Quaker City Nighthawks Drummer Melts Down at AmericanaFest
Warning: Language
This story has been updated (see below).
After the Americana Music Awards Wednesday night (9-12), Paul Cauthen hosted his “Big Velvet Revue” showcase at the Basement East in Nashville as part of this week’s AmericanaFest, with Randy Houser, Chris Shiflett, Jack Ingram, Aubrie Sellers, the Quaker City Nighthawks, and others scheduled to perform. Things turned ugly when the sound guy working the room was unable to get the monitors for the Ft. Worth-based band operating properly. After an extended delay in the show, the drummer for the band, Aaron Haynes, decided to come out from behind the drum set, and accost the sound man from the mic.
“Yeah you!” he shouted from the center stage mic. “You’ve been looking down the whole goddamn time! We’re trying to play a fucking show up here, and wish you’d turn some goddamn monitors on! Yeah you, shithead! Stop looking at your fucking phone and turn some goddamn monitors on. You got a problem with that? Shut the fuck up and turn the monitors on!”
Aaron Haynes later went back behind the drum set, flipping off the sound guy as the other members of the band watched on, and tried to fill time. Eventually the situation turned ugly when Haynes began shoving people and throwing punches as workers came on stage, and Haynes threw parts of the drum set across the stage as can be seen in the video below. He was then asked to leave the venue.
Saving Country Music reached out to the management and publicity of the Quaker City Nighthawks for comment, and they refused to comment on the matter. The Basement East was also contacted, but did not return the inquiries.
The Quaker City Nighthawks were also scheduled to play Thursday evening at AmericanaFest, but the AMA canceled their performance after the incident, with Elizabeth Cook filling in for them.
The final portion of the incident can be seen in the Instagram story of the tour manager for Jack Ingram. A crude capture of that video can be seen below.
This story will be updated if and when further information is available.
UPDATE (12:30 pm 9/17/2019): Aaron Haynes has released an apology for his behavior. READ FULL UPDATE
I am embarrassed and disgusted by my actions last week at Basement East. I want to apologize to the staff, production team, management, and ownership of the venue for my actions—and to AmericanaFest for allowing this to happen during an event they bring us every year. I conducted myself entirely inappropriately, and acted out in the absolute worse way possible. I also feel an apology is due to the music community I am a part of in Nashville, and to my brothers in Quaker City Night Hawks—this in no way represents how we handle ourselves in any capacity.
I am taking this event as a learning experience, and to seek professional counseling and treatment for my mental and physical health,” Aaron Haynes continues. “I realize I need to conduct myself in a more professional manner, and have taken the steps with the ownership and management at Basement East, personally, to make this right.
September 12, 2019 @ 6:19 pm
I saw George Jones go off on the sound guy in the early nineties at Billy Bobs in Fort Worth told the guy to turn up the monitors and stay away from the sound both before he came down there and whipped his ass! This sounds quite a bit worse. The road gets to folks sometimes!
September 13, 2019 @ 4:25 am
the most appalling part of that video is that it was shot in portrait not landscape turn yur fone sideways next time Spielberg
September 13, 2019 @ 6:43 am
It’s an Instagram story, grandpa. That’s how they work. Media meant to be consumed on phones is primarily in portrait mode these days.
September 30, 2019 @ 7:55 am
Easy junior.
September 12, 2019 @ 6:22 pm
We do t need to fckn practice Randy! We don’t need no shit ass manager either!!!
September 12, 2019 @ 6:45 pm
Some folks call it a Sling-blade, I call it a Kaiser Blade. Mmm hmm.
September 12, 2019 @ 7:36 pm
We ain’t got no GD band!
September 12, 2019 @ 9:16 pm
I play cards with the chief of police
September 13, 2019 @ 5:31 am
The ‘dot dot dot’ should come between medulla and oblongata.
September 13, 2019 @ 2:03 pm
Dots look good on paper. You don’t sing them anyway. You’re just showing your true Aries color.
