We played a gig (in DC maybe?) where we were so out of sync. Not sure if it was lack of practice or beer, but we were introducing new material and there seem to be a lot of hesitation, equipment malfunctioning, a broken string and it was getting embarrassing.

After two blown intros and exits, I stopped the guys and said "Dudes, Miserlou in E, can you frickin' play that?" You know what, we did and then after that and we played another familiar (comfortable) original. It gave everyone time to settle in and re-adjust gear/volume. Then we went back to our set list, asked someone to bring us some beers from the bar and all was well!

Surfcat

2023 SG101 Compilation - Tribute to Noel
The Journey Home - Agent Octopus (Our SG101 Comp download)

From Atlantis with Love - Released - July 2023
Agent Octopus-Spotify
Christmas on the Beach - NEW SINGLE Dec 2023!!
Reverb Galaxy - Angle of Attack CD - BANDCAMP

Surf, the most dangerous of all musical genres...

Sincerity, cucumber-coolness, and getting to work to rid the gremlins is what I have learned to do over the past 20-odd years of performing. And if those things don't work, fake it.

No severe emergencies like deaths on stage or curtains catching fire...let's see...
- Bass guitar completely FUBAR right on the first note of a show.
- Amp crapping out right before a show.
- Loose wiring in guitar constantly shocking me throughout the set, re-soldered during the break, back to performing.
- guitar cutting out mid-way through song (air guitar and smiled through to end of song while other guitarist played on)
- popping strings on floating-bridge guitars (all strings going out of tune as a result)
- Lead vocalist leaving due to death in the family within a few days of a 3.5hr charity show and the rest of us had to suck it up and cover the lead vocals...none of us qualified lead vocalists (non-surf cover band)
- Plugging the lead guitarist/lead vocalist's guitar into my rig mid-song because their amp suddenly went FUBAR after the intro. Chuck Berry's riff blew up his amp
- Infected left-hand thumb making the playing of every note and every chord excruciating during a 3hour gig. This was also the gig that one of my bandmate's soon-to-be-ex-wife had just tried to commit suicide due to an overdose of sleeping pills - and given that she was already post-stomach pumping and sleeping in the hospital by the time he was informed of this, he finished the gig before racing off to be by her side.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

Last edited: Jan 16, 2017 16:04:37

Drummer od'd from pain pills and alcohol six songs into set. Called someone out of audience to try to finish set. Drummer fired as we loaded up early.

The Kahuna Kings

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447

https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases

Most recently last year..
Spent a good part of last year - not every waking second - but sufficient time and effort in making chord charts, arrangements, even practice CDs - about 12-15 instrumentals -for fellow players for a yearly festival. After three rehearsals spread out over spring and summer, it all looked and sounded pretty good.

I arrive at the fest and notice that our drummer for the first half of our set sets up his drums off center stage near the kitchen. He might just as well have set up in the next town. Oh yeah, he doesn't own or bring a set of drum mics so no PA to amplify his out-in-east-jamoke drum location. The monitors weren't anywhere around him. Very bright. The event organizer doesn't have the brains to tell him to move his drums - NEXT TO AN ADJOINING SET OF DRUMS WITH MICS. OK nothing I can do. And this guy just has to (naturally ) play "his" drums.
After the first number (an easy Duane Eddy piece) he leaves his drums; catches a bus or subway over to me center stage to tell me he can't hear me or the bass. The other payers might as well have been n another zip code - GREAT!
I turn my Showman toward him with little good result. I and the bass still can't hear him and the idiot promoter tells me I'm playing TOO LOUD (my Showman is dialed in with volume set at '3'!!
Aside from that, this drummer played as if he never listened to the practice CD made for him. As mentioned - we had 3 rehearsals - the last one 2 weeks before the gig with all sounding good. He forgot most of it.

Thankfully our second drummer had enough brains to use the center stage mic'd drum kit. But another tune in the set called for another band mate to take a solo. When it came time to solo, I got the "deer in the headlights" look from him. I had to do his solo to cover up.

For a cherry on top of it all:
The 'E' string on one of my favorite Mosrites kept popping out of it's bridge saddle. I had to switch guitars. All this nonsense ate into my set time that had been well rehearsed (or so I thought) and paced. Pissed me off immensely.
When I took the offending Mosrite back to the hotel room after the gig, so help me - I wailed on the 'E' string with machine-gun staccato picking with the same heavy pick I used at the gig. The damn 'E' string stayed put.
Other than that, I had a good time...
J Mo'

Lol...I have done so much with charts and CD's that think have just ended up on someones bedroom floor...try to pick up early sign of disinterest in practise nowdays when finding to play with. Half running a band is babysitting sometimes...thanks for the stories...

Last edited: Jan 16, 2017 22:23:38

philjudd wrote:

Half running a band is babysitting sometimes...

Hilarious because it's true

Surfcat

2023 SG101 Compilation - Tribute to Noel
The Journey Home - Agent Octopus (Our SG101 Comp download)

From Atlantis with Love - Released - July 2023
Agent Octopus-Spotify
Christmas on the Beach - NEW SINGLE Dec 2023!!
Reverb Galaxy - Angle of Attack CD - BANDCAMP

Surf, the most dangerous of all musical genres...

ArtS wrote:

philjudd wrote:

Half running a band is babysitting sometimes...

Hilarious because it's true

Not that I have such an issue with my bandmates, but if you think it requires babysitting to manage a band, I would say it is worse than babysitting! Why? Because at least with real babysitting the baby actually grows up!

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

I played one gig where I could smell something hot - I was singing and playing at the time. Turned out to be my amp cover lying on a stage light. I tried pulling it off with my foot but it wouldn't budge. In the brief gap between songs I reached over and yanked it off by hand - it was really smoking by now. The light came on straight into my eyes and blinded me. I dived back to the mic to sing, and because I was blinded, I smacked myself in the mouth with the mic, chipping a tooth. As my vision cleared I glanced over at the cover to see a corner of it was trapped in my guitar case and it slowly flopped back onto the light.
I have no idea what my hands or voice were doing...

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

Last edited: Jan 17, 2017 10:09:28

shake_n_stomp wrote:

ArtS wrote:

philjudd wrote:

Half running a band is babysitting sometimes...

Hilarious because it's true

Not that I have such an issue with my bandmates, but if you think it requires babysitting to manage a band, I would say it is worse than babysitting! Why? Because at least with real babysitting the baby actually grows up!

I have worked with a few manbabies. Women tend to be way more adult unless they are in the Diva category...not many of those in surf...☺

At the opposite end of the scale - we played a biker do in Cornwall. We'd done a few and they'd gone OK. This one though - we started to play and everyone, I mean everyone left the venue. We played to two bar staff and a guy heckling us. It sounded awesome in the big reverby room, but there was no one watching. We played our show like proper professionals.

When we finished I went outside to see how many where hanging around outside and there was nobody outside either. The whole site was deserted. While we were packing up the woman who booked us came up and paid us the full amount and was very apologetic.

Apparently there was some biker politics/show of strength thing going on with Hells Angels putting on a rival bike rally that everyone was 'obliged' to attend. I couldn't believe a club would put on a do, pay for a venue and a band then just go somewhere else! But we played, got paid and left intact.

That was the last biker do we ever did, and hope we don't get asked to do any more - just in case it goes the way a friend's band responded:
Biker: "We'd like you to play our clubhouse"
Band: (gulp) "I'm afraid we're busy that night"
Biker: "I haven't told you what day it is yet"
Band: "Ah."

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

Last edited: Jan 18, 2017 06:38:00