Singers suck!

unix-guy said:
For a little perspective, years ago I sliced the tip of my fretting hand index finger lengthwise down the center of the pad.

This was about 2 days before a gig... It bled for almost 3 hours (with applied pressure). I was actually driving to the ER for stitches when it finally stopped.

I played a 2 hour gig with Liquid Bandage coating it and it was torn open and bleeding by the time we were done... But cancelling was not something I really even considered.

Also, PSA - Cutco knives are wicked sharp! You've been warned :)
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Is that similar to super glue?

Super glue is a great way to get you up and playing with finger cuts! It got me out of a pinch a few times...paper cuts, nicks ...etc ...worked all night ...just re-apply as needed though I didn’t need to. Dries instant of course.

If concerned about the health use....try that liquid bandage and then apply super glue to reinforce.

Amazingly durable
 
This whole thread could be summed up with 'Certain Musician's suck'. I personally have had more issues with Keyboard players and bassists. Singers I've had pretty good luck with for reliability as most of them relished the front stage...(which I will have to temper with that most of them were middling at best, and had inflated opinions of their skills.)

The last few bands I've been in, I've had to shoulder at least 50% vocal duties (I am not bad, but would much rather play my guit-fiddle and keys, but I was better than the alternative...)

YMMV.

To the OP: It seems to me that this singer was on her way out (on her side) anyway. So think you are wise to move on.
 
It aint singers per se, but divas that are hard work i reckon.

Diva maintenance... *sigh

Their internal dialogue places them at the centre of the universe all the time, which can become very trying at times.

However, it's that very thing that makes them so watchable on stage.

Anyway, just to add a little levity to the proceedings.. we've all been there!

 
NeoSound said:
Any band member that is undependable sucks! If one person is always late or doesn't show and leaves 3 or 4 others hanging, it really sucks the enthusiasm and fun out of the atmosphere :(. Next worse is they show up but never work on the material:confused:
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I totally agree!
 
reclavea said:
Is that similar to super glue?

Super glue is a great way to get you up and playing with finger cuts! It got me out of a pinch a few times...paper cuts, nicks ...etc ...worked all night ...just re-apply as needed though I didn’t need to. Dries instant of course.

If concerned about the health use....try that liquid bandage and then apply super glue to reinforce.

Amazingly durable
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No, it's not so fast to dry and has a more "natural" feel... In hindsight, super glue would have been better.
 
Carl said:
It aint singers per se, but divas that are hard work i reckon.

Diva maintenance... *sigh

Their internal dialogue places them at the centre of the universe all the time, which can become very trying at times.

However, it's that very thing that makes them so watchable on stage.

Anyway, just to add a little levity to the proceedings.. we've all been there!

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:)
 
t0aj15 said:
BULLSHIT!
You've either got it or you don't.
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I would say no one "has it". Many awesome vocalists peaked at some point and can't even perform their own songs after that era even when they're healthy. Bon Jovi can't sing half of the songs he could back in the day and the guy works super hard and stays healthy.

It takes a lot of practice and sure if you started singing as a child you'll have much of the technique and ability in you but like I said - catching a cold is the same as a guitarist breaking his fingers. How many times a year does that happen to a guitar player? I'd say an average person has a cold 2-3 times a year. Imagine breaking your fingers 2-3 times a year and your band mates being angry at you for not being able to play your instrument.
 
It's not so much the 'I can't sing cause I have the flu' part that annoys people. We can all become sick, or suffer from injuries that make playing impossible. It's the diva behavior that precedes that that makes you want to commit gross acts of murder on them. It's when the whole gig or rehearsal becomes a question of walking on egg shells because 'The Diva' is having a bad day emotionally. It's when they don't show up for rehearsals, or refuse to do certain songs. You can get away with that kind of behavior if 'you're the artist' and the band is 'the hired hands'. Or because 'The Diva' is exceptionally good. Kinda like the hot/crazy scale in How I Met Your Mother.



There have been so many cases of bands putting up with insane diva behavior because of insane talent. But it has to be backed up by the talent. If not, out the door you go. Or out the door the rest of the band goes. Either together, or separately.

And the worst possible band dynamic of course is when 'The Diva' is in a relationship with another band member. Who prevents the others from ditching 'The Diva', which can cause bands to fall apart in bitter infighting, or for the other band members to leave. It's not for nothing that as a general rule of thumb its bad juju for band members to get romantically involved together. Or to involve their significant others in the band. I'm sure there are a few cases where its worked, but then again, who has never heard stories of that uncle which smoked 2 packs a day and lived to be into his 90's?
 
A fun fact - superglue was developed and used during WWII for injured soldiers. They would stick together and patch up the injuries to stop the bleeding (superglue contains cyanoacrylate)

Ah yes, good old 'old school' medicine.....and still better than some 'doctors' here today :rolleyes:

I agree with Mikko to a point- your voice is not like a guitar where you just fix the problem and you're good for the night....or even a damaged finger (played gigs like that tooo_O). If your voice is shot, there's no other 'finger' to fall back on.

That being said, I call complete bullshit on most singers' 'excuses' for not being up to par. The last couple bands I was in, I was one of the main vocalists, and despite my lack of experience, I managed to pull off great shows with sore throats, extreme cold (that was HARD), lack of sleep, bad monitoring mix, and all the rest of it. I worked harder than the other singers cuz I naturally sucked as a singer, and almost every night I would get rave audience reactions as opposed to the other singers. Why? Not because of my voice, it sucks....but because I'd always put everything I had into it, I'd not make excuses and I'd work harder than all the other singers, and at showtime it would always pay off. Hard work mostly beats talent.

