I Never Should Have Agreed to be in this Poison Tribute Band

I liked this, but it is like writing a piece from the perspective of a porn film actor, and not revealing his name. Granted, thinking of a good name for a Poison tribute band is a tough one...I enjoy good 80s music, but the stuff that sounds elaborate and synthetic, not hard rock, so I am unfamiliar with Poison & their repertoire. I enjoyed reading your piece.

-Omar

This is for sure one of my favorite articles. The narration juxtaposed with what's currently happening seems like exactly what might happen, whereas a lot of people might be tempted to write this style with more over-the-top actual dialogue.

I feel you! I was the drummer in a cover band (that did do some of it's own originals) and felt the same way !!!

Wade N.

Austin, MN

My boyfriend is a singer in a Poison tribute band and it`s nothin but a good time. His drummer loves it. If your miserable get out don`t sit there and complain about it... POISON ROCKS!!!! If your a true musician, which your obviously not, you`d realize its all about the rock and roll and havin a good time (nothin but)!

Hahahaha. The last poster is a loser. This was great reading.

And it's "you're" not "your," as in "you are."

And here I thought chicks were supposed to be better than guys at that stuff.

Wow! What a bunch of lame and cynical d-bags (the girlfriend is excluded from that statement). Thanks for the grammar lesson, Anonymous on June 28. But, maybe you should be offering your advice to Jakey, the guy who never went to college. Since he believes that at age 28 his life has ‘ended up’ where he is, and that his retarded thought process is due to the fact he didn’t listen to his dad, I will let you off the hook on this one.




Jakey, Jakey Jakey, I guess you should have actually paid attention to the listing in the classifieds that you answered. Because it obviously said that they were looking for a drummer for a “Poison tribute band”. Here is a hint for all you non-college graduates out there…that means they intend on being a band that is a tribute to Poison.




So if you answer the ad, accept an offer to join the band, learn how to play Poison songs, practice Poison songs in rehearsals, and agreed to accept an offer to play a gig then I am left to wonder what hint you may have gleamed to make you think you might not end up playing Poison songs at the gig. I can only conclude that anyone that wonders how this came to be that they ended up in that circumstance must have the intelligence of a slightly retarded monkey.




Don’t get me wrong, Jake. After reading your article, I do think that you write intelligently (I even like your writing style – you can paint an image with your words & the way you interject your own personal dialog throughout your description of situation is pretty funny). However, your lack of self awareness is startling, along with the fact that you obviously don’t understand the first thing about being in a band. So why you chose that as your topic and bashed everything about that which you clearly don’t know is puzzling to me.




I get it…you don’t like Poison. You don’t get their image, or understand why anyone would like them. That’s cool. Different strokes for different folks. Then don’t join in the celebration of those who do and want to pay “tribute” to that band (or any other band). And if you are dumb enough to in the first place, why bash it like everyone/everything else is the problem? Just shut your mouth and do your job or quit and let the next drummer have a spot in the band…someone that wants to be in it. Accept the fact that you got yourself into a situation without actually thinking about it. That is not Poison’s fault. That is not your singer Tim’s fault. That is not the drunk-45-year-old-$10 cover charge paying-audience members’ fault. That is Jakey’s fault. And it will happen all over again every time you pursue something that you don’t understand, don’t have an interest in and do not attempt to assimilate to…only with a different cast of characters in support of Jakey for his next cynical article.




Now I realize I’m being tough on you. You’re just a kid who has a handful of years over the kids that you see out in the bar scene and think they know it all. You realize that you have experience over them and so you really think you know it all at this point. But really you don’t.




I probably have a few more miles than you so just to let you (and all those who read your dibble) know. Those band-mates that insisted on playing songs at certain points in the night were right and you were wrong. Being in a band is about entertaining the people you are performing for. People connect to music that is why they are there. The band provides the music that is why you are there. If you play your cards right and give an audience the music that they can connect to delivered in a way that they are inclined to connect to it then you’ve made a fan. The band amasses a fan base and demonstrates to a venue in some way shape or form that people will come to their establishment if the band plays. The band gets gigs and the circle continues. That is the music business in a nutshell.




I’m not suggesting that the band was good enough to deliver. I’m not suggesting that the band pulled off properly paying tribute to Poison by putting on wigs and dressing up. I’m not saying that they were right or wrong about their rational for playing specific songs at different times. I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t know. I am saying that they were right to consider it and you were wrong because you were not. That is because you obviously didn’t know what the ‘F’ you were doing.




Just so you know where I am coming from: I’ve been playing in bands for years. I’ve been in good bands and bad bands. Original bands, cover bands, tribute bands and various combinations of them. Bands that played in great venues and bands that played in dumps. Popular bands and bands that we had to beg our family and friends to show up for. You name it.


What I have found is that in all types of bands at all levels there is people that just don’t get it. They are the naysayers about anything that has to do with considering something from an audience point of view. They are usually either too dumb or too green to realize how the business works. But the one thing that is a guarantee is that those people are 100% of the time the ultimate demise of any band no matter how good, popular, promising or crappy, unknown and dead-end the band is. You get enough of those people in bands within a certain area and it will kill any music scene and leave no other choice but to go somewhere that only plays hip hop and wrap with a DJ everywhere for miles around.




Omar, you must be extremely young and naïve if you enjoy 80s music but are not familiar with Poison. I mean it’s not like they are not attached to everything 80s. And they get their fair share of airtime on all kinds of mainstream radio shows, VH1 specials, etc. Not sure what you are even talking about with your “porn film actor” reference. But it is easy to name any tribute band. Just pick a song/album name that has a cool ring or connotation to it.




Wade N. You are just as mentally challenged as Jakey. Just because your band “did do some of it’s own originals” (why didn’t Anonymous on June 28 give you a grammar lesson too?) doesn’t legitimize the band. The band is as good/bad as its members make it, no matter what you are playing. If you got involved in an outfit that was doing something that you didn’t want to do then shame on you. Put your sticks down and do something that you have a clue about.




To the girl with a boyfriend in a Poison tribute…Keep on rockin. I like how you stuck up for your man and you clearly believe in what he is doing. You get it and wouldn’t be involved with his situation if you didn’t. The world (and music scene) needs more of you.




So in conclusion, Jake, I am glad to hear that you have seen the error in your ways and that you don’t belong in the band scene at all (Poison tribute or otherwise). Now all the good people in your area have a little better of a chance to go out and see some real music in your area…maybe even your old band.