The Drama...

    So I'm leading a punk rock band.  After 34 years of playing bass guitar in all sorts of genres from psychedelia to reggae to musical theater, supporting other peoples' musical inspirations and projects, I'm now the guy everyone pretty much looks to for making the artistic, production, and logistical decisions for the band.  It's an unfamiliar, quasi-uncomfortable position for one such as I, who've always been there to cater to and help fulfill others' artistic whims. 

    But I kind of like the new orientation I'm experiencing- I've had a vision for years of what I'd like to do with music, and I'm actually, finally getting to do it!  A big 'plus' is that those involved with the project have come into it with enthusiasm, and acquiesced easily to my so-called 'leadership':  Everyone is apparently happy with their place in our little circle.  Well, perhaps- and I emphasize 'perhaps'- all except for our lead singer, who went and created a Facebook page for the band, under a name he decided on and sent us invitations to. We were all given 'administrative privileges', only to subsequently have our posts policed and/or deleted by him if we fell out of line with his ideas about the project.  After a couple other arguably presumptuous moves- like trying to replace the drummer- we had some diplomatic words about it all, whereupon he summarily left us, complaining over Facebook's 'Chat' feature to me one night about the fascist nature of our project... apparently he had a penchant for drama, not an unusual character-trait in the world of rock bands, etc.  Fortunately he's the only one of us with such an issue (of course, I am typing this here!)...

    I'm at the conclusion that someone has to take the wheel in a project like ours, or it can tend to stagnate... too much talk can wear on a thing when the energy is there to propel it forward.  One agrees to take part, finds their place in the order of things, and therein finds their artistic freedom.  I've been doing it for years!  This thing wants to go- and there just ain't room for personal baggage!  For my part, it seems like I've paid enough dues for the 'bandleader' shoe to fit somehow, especially in light of the fact that I have little-to-no desire to be telling anyone what to do with their axe or their sensibility.  It's amicable.  We're on the same page, we're doing it.

    Our lead vocalist-errant came back knocking on the door at rehearsal a week or so later.  "Hey man, come on in!"...  It's funny, now that we've been recording rehearsals and I've gotten to actually hear his voice/intonation/phrasing, well, maybe it's not really going to work out for him after all!... but if he has to go I'll sort of miss him- I really would like to just play the bass and leave the singing to another.  Ah, well.  The burdens of talent... (*snicker*)...