September 13, 2019 @ 7:34 am
This ain’t right, Doyle. There IS something wrong with you. Nobody wants to take this shit, man.
September 12, 2019 @ 6:30 pm
That seemed a tad excessive.
September 12, 2019 @ 6:34 pm
… shit seems a little too intense, chill man.
September 12, 2019 @ 6:53 pm
I hope venues everywhere refuse to book this band until that clown is gone.
September 12, 2019 @ 7:00 pm
Get the fuck out of here with your cancel culture bullshit. Fucking punk ass bitch
September 12, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
Okay guys, let’s try to be respectful to each other. This isn’t a Facebook comments section.
September 12, 2019 @ 8:02 pm
I don’t agree with cancel culture, but a venue SHOULD be alarmed at the unprofessional behavior of the drummer. It’s one thing to rip the sound guy or flick him off, but throwing bunches and trying to start a brawl? Yeah, the drummer should probably be fired for pulling that crap. If I were a venue, no way would I want to take the risk of booking a band that probably struggles to draw when the drummer could get my business shut down if he goes ape again.
September 13, 2019 @ 6:05 am
There’s an intelligent reply. Maybe you need to attend some anger management classes with the drummer?
September 13, 2019 @ 8:46 am
The AMA cancelled the shows. Not the band with any type of culture.
September 13, 2019 @ 10:58 am
Important point here. It was the drummer, not the sound guy that was found to be at fault here.
September 13, 2019 @ 4:13 pm
And rightly sooo ! That’s what they should have done .. it’s one thing to stand your ground if your provoked when your on stage ~ but that’s not how this went down … I’d say the drummer was having some issues that night before he got to the stage and the monitor deal was something that just set him off in a way that couldn’t be controlled .. it seems that frustration had been manifesting in him .. long before he got to the stage that night ! Dauummm it’s a bad deal to see a man a musician loose it like that in front of an audience… shucks .. I know that manifested anger is hard to suppress when it just takes something llike a situation had arrived with the monitors … really suxxx sorry to see it ~ go down like that :.(
Russell Lee???? Memphis
September 13, 2019 @ 4:54 am
Show me a musician who hasn’t dealt with sound problems and I’ll show you a musician who has never played out. Problems with sound happen all. The. Time. Yeah, it can be frustrating for a performer, but you deal with it. The sound guy (or woman) wants you to sound great because his or her reputation (and maybe job) is on the line, too.
If I’m a venue owner in this situation, my mind goes to the worst-case scenario: Unprofessional drummer throws a fit AND equipment and that flying equipment injures one of my employees or, worse, a patron. So I’m either dealing with a workers comp claim or a patron who is now a plaintiff in a personal injury suit against me. Do I just avoid the time and expense and hand the injured party the keys to my former business? All because a drummer couldn’t act professionally?
September 12, 2019 @ 7:00 pm
The basement east is the worst place to see a show ever… honestly though it’s a shithole and I hate that they have all the good country acts do shows there.. saw red shahan and could barely see him because of the hvac system in front of me. That said you shouldnt through punches over that kind of stuff…
September 13, 2019 @ 6:51 pm
You should’ve gotten closer. It’s not the venue’s fault you were too pussy work your way to the front.
September 12, 2019 @ 7:02 pm
Unknown Hinson knows how to take care of one of those sorry-ass hippie sound guys.
September 12, 2019 @ 7:13 pm
I just bought tickets to see Unknown Hinson here in Pittsburgh in November!
September 14, 2019 @ 12:43 am
Wish you could have seen him before he fired his great bass player.
September 12, 2019 @ 7:15 pm
I back this dude 100%. You can’t get shit done anymore with all these idiots on their phones every fucking second. Dude shouldn’t even get paid – like ever again. Hell, even his kids and ancestors should be unable to work. Stay the fuck home and play with your stupid-ass toys.
