General Music Chat

All right, I'll admit it.

We weren't really that uptight about it. The guy we threw out of the interview was a bozo and the thought of him stones was dreadful.

We all smoked. Usually after practice and listening to the takes one time straight. That band was called Forced Entry and I learned much from them.

On the road or other types of gigs with other bands it was pretty loose. When I was band leader I kept it under control in live shows - no dope until the last set. One drink per break. Etc.

Sheesh. Maybe I am a control freak? You wouldn't have known to see me a couple weeks ago with the boys. I guess you mellow out when you get old.

Talbot

Not if they are in Colorado, Washington or Alaska, or if they have a medical card. There's too many "ifs" in your response to take it seriously. "If" you don't want to play with musicians who smoke then that's your business, but all the more reason to give the guy credit for asking if the band was 420 friendly. Saved everyone time and trouble, and most people don't want to be in a band with the closed-minded righteous anyway.

The law is still the biggest reason you don't want a druggie in the band, whether anyone in the band is righteous or not. No one wants to go to jail for something they didn't do.

Dude, what "righteous holier than thou attitude" have I displayed? I've only pointed out the REAL reason why most who don't partake would not want to be in a band with someone who does. It has nothing to do with a moral judgement and everything to do with unnecessary legal risk of jail.

The second most compelling reason is that it absolutely does impair short term memory. If you have two equally talented players and one of them is high, the other one will do a better job in live performance. Deny if you want to be delusional, but that's a fact.

If weed didn't affect someone's mental state, they wouldn't do it. They'd go looking for something that does. None of that is a moral judgement. If you are getting the idea that I wouldn't hang out with people that smoke weed, then you're wrong. That's the world I come from and regularly visit. But then there is the reality of competition on a professional level....

And by the way, I do have a band for touring. Unfortunately they all live in Poland so I have to go to Europe to tour with them (which I did for all of March/April in 12 nations). They came over here for about a month last year and we're working on summer 2015 now. These guys are at the top of their field, the best musicians I've ever seen....and they will rock your ass right off your behind. But they are serious professionals and I'm the only person in the band who has even tried weed before.

I've been recording with a different band in Hollywood that's quite a bit wilder. They are more liberal than anyone in Michigan! They take me out to show their friends like I'm a museum piece. Lots of smoke going on in those places...and it doesn't scare me. But even in that band the guitarist is the only person who partakes regularly. The other guys may partake also but I've never seen them high, and doubt that they are more than social smokers. I'd work with them anytime anywhere....but I still wouldn't want anyone to suffer legal hassle because of something they don't do.

If I could find players that good in the USA who were willing to live on the road, I'd have an American band. Until then, I simply will not put up with the excuses of semi-pros, or trust my livelihood to undependable musicians.

I do agree that it was "righteous" of the guy to let his potential employers know his position on weed. It was also "righteous" of them to deny him a place in the band if they disagree with said position. No foul, no harm. He can always find another band where that is acceptable.


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I haven't kept up with this thread much, just glanced through now and then, but thought I might join in the discussion about....my favorite blend...

I'm the only one in my band who partakes, I don't touch it onstage or bring it to practice, and the guys know it. I was actually gigging with these same guys when I stopped burning one before a gig years ago. Went to a gig one night, had a very small piece of one and decided to save it for the ride home. Played better than I had in months, I'd been having trouble concentrating, which had never happened before. So I realized it and stopped.

By contrast, I played for a living for around 8 years or so, usually 5 nights a week, and nobody ever saw me play straight. I left Baton Rouge in the late 80's with a reputation as one of the best guitar players in the area. Was doing a lot of fill in gigs, which really keeps you on your toes. Meet the band, 30 minutes later I'm onstage with them...no idea what they'll play, what key it might be in, nothing...I had to wing it many nights, and nobody ever knew I was not exactly what they might consider normal. And a lot of these bands were more country than anything else, most tried to hire me full time before the night was over. A good friend recommended me for these gigs, and always told them I could play anything. So he always set the bar pretty high and I had to deliver. And I did, stoned.

