How many of you consider yourself an entertainer?

[Telecruiser]

I see single and duo acts from time to time and for the most part they are just like DJ in some ways. I mean, they stand (or sit) up there while people are eating, drinking etc. and run through their song list. OK, that is alright I guess.

 

But -

 

How many of you consider yourself an entertainer and not just a musician/singer? Do you look like you're enjoying what you are doing? Do you smile, do you engage the audience during and in between songs? How do you dress? Is it unique? Do you wear street clothes or do you have clothes just for gigging? Do you have a rap between songs, jokes, stories, props etc.? Do you attempt to bring the crowd into what you are doing by using some of what is listed above? What do you do to separate yourself from the other single/duo acts out there? Bottom line: Why would somebody come listen to you over another act?

 

Thoughts?

[lz4005]

Depends on what's appropriate to the venue. Some places want background music, some want a show.

[rodclement]

I think we are different because we play songs that are not necesserely tought of as acoustic band songs like Rush, Journey, Whitesnake, etc while also having the usual suspects in there.

 

I also approach this very much as a professional with good gear, lights, and props, we set-up for a show even if it turns out to be background music during dinner.

 

I try my best to interact with people all the time even goign as far as seraneding some groups or tables, people love this! Dress code wise, is moslty button down short sleve shirts and kakhi pants or jeans with closed shoes, never flip fops or sneakers ( no problems with anyone doing anything different, this is just what we do). We played a country club a coupl eof weeks ago were they placed us inside the dining room filled with older people...talk about background music only! We worked 5 new songs during the break just so we had enough quiet songs to finish the gig, it worked!

 

Rod

[daddymack]

the minute you do something other than play your instrument, you have become an entertainer. If you introduce yourselves, you are now also the 'emcee', if you tell a joke as you get ready to start, you are now the warmup comic...this is where I lost 'lz' in the other thread, since music is entertainment.

[Telecruiser]

 

the minute you do something other than play your instrument, you have become an entertainer. If you introduce yourselves, you are now also the 'emcee', if you tell a joke as you get ready to start, you are now the warmup comic...this is where I lost 'lz' in the other thread, since music is entertainment.

 

 

I can tell you that I have seen people sitting on a standard height table chair with a notebook in front of them, an out of tune guitar, no personality, playing incorrect chords to the songs and getting paid for it. This may resemble "music" to some but it is not entertainment by any stretch of the imagination.

[daddymack]

no, you are right, that is someone's poor judgement, not entertainment. But in general, for a competent person who cares about what they are doing....

[Telecruiser]

no, you are right, that is someone's poor judgement, not entertainment. But in general, for a competent person who cares about what they are doing....

 

You are right.

 

My OP was more about people who get up there and have a more animated nature about them. They start and end songs correctly, have a good personality rap going in between songs; even while tuning their guitar. They engage the audience even picking out a person in the crowd to carry on with. In short, they have a plan for the start of the show, the middle and the end. hey are well rehearsed and organized.

[fingerpicker]

i try to drink more shots than any audience member. Quite entertaining by third set!

[yanktar]

Not me! Just ask my wife and kids!

Usual feedback: (annoyed but indulgent) "Yes, Dear." and "Daaa-aadd!"

[Howie22]

 

You are right. My OP was more about people who get up there and have a more animated nature about them. They start and end songs correctly, have a good personality rap going in between songs; even while tuning their guitar. They engage the audience even picking out a person in the crowd to carry on with. In short, they have a plan for the start of the show, the middle and the end. hey are well rehearsed and organized.

 

 

I don't know why you would insinuate that someone who isn't a fast talking joke telling guy wouldn't be well rehearsed and organized?

 

It takes all kinds. I know very busy, successful solo guys who do little more than play their songs - some even have their eyes closed most of the time. One in particular is probably the most talented, highest paid, and busiest solo act in town. I know other very busy, successful solo guys who talk WAY too much in between songs, even to the point of the audience making jokes about how they won't shut up and play.

 

Just because an artist isn't constantly engaging the crowd doesn't have anything to do with staring and ending a song correctly, or playing the right chords, or having a guitar in tune, or singing on pitch?

 

You have to have a balance. You have to know how to read your crowd. Sometimes a crowd just wants to sit and listen. Other times it's more of a party atmosphere and they want an "emcee" for the evening. You have to be adaptable and know the appropriate time for each approach.

