Earning your Place

[steve mac]

There is a thread this week about compensation and someone mentioned that the regulars add more value to the venue. Now don't get me wrong I would much prefer to listen to an "artist" owning it, but if I was a venue owner I would be employing an "entertainer" every time. I have real problems cutting out songs that I like and/or am good at playing for a BEG type song. I do banter with the audience which I use to make up for my lack of "artistry" but feel the future for me in playing bars is to do more of this and less pleasing myself.

I recently came across this guy via YouTube and he seems like he doesn't struggle to get bookings in the corporate world or on cruise ships. As he himself said, in an interview, he knew he was never going to be a great musician so he better learn how to entertain and he has in spades. To be frank his Ovation sounds awful but the crowd are loving it, so I guess that's all that matters.

I am definitely going to steal his idea of taking off the cuff requests but only singing a verse/chorus and adding something like a Gaga and Eminem tune to my list. I am also impressed that he can deal with a family audience so well, where I struggle if I can't get bawdy.

[Notes_Norton]

When I worked on the cruise lines, I got to see numerous entertainers come and go in the other lounges.

 

We did well because we read the crowd and gave them what they wanted (3 years on a 3 week contract with the bonus of a double-sized cabin).

 

We would often go and see each other when we could. Every entertainer would play one afternoon per week while we were at sea. Usually an hour set. No big deal because our gear was already set up.

 

OK so this road story isn't about us. It's about the piano bar and two drastically different players.

 

1) Player A (I won't give names) was a jazz monster. She played very difficult pieces, very musically, sang well, and had all the musicians on the ship drooling at the piano. But that's all she had.

 

2) Player B was admitted he was a poor pianist and could only play in a couple of keys. He'd only been playing a few years and was still learning. If he couldn't play a chord or two he'd take his hands off the piano, keep singing, and put his hands back when he knew the chords. If he couldn't sing the high or low part in the key he could play in, he'd change the melody.

 

But Player B was an entertainer. When people walked in the bar, he remembered their name, where they were from, and what song they requested last time. He joked around on the mic, would play just about any song requested, and always had a full bar and a fuller tip jar.

 

Sometimes we forget that we are not only musicians, but entertainers. We could play abstract 'art music' but that will limit our audience.If you are lucky, you can make a very good living playing art music, but it's much more difficult to do, because the audience gets smaller as the art gets more abstract.

 

For us, the best solution is to hone our musical chops to the best of our ability, but also hone our entertainment chops so we can bring our music to an audience.

 

A long time ago someone told me: "You can play for yourself, you can play for other musicians, or you can play for the general public. If you are good enough, you will get the audience you asked for."

 

BEG? Margaritaville? Old Time R&R? Blurred Lines? Electric Slide? I don't care. I play what the want, do the best I can, and sneak in a few for myself as well.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

 

 

[daddymack]

"and less pleasing myself."

yeah, that kind of act is usually for a limited audience....

 

For me the drawback on the John Charles approach is I can't learn enough material, especially newer material and retain it, adequately, even to flop out a verse/chorus to please a customer.

 

I do prefer adult audiences, but I have found in many cases, sanitized humor can be just as funny. My issue there is the way my mind works, a good portion of my humor is rather, shall I say, 'esoteric', and not aimed at people of average intelligence or below [or drunk*], so I really have had to learn to 'filter it' live. I have also had to resolve myself to being very circumspect about political and social issue humor. Because I like to believe I live in a colorblind** world, I occasionally 'offend' people unintentionally by playing off racial and ethnic stereotypes that I think are not 'hot buttons', but some people do.

 

 

* one of our Wednesday regulars came in a week later to tell me she finally got the 'joke' when she sobered up the next day, and had been using it all week...

 

** I'm in an 'interracial marriage', and most of the musicians I work with regularly [and most of my closest friends] are 'people of color' who call me 'brother', as I do them. So I forget that people outside that circle see me as just another 'white' guy. Sad, but true.

