Upcoming gigs...rhythm guitarist just quit, opinions?

[apocalypsedude]

So it seems that our other guitarist is M.I.A. He got drunk last weekend at a bar, started mouthing off at our singer (this was during the day), got himself banned from the bar because he made such a scene. He's lucky my singer didn't beat the crap out of him, because I've seen him do it to other people, that guy walks the talk. So anyway, he didn't show up for band rehearsal the next night and has not returned any of the other bandmember's (or mine) phone calls or texts in five days. So he has been completely unresponsive, hell he could be dead for all we know.

We have two shows booked coming up for the weekend before Halloween, one more band rehearsal. We have put a lot of work into promoting the shows, $ for posters, not to mention all the rehearsals. This is not the first time he has flaked out on rehearsal and not given anyone the heads up. So whether or not there is the slim chance that he comes back in time to play the shows, we're gonna fire him after the shows anyway.

So heres the question. This is a Turbonegro tribute band, they have two, sometimes three guitars on stage. The lead guitarist, Euroboy plays a lot of leads over the whole song, thats his style. I play the lead role, the other night at rehearsal, it sounded pretty thin when I played the solos, not to mention I had to do a lot more work to hold the rhythm down.

A) Do we cancel the shows to save face, dissappointing our fans, other bands and the bar owners?

or

B) I bring both rigs to the shows, I have an Orange Rocker 30, other guy has a Plexi re-issue, which he has left at our space ( he already owes our singer money for getting it repaired and a 4X12 that my singer acquired, so we are holding the gear until he coughs up the $$$) We act like its a surprise that the other guy is a no show at the gigs, and announce we're gonna try it with just me on guitar. I could tailor the set to gear it more towards one guitar, play fewer leads (not gonna sound like the albums) and set the rigs on either side of the stage, and play thru both to at least fill up the sound (like Phil Campell in Motorhead).

Basically this would be like doing a GnR tribute show with just one guitarist.

What would you guys do?

[Thinline_slim]

First off, that sucks man. Sorry to hear that.

Second, play the shows to the best of your ability as the one guitarist unless you can find a last minute fill. Canceling last minute won't save face, it will most likely piss off the bar owners possibly to the point of getting black listed. In all reality, you will feel like there's a huge hole in the sound but probably not to the crowd or the bar. Just bring the one rig let the show rock. If anyone asks you just let them know the guy quit before the singer kicked his ass and fired him anyway.

Stuff like this is all too common in bands and you just have to take your lumps as you go. If you lost your bass player, drummer, or lead singer different story but you could get through a show with one guitarist and do it really well if you work at it.

Good luck!

[MaxProphet]

bi-amp the bass with an octave up + distortion

then turn up way too loud so no-one can hear anything else... BAM instant rhythm guitarist

[mr_william]

where are you based? its a massive long shot, but there maybe a forum member who could help out?

how technically difficult is it all? how long is the set?

[apocalypsedude]

First off, that sucks man. Sorry to hear that.

Second, play the shows to the best of your ability as the one guitarist unless you can find a last minute fill. Canceling last minute won't save face, it will most likely piss off the bar owners possibly to the point of getting black listed. In all reality, you will feel like there's a huge hole in the sound but probably not to the crowd or the bar. Just bring the one rig let the show rock. If anyone asks you just let them know the guy quit before the singer kicked his ass and fired him anyway.

Stuff like this is all too common in bands and you just have to take your lumps as you go. If you lost your bass player, drummer, or lead singer different story but you could get through a show with one guitarist and do it really well if you work at it.

Good luck!

My feelings exactly, also if we play we will get paid too, and we need the money. Also the other bands that are on the bills would most likely have to cancel as we set up the shows. I have no worries about finding a replacement after the shows.

[apocalypsedude]

Jeez, talk about drama, just got a text from my singer saying the dude is on for the shows. Still gonna FIRE HIS ASS after the shows This is about the third time he's not showed up for practice and not made a peep for a week. I cant even count all the times he's come to practice so drunk he can hardly hold his guitar. Thought he was doing better lately.