[daddymack]

"You have to know how to read your crowd"

All told, this is where so many 'performers' miss the mark...'oh, screw them, I am an artiste, I know what to give them'. Arrogance is an issue I see with a lot of soloists...to me, if the gig calls for you to just play quietly in the background, that is exactly what you do. If the gig calls for keeping the party going, then so be it...if you can't gauge the temper of the room, you are doomed, in my experience. For my current duo, we are strictly supposed to be background, in a restaurant, and so we are playing instrumentally, no singing (as a vocalist, I am hurt by this, but, oh well ).

Some people are not comfortable with winging the banter, etc., some are better than others, but depending on the setting, you are, in some form, being paid to entertain, even if you just add to the ambiance...

I used to do a duo where we were 'on' almost all the time, and were winging it ewith the crowd, playing songs, telling jokes, interacting, with minimal breaks (enough time to hit the head, and the bar, from 8PM to midnight)...and while we were in the head...people would ask questions, at the bar, same thing...we worked up a fairly intellectual process for the occassional hecklers (college town, sometimes on campus) and kept the patrons on their toes for four hours, and the tips were usually better than the gig pay.

[EightString]

There's a reason I've sequenced up hundreds of songs, across many, many genres. I take in audience feedback and play what they want to hear. Audiences often have very good taste, so I end up playing songs I enjoy a lot anyway.

[richardmac]

To answer all of the OP's questions:

 

1. I am an entertainer. But my stage banter still needs a lot of work. I pretty much have the music down.

 

2. I do smile and try to make eye contact with a number of people in the room. But again I'm not all that engaging in my banter. I'm not overly concerned about the stage banter thing... Actually my main concern right now is being able to go from one song to another very quickly.

 

3. My dress code varies. Mostly I like to wear khaki pants and a short sleeved shirt with a collar. I have worn a suit before, though. I've been kicking around the idea of buying a used Tux, because I may start doing wedding receptions. Is how I dress unique? No, not really. It's pretty much what I'm wearing to my day job.

 

4. When I do a singer/songwriter slot, or I open up for someone, there are a few of my original songs that I will tell the back story. I do not have or use props, but it sounds like a great idea.

 

5. I will encourage the audience to sing along, but again, I don't have the props. Hmm... I don't have props YET, I should say.

 

6. To separate myself from other local solo/duo acts, I change the orchestration (and the instrument I'm playing) a lot. My last gig I took a strat, a tele, an acoustic, and a piano, plus the iPod Touch for backing tracks. The more variety I can inject into the orchestration, the more sonically interesting it is for listeners. The majority of solo guys around here play acoustic guitar and use an iPod for backing tracks, and that is IT. I play all four instruments I bring, with and without backing tracks. Not too many guys around here do keyboard and guitar.

 

7. Why should someone listen to me instead of some other local performer? I think I have three things - diversity of orchestration, quality of performance, and range of material. I can go from playing "Brick" on the piano to "Johnny B. Goode" on the Tele. There are guys who have a song list that is as varied as mine, but they usually don't have a keyboard AND a guitar. I actually get requests for Brick. It's a sad song about a rough topic.

[machman]

Being a solo act i have to engage with the audience otherwise the 'show' would be boring for the audience to sit through.

I am now looking at adding a simple light show to further the entertainment factor.

I know that maybe my genre of music is maybe not for everyone, but a lot can be learned about stagecraft by watching the entertainers of yesteryear,Dean Martin,Sinatra etc..these guys,albiet very talented,interacted with their audiences and put them at ease which helps especially if you have an 'off' night singing and or playing live.

For me music has always been about an all round package.

So to answer the original question,i view myself as an entertainer first and singer secondly.

Just enjoy yourself and let it show!

[leftyjay]

my actual name i go by is JAY SMITH "The Entertainer". i do whatever is called for me to do to entertain the audience. if i am to play dinner music, it will be quiet, mellow, but with a flair that will make people take notice, but not to be overwelming. if i need to get people dancing, i play the music needed to get them off their seats. if they are there to see me show off on my guitar or keyboard, i turn on that part of my act. i always try to keep in contact with the audience and give them a different show every night. plus over the years, i know what buttons to push to get the audience into the game. that comes with having an open mind and knowing tons of material that you can perform on a seconds notice.

 

it would be hard to play a gig only knowing 50-70 songs. there will be dud nights because you couldn't satisfy the crowd you were dealt. over years, you'll fill the holes with songs that will make your shows better prepaired for anything that will come along. when the people start noticing you can play for any situation, your price goes up too because they know you can do it without worry.