Then all of a sudden, I'm losing my concentration onstage, getting lost, missing chords and leads...things I had never ever done. I had no problem learning the material, I hate to practice at home but I did because I had songs to learn, and if I don't practice, they know it. So I did my homework. Left the weed at home during band practice, I was the only guy in the band that was into that, didn't want anyone else in trouble for my actions. I drove to gigs by myself, but usually had one before the gigs. That stopped when I realized what was happening. It took one night onstage straight for me to figure out what was going on.

I still like to have something for the ride home, haven't seen any in at least a year so it's not an issue at the moment, but never onstage or at practice, and it's been a strong rule for 20 years or more NEVER bring it if I ride with someone else. Period. No reason for them to get in trouble for what I do.

I talked to a guy in Louisiana who had that problem with his band. He didn't mind it in general, but he had kicked several people out of his band for breaking the no drugs rule. He said...

1. People get wasted onstage and can't keep up. That applies especially to alcohol. (I've seen that myself dozens of times) They also get highly addicted to the hard stuff and that affects the whole band. And not in a positive way.

2. If I get pulled over on the way home, the cops will drag everything out of my vehicle and trailer if one person has anything at all, and I get hauled off to jail for his stupidity. Truck, trailer and equipment all gets impounded, if I get off the hook at all it costs me a lot of money to get it all back.

So he didn't want it in his band at all, and rightfully so. And people never failed to think he didn't mean it or they could get away with it...He'd know before long and they would be fired.

He had a hard time keeping a band together, but he did it that way for his own protection and the protection of other band members who did choose to stay straight. I agree completely and I keep it away from the band I'm in for the same reasons.

It's not about whether pot is legal, it's about keeping other people out of trouble for something they didn't do. The way the laws work these days, if you ride with someone else and get busted with anything at all, even a piece of a doobie a half inch long, the owner of the vehicle can and will be charged with it as well, his vehicle impounded, his house probably searched, and his personal property possibly confiscated. It's just plain wrong to subject someone else to that.

Thanks, Pete!


I rest my case....

When it's just me and the other guitarist we play in my rehearsal room which is far enough away from other houses in a semi-rural enclave in Atlanta that we have no noise problems.

But there are things to consider regarding refreshments - whatever our fancy: My next door neighbor is a nice young family man who sadly, happens to be a cop.

I wish they'd change these stupid laws. I'd still want to play straight because that works better for me in a lot of instances. ( as in paid gigs/shows) Parties and garage band jams, Katie Bar the Door.

Everyone on both sides of this question have made good points.

Talbot

Listen to this guy. He knows.

I couldn't agree more.

The drummer in my last band didn't smoke, had a PHD in education, and played everything too fast ... Maybe a little weed would have slowed him down!

Vinny

I don't think anyone is saying people that smoke shouldn't, assuming they can still do the job.
But to me, a paid gig or showcase should be played straight - that's the business man in me.
That goes for booze too sadly.

We can all get blasted later if you like.

Talbot

I agree with that completely. Play now, party later.

If I'm onstage, I'm there to do a job. In days gone by, I could do that job quite well as long as I left the booze alone. These days I have to leave it all at home, and I don't mind that. I just wish everyone else would realize it.

I've seen way too many people who couldn't play for crap on either. In my case, I was such a nervous wreck my uncle swears 6 months after I left high school I couldn't hold a cup of coffee without spilling it till I burned a big fat one. It was probably the only thing that kept me moderately sane for many years. Pretty much brought me to something that resembled normal for other folks. I've been told by my bosses at various times i was the best in the shop...stoned the whole time. But it's totally different for most people, and even then I didn't like to see other people on the job doing pot, I knew how it affected them. It's not safe in many job environments. I quit when I went to work as a machinist, that's way too dangerous...then I started leaving it at home.

As far as music goes, it's play now party later. It's your job, you're being paid for it, treat it like it's a job. Most fun I ever had on the job, but it's still my job...