Just quit a band...

That stuff is like breaking up with a beautiful girlfriend, eh? Well, just sent the lads the word that I can not keep participating any more due to lack of time and a few other things. I hate having to do that especially since we've just finished a new album that is absolutely awesome, got some new members that are absolutely awesome,, the band has always been awesome  and it's been a killer group of people to play with!

The reason is of course that work and other things take too much time, mostly it comes down to a work schedule with total tourettes.  If only I was doing something important. hmmmmmm.... 

These things happen and I've decided to prioritize other bands, other projects in my spare time. 

I just wish the weeks were longer...


It's been a good run in Black Comedy, I'll miss it...



Thanks for listening, now carry on

Thanks Beepster. 

I've actually rarely quit a band. They've either ended naturally, I've moved to another country or they are still going. 

I feel like such a traitor!! 


But these lads are still friends of mine and I still dable in the same genre with my other bands so no doubt we'll hang out again. It's just a weird feeling. 


But at least I can put regualr gauge strings on my bass again!

I hear ya.... 

So here's a quitting the band story. I was in a house band gig and the other guitar player was messin up like guitar players do..... both on  stage and off.  So a few people talked about it and the decision was made.... somebody needs to call him and tell him. Assured that they would back whoever called....... I reluctantly agreed and (like a fool) I made the call.

  Well, he didn;t take it well and showed up to practice..... his first words were.... SO.... what the **** is going on.  Everybody was staring at the floor and left me out high and dry....... lesson learned..... never make "the call" again.  The band stumbled on but the trust had been betrayed and everyone knew it, and it showed. We were not the same anymore. No one trusted anyone. 

So a few months later..... I get a call on Monday,,,, unusual to say the least and it's the piano player...... he says..... the guys all want to talk to you, can you come to the club 30 minutes early on Wednesday before rehearsal? OK... so Jerry didn't learn the lesson....  and I knew what was coming in that 'the guys want to talk" thing. 

  The band had gotten shaky after the guitar player episode, the female singer/keyboard player had quit and the bass player had given notice too...... so I figured it was time...after 2.5 years of the same gig every weekend.  It was about to go down in flames. 

So on Tuesday, after work, I stopped at the club and climbed in through a window. ( That's how we got in all the time for rehearsal)  I opened the side door and loaded out all my gear into my pickup truck and headed home after locking the door. 

They had Wednesday until Friday at 9pm to cover the songs I sang..... about 1/3 the show. 

Oh yeah..... In the place where my guitar stack sat, I left a sheet of paper with a drawing of that sly little  kid taking a leak on something...... It said "Pi$$ on this........ I QUIT! 

The band finally self destructed a few months later.... down in flames. 

Strangely enough..... I am still friends with the guitar player. The rest, I rarely see although we all still live locally. 

That was satisfaction in the finest degree. I don't think I ever enjoyed quiting a band so much as that one. Sadly, too, that band was really good and had potential. But no one wanted anything more than the handful of cash we made each weekend. 2 guitars, 2 keyboard players, bass and drums and 3 of us sang lead and great harmony. 

I've been very fortunate over the years. I was only in one crappy situation bandwise. We were a trio. Drums, two guitars, two lead vocals. We learned 4 sets, booked our first gig, and the freakin' kid quit. Never called us, never said a word, and I never saw him again. The drummer said he'd call once in a while over the years all screwed up wanting to sing Simple Man by Skynyrd over the phone with him, then he wouldn't hear from him for a couple years. I haven't seen or heard from him since the last time we practiced one winter night back in 1992.

I was only in 4 bands, from '83 to '98 IIRC. First one was long term, second was the kid who quit, and the last two were technically the same group of people just under a different name. We changed our name when we updated our repertoire.

@Beepster - Yeah, hopefully I can get some time to sort out... well.. my time! I still have two more bands so I'll still get out there. However, my hectic schedule just forced me to quit a band and make some  adjustments in my work schedule (I REALLY want a 9-5 jobb with a steady salary). Thanks for the support tho

@Herb - Yeah, that's a story. Fortunately I've never received a call to have "The Talk" but I've seen it happen. Usually, it's like carma (karma?) just go down the drain for bands who does that. I've always found it better to sit down and talk about it, put the cards on the table and let the person decide whether to step up or find something else. That has always worked with a great end result. I did make that phone call once and I said: "Man, this is seriously pissing me off but the other guys want you out of the band". He got seriously angry and rang up one of the other dudes, told them off and that was it. Six months later the band was gone. Funny thing tho, 14 years later, we're back together again with the original line up

@Old55 - thanks! I do! I'm all down for the important stuff! Now, how do I find out what this CHC I keep hearing about is?

@Bub - you seem to have made it through without much drama. That's a good thing! Sorry to hear about the Kid, sounds like he had some issues to struggle with. It's weird when stuff like that happen, people just disappear from a band.

@Beepster (again) - that's quite a story. I see what you mean. I had a simmilar thing years ago, playing with some seriously messed up people. Thankfully, those things died a natural death but I was put off from playing in bands for years. I started working for other bands and managed to turn it into a positive thing. I buildt a studio with a buddy of mine where we did a lot of good stuff. Today I'm out on my own, freelancing here and there as well as working my own business. But better yet, I'm back with the bands, having a good time with that and the two bands I have left are quite serious. Here's to the future, eh? Cheers!

I was in a band with a guy who decided to move to England to become a star.

While there he co-wrote Missing You with John Waite.

True story.

And I never bought a truck so I'm golden there.

I was recently contacted by a rival super secret agency known as K.E.T.T.L.E.

I disavowed knowledge of tea and the secretary self-destructed.

After that, I was band from the kitchen.

HA ha! Well how on earth could I have missed that???!!! I've seen the link in just about EVERY thread lately CHC - Coffee House Choir? Good initiative!