HarpNinja
740 posts
Nov 01, 2010
7:33 AM
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I auditioned with a Classic Rock Coverband on Friday at a semi-private Halloween party in a large room with a full PA. There were supposed to be four of us trying out for vocals and harmonica.
Well, three people showed up and only two of us played harp. One of the guys was more of a sit-in than audition and for sure was not going to be able to play with the band full time. He could do the hard/metal type stuff like AC/DC, but that was it. The other guys was in his 40's and a really solid singer. He wasn't maybe the extroverted type you'd want to front a band, but he could sing. He played harp on Mary Jane's Last Dance and is definitely a "beginner" on harp - not quite biker bar ability.
I sang and played really well and actually did almost a set worth of stuff with the band ranging from pretty straight blues (although the drummer is totally a rock drummer) to pop. I was straight into the PA with a SM58, but it sounded good FOH.
Repeatedly I had people asking when I was going back up, if I'd play more harp, and I should play with the band more (don't think they realized I was auditioning). After the show, I was pulled aside and asked if I'd at least cover a gig for them this weekend, sadly, I had to decline as I had a previous booking.
They were concerned about me living out of town (and if I'd be looking for a band closer to home), and thought maybe I'd be turned off by the age difference (one of the guys is 50). I assured them that I hadn't found a band worth playing with near home in 8 years, had been playing in the Cities more than they gig a month for 6 years, and I hadn't even thought about the age difference.
At any rate, I had a lot of fun, played well, and know that I was auditioning them as much as they were me. Not sure if I'll get a formal invite or not...but it was well worth the time and effort. I am pretty sure they'll crap a brick if I play with them again and bring my full rig, lol.
Thanks for the kind words and thoughts in the early thread. I'll keep you all updated. It'd be great to play with them and keep my personal band as a lower key, more original band then trying to make it being a coverband like this group was.
---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
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toddlgreene
2012 posts
Nov 01, 2010
7:36 AM
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That's awesome Mike! I hope they offer it to you after mulling it over.
That's funny that they used a semi-private gig to audition frontmen-pretty ballsy of them, and a trial by fire for all the auditionees, too. ----------

Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
Last Edited by on Nov 01, 2010 7:38 AM
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nacoran
3134 posts
Nov 01, 2010
10:36 AM
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What Tod said!
---------- Nate Facebook Thread Organizer
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HarpNinja
741 posts
Nov 01, 2010
12:29 PM
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Yeah, it was a unique forum for sure. It was a really nice room, though. Now that I think about it, I was pretty much auditioning in front of the larger part of their fanbase!
At any rate, thanks. I left knowing that if they go by who compliments the band the most, it'd be me. They can sweat logistics.
---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
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JTThirty
95 posts
Nov 01, 2010
3:25 PM
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Thumbs up here for you, Mike! Hope it's works out for you.
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toddlgreene
2029 posts
Nov 03, 2010
8:23 AM
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Did you get to play/sing Train, Train? ----------

Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
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toddlgreene
2030 posts
Nov 03, 2010
8:24 AM
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Did you get to play/sing Train, Train? ----------

Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
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HarpNinja
751 posts
Nov 03, 2010
8:38 AM
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I played Train Train. The intro was the band's best reaction of the night. ;)
They contacted me yesterday saying they had people lined up this week to audition from before last week. In fairness to them, they wanted to give them an audition still....so I won't know until next week.
I am sorta taking a gamble here as I've put booking for my band on hold to make sure there aren't conflicts if they hire me. December is going to be slow on my end (2 gigs), but no biggie.
What might bite me in the end is that these two guys will get to play with them the whole night as their singer has now moved officially. The band asked if I could do the whole gig, but my band is already booked at a club I will get hired back at for sure. ---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
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Littoral
165 posts
Nov 03, 2010
11:52 AM
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Keep us posted!
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toddlgreene
2033 posts
Nov 03, 2010
11:54 AM
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Vocally, how do you think you stack up against the other guys? ----------

Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
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HarpNinja
753 posts
Nov 03, 2010
12:07 PM
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I was at least as good. The crowd liked me better and in an email he said, "FYI you are the front runner by a long way and hopefully I will have good news Sunday and we can move forward as a band from there!"
---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
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bigd
237 posts
Nov 03, 2010
2:09 PM
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I'd been waiting for an update. Congrats on showing up and having your voice heard. You seem to bring another quality to commitments: Sanity and dependability. Man are they treasures in a band! My best. d ---------- myspace facebook
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