Letting Strangers Sit In

[refin]

Ever let anyone you didn't know sit in at a show you were doing?
Gotta be some stories here........B.C. or converted.

[Teleguy]

Sure.
New arrival drunks stuffed $60 in my shirt pocket as we were packin' up.
We did another set with them.
They thought we were shwell an' wunnerful...

[refin]

Good one,Teleguy...... :lol:

I remember that several clubs around here(back in the '70s) used to do "Jam Night" on Sunday evenings (actually starting about 4:00 in the afternoon) with free food or a fish fry. Whoever was playing there as the house band had to let people get up and sing,play,or whatever. Since most of the places leaned towards country,we had a lot of "Bubbas" and "Sonnys" who brought their girlfriends out (nice date,huh... free fish and hear me sing).
They would get up and want to impress their sweethearts with a song.
I have never played so many bizarre versions of "Proud Mary" (you know, the "singer" starts the next line on the upbeat,like "3 and"),or had to tearfully sweat it through some girl wanting to sing "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt (you cringe when that last note is coming,because you know they ain't gonna hit it).And the nightmare vocal renditions of "Unchained Melody". It was like the redneck Gong Show.
And then there were the drummers--------- :shock
Every drum fill or roll turned the tempo up a notch or drug it through the mud...and again ,a 3 1/2 beat roll that brought the crash cymbal in at a weird place,and turned the snare into being hit on 1 and 3 instead of 2 and 4.
One rule. we learned----Never....and I mean never......let a singer do a ballad that was in 3/4 waltz time.
It kept all of us on our toes-------and these weren't even the people who were a little liquored up. :ROFL

We did have some good guys and gals sit in from time to time,with ample talent.But we would stiffen a bit when some guy would amble up to the stage (stagger) with cocktail sauce all over his mouth and shirt,a Budweiser in his hand,and slur the following words: "I used to sing in a band years ago before I went into the Marines---do you guys know any Willie Nelson?"

[reverbbb]

. . . and slur the following words: "I used to sing in a band years ago before I went into the Marines---do you guys know any Willie Nelson?"

Or even worse - George Strait. I have never heard any ameture do a George Strait song justice.

[Teleguy]

...do you guys know any Willie Nelson?"


Sure!
How 'bout "Amazing Grace?" :shock

[Old Believer]

Anyone have a drunk woman want to sing "Crazy." Argh, that one's painful every time. How about the yodelers. :shock :banghead

[MrMike]

In one band I was in at our farewell gig we decided to do "You Shook Me All Night Long" but none of us had enough voice left to pull it off. We recruited a band buddy to go out and find some people in the crowd to come sing it. He brought about 10 people onstage, and by the end of the song the entire bar was screaming the song at the top of their lungs. It was a true rock and roll moment.

[refin]

In one band I was in at our farewell gig we decided to do "You Shook Me All Night Long" but none of us had enough voice left to pull it off. We recruited a band buddy to go out and find some people in the crowd to come sing it. He brought about 10 people onstage, and by the end of the song the entire bar was screaming the song at the top of their lungs. It was a true rock and roll moment.

A true Kodak moment!

Ditto on "Crazy"......the chicks always picked the tunes that took some vocal gymnastics to do, and stayed away from simpler songs.
I was always worried about someone wanting to do "The First Time Ever I saw Your Face."
I guess nothing can compare with Roseanne Barre's version of "Star Spangled Banner."

[Teleguy]

...I was always worried about someone wanting to do "The First Time Ever I saw Your Face."...


If they say they can do it like Roberta Flack recorded it, I'd be inclined to let 'em try!
Never get tired of her version.
No gymnastics at all. Just beautiful. Airey. Not over-sung. Just a stellar presentation of what was once a nice song (before it got killed by amatuers).

What are the chances though?