[jason41224]

^i would still brush up on his parts. i would think there'd still be a good chance that as a final "F&CK YOU!" he could say he's coming but end up being a no show.

[Thinline_slim]

^i would still brush up on his parts. i would think there'd still be a good chance that as a final "F&CK YOU!" he could say he's coming but end up being a no show.

I agree because I've had this scenario happen.

EDIT: Also, it might be a good idea to talk about it with the rest of the guys and boot him before the shows anyway. Especially if he's the type of guy who would sabotage a gig he was playing in.

[bclaire]

Here's my two cents-

woodshed the songs with only some of the over-the-top stuff.... you're now both rhythm and lead so you have to figure out the best of both worlds- get your channel switching smooth to make the transitions easier and just do the gig!

[leopoldbloom]

-Hey, Happy Tom.
-Yes Hank.
-What do you think about wasting the guitar man?
.....

I love turbonegro. Treat the poor fellow a beer and send him home. If you can play euroboy's parts I think you should be fine with one guitar. It's almost punk rock... Just don't forget to reduce the leads. After the gig you can find another guitarist (if you still miss the second guitar).

[David Verb]

I would tell him to stay home for the night and bi-amp my guitar with his rig!

Tackling lead and rhythm roles? No need to share the glory or sonic space.

Maybe get the bass player to play with a bit of distortion or boost some mid frequencies. That can fill out the sound too.

[apocalypsedude]

-Hey, Happy Tom.
-Yes Hank.
-What do you think about wasting the guitar man?
.....

I love turbonegro. Treat the poor fellow a beer and send him home. If you can play euroboy's parts I think you should be fine with one guitar. It's almost punk rock... Just don't forget to reduce the leads. After the gig you can find another guitarist (if you still miss the second guitar).

HAHAHAHAHA. Yeah, we were talking about sticking to the more punk rock sounding numbers in the set (Sailorman, Good Head, Dungaree High) rather than the more elaborate ones like Sell Your Body to the Night, if he doesn't show. BTW our singer has a $300 custom made denim cape just like Hank wears, we do the make-up, denim, everything, just like they do. Oh yeah, and my singer has a big ole beer gut just like Hank!

[Borderline Productions]

What the problem? It's only a rhythm guitar player who doesn't own the PA gear and lighting rig. (Why is it always the rhythm guitar player who owns all the gear??)

I don't mean this to insult anyone (but I probably already have), but this is probably the most replaceable person in the band. It could have been worse: like losing the drummer, the bass player, or the singer. Without drums or bass, you would have to cancel. Go on without him. Have the bass player fill in more notes. You are now a power trio (at least until you find a new guitar player next week).

There are enough guitar players out there you should be able to find someone reliable.

[jason41224]

What the problem? It's only a rhythm guitar player who doesn't own the PA gear and lighting rig. (Why is it always the rhythm guitar player who owns all the gear??)
I don't mean this to insult anyone (but I probably already have), but this is probably the most replaceable person in the band. It could have been worse: like losing the drummer, the bass player, or the singer. Without drums or bass, you would have to cancel. Go on without him. Have the bass player fill in more notes. You are now a power trio (at least until you find a new guitar player next week).

There are enough guitar players out there you should be able to find someone reliable.

dude...it's so true. hahaha. i'm the rythmn player(ish, we switch back and forth) and i own way more gear than anyone else in any of my bands. i guess it's because rhythm guitarists spend more time obsessing over gear than practicing. which i guess works same for the opposite, the lead players tend to not care about their gear (except maybe guitars) than they do about their playing.

as for replacability...i don't know about that. in blues, you could live without a rhythm player, but in punk you could absolutely live without a lead player (and in drum'n'bass you could live without both ) i agree that bass and drums is irreplaceable, but i still don't think that a rhythmn guitarist is necessarily easily replacable. some rhythmn players (not all) have parts that are just as intricate and unique as most lead players parts. they just serve different roles