September 12, 2019 @ 7:27 pm
I almost got in a head-on collision last week with a fucking bus driver who was playing with his phone. Smart phones are the opiate of the masses.
September 12, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
I can’t back the drummer for a couple reasons. First, no matter how upset you might be at someone else’s unprofessional behavior, it doesn’t give you the rite to throw bunches and act like a maniac. Second, we don’t know the sound guys version of events. Who says he was on his phone wasting time and wasn’t a newbie texting his boss on how to fix what was wrong?
The drummer is a maniac….don’t defend maniacs.
September 12, 2019 @ 8:04 pm
Look, the sound guy could be a complete moron for all we know. He could also be an ace, and his equipment was on the fritz and he was doing the best he could in a bad situation. What I can almost guarantee you is they guy was not ignoring what was happening on the stage because he was playing Candy Crush on his Galaxy S10 as the drummer was barking obscenities at him. If he was looking down, perhaps he was trying to figure out what was going on with his board. And even if it was 100% user error and totally the sound guy’s fault, you don’t put your hands on another individual unless it’s to restrain them from putting your hands on you. I’m not trying to defend the sound guy at all. But there’s a lot we don’t know about this situation, and it’s not fair to act like he’s the real guilty party here. I did the best I could to get as much of the story as possible. But nobody’s talking.
September 13, 2019 @ 5:57 am
So, you think there is little chance that the guy was just distractedly pissing around with his phone? Man, that is a leap. I have seen people so engrossed by their PhentanylPhone that they can’t even hear your when you scream at them from five feet away. Some chick walked right onto a sewer grate that was spewing flames 10 feet high while staring at he phone. Luckily, she died.. I think there is a significant likelihood that the dude was just pissing around. If he is a Millennial, the chance is quadrupled. .
September 13, 2019 @ 11:02 am
I am at AmericanaFest this week, but was not at this particular event. However, I have seen MANY videos of it, including ones that have not been posted publicly. There is video of the drummer yelling at the sound guy that literally turns around and zooms in on the sound guy actively working to rectify the situation as the drummer is yelling at him about being on his phone. The yelling went on for minutes before it got physical. It would have been absolutely impossible for the sound guy to just sit there and ignore it. Again, not saying the sound guy may have not had some fault in the situation. But the idea he was staring at his phone the whole time is ludicrous, and I’ve seen specific video refuting that.
September 13, 2019 @ 3:53 pm
Most sound systems in Nashville are controlled by an app. Sound guys get that app on their phone or iPad…he was probably staring at his mixing app trying to fix it.
September 13, 2019 @ 4:07 pm
As others have noted, most sound people use iOS apps to mix now. I get it, you hate millennials and smart phones, but the drummer is a maniac that flipped out for no good reason. And, unless he is fired from the band, he may have hurt the bands chances at some future bookings.
Venues will deal with an ass that makes them money. They won’t deal with an ass that can be easily replaced and I think we can all agree there are plenty of bands on the same level at QCN that could replace them I terms of drawing power.
September 13, 2019 @ 8:33 am
At my Golf & Guitars Music Festival, my sound team (which I would qualify in the Ace category), use iPads and their iPhones to remotely run most of the board. This is a possibility as well.
September 14, 2019 @ 12:04 pm
Ken Morton Jr…
What is the reason for running the board remotely ?
September 14, 2019 @ 12:16 pm
Being able to mix monitors and mains remotely has really helped revolutionize sound production in venues. First, instead of having to talk back and forth with the band from afar when trying to dial in the monitor mix, the board operator can stand right up on stage with them to hear what they’re hearing and get it perfect. Also, the sound man can walk around to different portions of the room to hear what it sounds everywhere, and not just where his station is located. Sometimes you have a sound guy, and a separate monitor man. Sometimes they have to do both, which makes wireless remote control even more important.
