Members rangefinder Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Well, I'm not even sure what the question IS any more, but song selection certainly involves multiple variables. As far as narrowing it down, there are successful cover bands that play one artist only (tribute bands), there are others than play every damn thing under the sun, and there is everything in-between. It comes down to putting in the thought, hard work, and practice to figure out what works for YOU and your current and potential audiences. As far as getting input from other bands about what is working, I don't see any particular problem with that. But you still have to be the final judge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SeniorBlues Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 The video is NOT my band. They are a cover band that plays backbeat songs from my era - circa 1970. The leader has been doing this nonstop forever. How much of his success is due to reputation versus quality of the music is hard to say. They don't play anything contemporary. They don't play dance clubs, but people do dance to them and they play A LOT of different venues. They might be successful in a more sparsely populated area, but I doubt it. There's another band here in Montgomery County that plays nothing but Buddy Holly era R&R. They don't command as much money nor play out as often . . . but often enough to keep the band together, while staying true to what they like and what they do well . . . . and they've only been together a couple years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 How much of his success is due to reputation versus quality of the music is hard to say. I would say it's obviously a bit of both, and that his reputation is largely one of quality music. So it goes hand in hand. I think all bands, at least on some level, aspire to be that good musically. But to look at what somebody has spent decades building and using that as a model for some sort of starting point is very risky and maybe even a bit naive, IMO. It's a bit like the guys I've heard who use the fact that The Rolling Stones are successful today as evidience that they think it's possible for a bunch of 60 year old guys to put a rock band together and get a record deal. Such comments are not only being completely ignorant of the 40 years the Stones have put into what they do, but almost being a bit disrepectful of it on a certain level. I'd be interested to know what Tommy Lepson thinks of the current music scene---how often they work and for how much, how that compares to what he was doing 10/20 years ago, etc. Does he feel he's still building and growing? Or is he simply riding out the end of his career? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 There's another band here in Montgomery County that plays nothing but Buddy Holly era R&R. They don't command as much money nor play out as often . . . but often enough to keep the band together, while staying true to what they like and what they do well . . . . and they've only been together a couple years. A bit dramatic there, but other than the bolded part, I completely agree. Find what works for you, do the music that you (as a band and as individuals) does best, work that angle and find places that appreciate that kind of music. Find people that want you for being YOU. This is my approach. I'm not saying it's the only one. Bands that want to be all things to all people, hey, knock yourself out. You want the most money? Find the people that pay the most and find out what they want to listen to. You want to express the music you love to play, which will carry across onstage to your audience? Find people that like it and go to *those* places. Of course, I'm going to want to get the most money I can for what I do but money in and of itself isn't my primary focus and it never has been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 All this runnin' around, wonderin' whether this or that song or other thing will "work" - reminds me of the cute but pathetic chick who's always asking people how she looks, or does so-and-so like her, or whatever. With all due respect, I think you're completely missing the point of that question. There's a big difference between posts from successful bands with successful songlists who are in the business of playing current material and who routinely change up their songlists as a matter of business discussing which songs work and which don't amongst themselves and a post from a less-successful band who is desperately trying to capture some magic by simply playing the "right" songs. Don't confuse the two scenarios--they are world's apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SeniorBlues Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 I would say it's obviously a bit of both, and that his reputation is largely one of quality music. So it goes hand in hand. I think all bands, at least on some level, aspire to be that good musically. But to look at what somebody has spent decades building and using that as a model for some sort of starting point is very risky and maybe even a bit naive, IMO. It's a bit like the guys I've heard who use the fact that The Rolling Stones are successful today as evidience that they think it's possible for a bunch of 60 year old guys to put a rock band together and get a record deal. Such comments are not only being completely ignorant of the 40 years the Stones have put into what they do, but almost being a bit disrepectful of it on a certain level. I'd be interested to know what Tommy Lepson thinks of the current music scene---how often they work and for how much, how that compares to what he was doing 10/20 years ago, etc. Does he feel he's still building and growing? Or is he simply riding out the end of his career? Basically, I agree with you, except that you