 

playing nearly 240 gigs a year for the past 20+ years, its been a long time since i couldn't satisfy the crowd i was dealt for a particular night. i actually enjoy the challenge of a new venue because i enjoy playing for people that has never heard me before.

[Dingoist]

I think the distinction between entertainer and musician in this respect silly and self indulgent.

 

You want to get in front of people to entertain them? Then you are an entertainer. You play music? Then you are a musician. You play music to people to entertain them, you are both. If you don't plan on entertaining people, then why go through the hassle in playing in front of people then.

 

And of course, I've left out qualifiers such as good/bad/mediocre on this.

[Telecruiser]

 

To answer all of the OP's questions: 1. I am an entertainer. But my stage banter still needs a lot of work. I pretty much have the music down. 2. I do smile and try to make eye contact with a number of people in the room. But again I'm not all that engaging in my banter. I'm not overly concerned about the stage banter thing... Actually my main concern right now is being able to go from one song to another very quickly. 3. My dress code varies. Mostly I like to wear khaki pants and a short sleeved shirt with a collar. I have worn a suit before, though. I've been kicking around the idea of buying a used Tux, because I may start doing wedding receptions. Is how I dress unique? No, not really. It's pretty much what I'm wearing to my day job. 4. When I do a singer/songwriter slot, or I open up for someone, there are a few of my original songs that I will tell the back story. I do not have or use props, but it sounds like a great idea. 5. I will encourage the audience to sing along, but again, I don't have the props. Hmm... I don't have props YET, I should say. 6. To separate myself from other local solo/duo acts, I change the orchestration (and the instrument I'm playing) a lot. My last gig I took a strat, a tele, an acoustic, and a piano, plus the iPod Touch for backing tracks. The more variety I can inject into the orchestration, the more sonically interesting it is for listeners. The majority of solo guys around here play acoustic guitar and use an iPod for backing tracks, and that is IT. I play all four instruments I bring, with and without backing tracks. Not too many guys around here do keyboard and guitar. 7. Why should someone listen to me instead of some other local performer? I think I have three things - diversity of orchestration, quality of performance, and range of material. I can go from playing "Brick" on the piano to "Johnny B. Goode" on the Tele. There are guys who have a song list that is as varied as mine, but they usually don't have a keyboard AND a guitar. I actually get requests for Brick. It's a sad song about a rough topic.

 

 

Great post!

[Voltan]

when i was a kid, i used to sit in on drums for a local country/rockabilly band whose lead singer played an old battered yamaha acoustic... i use the word "played" loosely, as it normally had three strings, was never tuned to my knowledge, and i'm not sure the man knew a single chord on the instrument... he would forget words and make them up as he went, even on old standards, yet no matter where we played, people loved him and they were always well received... lyrics sometimes were off color, but not crudely so, often they were quite clever with double entendre and references to the immediate surroundings... even in high class venues, people ate him up... he wasnt exceptionally handsome, actually quite average, yet the women followed him about like puppies.. his voice likewise was nothing out of the ordinary singers range, but he gave the people a show! i saw him jump up on a table occupied by four women as he sang, danced and kicked all their drinks onto the floor... one put her foot on the table and ever so swiftly kicked it out from under him... he hit the floor laughing and never missed a lick! the audience loved it and he went on like everything had been planned and ended up going home with two of the women from that table... he shmoozed, he joked and laughed loudly and from the time the bus pulled into the parking lot to load in he was larger than life... the band was hot musically, his two younger brothers are accomplished guitarists and i'm sure this didnt hurt anything... but he was the show... and he included everyone in the audience in the party...

[Telecruiser]

That's what I'm talkin' about!

[machman]

I think the distinction between entertainer and musician in this respect silly and self indulgent. You want to get in front of people to entertain them? Then you are an entertainer. You play music? Then you are a musician. You play music to people to entertain them, you are both. If you don't plan on entertaining people, then why go through the hassle in playing in front of people then. And of course, I've left out qualifiers such as good/bad/mediocre on this.

Have to totally disagree with you.

I know plenty of acts who,although they are acomplished musicians,could never in a million years entertain an audience.

No matter how well they play they are just background music to the crowd,nothing more nothing less and then you can get guys who may not be as acomplished musicians who grab the audiences attention and have them eating out of their hands.

So again sorry but there is a big,big difference between being a musician who plays live gigs to an entertainer doing gigs.

In fact the post 2 above reiterates what i am trying to say.