September 15, 2019 @ 5:07 pm
Okay Trigger, I don’t want to pretend to be an authority on this, but let me lay it out in a little more detail.
I was out of town for this show, but everyone came to me for an opinion on it since I’m close to everyone involved and mixed last year’s BVR.
I’ve been a touring FOH for years. I started out in Fort Worth where Quaker is from at all the venues there. While they’re my friends, we’ve had disagreements for years on their amp volumes being too loud to mix the singers voice over. As a result, they get shit from sound guys all over the country. They can also drink anyone under the table – no doubt about this playing a role. I toured for years as the Texas Gents engineer and Aaron is a gentle giant.
I also mix from an ipad – a game changer that allowed me to shoot photogs with the other hand. The ipad would let me go to stage and fix the monitor right next to the drummer. Unfortunately, the console at the basement doesn’t have that much flexibility. I’ve done a number of shows with American Aquarium to running monitors for Paul’s BVR last year. I’ve run monitors at best fest at the Ryman with numerous bands changing every song. I know how hard these montage nights can be. The normal sound guys there are good engineers, though I don’t the new guy that was mixing that night.
I’ve talked to them and the band and pieced together what happened from the horses mouth. It was a series of unfortunate events that broke the camels back with responsibilities on both sides.
Any experienced sound engineer, esp in this americana scene should know damn well that every musician that steps onto your stage is going to be incredibly inebriated at americana fest and especially at a Paul Cauthen party. Your first issue is safety and then quality of sound. That stage is small for a show like this and you need to always be anticipating drunken musicians tripping on your monitor cables and unplugging them. You have to run cables around the perimeter of walking paths — especially where the drummer walks behind the amps. It’s dark and tight back there. Sounds like Aaron accidentally unplugged the amp. Then when the engineer stayed behind the board instead of coming to stage to see if it was unplugged (which should have been his first move), Aaron and the band took it as passive aggression. The engineer still couldn’t figure it out and Aaron lost control. I know he is apologetic and takes responsibility about it and anyone who knows Aaron knows he’s a good man. So I think both are to blame with an understanding that this was a perfect storm. Maybe the band shouldn’t play so drunk and definitely reacting like this isn’t acceptable, but the sound guy is not blameless here. He should have prepared his stage properly at the beginning of the day and he should have not hid behind his sound board and come to stage to see if the monitor had come unplugged. Being a sound guy myself, I’ve been in this situation enough times to know better. He may not be as experienced. One thing I know for sure is that being a sound guy is a thankless job. You are trying to do the impossible of reproducing studio recordings live and making musicians feel good on stage so they can focus on your performance. I’ve worked for every good venue in DFW and I’ve toured hundreds of venues across the country. 9 times out of 10, a venue owner will never give the proper amount of budget towards their sound system nor pay their engineers enough. Especially in Nashville where sound guys are a dime a dozen. I do know that Basement is actively upgrading their system and trying to add a separate monitor engineer board and person. The show deal may not have had budget for it. One thing for sure is, had I been in town, I’d have been mixing that show again this year and it wouldn’t have gone down this way.
Hope this helps everyone with some clarity and closure on the situation.
September 15, 2019 @ 5:46 pm
…he may have been googling how to fix weird obscure monitor issues… just saying, every manual is online, plus forums can be very helpful at identifying unusual issues
September 12, 2019 @ 11:08 pm
Do you mean his descendents should not be able to work? Or do you mean his ancestors should retroactively not work, in some sort of time travel gambit?
September 13, 2019 @ 7:45 am
Both
September 13, 2019 @ 8:35 am
Ancestors should pay reparations.
September 13, 2019 @ 7:17 am
It’s been decided that it was one of the band’s amps causing the problem. Sound guy couldn’t have helped. Drummer needs to look in the mirror and say “Hey man…I like turtles”
September 13, 2019 @ 12:17 pm
yea…yea…this sounds like a comment from a working musician…Grow up.
