Auditioning

Tomorrow it will be exactly two weeks since an audition I had. I have been looking for a decent covers band for the last month or so and have still not found the one that I think is right for me.

At the first audition I had I turned up to find I was one of 3 drummers being tried out. It was a bit nerve wracking to sit in the car outside the rehearsal and to be able to listen to the first drummer. He was a decent player, a bit more flashy than me in his style, but sounded competent. I heard him play "Summer of '69", "Angels" and "I Try" by Macy Gray. I had learned Summer of 69 and I Try and felt pretty confident.

When my time came I went in, introduced myself and had a rather awkward overlap with the other drummer as he took down his stuff and I set up mine. The band was a 3 piece - a guitarist, female singer and a keyboardist who was playing bass keyboard parts until they found a bassist. We started to play, first Summer of 69, then I try, then Sweet home Alabama, then I guess why they call it the blues and a couple of others - Play that funky music etc.

It was stange - the band was pretty crap, particularly compared to MLC, my last covers band. The guitarist was fat and ugly and really not the type whom I would want to be in a band with. The singer was ok, female and decent but not great. The keyboardist did seem good, no complaints there.

When I had finished the next drummer was already there. I took one look at him and thought "no way" - he looked old and not right for the role. I left the studio thinking that the job was probably mine if I wanted it. After about a week I had heard nothing so I dropped an email to the guitarist. He replied to say that I hadn't got it and they had given it to the first guy. He did say that he wanted me but was outvoted by the other 2. Initially I was totally gutted, it was the first time I have failed an audition. I got over it, I am still a bit gutted, I mean I didn't get offered it and I probably wouldn't have accepted it. I guess that is the dissapointing thing. They weren't that good!

Since then I have had 3 more auditions. 1 was a guy putting together a "functions" band. I went along but it really wasn't my scene, all Abba and Shania Twain and the plan was to do weddings, parties and the like. I told him that it wasn't for me shortly afterwards.

The one I had almost 2 weeks ago was medium - decent people but they had no great spark - I was impressed with the singer, a lady called Julie - she had presence. I feel that I'd like to be in a band with her but I am non committal about the other 2.

But - I haven't heard an answer yet. I got an email from the chap shortly after. it said nice things - that me and the other guy they tried were the best 2 drummers they had seen out of 8 and they had a really hard choice. I chased him up last week and got a response from his wife to say that he had been ill and no decision had been made yet. I still haven't heard and I think the best thing I can do is crack on with looking. I did have one last Friday, but it was a first get together for a new band and is definitely not going to work, not least because the guy putting it together seemed to be a total tosser to me.

Why am I writing about this?

Because it has made me think that I have to be rejected from some bands in order to find the right one, I have to keep looking without getting down. I never envisaged a scenario in which I would get rejected by bands that I thought were crap. I always thought that I would go for auditions, think "fuck me that band is brilliant" and then not get the job because they were too good for me. Never in my mind did the situation exist that I would get rejected by people I didn't want to play with. I guess my mind was wrong. I'll find my kicking covers band, I will be out having fun and playing at a pub near you soon.

Watch this space!!