[pogo97]

Okay, I'm pretty clear about what an entertainer is. What's a musician?

[daddymack]

a person who plays music. Not necessarily well, nor correctly, for that matter...

[pogo97]

Is there a word, then, for a musician who transcends playing the songs and carries people to a special place that only music can take them?

[senorblues]

Pogo: "Is there a word, then, for a musician who transcends playing the songs and carries people to a special place that only music can take them?"

 

I find it hard to imagine that you could ignore this and still enjoy your gig. Yes, some people are natural schmoozers and that's what they love about the gig, but if you actually get into your music, you want to reach other people that way, and I'm pretty sure that everyone here tries to do that.

 

I saw Randy Newman solo at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD awhile ago. He had the patter down AND made the musical connection. I'm sure we can agree that it doesn't have to be an "either/or".

 

[senorblues]

The thing about a wallpaper gig is that hearing crickets after most songs means that when someone does put their hands together, you note what were the attributes of the song they liked, and use the opportunity to acknowledge their appreciation. I find it hard to say anything between songs if everyone is engaged in their own private conversations and doesn't seem to know you're there.

 

Last night, I started with two jazz tunes, two soul tunes, and a rock tune. The rock tune gets applause; so you say: "OK, I see you like the rock tunes. I'll do more like that." Later in the evening a couple comes in and applauds everything and comments favorably on each tune. "I didn't expect to hear Steely Dan." ("Don't Take Me Alive"). That's Ray Charles arrangement, isn't it? ("Unchain My Heart"). They even liked "Ain't Misbehavin'". Yes, they were in their 60s. I need to find more rooms who cater to people like them!

[pogo97]

Seriously, if you like people who enjoy "Ain't Misbehavin'" then you should look into seniors' homes. For someone who enjoys playing old music, as I do, they are a wonderful audience: they know the music, they appreciate your love of the music, and they let you know how much they enjoy it.

 

And you're not there to sell beer but to make people happy who maybe don't have that much to be happy about.

[senorblues]

It's a one off . . . along with a handful of Mose Allison's version of Ellington tunes. Everything else is 50s and 60s.

 

Not that seniors only want to hear music from their formative years. My mom is 91, in a home, and loves to hear live music - any live music - so yes, I can see going in that direction at some point.

[steve mac]

Maybe it's a case of horses for courses, last night I was out for a meal with "she who must be obeyed" and in the smallish restaurant the entertainment was provided by a singer/acoustic guitarist and a conga drum player, both were excellent and exactly right for the venue and audience.

I remarked to my wife that I would be rubbish here (I had been offered gigs here in the past) and she agreed I would, then after a moments reflection said that the duo in front of us would be equally bad at the places I play.

[pogo97]

The older songs are such a joy to play on piano. They were written on piano and it shows.

 

My "aunt" is 91 and she remembers songs from well before her birth. When she was a child her father (my great-uncle) and my grandfather and their families would camp out on a local lake and build cottages on the islands. They didn't have power or phone or anything but they did have an old gramophone and a pile of 78s and she would listen to them -- over and over.

 

I lead a choir where I play organ and sometimes we sing old parlour songs just for fun. Two of the women know everything -- not just the chorus of "Shine on Harvest Moon" but the verse that no-one sings anymore. Their families would sing around the piano when they were little girls. When we do those songs together we connect in a way I would never have expected.

 

In case it's useful to you, I have charts for several hundred vintage songs here:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~douglasgifford/__140824%20lyric%20sheets/baritone/

[Notes_Norton]

Where I live it pays to be a musical Chameleon. When we play our Senior Citizen gigs, we aren't the same band as when we play a Biker Bar. When we play our weekly outdoor gig we mix in a lot of Caribbean music, when we play a particular Elk's lodge, it's ballroom dance, and at another Elk's lodge it's rock mixed with country and lots of line dancing.