September 14, 2019 @ 10:23 am
How do you know the phone wasn’t part of the sound system? Several venues I go to have part of the sound system hooked to tablets, phones, etc. Good lord, with the “kids these days” bullshit.
September 12, 2019 @ 7:39 pm
Funny…I’m FROM Fort Worth, follow Americana and Texas country music, and I’ve never heard of them!
September 13, 2019 @ 12:45 am
…that’s not a badge of honor, my friend.
Also: how would this even be relevant or funny? Like, if you’re good at music you don’t have to be a good human being, and vice versa??
September 13, 2019 @ 1:53 pm
Then You don’t get out because QCNH have been playing none stop in FW and Dallas for some time now.
September 12, 2019 @ 7:54 pm
Please, no one don’t give this dude any outlaw cred or props for being a turd and throwing a hissy fit. Welcome to live music, dude.
September 12, 2019 @ 8:56 pm
Dang. Aaron’s been great the few times I’ve met and hosted him at Hi-Dive in various projects (for those saying they don’t know of him or QCNH, he’s also the drummer for Texas Gents and occasional fill in for the Night Sweats). Sweet dude. He tours most days out of the year, so if he’s pissed about sound, the sound was probably pretty rough. Bummer about the actions shown in this video, for sure.
September 12, 2019 @ 9:16 pm
Also, as many of y’all know, playing music in front of people can be an intense and vulnerable thing, so when stuff out of your control isn’t going well, it can really eat at you. I try not to fight folks about it, or anytime about anything, but that’s a helpless feeling situation.
September 12, 2019 @ 9:02 pm
Maybe he was mad because the room was empty. A shot to the pride can sting to the unstable.
September 12, 2019 @ 9:09 pm
The empty room was his fault, not the monitor guys. Write something worth listening to and It will work itself out.
September 12, 2019 @ 11:35 pm
Drummers have a bad enough reputation as it is, without this sort of thing making it worse. It doesn’t take much for recording companies to prefer machines to real people. No temper tantrums, no egos, no arguments. The trend to use machines has laid waste to the musical landscape and boorish behaviour by a human drummer is the last thing we need.
September 13, 2019 @ 2:25 am
Why don t they hire their own sound guy ? This way, they don t have to cope with guys who don t know how to turn the monitors on, and no more technical difficulties either. Probably.
September 13, 2019 @ 7:06 pm
You have to be bigger to do that. Having your own sound guy is like adding another band member who has to get a cut of the pay
September 13, 2019 @ 4:01 am
You went full Christian Bale, man. Never go full Christian Bale.
September 13, 2019 @ 5:09 am
Maybe the sound guy was using his phone to control the board. Or set the monitor level. He probably had an app he was using.
September 13, 2019 @ 6:22 am
ROCK N ROLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!
\m/ \m/
September 13, 2019 @ 7:14 am
Unlike most people on this blog I have a little bit of experience with similar scenarios. I’m a video engineer for a living (large venue projectors/switchers, cameras….etc) and everyday of my life I’m sitting back stage with audio people, video people and graphics people doing shows for 30 years and was a drummer 10 years prior. I also still go out 3-4 nights a week to see mostly smaller shows we talk about on here. I know that sometimes when things are going wrong during a show a tech might appear to be on his phone not paying attention but there’s many times he/we actually are texting someone who might be familiar with said problem and looking for a solution to a piece of equipment acting up. If he’s on a pad/phone he could be controlling the board from it or trying to. Nobody needs the aggravation of being threatened with bodily harm so I assume most sound guys would and do care about their clients. BUT I’ve also been in (mostly bars) where the house sound man is doing a local band and instead of actually paying attention to a guitar lead we all know and love and giving it a boost. He actually IS surfing his phone, not caring, and running on auto pilot.
I don’t know the whole story from above but the drummer acted unprofessional in any case other than the monitor guy flipping him off and laughing at him.
