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What is some of the "patter" the bands use during the talks?


Dave69

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Hey guys

This may seem to be a question with so many variables to it that a straight answer isn't really available. But do you guys have a set strategy or script when dealing with the punters?

I have used "the drunker you get, the better we sound" line on various occasions. Another goodie is "We had a request (pause) but we are going to keep playing anyway" followed by a boom tish.

Yet another is when someone comes up and asks for a song by Rod Stewart....we usually say "sure" and then announce the next song in our setlist and regardless of who its actually written by, we'll say " This is Summer of 69 by Rod Stewart" and we all have a bit of a laugh. 

Have you guys got any great one liner's to share for breaking the ice? Also, what do you guys talk about during the breaks between songs?

I play in two bands at the moment, one is a pub rock bar bar band and the other is a corporate band which I am aiming to to be a bit more professional in appearance and sound than the bar band which is gloriously sloppy and very rock and roll......the bar band does everything you are not supposed to do but it seems to work and people enjoy it and more importantly we keep getting work so we are doing something right. The thing I absolutely hate is when the lead singer guitarist turns around to me and says "Say something! I cant find my capo//lyrics/ipad...etc".

I hate being put on the spot and usually just come out with, "Everyone having a good time!!!" They go "yeah!!!" Meanwhile the lead singer guitarist is still trying to find his capo and I am out of things to say.

10 secs feels like 5 minutes and no-one else will say anything so we now have dead air which we all know is a no-no on stage.

On another note, goddamn ipads on stage! Our lead singer/rythym guitarist/bass guitarist/lead guitarist are all tethered to their goddamn ipads for their lyrics and keys/tabs for song. They are great as a tool but they use them for everything and dont bother to try to remember anything. How the hell are you supposed to interact with and engage the audience when you are looking at your ipad?

 

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iPads are the new music stands it seems!

 

Best rule for banter is just to have as little as possible. Try to run your songs together as much as possible.

 

One line I've often used that works pretty well: "play some Skynyrd!" "Well, we don't know any Skynyrd but I DO happen to know for a fact that THIS is one of Skynyrd's favorite songs...."

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guido61 wrote:

 

 

 

Best rule for banter is just to have as little as possible. Try to run your songs together as much as possible.

 

 

 


 

 

This is why Medleys are our best friends!!! We talk a bit here and there between medleys but there is not much downtime. 

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If we're playing a loosey-goosey gig, where we're comfortable taking a crack at a song none of us have played before, we'll knock out a verse and a chorus (or however much we can remember), then we'll fade out as I remind the audience that the first rule of show business is "leave them wanting more".

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Someone might come up and yell to us to play some Maroon 5 or whatever popular country song that's big that week, and we will announce:

"we don't know "X" song, but here's one just like it".. then we will go into godsmack or something equally as polar opposite.. the crowd as a whole usually gets a kick out of it.

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One thing I've had success with is to have a "theme" for crowd banter every night....a light-hearted storyline or subplot for that night's show.   It doesn't have to be anything intelligent or complicated;   after all, we're talking about a bar crowd, many of whom are probably hammered .   Just something fun and funny that makes everyone feel like they're in on the joke. :)

For example....at one of regular gigs,  I went into this spiel about our bartender Kristen, and how it had always been her life's ambition to pleasure a man using the ancient secrets of the Orient.....and after years of applying and auditioning (har har!),  she had finally been accepted into the Asian Academy of the Fellatiotic Arts.  

Unfortunately,  her scholarship money would only go so far, I explained.... so we were having a one-night-only charity drive to cover any ancilliary expenses she might incur.....and that anyone who cared to make a charitable donation could simply put their money in Kristen's tip jar, and she would see to it that those funds were dispersed appropriately to various bars, convenience stores, and sleazy hotels all over town.

This became the theme for the whole night.  Periodically throughout the rest of the night, I would say, "Hey Kristen....how are things lookin' over there?   You got that tuition paid for yet?     Not yet?   Come on people....this is your chance to help a young woman realize a lifelong dream.    She will thank you, I will thank you....and her boyfriend wil definitely thank you."

 

I forgot to ask her at the end of the night whether it had much of an impact on the tip jar...but the crowd ate it up.

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Some great ideas in here, guys, I appreciate the advice.....I note however they mostly all revolve around having a crowd first. We haven't had too many big crowds yet.

I like Dave Guido one, "put your finger in the air" thats the type of stuff we need to work on. Trouble is we playing between 45-50 minute sets x 3 and if we play all our songs without any yap, we get through our sets in 38 minutes and we are short at the end of the night.

Which leaves us looking for more songs to play. 

Whats your best encore songs? We have used Suspicious Minds, Sweet Child o' Mine....Do you leave them high or mellow them out to end? We have finished with Killing in the Name of.....the bouncers dont like it when we do that because it fires the punters up and then they have to kick them out....so we started taking them down with a good ol' sing along song like Khe Sanh......that will possibly only mean something to the Aussies on the forum, you O/S guys wouldn't know who Cold Chisel is and that they were the voice of Australian pub culture back in the 80's.

Khe Sanh is one of those songs where every drunk guy and girl in the Aussie audience will instantly forget they were physically fighting with each other 5 minutes ago and put their arms around each others shoulders and sing at the top of the voices. Always leaves them in a great mood and not wanting to punch the bouncer.

 

 

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n9ne wrote:

 

 

One thing I've had success with is to have a "theme" for crowd banter ...

 

For example....at one of regular gigs,  I went into this spiel about our bartender Kristen, and how it had always been her life's ambition to pleasure a man using the ancient secrets of the Orient.....and after years of applying and auditioning (har har!),  she had finally been accepted into the Asian Academy of the Fellatiotic Arts.  

 

I forgot to ask her at the end of the night whether it had much of an impact on the tip jar...

 

While the idea of coming up with a "theme" sounds like a pretty good one ... I'm not sure I'd select a female bar staff member - and call her out over the mic as needing to attend blow job school in order to meet her life goals.   I'm gonna guess that you probably also forget to ask how she feels about being called out in that manner - tip jar or no tip jar. 

Maybe it's just me ... but, while I usually find that some witty double entendre can be hilarious - I also find that uninvited comments that are blatantly sexual like that are to a large degree offensive and in poor taste in most mixed crowds. 

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Short banter is best. Quips and then onto the next song. One bunch I play with now does 3 or 4 related songs back to back, then we stop and banter a bit. No more than 30 to 45 seconds. It helps to shift the gears....you know, 3 intense rawk toonz, then we banter to break it up, then the ballad and the dancers.  Most sets are 9 or 10 songs.

 

But occasionally you have to take a little break for a little longer...instrument changes, equipment problems, etc. 

 

One of the toasts I do personally that always works and you can stretch it out as long as you need. I ask "How many of y'all worked your ass off this week? Me too.  For those of you who sat on the couch all week eating bon bon's and watching Oprah, 1) kiss my ass and 2) feel free to buy the band a round. But for the rest of us,(then I'll raise my drink) put your medicine in your hand and raise it way high up over your head... c'mon everyone get your drink up.....and give yourself a toast! Here's to all my hard workin people!! 1,2,3, drink with me!!"

There are tons of toasts out there, but only one or 2 a night max.

 

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Oh yeah, I forgot... this one works well....

 

"This is a dance for the sexy people only. Sexy people only on this tune. If you ugly, then just stay in your seat. Sexy people on the dance floor, ugly people stay seated please."

 

Works really great if the keyboardist does it thru a vocorder.

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