So when the singer is making excuses and not showing up to practice and showing up tired and drunk and giving you the d.va attitude, don't put up with that nonsense. Ditch them or do it yourself if you have to.
 
Just to be clear I'm not defending anyone. I sure have experience of musicians that "suck" and while they're not always singers - more often than not they are. Has anyone besides a vocalist ever broken up a band? Not in my experience. :) My main problem with bands has been that because I'm the kind of guy that can do it all - people expect me to do it all. Write the songs, record the songs, re-record the bass because the bassist didn't learn the songs, mix the album, master the album, shoot the music videos, edit the music videos, create artwork. While musicians love to dream of success they rarely feel the need to work for it.

After doing all this I asked if the guys could f.ex. book some shows and that would be their area - turns out I was mean for asking them to do something besides play their instrument. Some guys only have to show up for practice and they come 2 hours late and waste everyone's time and for us who actually have busy lives it's too much. I quit every band I was working with about 8 months ago. It's still safe to say that everyone sucks at times. I'm sure my band mates think that I suck and I quit the bands dramatically by saying that I don't have the time to do everything anymore.

Still - I'm just pointing out that for those who have never tried singing for 2-3 hours straight with full power - please try it because it's not fun. Oh I remember when I could just be the guitarist and I could have beers before going on stage without worrying about a dry throat. No worrying whether I can hear myself loud enough to sing on pitch because the sound guy never turns the volume loud enough in the monitor. I remember jamming with the band and improvising and having fun on stage. None of that happened ever as a vocalist. No drinking before the gig and definitely no afterparties if there's another show in a week or so. A close friend of mine is sort of in a "Pantera" esque band so that's the vocal style he's doing... essentially grunting. He had a very slight fever but decided to still take the stage and because he did he went to the hospital because of cardiomyopathy.

But sure if the "not feeling well" was because of a hangover or because there was some drama before that was left out. That's a different thing for sure. I just assumed that she was sick - not a dick.
 
Muad'zin said:
It's not so much the 'I can't sing cause I have the flu' part that annoys people. We can all become sick, or suffer from injuries that make playing impossible. It's the diva behavior that precedes that that makes you want to commit gross acts of murder on them. It's when the whole gig or rehearsal becomes a question of walking on egg shells because 'The Diva' is having a bad day emotionally. It's when they don't show up for rehearsals, or refuse to do certain songs. You can get away with that kind of behavior if 'you're the artist' and the band is 'the hired hands'. Or because 'The Diva' is exceptionally good. Kinda like the hot/crazy scale in How I Met Your Mother.



There have been so many cases of bands putting up with insane diva behavior because of insane talent. But it has to be backed up by the talent. If not, out the door you go. Or out the door the rest of the band goes. Either together, or separately.

And the worst possible band dynamic of course is when 'The Diva' is in a relationship with another band member. Who prevents the others from ditching 'The Diva', which can cause bands to fall apart in bitter infighting, or for the other band members to leave. It's not for nothing that as a general rule of thumb its bad juju for band members to get romantically involved together. Or to involve their significant others in the band. I'm sure there are a few cases where its worked, but then again, who has never heard stories of that uncle which smoked 2 packs a day and lived to be into his 90's?
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That video conveys only a rookie’s understanding of the Universal Hot/Crazy matrix. Here is a more complete picture of the Hot/Crazy model.

 
I’ll stop the quips. Every band I have ever been in since high school was a business. If someone was not a pro they were fired. No exceptions. Actually they fired themselves. I would explain the impact their behavior was having on the other members of the group. If the behavior didn’t change, bye bye baby. Putting up with a jerk is your problem. Personally I think the diva syndrome is the surest sign of a rank amateur. No they are not all that. They cannot even muster professionalism.
 
Rex said:
That video conveys only a rookie’s understanding of the Universal Hot/Crazy matrix. Here is a more complete picture of the Hot/Crazy model.

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I bow to that man's wisdom. He should teach in university. Well....., maybe not. There are a lot of crazies in university these days.

Geezerjohn said:
I’ll stop the quips. Every band I have ever been in since high school was a business. If someone was not a pro they were fired. No exceptions. Actually they fired themselves. I would explain the impact their behavior was having on the other members of the group. If the behavior didn’t change, bye bye baby. Putting up with a jerk is your problem. Personally I think the diva syndrome is the surest sign of a rank amateur. No they are not all that. They cannot even muster professionalism.
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I loath working with amateurs. I truly loath being in a band with amateurs. Not because they are terrible people, but because they are time wasters. Nothing wrong with occasionally wanting to play music, playing music for fun, but some of us have ambition. And amateurs are like crabs in a bucket. Whenever one tries to climb out the others pull it down. Similarly, every time a band stands a chance of success the amateur will torpedo it by either not putting in his fair share of the effort, leave at a critical moment in the band's development, or find other ways to torpedo it. Usually by having to say no when gigs are being offered. Or they have to spend time with their family. Or they are starting a family. And we should be grateful that despite that heavy burden they will still grace us with their presence from time to time.

Man, I wish I had found a band that was a business. I really do. I just can't find access to the networks that would put me in touch. It's so damn frustrating to have never found such a band, and instead only amateurs. And divas.
 
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