September 13, 2019 @ 7:30 am
One other thing. I rarely if ever approach a front of house sound engineer and complain even if it sounds like shit but I’m the first and most of the times the only one to go high five him and say “It sounds great dude, great job!” because I know how hard it is being on the road in small venues with different equipment every night. I appreciate the effort and a good result.
September 13, 2019 @ 8:18 am
This world would be a better place if people were more worried about getting their asses kicked.
September 14, 2019 @ 3:24 pm
Why?
September 13, 2019 @ 8:23 am
We took these guys out on their first European tour. It was a long one. They were complete sweethearts. Never a problem. People reach a boiling point for different reasons. I am guilty of threatening a monitor guy and definitely wanting to take it to blows. Before you can afford to have a monitor guy traveling with you, you have to work with incompetent ones. It is hard to do that night after night. These are the reasons why we are deaf at an early age. It is frustrating. Touring in a Rock n Roll band in a van can be stressful. Waiting around all day to play your 45 minutes or an hour only to have things out of your control screw it up is maddening I have no idea who was at fault here but I am not shocked watching what went down. Nowadays you have to secretly kick someone’s ass or the perfect angle iPhone video will get you sued or embarrassed.
September 15, 2019 @ 7:08 am
Basement East sucks balls so I get why this guy blew up. I’d punch myself if I had to play there.
September 13, 2019 @ 8:53 am
Cheap beer and blow are a hell of a combo.
September 13, 2019 @ 9:10 am
I think we can all agree the the AmericanaFest patrons who got an unexpected Elizabeth Cook show are the real winners here.
September 13, 2019 @ 9:52 am
The only issue I ever have with sound persons is when they don’t come and check on you after they’ve got the FOH sorted out. If there’s a separate stage monitor person it’s easy enough to tweak things in. But I hate gesticulating to the FOH person once the gig starts.
And the best sound person I ever dealt with was the one and only female that I ever dealt with. Very high on the professional side, very low on the BS side.
But yeah in this case the guy was probably searching for a remedy on the web with his phone. I think we could let our foot up off his neck a little.
Fortunately the easy solution for all band problems is to fire the drummer. Always remember that is step one in the 1-step troubleshooting process.
September 16, 2019 @ 5:30 am
It’s also possible that the monitors were run through a digital board that only had a smart phone / tablet interface. He may have been adjusting the monitors ON the phone. The more complex the technology the more possibility there is of catastrophic failure. And just one little glitch in a digital board or digital snake could easily render the entire monitor system useless.
There is NEVER any justification for childish tantrums like this. I hope the band is proud of it’s star member.
September 13, 2019 @ 10:11 am
If this is truly a country band, then drums are optional anyway.
September 13, 2019 @ 10:56 am
Never thought of Quaker City Nighthawks as a country band. MAYBE Americana. They’re pretty much straight ahead rock, with maybe some roots influences. They do run in roots music circles. Also, they’re a good band.
September 13, 2019 @ 11:05 am
I was going to mention I think they are distinctly a blues rock/desert rock/garage rock band with some country influence at best. They are melded into the Americana sphere for the better (avoiding the mainstream of black keys -esque bands). QCNH is an outstanding band.
September 15, 2019 @ 1:07 am
They recently toured with Mothership and Corrosion of Conformity, both hard rock/metal bands. QCNH are multi-genre when it comes to their tours.
September 15, 2019 @ 2:55 pm
You must be thinking of bluegrass. ????
September 14, 2019 @ 3:00 pm
If this is really truly a country band, the band is optional.
September 13, 2019 @ 10:57 am
What a pippy longstockings, talentless premadonna. Hope there was at least a grain of sand in his vagina so one day he has a beautiful pearl to share with the world.
September 13, 2019 @ 11:38 am
I consider him a postMadonna. He isn’t that old.
September 13, 2019 @ 11:42 am
It’s the Texas Gentlemanly way. I mean what says “gentleman” more than shouting obscenities over a mik and punching out people on stage ????????????????
