Drummer just quit via text message

[Big John Studd]

I hope you were not charged for the text message.

[Little Chubs]

I don't want to steal someone else's drummer. I don't want to be that guy. There is a pretty tight music community here and that is why we were able to find a fill in so quickly. I definitely saw the signs, I just didn't think someone that we all consider a friend would leave us high and dry like that. Also he lives like 3 miles away from where we have practice. He could have at least been man enough to do it in person.

Thanks guys for letting me vent. Any suggestions on other avenues to find another drummer besides CL?

[blowtorch]

Check out the open jams.

[jtees4]

The text message part is irrelevant, simply because it is the way cowards get on these days...but a bit of notice would have been nice since you had a gig. Maybe the out of State part was a problem for him somehow, you never know what people are thinking behind the scenes. Just move on a forget him.

[brookdalebill]

Cool, there's more out there.
The right one(s) are priceless.
My bass player was always trying to impress this on me.
We found our drummer recently, guy has great time feel, and sings well, too.
I have better luck with "educated" drummers.
Guys who can sub-divide beats, speak the language, and like all kinds of music.
Now I just have to keep us busy.

[Mike Simpson]

About 12 or 13 years ago we were all set up at a gig and the drummer never showed up... we didn't hear from him for many years, no calls were returned... we did find a drummer on the spur of the moment but it was a rough gig.

[MickM]

Originally Posted by Little Chubs

He missed practice last week and just didn't show up to our gig Saturday (we had to borrow the opening bands drummer). Then he apologized profusely for it and said he would get his stuff together. After all that he waits until the last moment to bail. I almost feel like he was waiting until the last possible moment to try and screw us over (not sure why). We are opening for a national act tonight and the out of town show is a decently large festival so these are pretty important shows for us. I think the thing that bothers me the most is that he is always calling himself a professional.

I absolutely dread having to find another drummer and weed through all the craigslist flakes and weirdos.

If there is still a real drum shop in your area go there and talk to the help. Putting a card on a cork board won't do it, but once you start talking about music and gigging somebody's name will pop up. Good luck!

[JBennett]

Black Francis famously dissolved the Pixies via Fax.

[Tdub]

Originally Posted by Little Chubs

He missed practice last week and just didn't show up to our gig Saturday (we had to borrow the opening bands drummer). Then he apologized profusely for it and said he would get his stuff together. After all that he waits until the last moment to bail. I almost feel like he was waiting until the last possible moment to try and screw us over (not sure why). We are opening for a national act tonight and the out of town show is a decently large festival so these are pretty important shows for us. I think the thing that bothers me the most is that he is always calling himself a professional.

I absolutely dread having to find another drummer and weed through all the craigslist flakes and weirdos.

Where's your gig tonight?

[sax4blues]

Originally Posted by Little Chubs

He missed practice last week and just didn't show up to our gig Saturday (we had to borrow the opening bands drummer). Then he apologized profusely for it and said he would get his stuff together. After all that he waits until the last moment to bail. I almost feel like he was waiting until the last possible moment to try and screw us over (not sure why).

As I've gotten older I've become a lot less judgemental of why people do things the way they do. No excuse for what they do, but now I just let most stuff roll off because I usually find out they have something worse than rock band going on in their life.

[Thebluesman]

Originally Posted by Mike Simpson

About 12 or 13 years ago we were all set up at a gig and the drummer never showed up... we didn't hear from him for many years, no calls were returned... we did find a drummer on the spur of the moment but it was a rough gig.

So in 2000 the drummer failed to show up..not even a call returned etc..and then,,,,,, you heard from him years later in 2012..!!!!Why? did he REVERSE CHARGE!!!!
Are you still not getting your calls RETURNED?if so..i'd look for a new drummer .

[TwangBilly]

Thank God we have a VERY good VERY reliable drummer in one of the bands I play with regularly. But our drummer in another band I play with quit via text message two days before we were to record our first album last month, along with our keyboard man, a backup singer and a bassist. They had their own little clique going on so when one quit they all quit. That's terribly rude, inconsiderate, etc. But guess what, the rest of us are good enough that we changed our arrangements on all the songs as we went in the studio, and the finished project turned out MUCH better than it would have originally. So HA! Such is life, people do crazy things, drummers are moody, FACT. So just roll with it, it's part of being in the music biz. You'll do fine I'm sure, you may be glad in the long run.

[kelnet]

Originally Posted by CoachJM

kelnet,

Just out of curiosity, what is it that he's "good" at?

JM

He's really good about 90% of the time. He has a great feel for different grooves. He shuffles really well. He understands dynamics. However, he can't sing and play without slowing down, and so, even though he's a good high tenor, we tell him not to bother with harmonies.

[Tim G]

At least he sent a text message. Years ago we had a drummer that didn't show up for practice at his own house. After calling him for a week and getting no answer, his wife finially answered and said "I think he quit."

[SamClemons]

Ditto sax4blues. It is not like someone died because of his action or something. It would have been nice with more notice, but I try to roll with the punches, and forgive others hoping others will forgive me. I know I have done plenty of stupid in my life.

[Weazel]

The best drummer I've ever played with is now the bass player in my 'new' band. He's a musical freak, plays everything except guitar very well. And he's a southpaw.
Our current drummer is a very humble, dedicated and musical guy with a genuine focus on the song, and his dad is a wicked pedal steel virtouso! Guess I'm lucky....

[dan1952]

I've had the good fortune to work with some really good, professional drummers. I've had a couple of bass players, though, from whom I would have welcomed a Dear John text...

[TeleTim911]

You live in Tampa bay area....there has got to be dozens of drummers available. Don't do CL and all that...too much drama, hassle, etc. Talk to all these other band guys you seem to know, surely they know someone looking for a band?

As for your other drummer, what a dweeb. I've been going through this since I joined my first band at age 11, it's nothing new. Musicians are a fickle lot, that's for sure. About 1/2 of them I've known were unreliable, and just plain flakes or nutcases. I guess it's part of the territory.

Forget about him, and move on.

[tpaul]

Originally Posted by Tim G

At least he sent a text message. Years ago we had a drummer that didn't show up for practice at his own house. After calling him for a week and getting no answer, his wife finially answered and said "I think he quit."

I worked with a drummer once who started missing rehearsals at his own house, but he wasn't married so we had to suss out the quitting part on our own.

[Mike Simpson]

Originally Posted by Thebluesman

So in 2000 the drummer failed to show up..not even a call returned etc..and then,,,,,, you heard from him years later in 2012..!!!!Why? did he REVERSE CHARGE!!!!
Are you still not getting your calls RETURNED?if so..i'd look for a new drummer .

Oh... He was out that night... We replaced him with another drummer that we nicknamed "Accelerondo"