Is this weird or AIBU?

[Icehaven]

I was recently approached by someone on facebook who's looking for a bassist for a tribute band, and initially they asked if I could go to their rehearsal this week however over the weekend they messaged again and said they're not rehearsing this week now so in the meantime could I send a video of myself playing a few of the bass lines?

Maybe it's a generational thing (I've no idea how old they are, I'm mid 40s) but that just isn't something I'm remotely comfortable doing. It's not at all that I think it's anything dodgy (yeah yeah, make your own Only Fans joke here), they just want to get an idea of how I play but the very notion of videoing myself doing anything is so far removed from my comfort zone, never mind sending it to total strangers, but is this just normal now? So many people video half to all of their waking hours and put it on social media now so maybe the trickle down effect of that is it being OK to casually ask a stranger to make a video of themselves and send it to you, but it still just seems bizarre to me.

It's not as if they need to see if I have the right "look" for them either because the real band performs entirely in costume so if a tribute act are doing it properly then how they really look will be completely obscured and if they're not doing it properly then I'm not interested anyway (if I went to see a tribute of them which didn't go the whole hog with the image I'd think it was crap.) 

Also cynicism/experience is making me think they've fobbed me off so they can see someone else this week instead but they still want an idea of me in case that person doesn't work out. To be fair to them I was cagey about having the time to do it at all and he did say they're very keen to get going so maybe it's just to save time rather than wait nearly another fortnight, but still, why a video? having said that, when my other band has advertised for singers we've been sent videos without even asking for them so maybe it just is how it's done now. Is it? 

 




 

[mechanical blood goat]

Dunno but it seems OK to me? It's an audition right? And people have just got used to do things over zoom or teams or whatever I suppose. You could always just video a close-up on the bass and not show too much of yourself. Having said that, I wouldn't send a video of myself doing anything to anyone.

Verdict: U R NOT BU.

SACK EM OFF.

[Icehaven]

Having said that, I wouldn't send a video of myself doing anything to anyone.

Exactly, this is my problem! It doesn't seem totally unreasonable of them to ask and it doesn't seem totally unreasonable of me to not want to either. I dunno, perhaps I'll just politely decline.

[Agent Dunham]

A Wombles tribute band?

[PlanktonSideburns]

Yea I think you could ask for such a thing, but if I was told by a bassist that they don't have the time/gear/arsed to do such a thing id say fair enough. Why not wait till they see you in person? I'm curious what cover band it is now

[mechanical blood goat]

Perfect solution: get yourself a Womble costume and film it dressed like that.

Bonus points if this is a GWAR tribute band.

[Agent Dunham]

Yea I think you could ask for such a thing, but if I was told by a bassist that they don't have the time/gear/arsed to do such a thing id say fair enough.

Why would you expect a bass player to be capable of anything?

^*(I play bass, so I know)

[Shaky]

I play bass too and in these situations just send over mp3s of me playing (or an Ok phone recording) - maybe ask if that's acceptable as it still gets the main point across (ie. you can play the stuff). If not, probably not worth the bother and they're massive perverts.

[PlanktonSideburns]

Film it with your back turned and dub Portrait of Tracy over the top

[Icehaven]

Yea I think you could ask for such a thing, but if I was told by a bassist that they don't have the time/gear/arsed to do such a thing id say fair enough. Why not wait till they see you in person? I'm curious what cover band it is now

It's Ghost (the Swedish one), so if you're familiar with them you'll know what I mean about the costumes being kind of the whole point.

[Emotional Support Peacock]

I don't think they're being unreasonable, but I also don't think you're unreasonable if you don't want to do it.

That difference in expectations might signify that you would disagree about other stuff too, so if you don't want to overcome your reluctance then that's a way to justify it to yourself!

[PlanktonSideburns]

It's Ghost (the Swedish one), so if you're familiar with them you'll know what I mean about the costumes being kind of the whole point.

Just checked out those costumes, that looks like it would a great gig!

[Sebastian Cobb]

It seems a reasonable request to me but I also think it's reasonable to not want to do it and if someone declined I'd probably be alright with making alternate arrangements (it just might take longer to organise).

[drummersaredeaf]

Going back 20 years I had a doom metal band arrange an audition which I was well up for until he said a band rule was long hair. Being utterly bald as fuck even as a 22 year old I told him it was probably best they look for someone else. The lad harangued me by email and MSN for weeks telling me they weren't dicks, completely unaware that it was he who had swerved the (bald) bullet. I eventually saw him as a suggestion on some social media in full army gear so his commitment to the locks was apparently fairly superficial.

Re: onlybass vids, I say fair fucks if you don't want/can't be arsed.

[Underturd]

If you don't feel comfortable doing a video then tell them. How they answer will give you an idea of if you want to work with them anyway.

[Agent Dunham]

Going back 20 years I had a doom metal band arrange an audition which I was well up for until he said a band rule was long hair. Being utterly bald as fuck even as a 22 year old I told him it was probably best they look for someone else. The lad harangued me by email and MSN for weeks telling me they weren't dicks, completely unaware that it was he who had swerved the (bald) bullet. I eventually saw him as a suggestion on some social media in full army gear so his commitment to the locks was apparently fairly superficial.

Re: onlybass vids, I say fair fucks if you don't want/can't be arsed.

Deep Purple soldiered on for years wearing wigs. A mate of mine had to meet them once and came across this bunch of average looking middle aged blokes and asked them where Deep Purple were at, to be informed that it was the band.

[Icehaven]

If you don't feel comfortable doing a video then tell them. How they answer will give you an idea of if you want to work with them anyway.

Yep I think this is probably the way forward.

Thinking about it if they'd originally suggested sending a video rather than going to a rehearsal I'd have thought it was just how they did things (still wouldn't have wanted to do it though), but because it was initially arranged to meet in person, and he gave the impression it would be quite easy going saying we could just have a jam and that they're all still learning etc. then suddenly requesting a video instead, it feels a lot less casual and more like an actual audition, which is absolutely fair enough, it's just it feels the goalposts have moved a bit.

[Icehaven]

Perfect solution: get yourself a Womble costume and film it dressed like that.

Bonus points if this is a GWAR tribute band.

Actually that's not a terrible idea, do the video in a Nameless Ghoul costume (could probably get away with a sheet over my head.)

[Bently Sheds]

Do the vid. Join the band. First gig, wheel out a big telly on a high stand, go home and stream your performance remotely to the telly.

[Underturd]

Perfecto!

[wrec]

It's Ghost (the Swedish one), so if you're familiar with them you'll know what I mean about the costumes being kind of the whole point.

That would be great fun if it worked out. Saw them opening Roadburn fest around the time of their first album so it's mad to see they're at the level of having tribute bands now (though of course the costume aspect lends itself to that).

If you don't feel comfortable doing a video then tell them. How they answer will give you an idea of if you want to work with them anyway.

This is great advice that tends to work for all kinds of collabs in my experience.

[Underturd]

Thankyou, this is good to know.