don't have to be as successful as they are to meet the goals of a band and keep it running. A start up like that would be tough, but mostly because it's hard to find a group of guys who are able and willing to play that type of music - well and exclusively. Lord knows I've tried.There's a band here that wants to replace the keyboard player they lost that plays vocal harmony R&R from my era. Apparently, he sang all the high parts. Good luck with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 There's a band here that wants to replace the keyboard player they lost that plays vocal harmony R&R from my era. Apparently, he sang all the high parts. Good luck with that. I know what you mean. I saw an ad at the music store I teach at that stated they wanted a Bass Guitarist/Vocalist/Soundman...because that's what a previous member did. They actually went into detail about what he did and that they wanted something similar. They weren't willing to step it up and try to take on these roles themselves. They just wanted someone to be like that guy. I laughed and said the same thing: good luck with that. It's amazing how good musicians are taken for granted and it isn't until they are out of the band (or passed on) that they are appreciated for what they contributed to the band. Kind of a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Well, I'm not even sure what the question IS any more, but song selection certainly involves multiple variables.As far as narrowing it down, there are successful cover bands that play one artist only (tribute bands), there are others than play every damn thing under the sun, and there is everything in-between.It comes down to putting in the thought, hard work, and practice to figure out what works for YOU and your current and potential audiences. Well put. I know a lot of people recoil at the band/business comparisons, but even IF your band goal has nothing to do with making money, the keys to success are still very, very similar. With any start-up band (or business) the first step is asking yourself the right questions. You're never going to find the right answers if you don't even know the questions. And by that I mean that while you're exactly right about putting in the thought, hard work, and practice to figure out what works for YOU and your current and potential audiences, the first thing you have to determine is IF that potential audience even exists and would meeting that goal ultimately be satisfying for you considering all the variables. And that means doing a little bit of preplanning and market research. Say your goal is to play in a jazz trio in small restaurant/nightclub settings. Great! But if there's only 1 such venue within 50 miles of where you live and they only pay $100 a night one night a week and never want the same act more than once every 2 months, then you better be sure only playing that often for that kind of money is enough to make you happy. Otherwise you've to expand your market: either by expanding your geographic area to include other venues, playing a wider variety of material so you can fit into other local venues, or working to find other ways to create gigs in your area that don't presently exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Basically, I agree with you, except that you don't have to be as successful as they are to meet the goals of a band and keep it running. A start up like that would be tough, but mostly because it's hard to find a group of guys who are able and willing to play that type of music - well and exclusively. Lord knows I've tried.I think the key to that (and any start up) is to put together a solid business plan. People joining a band often have to have something more to believe in than just the music. Because almost every musician joins a band, at least in part, because they want to gig. I don't know your area and market at all, but one thing I did in putting my band together in its present form was to show the other guys "take a look at Band A, Band B and Band C. They all play these gigs for this kind of money. We could very easily put together a similar band, find our own niche by doing X, and get some of those gigs for ourselves." That's not rocket science--that's pretty much the exact same thought process one goes through when starting up ANY sort of business. If you want to get people on board with doing something similar to what Lepson is doing, first of all determine that even doing so would work in your market (like you said--how much of his PRESENT success is just that the band is so damned good and how much of it is he's getting gigs simply because he's Tommy Lepson. If it turns out that a band even twice as good as his couldn't get those same gigs because they weren't Tommy Lepson, then you've got some problems...) and then go for it. I've found that nothing draws in good players to a project like the prospect of decent gigs.I'm sure you fully understand the business concepts of it from your photography work and other stuff you've done in your life. Apply some of that same attitude to your music. There's a band here that wants to replace the keyboard player they lost that plays vocal harmony R&R from my era. Apparently, he sang all the high parts. Good luck with that. Singing high leads? Or just the harmonies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Senior... thanks for posting! I always like the Neville Bros version of that tune. (I never heard the original... just live versions over the years). The clip you posted... great band and great arrangement. I would be totally into that band... sadly my wife would be snoozing... but I would sit back and soak it all in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 I know what you mean. I saw an ad at the music store I teach at that stated they wanted a Bass Guitarist/Vocalist/Soundman...because that's