[refin]

The opposite end of all this is auditioning people for your band.
Back in the same era ('70s) our band was auditioning for a second guitarist---we were top 40 and even did dinner music on occasions,so we needed someone versatile. This one guy showed up for an audition---real skinny,goofy boyish looking airman.I'm thinking, "This won't take long."
He didn't even have an amp,and brought in an SG Special like Townsend played (okay,I'm thinking,10 points for that).
He proceeded to absolutely blow all of us away....my jaw was on the floor.
I would best describe his playing as a mix between Larry Carlton,John McGlaughlin and Alvin Lee. He had fire (hoo boy) taste,and rock definiton,but he also knew tons of jazz phrasing and chords.I felt stupid playing next to him (oh yeh...he got the job).He also brought in some really great tunes.
Those were the days when I thought musicians looked a certain way :ROFL

Then there are the other auditions.......... :shock

Any one wanna bite first?

[Old Believer]

Back in the late 70s I was went to watch my friends audition a guitar player. I was in another band at the time.

This guy is just in from Ohio. He brings in an old black face Fender Twin, a tweed case, and a box that looks like a large suitcase. He opened the box and it was full of effects (I think he had practically everything that was available at that time), This was the first time any of had seen a pedal board. Then the guy opens the guitar case - out comes a late fifties Strat, in perfect condition. The guy plugs in and starts playing Highway Star. My friends tried to keep up with him, but to no avail. He played for about an hour, packed his gear, said thanks and left. Never to be seen again.

[stephen]

I dont have any stories really. I was a bit snobbish with my gear (still am, but I do let people I know play my guitar now).

Back in the club days, someone would come and say "This guy is a hot guitarist, and I think it would be cool if you let him play!" I would usually say, Well, its cool he's a hot guitarist, but we have a set list, and established the encore song already, and aint doin any extra ones. Also, we have a band rule that nobody plays with us unless its (insert 2 or 3 hot guitarists of the late 70's, early 80's), or Jimmi Hendrix back from the dead!"

Good thing my buddy came along as a roadie: bout 6'+, 300lbs rock solid, and a redneck drawl that would put Jeff Foxworthy outta business. Seen him take a full on shot right in the mouth (snapped his head back with ferrocity). All he did was spit the broken tooth with a little blood out, lean over to the guy (arms still crossed in front of his chest), eye's wide and say, "Would you like to try that again little man?" I think that guy soiled himself. Yep, him bein there saved me from a lot of grief, quite a few times!

[stephen]

Back in the late 70s I was went to watch my friends audition a guitar player. I was in another band at the time.

............................My friends tried to keep up with him, but to no avail. He played for about an hour, packed his gear, said thanks and left. Never to be seen again.

Ouch! I think it would have been less painful for your buddy if he woulda just :banghead

[refin]

Good thing my buddy came along as a roadie: bout 6'+, 300lbs rock solid, and a redneck drawl that would put Jeff Foxworthy outta business. Seen him take a full on shot right in the mouth (snapped his head back with ferrocity). All he did was spit the broken tooth with a little blood out, lean over to the guy (arms still crossed in front of his chest), eye's wide and say, "Would you like to try that again little man?" I think that guy soiled himself. Yep, him bein there saved me from a lot of grief, quite a few times!

:shock

That's a good friend...especially if you are in a band with a B-3! He could put it one shoulder and carry the Leslie 147 in the other.

Old Believer,I have seen that kind of thing before. Some guy comes out of nowhere and wipes the room with style (you are scraping taste and licks off the wall for a month) and then poof....they're gone!

[Teleguy]

...guy comes out of nowhere and wipes the room with style (you are scraping taste and licks off the wall for a month) and then poof....they're gone!


Once I luckily croked, "You're hired," in time after that happened to us.
That guy took our band to the next level for eighteen months before he moved on.
Yeah, I learned a whole bunch off Robbie!

Best band I was ever in!

[refin]

...guy comes out of nowhere and wipes the room with style (you are scraping taste and licks off the wall for a month) and then poof....they're gone!


Once I luckily croked, "You're hired," in time after that happened to us.
That guy took our band to the next level for eighteen months before he moved on.
Yeah, I learned a whole bunch off Robbie!

Best band I was ever in!


In the same band I mentioned before,this "old" guy (well,32...we were 17 thru 22ish) came to audition.He brought an old LP Custom and blew me awy....eventually,he and the skinny airman fellow mentioned earlier got together,and traded licks and ideas.I was sitting there like a kid in a candy store with $50!!!