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How to Fire a Band Member: Identifying and Addressing Band Issues

Sometimes one person can hold back the band's potential. I want to look into different reasons this occurs and the best ways to fire your bandmates.

By Magesh MageshContributing Author

People say that being in a band is like being in a marriage. I definitely see the similarities. Trying to communicate your needs, trying to make sure everyone is on the same page and the amount of suffering everyone endures!

In Metallica’s 'Some Kind of Monster' video the band goes to therapy to help them communicate better. This makes perfect sense. Although they employ a psychiatrist to help with their inner turmoil in the band they ultimately end up firing the bass player. In one scene the drummer tells the singer he doesn't like his lyrics. Then, the singer tells the drummer he doesn't like his beats. These are the same problems I had in my high school band and throughout my musical career.

Identifying the Issues

Sometimes one person can hold back the band's potential. I want to look into different reasons this occurs and the best ways to fire your bandmates.

1. Unreliability 

Even if you are the greatest guitarist the world has ever known, you may find yourself being fired if you are constantly late. Other factors that may work against you are if your equipment constantly breaks down or if you are missing rehearsals or band meetings.

This type of personality is easy to identify. Let the person in question know that if they don't get their act together they won't be able to be in the band much longer.

2. Playing the Wrong Thing

Everyone in the band should have the same objective. To make the music sound as great as it can. I once worked with this guitarist who had a massive ego. We went into the studio to record a new song. When it came to playing the guitar solo he played as many notes as he possibly could in 8 bars. The other thing was the second half of his solo sounded off-key.

When the producer asked why the second half of his solo sounded like this the guitar player said "I'm using the mixolidean scale. Guitar players are going to love it!" The producer then said, "Yeah, but everyone else is going to hate it!"

This was a classic case of a musician wanting what's best for them and not the band. If someone isn't being a team player it might be best to let them go.

3. Attitude Problems

If you find your band having some success you need to make sure everyone is on the same page to keep the train rolling. It's fine if band members self-sabotage in their personal lives but sabotaging the band is grounds for being fired.

I once organized a TV appearance for my original band. The music was a mix of funk and rock. The songs were long and we really only had 1 song that was radio-friendly. We all decided that was the best song to play on TV. This show was being televised to an audience of 100,000 people. It was to be filmed on a Sunday afternoon. We fit in one last rehearsal on Sunday morning before the show.

For some reason, the guitar player came in and said he didn't want to play this song. He wanted to play another one of our songs that went for 7 minutes. The bass player and I looked at each other in dismay. Then to make matters worse the guitar player said if we didn't play this song he was quitting the band. He then walked out of the rehearsal room to the car park to have a cigarette.

The bass player said to me "Magesh, I'm going to go out there and punch him in the face". I said, "Don't do that. I'll talk to him and convince him to play the song we all agreed on. If you're still mad after the show, pinch him in the face then."

The good news is we played the original song and no one got punched in the face. Although we did fire the guitar player the next day.

4. Dude, Where's My Money?

If you are an independent band starting out there is a good chance you won't have a manager. That means you will have to nominate someone in the band to deal with the clubs where you perform.

I once performed in a band where the keyboard player dealt with the manager of a local club where we performed. He said we would make $150 a night playing covers from 7 pm to 11 pm. At the end of the night, the keyboard would meet with the manager and come back to us with a brown paper bag. He then paid the 4 of us musicians $150 each.

A few weeks into the gig the keyboard gets sick. He was so sick that he sent another keyboard player to fill in for him. Before the gig begins, he sends me a text message. It says to go into the manager's office at the end of the night to collect the money. He then wrote something odd. "Whatever you do, don't look in the bag. Give it to me and I'll pay everyone tomorrow."

Obviously, the first thing I did was look in the bag. If everyone was being paid $150 each, (there were 4 musicians in the band) there should have been $600 in the bag. There wasn't $600 in the bag. There were $1200! that meant while the bass player guitarist and I were making $150 each, the keyboard player was getting $750 for the same night's work!

When someone has clearly done the wrong thing it is OK to skip politeness when firing them.

How Do I Fire a Band Member?

I think it's important that people get a second chance. Sometimes we are all victims of circumstance. There is nothing you can do if someone is late because of roadworks or a flight being delayed. It is when someone is constantly causing problems that affect the whole band.

I found writing an email is important because everything is written down. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to state what is expected of each member of the band. Also, continual poor performance will lead to not being part of the band. This gives everyone a chance to get their act together. If for whatever reason they can get it together. Simply write that you are moving in a different direction and their services will no longer be required.

Final Thoughts

Remember the reason we all got into playing music in the first place was because it was fun! Although being in a band can be stressful due to various reasons it shouldn't be stressful because people aren't pulling their weight. I can't remember who once said "The key to success is hire slowly fire quickly!"

About Magesh Magesh

Magesh is a musician and producer who has worked with Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Ricky Martin, Chris Brown, The Pussy Cat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, and Vernon Reid of Living Colour. He released an instructional drumming DVD called "Unique Beats" where he mixed the drum kit with electronics and Indian hand percussion. He recently moved from Australia to the UK to explore new musical opportunities.
Website: mageshdrumteacher.co.uk

Contact Magesh Magesh at magesh.magesh7@gmail.com

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