 

There are gigs where I blab on the mic a lot, there are others where I don't say a word.

 

We read each gig to the best of our ability using our experience as a guide and hope we make the right decisions.

 

We are musicians, and we are also entertainers. We try to do our best at both.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[daddymack]

an entertainer...or a consummate artist, take your pick. Me, I go with entertainer, as consummate artist is beyond my skillset.

[daddymack]

pogo, no one [but you] sings any verse of Shine on Harvest Moon anymore, for pete's sake

Great song, love the augment in the melody, just perfect...but sadly dated.

 

People in their 60s are not in old folk's homes, they go to blues clubs, restaurants with folk music, wineries, etc....looking for music they can relate to.

I also do 'Ain't Misbehavin' in my solo act [tried it with the blues jam band, major fail, too many changes, apparently ]. The trick with that song is to not let it drag, it needs to have some bounce. I hear too many pianists try to cover it as a ballad, which it really is not.

I tried the OFH circuit briefly as a duo with a keyboard player several years ago, but my heart wasn't in it...and I play tons of material from the 1920's, 30s, 40s, 50s, but half the room is drugged/unresponsive, another third of the room is gabbing/prattling away and the few who are enjoying are barely able to tap their feet. It isn't their fault, but it just didn't work for me.

I did like the DAV facility, but that is a tough room to book into and the $ is mediocre...but the people there were great!

[daddymack]

yes, exactly, there is no one-size-fits-all / porte-a-preter way to perform across multiple venues. You either tailor your performance to the room, or skip the room. [see Note's post below]

With the blues band [blues Channel], we do 'our show', but I know enough that if it is a cocktail/dinner/dancing affair, then we play upbeat instrumentals during cocktails, low key instrumentals during dinner, and then step on the gas for the dancing sets, with the occassional 'hug'em' song in the middle of the set for a little 'romance'. For picnics, it is upbeat, longer songs, more solos [we usually have one or two horn players along for those]...fun stuff, no 'plodders', no torch songs. We will put a lot of more early rock'n'roll, 50's R&B and rockabilly material to keep the pace up.

My solo act is typically private party wall paper; I am looking to get into the small club/coffee house thing but there just isn't much $ there, and where it is paying, I know the competition, and they would be hard to beat...I can do it as well, but better? LA [LA, San Bernadino, Riverside, Ventura, Orange counties included] is just such a competitive market, I know a lot of [older] studio guys, pro sidemen and road warriors who are playing for tips in restaurants. Scary...

[pogo97]

"And up north there ain't nobody buys them

And I said, but I will"

 

I play all that old stuff. It's what I want to play and I do so with dedication and passion. I'm the only person I know who plays a Stephen Foster medley. Those who like that stuff -- not just nonagenarians -- love me but it's a hard sell to be sure at a bar rather than a restaurant or café. But heck, we already have at least a dozen competent entertainers (and some musicians) in this town of 5000 who play the pop music of their teens and twenties. Why would I compete with them?

 

I'm sixty also. I wasn't talking about sixty-year olds, really. Just about the music. And about playing for people who want to listen -- *listen* -- to it.

 

Ain't Misbehavin' is a great song. But you're right, it's not a ballad. I often wonder how many people who perform it (or any other song for that matter) have actually listened to the original.

[daddymack]

you have several advantages there, though, Notes...first, both you and Leilani are absolutely fabulous musicians. Second, you are able to program your 'band' for anything you want, and none of the backing instrumentalists can complain, drink too much on break, have a bad day, etc.

Third, you have had years together to work up so much diverse material that you don't come up short [i've seen bands and solo/duo players have to play the same song again in their final set, claiming it was a request, but knowing they didn't have enough material]. I find with Blues Channel, after over 15 years together, I can call an 'audible' if I think the room is going a certain way, as I'm sure you can as well.

