You Can Be Replaced

Your role in a cover band can be replaced quickly and easily.

Cover and especially bar bands tend to play the same songs, so replacing someone is only a matter of time. That’s time to find someone who knows the songs or time for someone to learn them.

In an original band, there’s often less material to learn.

On one occasion, I was asked to fill in for a guitarist/singer. I got the gig because the bass player was in another band with me. The manager of the band had a decent setup and good equipment. At first, it seemed like an ideal situation. I rehearsed with the manager, singer, drummer and the bass player. Everything went well; two gigs went by and I was enjoying this new band.

Then the bass player needed surgery. He had to miss a show, so I filled in for him and the manager brought back in his main guitarist.

The manager decided to have the original guitarist and me share bass and guitar duties for the upcoming gig. We got together and rehearsed, but the main guitarist had no idea what had been going on. I knew beforehand of the manager’s plan for me and the other guitarist to swap back and forth between bass and guitar. The manager told the other guitarist the night we got together for rehearsal. The manager also neglected to mention the songs that I was playing. The other guitarist had no idea how to play them and he said “Why are we learning other songs?”

That was the beginning of an uncomfortable situation. Once the other guitarist started figuring out what was going on, he wouldn’t even look me in the eye anymore.

At the third gig I played with this band, the other guitarist made an announcement. “Everyone welcome Russell Eldridge to the band. He’s helping us out tonight for the first time.” He also mentioned something about me being a guitar teacher. I appreciated the gesture, but it showed that he still did not know that I had played two shows in the band before that night. I didn’t like the game the manager was playing.

The other guitarist said at the end of the night, “Next time I’m playing the same instrument the whole night. No more switching.” Besides the growing tension, the gig went okay and we started preparing for the next and last gig with this band.

A student of mine was getting married and asked if I would play the wedding. I told him that I would ask if the band I was working with could do it.

I passed it on the manager of the band and he started setting everything up.

We knew about the wedding gig before that third gig, in which I worked as a part time bass player. Both my bass player friend and I were looking forward to the wedding show.

The bassist ended up missing a show the following weekend because of complications from his surgery. They didn’t ask me to play that show. The fill-in bassist that night ended up staying permanently and the manager fired my friend, who counted on getting the wedding gig. When I asked the manager about it, he said, “Yep, you have to get use band members changing.”

My friend wanted me to put my foot down, tell the manager it was my gig and if my bassist friend couldn’t play, I would find another band to play.

We we’re pretty close to the wedding date at that point. I didn’t think I could get an entire show ready in time and I didn’t want to ruin my student’s wedding day.

The new bass player was competent on bass and friendly at the next band rehearsal. The other guitarist barely looked at me.
The bride and groom asked us to learn some songs for the wedding, which I did. At the rehearsal, the manager wanted to have a woman sing the songs.

At that point I was getting upset. He told me to learn them and be ready to sing the new tunes. Now, he wanted to take the part away that he hadn’t even heard me sing.
I told him “You asked me to learn that song. Why are you changing things?” He backed down and we moved on.

At the wedding, the other guitarist sat down in the audience during the songs the bride and groom asked us to learn and during some of the songs I brought to the band.
I don’t know why he didn’t bother putting in the effort to learn the tunes. Also, I wasn’t planning on having him there, but the manager felt we needed him. That meant my pay went down.

The only person I have seen since that gig was the female singer. She either didn’t see me or she ignored me.

I would probably play with them again if I was asked, but at this point I know what to expect from them.

What does this mean for you? Hopefully, nothing. Hopefully, the people you work with will always be upfront and professional. Go into any opportunity with a good attitude, be ready to work (learn the songs) and follow through with what you commit to doing.

Just know you can and will be replaced for any number of reasons so treat business as business and learn from each experience.