6 Things Every Band Leader Should Know.if you are or have been a Chicago musician, you will probably be familiar withSteve Hashimotos weekly newsletter called News from the Trenches. Steve is a bass player in the Chicago area, and his newsletter is great. Steve pulls no punches and tells it like it is. I have found that whether you agree with him or not, he brings a lot of insight from a working musicians standpoint, and overall much of his stuff is totally hilarious. Last week he wrote a few comments about what band leaders should know or be aware of. I asked Steve if I could list them here and he agreed. Here they areExcerpted from Steve Hashimotos News from the Trenches.On another front, I had another gig that showed the perils of being a bandleader (it wasnt my gig). I wont name names, because I do think that this particular bandleaders heart is in the right place, but he does so many things to shoot himself in the foot that, if not for his benefit (he NEVER listens to my advice) but for the benefit of maybe you younger, aspiring bandleaders (I have been doing this for a little bit of time you dig?), heres Mr. Motos condensed bandleader course:1. ) ALWAYS tell your sidemen as much info as there is; if you dont have it, then get it! Start time, end time, pay (and when and how theyre going to get paid), dress, load-in, what theyre expected to bring (music stand, lights, whatever), address, directions this is the minimum of what a sideman should expect to get from a leader. And dont lie about stuff (this particular guy doesnt lie to be a weasel, but he feels that guys wont work for him if they really know how little a gig pays or how long it is, and I keep telling him that guys usually will if youre up-front, but if theyre expecting XX amount of dollars for XX amount of time and then, on the gig, it turns out to be XX-minus-$20 for XX-plus-an-hour, they not only wont EVER work for you again, but theyll tell everyone they know that youre a lying son-of-a-bitch).2.) KEEP RECORDS! Especially if its a large band you need to know who you have on a gig, what chairs need to be filled, and, if its that kind of band, whos getting paid what. And if a gig gets cancelled, check off every guy that you tell about the cancellation so guys dont have a non-existant gig on the books. WRITE S**T DOWN!3.) NEVER TAKE A GIG that you cant handle. If a club offers you a gig and expects you to fill the joint and you dont have a GUARANTEED FOLLOWING, dont take it! If you promise XX-amount of players and you dont think you can field a band that size, dont take it! If youre asked to sign a contract for X:00 to X:00pm and you think that guys cant make the hit on time or have to leave early, dont sign! If you have personnel problems, walk the walk, dont talk the talk. If you keep threatening to fire people who are late or miss rehearsals, then DO IT! This guy keeps walking around looking like Dave Wanstadt on a Monday after the Bears lost, saying Its not MY fault, I cant control these people. Fire everyone, including MY complainin ass, if you have to. If you dont, well, tough cookies. You bought it, now pay for it. And DONT be docking people for something thats your fault if someones late because you didnt give them the right info, thats your problem.4.) LIVE IN REALITY! Dont be telling prospective players that you have 150 high-paying gigs booked when you really have 20 average-paying ones (which, admittedly, is not bad, but its a big difference). Dont be telling prospective players that so-and-so is in the band if youve only talked to that locally-famous person about the possibilities. If (as happened on a recent gig) a soundman asks you if the horn guys are here yet and theyre nowhere in sight, DONT SAY YES! Tell him the truth so he can move on to something else. Take care of business before you act like a rock star.5.) DONT WHINE! If you cant stand the heat, get out of the f***in kitchen! No ones holding a gun to your head. We lead bands because we have a vision, and every bandleader ought to know that its not an easy job. ONLY another bandleader cares about your problems, or understands them. Your sidemen dont, your clients dont, your booking agents dont, and your audiences dont. If you dont think youre up to the challenge, then be a sideman, no ones going to fault you for it. But if you choose to walk the dark road of leadership, keep it to yourself, or join APOL and talk about your problems with other bandleaders. And NEVER put your business on the mic, onstage! Dont point out to an audience (who might not know the difference until you tell them) that youre missing a third of the band! (The only exception to this is something I sometimes do, Ill admit; if after playing a particularly hard chart and playing it well, I may tell an audience that we were sightreading, because it lets them know how great my players are, and it makes them feel like theyre in on a secret).6.) REHEARSING IS A DRAG. No one likes to rehearse, unfortunately, so when you do, make sure that every second of the rehearsal is productive. Everyone should have their own s*** together, cause were all sposed to be adults here. If cats keep their own books, then they should have their music together. Singers should know the arrangements. People should be on time. And if theyre not, FIRE THEY ASSES! And dont rehearse people to death. If you have much work, its kind of ok, but the ratio should not even approach one rehearsal per gig; in an ideal world (and I know, this world doesnt exist), you would have 10 or 12 gigs a month, and one rehearsal a month, to work up new material.