[steve mac]

I did see some top drawer performers in Riverside, indeed when we did happen on a lame gig in Calli we were genuinely surprised at how they had purloined it.

(As an aside I bought my stage cowboy boots in Riverside and also saw my only ever drive in movie)

[Notes_Norton]

We don't do set lists, but call everything depending on the audience.

 

I tried set lists, but I'm not clairvoyant.

 

I watch the audience, see how they are responding to what I'm playing, try to anticipate what might be best to play next, and hope I'm right.

 

With experience I learn to recognize things like the kind of shoes female ballroom dancers wear, belt buckles - shirt yokes - and other dress clues, hair color/styles, and so on. This gets us started.

 

Then while performing, we notice what is going over and try to anticipate their needs and call that song.

 

It works most of the time, but of course, there are times when we make the wrong prediction. Still, it works much better for us than trying to make a set list in advance.

 

With an exception. We do a "show" in a couple of venues. Usually 90 minutes and we set up a list of songs with a common theme and put them into an order with some idea of mic patter between them.

 

But for the regular gig, I just call them on the fly.

 

I've played in bigger bands (up to 7 piece) and this is definitely easier in a duo. Either Leilani or I will suggest the next song, and since there are only two of us, I can cue it up with my "background band" and if needed start the next one immediately after the previous one ends - thereby keeping the dancers on the floor.

 

In a big band there needs to be one designated song caller and the communication must be made to all members efficiently.

 

As much as I enjoyed playing in a big band, and as much as the musical experience can be better in a big band, I don't have any desire to go back to one. The potential problems aren't worth it.

 

Notes

 

Notes

[pogo97]

"[i've seen bands and solo/duo players have to play the same song again in their final set, claiming it was a request, but knowing they didn't have enough material]"

 

Why would a performer even mention that is was a repeat? Dumb dumb dumb. Like anyone remembers.

[Gigmeister-8YMGf]

I deliberately keep my act clean. I do this for a variety of reasons and have found it pays better for me. Like Notes, my show varies from client to client. A recent weekend had me playing nylon string classical and smooth jazz instrumentals, a rock and country wedding that took a left turn to disco and then a retirement home standards and old country gig on acoustic guitar. I use the Robert Butler "Big Button" app for my iPhone 5 to select 3-7 tunes and run them together without stopping. I don't create song lists unless the client specifies tunes they either want or don't want me to perform. I guess what works and after 43 years of shows for money, have become adequate at it. Here in Texas, we get all types of shows. I gleefully and proudly play Brown Eyed Girl, Margaritaville, Old Time Rock & Roll, Proud Mary and dozens of other tunes other acts can't or won't play. I had a request to do Achy, Breaky Heart at a wedding in May, dusted off the old hit and it sounds great live. I don't care. If I can get or create a cool sequence for it and enjoy playing and singing it, I'm in!

 

Riley Wilson

http://www.guitarmadesimpler.com

[Shaster]

Just watched parts of the video. Thanks for posting Steve Mac.

 

The guy is good and the best part is, he doesn't seem to have any delusions about being a stellar musician. He knows he's an entertainer first and is very comfortable with that - and that puts the audience at ease, and on his side. I see he stole my bits about "I'm supposed to quit now", and "now just the rich people sing". Of course they aren't not my bits, I stole them from somewhere. I'm also going to steal his Eagles medley. I learned all those songs years ago but only play Lyin' Eyes and Take It Easy once a year. It would probably work well to do a a quick irreverent medley of four or five songs when I get a call for Hotel Cal - which don't play. It's a great song, but that and Piano Man don't pass my lips without mega tips.

[steve mac]

Hey Riley, never thought I would see anyone with as good taste in shirts as me You even wear a Stetson (I bought mine in Sweetwater which I think is not far from you) and play an Ovation...all good in my book.

Cheers Steve.

[daddymack]

There is no shortage of dumb people in this world. They get made every day. The trick is to avoid them.