What IS it with drummers?

[deeaa]

Why is it next to impossible to find good drummers? I mean, a drummer that won't be pawning his gear every other day or keep letting his drinking be a problem for the band?

We just tried to record a first demo of our band...planned it a few weeks in advance...and the drummer shows up drunk as a skunk with a friend of his, who's also just as wasted (despite it turned out later he was only 17. Coulda fooled me, looked no younger than 30). Shoulda just called it quits then and there but, we tried, and we did get them songs recorded, but with so bad timing we can't really put them up in public. Also the other guitarist and bassist started drinking, but they still did a good - well passable job playing - as much as they could over that wavering beat the drunken drummer managed.

I dunno. I like to get drunk now and then too, but come on, why do you have to go out to drink for a 3-day stretch just when we're going to record something?

It seems its almost always like that with drummers...most drummers I ever worked with have always been complete deadbeats when it comes to paying for training facility/whatever, or paying their debts---and almost always at least a bit drunken when coming to practice. Or last drummer was really good - but then again he only drank a litre or two of cider or beer at our practices, and the last time we were in the studio I don't think he drank more than a few beers until before he'd played his parts.

But more often than not it's the drummers who I've had to lend money so they can get their cans outta the pawnshop or whatever...I know this guy who drums for a band that have recorded like a dozen albums and went on tour all around the world for over a decade and whatnot, I mean, they make a good living with the band stuff...and I've loaned the drummer money he never could pay back, and I heard just before they embarked on a new tour he too had to get money to get his cans from the pawn. Not to mention the band had to arrange a benefit concert to get their drummer a new set of teeth as he'd let his own totally rot...

Well, I've worked with good drummers online, so there must be OK ones around too in that respect.

[helliott]

Don't lose hope. We've got a great drummer, very responsible, team player, makes all the difference. Just have to be patient and keep looking.

[FrankenFretter]

I've had the experience with loaning drummers money and never being repaid. This was over 20 years ago, but I hear he hasn't changed a bit in that respect. Maybe that's a bona fide drummer thing.

[deeaa]

Don't lose hope. We've got a great drummer, very responsible, team player, makes all the difference. Just have to be patient and keep looking.

I never even tried to find good players really, just good funny people to play with. Most all my bands I've put together with people I haven't had any idea how good players they are, you know, met in a bar and got to talking music and before you know it, you've got a new band. But it still pisses me off to have to go thru that kind of crap from band members, when they get a tad too far out of hand.

I don't change band members either, even if they turn out bad players or whatever. They leave if they leave...or if it comes to that, I'll leave the band. But I never kick anybody out, even if I can. Like, this time, it's mostly their band, not mine. I may make songs, play guitar and make lyrics and sing, but I'm just the frontman they asked to join them. And they're all very old friends of mine as well...so if we were to change any members, it'd be the end of that band as well, and so long for them old friendships.

I guess I think of bands like families. You don't just kick out somebody even if he doesn't really know how to play, or has a problem. You might find another family to hang with too, but you don't rip apart the original one.

Maybe that's a big reason why my bands never get anywhere, LOL.

[street music]

Most drummers that I know are good solid great people, myabe the ones I know are just past that reckless kind of life and more serious about playing good music.

[deeaa]

Yeah there must be some more stable people out there, as in my online projects as well. You'd think people would be past that at this age - I mean I'm talking guys hitting 40, all my age people.

This guy also, he's pretty reliable and whatnot usually, a single father of a 5-year-old and seems to take care of things quite well...but it seems whenever the kid goes to grandparents, he gets loaded proper the second he can. But he at least has a car and takes care of things well when he's sober.

The last guy I had in my band didn't even have a car and he worked nights in a bar, and whenever he wasn't working, he was still in a bar - even lived upstairs of one...so he was always a bit drunk - rarely too much, but still.

The guy before that in another band was famous for always pawning his cans...he was always in trouble with paying his rent, with him it was more like he simply had no incomes rather than too much drinking...bad situation bandwise anyhow.

Once I had this completely different type of drummer - he was good and didn't really drink any, but in a stark contrast he was way too anal about everything - I mean, he'd cover up his drums with a blanket when not using them and he'd tune the things for like 15 minutes every practice and change the skins like monthly...he was really good at drummin' but there was no rock feeling at all, he'd always play with a metronome in his ear etc...

I shouldn't complain, putting together bands like I do, not caring for musicianship etc. The last time I picked the bass player because I knew him as a colleague and knew he had played guitar 10 years ago. I got him a bass and he was quite a good player and a terrific guy to hang around with. In the two years we were in the band, he never got around to buying an amp or his own bass, though...well he did buy a guitar cord :-)

[sumitomo]

That's a bummer deeaa,but it does sound like a song you could write about drunkin drummers.Sumi:D

[Trailer Park Casanova]

Drummers are to the music trade like plumbers are to the blue collar trades.
They dance to the beat of their own,, errrr,,,,, ahhhh, drummer.

[deeaa]

Drummers are to the music trade like plumbers are to the blue collar trades.
They dance to the beat of their own,, errrr,,,,, ahhhh, drummer.

LOL funny enough, BTW, here in Finland they tell bassist jokes, never drummer jokes..I understand they tell drummer jokes in the U.S. mostly.

Like: a guy walks into a music store and says: I want that accordion and that red trombone. The salesman says: you're a bass player, right? And the guy says: yeah, how'd you know? Salesman: Nevermind...look, I'll sell you the fire extinguisher OK but the AC unit stays on the wall...

Or: Have you heard the story of a bass player that passed by a bar? Yeah, me neither, never...

Or: A bass player went to music school. The first lesson they taught him how to play 'Bam'... The next day they taught him how to do 'bom'..and he actually learns the two notes. But the third day and after that he didn't show up any more.

The music teacher happens to meet the bassist later on and asks: how come you didn't come to school any more? And the bassist says: you know, too many gigs lined up already...

And so on...

Oh one more...why is a bass headstock sticking out of the sand? - too little sand.