if
you are or have been a Chicago musician, you will probably
be familiar with Steve
Hashimoto's weekly newsletter called "News from the
Trenches". Steve is a bass player in the Chicago
area, and his newsletter is great. Steve pulls no punches
and tells it like it is. I have found that whether you
agree with him or not, he brings a lot of insight from
a working musician's standpoint, and overall much of his
stuff is totally hilarious. Last week he wrote a few comments
about what band leaders should know or be aware of. I
asked Steve if I could list them here and he agreed. Here
they are...
Excerpted
from Steve Hashimoto's News from the Trenches....
......On
another front, I had another gig that showed the perils
of being a bandleader (it wasn't my gig). I won't name
names, because I do think that this particular bandleader's
heart is in the right place, but he does so many things
to shoot himself in the foot that, if not for his benefit
(he NEVER listens to my advice) but for the benefit of
maybe you younger, aspiring bandleaders (I have been doing
this for a little bit of time you dig?), here's Mr. Moto's
condensed bandleader course:
1.
) ALWAYS tell your sidemen as much info as there is; if
you don't have it, then get it! Start time, end time,
pay (and when and how they're going to get paid), dress,
load-in, what they're expected to bring (music stand,
lights, whatever), address, directions -- this is the
minimum of what a sideman should expect to get from a
leader. And don't lie about stuff (this particular guy
doesn't lie to be a weasel, but he feels that guys won't
work for him if they really know how little a gig pays
or how long it is, and I keep telling him that guys usually
will if you're up-front, but if they're expecting XX amount
of dollars for XX amount of time and then, on the gig,
it turns out to be XX-minus-$20 for XX-plus-an-hour, they
not only won't EVER work for you again, but they'll tell
everyone they know that you're a lying son-of-a-bitch).
2.) KEEP RECORDS! Especially if it's a large band you
need to know who you have on a gig, what chairs need to
be filled, and, if it's that kind of band, who's getting
paid what. And if a gig gets cancelled, check off every
guy that you tell about the cancellation so guys don't
have a non-existant gig on the books. WRITE S**T DOWN!
3.)
NEVER TAKE A GIG that you can't handle. If a club offers
you a gig and expects you to fill the joint and you don't
have a GUARANTEED FOLLOWING, don't take it! If you promise
XX-amount of players and you don't think you can field
a band that size, don't take it! If you're asked to sign
a contract for X:00 to X:00pm and you think that guys
can't make the hit on time or have to leave early, don't
sign! If you have personnel problems, walk the walk, don't
talk the talk. If you keep threatening to fire people
who are late or miss rehearsals, then DO IT! This guy
keeps walking around looking like Dave Wanstadt on a Monday
after the Bears lost, saying "It's not MY fault,
I can't control these people." Fire everyone, including
MY complainin' ass, if you have to. If you don't, well,
tough cookies. You bought it, now pay for it. And DON'T
be docking people for something that's your fault -- if
someone's late because you didn't give them the right
info, that's your problem.
4.) LIVE IN REALITY! Don't be telling prospective players
that you have 150 high-paying gigs booked when you really
have 20 average-paying ones (which, admittedly, is not
bad, but it's a big difference). Don't be telling prospective
players that so-and-so is in the band if you've only talked
to that locally-famous person about the possibilities.
If (as happened on a recent gig) a soundman asks you if
the horn guys are here yet and they're nowhere in sight,
DON'T SAY YES! Tell him the truth so he can move on to
something else. Take care of business before you act like
a rock star.
5.)
DON'T WHINE! If you can't stand the heat, get out of the
f***in' kitchen! No one's holding a gun to your head.
We lead bands because we have a vision, and every bandleader
ought to know that it's not an easy job. ONLY another
bandleader cares about your problems, or understands them.
Your sidemen don't, your clients don't, your booking agents
don't, and your audiences don't. If you don't think you're
up to the challenge, then be a sideman, no one's going
to fault you for it. But if you choose to walk the dark
road of leadership, keep it to yourself, or join APOL
and talk about your problems with other bandleaders. And
NEVER put your business on the mic, onstage! Don't point
out to an audience (who might not know the difference
until you tell them) that you're missing a third of the
band! (The only exception to this is something I sometimes
do, I'll admit; if after playing a particularly hard chart
and playing it well, I may tell an audience that we were
sightreading, because it lets them know how great my players
are, and it makes them feel like they're in on a secret).
6.)
REHEARSING IS A DRAG. No one likes to rehearse, unfortunately,
so when you do, make sure that every second of the rehearsal
is productive. Everyone should have their own s*** together,
'cause we're all s'posed to be adults here. If cats keep
their own books, then they should have their music together.
Singers should know the arrangements. People should be
on time. And if they're not, FIRE THEY ASSES! And don't
rehearse people to death. If you have much work, it's
kind of ok, but the ratio should not even approach one
rehearsal per gig; in an ideal world (and I know, this
world doesn't exist), you would have 10 or 12 gigs a month,
and one rehearsal a month, to work up new material.
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6
Things Every Band Leader Should Know...