Kirk - Ok, let's take your post at face value.
You say:
And then go on to elaborate:
Doesn't having mutually exclusive opinions make your brain hurt? If not, I think the Democrats are looking for a presidential nominee.
Look, it's not practical to be a band leader in the sense you mean unless you're cutting some serious checks.
A band leader, in my limited rock and roll experience, is the guy who personally pays for stuff other members take for granted, books the gigs and studio time, handles PR, drives the drummer home when he's too drunk, and stays after everyone else left to collect half of the money originally promised, designs and distributes the flyers, and making sure the guitarist's girlfreind realizes she's not actually a band member.
Ring a bell?
Pardon me, I forgot to mention that in the other forum where we discussed this, we came to at least one conclusion that the drummer could buy the kit he wanted (a double-bass Pearl Export) and then just split the drums up. It was a compromise. The drummer was looking at a few kits. As a community, we drummers agreed that emomusician was clearly in the wrong to tell somebody what kind of gear he could get. He did not like the answers we gave him, and he continued to press his point.
If a double-bass drum kit was a problem on stage, a simple request to the drummer to leave one bass drum at home would have been fine. But, the request was for the drummer to get what the guitarist wanted him to get. So, if emomusician was to stand his ground as a band leader, he really had only two choices - compromise or find a new drummer.
But in the points he was pressing - he started telling us that his drummer was kinda crazy, wanted to tape his drums up like Van Halen, and play a double-kick set. So, not only did it become about the kit that emomusician wanted the drummer to have, it also became about image.
So, compromise or move on and find a new drummer. Telling a drummer to get certain gear is the "be a real band leader" part. Find a new drummer that will kow-tow to your whims, or be "real" and make a compromise. This was not a mutually-exclusive point.
I should have been more specific, my apologies, but I'm going to stand my ground on this.
Asking people to help emomusician make a decision about a drummer and his gear, whom emomusician has spoken ill of on a public forum is most definitely an outrage. Did the drummer ask the guitarist to purchase a specific piece of gear for the image of the band? As far as we know, no he did not.
It's shabby to ask people to work out your problem for you. He simply should have asked his drummer to work with him. Not air his dirty laundry.
So if the drummer was to stand his ground, he would have been fired. A band leader should be prepared for this type of situation. If it has to be 'just so', then there really is very little to discuss.
In every band I've been in, there was a leader, but it was very democratic. I am a drummer, and I won't be pushed around. Especially if my knowledge of gear and songwriting is greater than the supposed leader (which it always was, because I am not only a drummer, but a composer and synthesist). I love effects, synthesizers, and boutique amps.
If there is a sound I want a guitarist to have, I don't say "Hey dude, buy this amp, because I want you to, and it'll help the look of our band". I usually end up getting that piece of equipment for myself, and saying to the guitarist/bassist/singer "Hey, check out this new piece of gear I got! I wanna hear how you sound through it". It's not nearly as intrusive as "You can't have a double-bass kit, because it doesn't fit our image or the stage" (which is BS, we have small stages here in the city, and with creative layout, anybody can fit anything on the stage).
So if I was to influence a person buying a drum set, I would sit the drummer down behind several kits, and listen to him play them. He'd say "I like this one", and I'd probably agree. Then he'd say something like "But, I can get these Pearl Exports for less, and it's a double bass, rad!". I'd say "you don't know how they sound - are you really sure?".
Now he has a seed of doubt planted. I don't have to say "don't buy this gear". It's an unknown variable - the Pearl Exports. The PDP's or Gretsch kits sound awesome, they're right there.
I don't have to come to a forum and ask people to solve a problem.
Let's say he did purchase the Exports, against my wishes. As band leader, I'd say, "well, cool, you got that kit! But, you know what, we don't really need a double-bass - we've got to worry about fitting our gear up on that stage - do you need to have two basses?" He'd probably agree that two basses is too much. And if he didn't agree, I'd ask the band around me for their opinions, not a forum. That should be adequate for getting the job done.
cant think of a good opening though .....how many drummers does it take to ....
