-in vocalists who foist themselves onstage. Just turn up the "suck-knob" - find the most obnoxious midrangey feedback frequencies in the vocal monitor system, turn them up on the graphic EQ, and then crank the monitors just below the limit where they start to howl. They'll for sure sound like cows-in-heat and the feedback will be very difficult to deal with. I reluctantly had to do this once or twice when some really obnoxious, drunk, sitters-in just relentlessly hounded the lead singer during break until, in a weak moment, he let them come up. They proceeded to send our entire crowd running out of the place, but this got 'em offstage fast.

This approach may sound cruel, but anything legal that can return control to the band without starting a fight is fair game, to me. I know one blues guitar player who used to attract young guitarslingers - he kept an old Harmony with .013-.056 strings and high action. Anybody that could make that guitar sound good was more than welcome to sit in.

Ken, you're right - we've had sitters-in that were great. But these were situations where we agreed to it without coercion.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

John Lacey · From: Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada

Since my main gig is a jam gig every Sat. and Sunday afternoons, we encourage people to get up. Previous to that, I didn't look forward to most singers and players whom we didn't know just getting up on OUR gig. I loosened since.

Jennings Ward · From: Edgewater, Florida, R.I.P.

YEARS AGO WE JUST PLAYED IN A DIFFERENT KEY..
EX; LEAD IN A; STEEL IN B; RHYTHM IN C;
BASS IN D; DRUMS IN WHAM BAM DAM....
DIDNT TAKE BUT 4 BARS AND THEY GOT THE MESSAGE.
OR THE BAR MANAGER SOON WOULD........

MEAN, BUT EFFECTIVE......
JENNINGS,,, U PK;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

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EMMONS D10 10-10 profex 2 deltafex ne1000 pv1000, pv 31 bd eq, +

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

Jennings, by around midnight only very few of the patrons would notice the difference.

In fact, more than one of the wannabees singers would fit right in with everyone playing two or three octives out of whack.

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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)

Larry Strawn · From: Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.

When singers, and players I know come into the club I make it a point to invite them to do a couple of numbers,, being forced by the management to let "folks" up I don't know really sucks!!

Walk out in the middle of a gig??? NO, but go back again??? we'd have to talk about that!!

Larry

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Emmons S/D-10, 3/5, Sessions 400 Ltd. Home Grown E/F Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY"

Dayna Wills · From: Sacramento, CA (deceased)

A word from a sit-in: When I go out to a club I go to be entertained. I am NOT upset if I am not invited to sit-in. Sometimes it's a Fri. or Sat. night and most club owners or the band leader does not allow sit-ins. I NEVER assume that a band will call me up just because I am there. I hope no one is upset if I decline when asked. I may have a cold and not want to infect or subject anyone to it.
As for sit-ins, the last group I was in had a JAM session which is for other PROFESSIONALS, not amateur night. The band leader had a rule sheet which the sit-ins were required to read and heed. If they were drunk or wanted to play music that didn't fit our format, their plug was pulled. The band leader took a lot of heat for it, but our jams were good and we played at the Hillside Club in Signal Hill, CA for 4 years.
I wouldn't walk out, but I wouldn't go back, either.

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Paul King · From: Gainesville, Texas, USA

I used to sit it on a gospel singing with a band and it was considered a sing-along. Some of the people could sing then there was some who were soooo bad. Bad voices and bad timing kind of send me the other way. Then you throw in the fact some of them wanted to sing songs they had written and it really turned out to be a mess. I personally am not getting up in front of anyone and singing if the band does not know the song. I probably would not sing even if the band did know the song. You guys are blessed that I would spare you the misery.

Bob Smith · From: Allentown, New Jersey, USA

I always like it when ya get the young gal that wants to come up and sing Bobby McGee "Janis" stlye. That can be tons of fun. bob