[Telecruiser]

Have to totally disagree with you. I know plenty of acts who,although they are acomplished musicians,could never in a million years entertain an audience. No matter how well they play they are just background music to the crowd,nothing more nothing less and then you can get guys who may not be as acomplished musicians who grab the audiences attention and have them eating out of their hands. So again sorry but there is a big,big difference between being a musician who plays live gigs to an entertainer doing gigs. In fact the post 2 above reiterates what i am trying to say.

 

Couldn't agree with you more!

[Dingoist]

Have to totally disagree with you. I know plenty of acts who,although they are acomplished musicians,could never in a million years entertain an audience. No matter how well they play they are just background music to the crowd,nothing more nothing less and then you can get guys who may not be as acomplished musicians who grab the audiences attention and have them eating out of their hands. So again sorry but there is a big,big difference between being a musician who plays live gigs to an entertainer doing gigs. In fact the post 2 above reiterates what i am trying to say.

 

Really what I was trying to point out that entertainment and musicianship are two different skills.If you get up and attempt to entertain others, then you must be an entertainer which is something completely and utterly separate from being a musician, where is where I probably deviated from the OP's thought and took it a step to the side and made my snide remark (sorry )

 

Honestly, in my years in the arts overall, I've seen too many people forget about the audience and get cocky, arrogant, and forget that often we are the entertainment, so let's do it well.

 

I've been from playing Irish drinking tunes in a pub, to amateur and semi-professional theatre, floated about the literary world a bit, busked as a fire-breather, and have definitely worked as "the entertainment" (before settling down, getting a "real" job, getting married and having kids, I used to joke that I'd go off and join the circus which wasn't actually much of a joke, I was indeed training for it but life took a little turn sideways and made me a professional computer geek, probably for the better).

 

A good entertainer can be a mediocre musician. A great musician, can utterly suck at entertaining. A great musician can sometimes entertain by being a great musician

 

It's a complex world...

[Telecruiser]

A good entertainer can be a mediocre musician. A great musician, can utterly suck at entertaining. A great musician can sometimes entertain by being a great musician It's a complex world...

 

Hit the nail squarely on the head!

[rockerdiva]

I guess I consider myself to be both. Some days I talk a fair amount between songs. But I definitely have other days where I talk less to the crowd. Depends on the mood of the audience and the atmosphere of the room, I guess. When comfortable, I can be funny, (at times), but I'm certainly not trying to be a comedian up there. If I was trying to do that all the time I'd probably be falling on my face - a lot. Basically all I can really do up there is to be myself. I do try to talk to the audience, engage them when possible, get a little banter going. I do make eye contact with everyone in the room who is making eye contact with me. People like that, I think. I have seen some musicians who never seem to look people in the eyes, that stare out into some fixed point, or even look down or only look at their hands or instrument or whatever. I know some people probably do that because when they started out they were uncomfortable looking right back at people, maybe they are still uncomfortable, or maybe they just into that habit and it stuck - but I think it is a bit of a disconnect. I'm so used to looking at the faces of people in the audience now that it feels wierd NOT to do it. If you come and see me and I'm introspected and not looking much at people, I'd say there is something wrong with my head that day.

 

Oh, another thing. I do consider myself to be a decently accomplished guitarist and singer. So yes, I'm a musician. But I'm also not all hung up on every single thing I do being my very best foot forward, in a technical sense. Do you know what I mean? I do plenty of songs that aren't quite as polished, or I'll go ahead and just try to "pull off" something I haven't played much or haven't played in years or don't know as well as I should - if the audience wants to hear it. I'm there for them, not for my own ego. So the idea that I am an "entertainer" frees me up in a way. That way I don't get all worried that everything isn't perfect, and that's really freeing. I'll try something that isn't the greatest, and I'll just try to do it the best I can, and think about the lyrics, try to express something ... you know ...

[sventvkg]

Yea well this subject eh?.. I've never lost a gig to one of those "Entertainer" types, but I've certainly replaced many..That said, I entertain..have a report with the audience, tell stories, talk but I {censored}ing ROCK and rock HARD kicking ass musically. Do the tunes my own way and keep the audience into it like they would be at a concert. Most of the so called "entertainer" types I have come across in 23 years of gigging professionally have sucked...A few serious pros that had corporate type bands that made BIG money, or tribute bands, notwithstanding...I consider myself a musician who can and does entertain with my skill, talent and artistry with music. I don't try to be a Comedian or some cheezy lounge lizard.