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You’re Always Auditioning by Jonathan Moody
Sunday night finished a three-week theatre run with a very diverse group of people in the pit. The rhythm section was comprised of “veterans” in the area, all of whom I’ve played with for many years; three of us had also played the show before. The horn and reed parts were all comprised of students from the local University. Monday morning found an email from the Music Director to me, asking my opinion on the musicians in the pit. Also included on the email list was the pianist from the show.
It bears mentioning that, while this Music Director is a “new guy” in town, he has just taken a position in the Musical Theatre program at the same University the students attend, as well as the current Music Director of a very talented, energetic (and dare I say well-paying) Summerstock theatre. The pianist in question is also a Music Director in town that has been directing for over 10 years. While the guitarist was not on the email list, he is also the Musician Liason at another local Summerstock theatre, hiring all of the musicians for the visiting Music Director.
Myself? I’m just a guy that plays with almost every single Music Director in town, as well as an unofficial consultant to directors when they find themselves with a couple holes to fill in their pit lineup.
Very quickly the three of us agreed on who would get hired again (sadly, a small list), who might get hired if there was no other option (a smaller list) and who not to hire (the longest list of the three). What they did or didn’t do isn’t important at this point. The point is that these students just failed an audition that they’ll probably never find out.
Simply put, you are always auditioning. You will never – NEVER – know who is watching or listening to you play. Therefore, if you are not conducting yourself in a professional manner on and off the gig, you run the risk of losing possible future gigs from people you may have never given a second thought to. I’m amazed that I still get comments from people on Facebook talking about my gigs with a former band… that I left over seven years ago. You never know who in the audience or right next to you, will remember something and talk to someone else.
Especially in the area of musical theatre, word of mouth recommendations hold a lot of weight; there is no time to hold formal auditions for musicians. So, MDs rely on musicians they trust to recommend like-minded musicians to fill gaps and holes. As previously stated, MDs then talk with the same musicians after the show to go over who worked out and who didn’t. In the end, the ones that didn’t cut it don’t find out; they’re just at home on a Friday wondering why all of their friends got gigs.
So, while it calls for another article entirely, here’s my quick list of criteria that I look for in musicians. Yes, these should all be common sense, but sadly they bear repeating.
• Show up on time. That means if your rehearsal starts at 5pm, you are there and ready to play. If you have a lot of gear, show up early to load in and set up.
• Do your job. I realize that some parts may seem below you (and trust me, the 1-5 pattern in “Oklahoma!” gets old really quickly) and playing something else may be more exciting, but you accepted the gig as it was. Don’t screw around because you’re bored.
• Be prepared. Know what you’re supposed to be playing and be able to do it well. If there are challenging parts, work on them. One mistake is acceptable; the same repeated mistake is not.
• Have a good attitude. It really speaks for itself.
Especially in this day and age, the saying of “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” rings true. Showing up late, being unprepared and screwing around, having a poor attitude are all things that scream, “Don’t hire me again” when people mention your name. A little common sense can’t guarantee that you’ll land more gigs, but it will make sure that when people start talking about you, they’re doing it for the right reasons.
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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