September 13, 2019 @ 11:38 am
Gritty, original Country band seasoned with Southern Rock & Folk lookin’ for an experienced drummer who doesn’t tolerate rudeness or a lack of professionalism especially when it’s negatively affecting his job or craft. We’re based outta Stephenville, Texas. The pay is piss poor but, “you’ll get more pussy than Frank Sinatra.”
September 13, 2019 @ 12:03 pm
I’m an audio engineer at a small venue and I’ve never had any major problems in my 3 years of working.. BUT if my monitors went out or weren’t getting any signal, MY HEAD WOULD BE DOWN looking at the board trying to troubleshoot the situation.. maybe even dare I say, try to use google search ON MY PHONE to see if anyone on the web has experienced the same problems.. audio engineer probably had faulty gear or was too green to know how to fix the problem.
On the other hand, I know how annoying it can be to play to a decent sized crowd without any monitors.. you can’t perform to your best ability if you can’t hear yourself or your band mates, especially as a drummer. But this dude has lost his mind..
September 13, 2019 @ 1:06 pm
I know Aaron personally and I can tell you this is THE LAST person I would ever expect this from. Honestly a great guy, so someting had to have happened. Alcohol, lack of sleep, frustration, etc…not excusing his actions AT ALL. But guys, we’ve all been there…maybe not to the point of punching someone but damn close. This is a sad situation. He acted completely in the wrong, HOWEVER we cant just crucify someone because of one incident. Mistakes happen, fights happen. If this was a common occurrence then yes, ban him for good, hell even a SECOND occurrence, but this is the first time ever for Aaron. Let’s not take away his lively hood. He will be handled accordingly in the courtroom or whatever and let’s leave it at that. Next f up tho, I agree, kick him out forever
September 13, 2019 @ 4:10 pm
I agree he shouldn’t be blacklisted, but he/the band staying silent on this matter is not a good look. Best to come clean, apologize and try and move on. Staying silent makes them look worse than they deserve.
September 13, 2019 @ 1:59 pm
I was at this show. The entire night of music was incredible and there wasn’t a single issue with sound to that point. Most people left after Paul Cauthen’s set and the QCNH’s were on after 1:15 am. Once her started raising hell about the monitors people cleared out quickly.
Sad because Paul put together a hell of a lineup and it was an otherwise great night.
September 13, 2019 @ 2:34 pm
Sometimes you just have to bite your lip and play your set. Sure it sucks but it is the nature of the way things go. I watched a guy make a complete A## out of himself at Folk Alliance once over reverb in his vocal. He had a 20 minute set and he wasted 10 minutes being ugly. Do your set and move on.
September 13, 2019 @ 3:08 pm
Drummers…see if I save him any!
September 14, 2019 @ 10:02 am
Screw you we’re from Texas, were from Texas so screw you.
September 14, 2019 @ 12:09 pm
Drummer: F You…….F You Too….!!!!!!
At least he was being inclusive…..
September 15, 2019 @ 7:05 am
Could do without the vitriol but he’s not wrong, these production guys SUCK all over town, they’re all on their phones and not listening to the music. They set and forget it. The sound SUCKS at Basement East. SUCKS at Marathon. I’ve even seen guys at the Ryman on their phone not managing the sound for the room. I guess sound guys are underpaid or something because most of them do not do their job well at all.
September 15, 2019 @ 11:12 am
Those damn phones.
September 16, 2019 @ 12:32 am
Can’t really believe how many of these comments casually act like being drunk onstage (whether at 1:115a.m. or not) is A-OK, especially considering this was supposedly an AMERICANA FEST-connected show! Are you out of your MINDS???
Either you want a career, or you don’t.
If this ‘Aaron’ guy is such a “sweetheart,” good for him. Let ‘im go back to whatever Texas roadhouses praise/expect/encourage this behavior, and have a blast.
