Help! Trouble in band paradise

[wok]

So I started a band a year ago and we gwl really well as a band, we are all good friends and musically it has been plain sailing... I set out with a vision of what I want the band to sound like.

You know what’s coming:

The other guitarist wrote two new songs, which for the most part are totally not what we are about. I told him that his new songs for the most part weren’t really suitable for this band.

He totally took it personal and threatened to leave. I am not a dictator, but what would you do when what ideas are not up to scratch?

Such fun playing in a band...

 

[Knox in Box]

Ask Tommy Shaw.

 

[wok]

Ask Tommy Shaw.

Who he?

 

[Guitar Heel]

 

[Knox in Box]

Who he?

One-time Frontman for Styx who accepted another bandmembers vision until he was steamrolled by the Denis Deyoung show. He was later on a stage prop while Denis banged out tripe like Mr Roboto.

 

[wok]

One-time Frontman for Styx who accepted another bandmembers vision until he was steamrolled by the Denis Deyoung show. He was later on a stage prop while Denis banged out tripe like Mr Roboto.

I see your point

 

[MonkeyZero]

One-time Frontman for Styx who accepted another bandmembers vision until he was steamrolled by the Denis Deyoung show. He was later on a stage prop while Denis banged out tripe like Mr Roboto.

How dare you bad mouth Mr. Roboto!

 

[Lerxst]

Are you guys playing just for the fun of it or are you gigging and recording?

 

[sleewell]

put it to a vote, what do the bassist and drummer think?

 

[GomezAddams]

One-time Frontman for Styx who accepted another bandmembers vision until he was steamrolled by the Denis Deyoung show. He was later on a stage prop while Denis banged out tripe like Mr Roboto.

Deyoung made Shaw a lot of money. A LOT of money.

 

[wok]

Are you guys playing just for the fun of it or are you gigging and recording?

Gigging and recording. I started the band with a specific vision of how I want the band to sound and the ‘image’.

The new stuff the other guitarist wrote is totally different and not in a good way

 

[micwalt]

If I remember correctly, Shaw started as a hired gun of sorts to round out the lineup after the band was already pretty well established. It was kinda DeYoung's band.
Now as for the problem at hand, is it merely a stylistic difference? If so, you must ask yourself how much that really matters. You're just having fun, not trying to "make it" or anything like that. So why not have a variety of material?
If the songs suck ass, then I dunno what to tell you.

 

[Steverino]

Wasn't JY in agreement w/Shaw? Seems they were both a bit disappointed with the direction Styx was going.

Anyway Wok, maybe let the the guy put the songs out there, maybe you all can "tailor" them to suit the rest of the band?

 

[Lerxst]

Gigging and recording. I started the band with a specific vision of how I want the band to sound and the ‘image’.

The new stuff the other guitarist wrote is totally different and not in a good way

If his material is important enough to him to threaten to leave, I guess you have to figure out how much you want him to stay versus replacing him ....if that’s the direction he wants to go with it.

 

[Knox in Box]

Deyoung made Shaw a lot of money. A LOT of money.

And I heard Julia Childs once say she'd happily sling burgers at BK for a cool ten mill. ;-)

 

[reverend1]

If I remember correctly, Shaw started as a hired gun of sorts to round out the lineup after the band was already pretty well established. It was kinda DeYoung's band.
Now as for the problem at hand, is it merely a stylistic difference? If so, you must ask yourself how much that really matters. You're just having fun, not trying to "make it" or anything like that. So why not have a variety of material?
If the songs suck ass, then I dunno what to tell you.

This

Is it really important that you maintain a certain sound or image?

 

[Honkridge]

I was in a similar situation a while back. I founded a jazz quintet for fun and profit. I'm a very laid back leader and anyone can bring in any thing and we will give it a go. Our bass player brought in a jazz version of "The Real Me" by the Who for god's sake. I took him aside (which was very important not to make a scene) and shot that idea down in no uncertain terms. It was the first time I used my "authority" as founder and gig booker and he got over it. Sometimes you gotta lay down the law.

 

[pmc100]

Start another band with the same members playing his stuff

 

[wok]

This

Is it really important that you maintain a certain sound or image?

Well, yes if uou have already got half an album’s worth of music and the new stuff totally doesn’t fit with the rest. And also if it’s a complete change of style that doesn’t appeal yo me in the slightest and sounds like a bad oarody of bad 90s music

 

[Chad]

The last band I was in, we had a similar situation pop up all the time. My brother in law was the main songwriter. Our bass player would come in with songs, that were not only not our sound, but just plain bad songs. Most of the time, we would seriously re-write anything he brought in. We'd play through them, let everyone have some input, then my brother in law and I would re-write them. If they were too far gone, we would forget to put it in the setlist. I'm not sure how long your shows are, but we would do 3 hours gigs, so sometimes throwing in 1 or 2 terrible songs wouldn't be a deal breaker.