This isn’t an “either/or” situation.
UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR is what it is, plain & simple.
Fuck ‘im.
Some of you say, “Maybe the FOH should have gonme and re-checked the sound onstage.”
Nope.
Not after even ONE threatening outburst should you do that.
here’s what BOTH sides should have done.
LEAVE YOUR POST and go FACE to FACE with the onsite venue manager, or whomever is in charge. LOdge your complaint–and refuse to continue working in an obviously threatening, abusive situation.
If YOU don’t get “paid enough” maybe the manager does. (Doubtful, but it’s ultimate his problem, anyway.) Even the drummer could have said, “Ladfies and gentlemen, please bear with us for just a moment while we fix a technical problem.” Then FOUND the manager, lodged his complaint OFF stage and (hopefully) out of audience earshot, no matter how heated he was…and put the problem in the venue’s hands, to solve.
Who disagrees, that they’d have been better off canceling the balance of their set–NICELY–than staging a violent, threatening blow-up???
Anyone who does is in the wrong effin’ business.
Stuff goes wrong.
“Aaaron” needs to go home and cry in his cornflakes for a few weeks…as do the rest the bandmembers…because TRUST ME: This particular band is FINISHED, in Nashville.
Over. Done. Kaput!
September 16, 2019 @ 1:10 am
Saving country music… one Rock & Roll band gossip article at a time.
September 16, 2019 @ 8:08 am
You’re gonna change the world with this attitude Hank. Good on you bud ????????????
September 18, 2019 @ 5:21 am
One of drawbacks of the name of this site is having to periodically read cheap shots like this.
September 16, 2019 @ 8:02 am
To assume every artist at Americanafest performs drunk or high is an insult to the professional who chooses to be a cut above. I performed w a lot of ppl this week and they were all sober. Most committed artists are doing their very best to get every inch of milage out of their hard work and sweat. When you start off unprofessional it gets worse from there. This week we experienced really bad sound as well. We tried to fix it from the stage but the sound guy was ignoring us so we HAD to leave it. That’s what you do when you’re a professional. We were on the radio this week and the sound engineer basically mucked up playing the new single. That’s life. It makes me very sad to see the potential of great bands like these hit these problems. These are not problems you should have after years in this game. I wish these guys all the success in the world. If you work hard you deserve it. And I know they work hard.
September 17, 2019 @ 11:47 am
Aaron Haynes is the f*cking man. I know this not a great look for him as a performer, artist, or, like, adult human male, but he works as hard as anybody in music, and we’ve all hod those moments. I was astonished by how many sets he absolutely crushed during SXSW this year. This band in particular continues to kick ass thanks in HUGE part to him; he is the glue for several great acts. I am not one to make excuses for men behaving badly, but it sounds like this was a perfect storm of backstage boozing, waiting around, and maybe – dare I say it – an incompetent or lazy sound guy. Whatever the circumstances, I think we all need to move on and give this guy a break because he said he’s sorry, and if anyone does, he exemplifies the name of this publication.
September 17, 2019 @ 12:29 pm
Sometimes you just gotta whoop a man’s ass. I didn’t get to attend the festival this year. QCNH would have been one band I made a point to see. The kick ass. I would have laughed my ass off if I saw this shitshow… Americanfest could use a little more in your face Rock n Roll. I love it. What’s the saying?… any press is good press.
September 18, 2019 @ 12:10 am
being a sound tech and a promoter who worked a stage at AmericanaFest, this person and band should never be allowed to play again in Nashville.
September 29, 2019 @ 11:59 am
I feel he had a right to be upset they’re trying to do a gig and the sound isn’t coming out right of course it would frustrate you sometimes people lose their temper I mean for crying out loud he’s in a band and he’s a hard-ass God bless him.. I mean t the way it was explained it look like a party but yet they were still trying to perform. I also feel bad for him that he had to apologize for being Real.