what a previous member did. They actually went into detail about what he did and that they wanted something similar. They weren't willing to step it up and try to take on these roles themselves. They just wanted someone to be like that guy. I laughed and said the same thing: good luck with that. Well, there's nothing wrong with trying, I suppose. From the bands' standpoint, the most simple solution is to find the 'perfect' replacement. When/if they don't find that, they can always move on to Plan B. In my experience, it's always ended up better in the long run to let the band go in a new direction rather than just trying to patch the hole, because people will ALWAYS see the seams around the patch. But I certainly understand the reasoning for wanting to just find the most complete replacement and continue on in the same direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dan88z Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 I totally agree with the business standpoint and setting goals/expectations. Around here you have to have a certain configuration to get the high dollar gigs. Horns, at least 2 front singers preferably 1 guy and 2 girls. 9 pieces on up are what gets the big private gigs. If you are a cover band and want to play the A rooms, then you basically have to be young and good looking, doesn't matter how good the band is, just play what is current and break out crowd pleasers like Sweet Caroline in a rocked out version, jump around with your shirt off so the girls come out, and you get the beach gigs. That doesn't mean there are not plenty of gigs out there for the rest of us in the oncoming geezer age group. You find what works and keep working it until it doesn't work anymore. tim7string commented about the "all things to all people" bands and good luck- but that's the approach we've taken and it works well for us. Our top dollar gigs come from that aspect. The bar gigs seem to be more niche based, like I commented before, certain bars want more oldies, others want more classic rock or dance music. Being able to go from niche to niche like that lets you work more, and when you have the "all things" gigs, you break it all out. As far as song selection goes, we look at several criteria. 1- can we pull it off with the instrumentation and vocal makeup of our band? Heavily sequenced songs won't work, not that I can't make that happen, but in general we don't want to get into the backing tracks/click track mentality- everything is played live. Heavy/prominant horns- not going to happen, it just sounds cheesey. Not that I don't do songs with horns, but they are ones where the horns are not as up front as EWF songs might have them. Lots of vocal harmony- not going to happen as we only have 3 singers in the band. What we play, we want to nail, not do it half assed, and there are tons of songs that fit our instrumentation and vocal setup that work with the clients/audiences. 2- do we like the song? if we don't, is it something that the audience is going to love? if we do like it- is the audience going to like it? there is no place for the "we're only going to play the songs we like, screw what the client likes" if you want to work. 3- how does it sound when we actually play it? There have been songs that were a perfect fit for us based on items 1 and 2 above, and when we played them, they just didn't groove. You can tell the 1st or 2nd time thru a song if it's going to work or not. If it doesn't work quickly, we move on. there are plenty of great songs out there that will work. Some songs we have to push a little but once they fall in the pocket then they come out good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 tim7string commented about the "all things to all people" bands and good luck- but that's the approach we've taken and it works well for us. Our top dollar gigs come from that aspect. The bar gigs seem to be more niche based, like I commented before, certain bars want more oldies, others want more classic rock or dance music. Being able to go from niche to niche like that lets you work more, and when you have the "all things" gigs, you break it all out. Actually, I said that if that works for you, "hey, knock yourself out," not good luck. The "good luck" part was in reference to bands that want a member to be exactly like a member that just left. I've been in bands that shaped their music for a specific market and it was an interesting experience. Ultimately, it wasn't for me. My current band does a bit of everything like your band does. We have some classic country, 50s rock and roll, 60s rock standards, 70s/80s classic rock, 80s pop hits and even some heavy metal (Sabbath, Priest). People have enjoyed that variety and a few of them have wanted to reward us with more money as a result of it (we got an extra $100 for a 50th birthday party because they thought we didn't charge enough). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 It's one thing to look for a bassist for your band because your previous bassist has left. Trying to find one that does those exact other things that the previous bassist in addition to playing bass is what I find hilarious. I see it more as a "it doesn't hurt to ask" mentality. If the previous bass player sang all the high harmonies, and you're just putting out an ad on Craigslist or something, why NOT ask for a bass player who sings high hamornies? You just might find one. But yeah, I would agree that if you find a bass player who is otherwise a perfect fit and keep trying to force him to sing high harmonies when he can't, then that would be stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 I see it more as a "it doesn't hurt to ask" mentality. If the previous bass player sang all the high harmonies, and you're just putting out an ad on Craigslist or something, why NOT ask for a bass player who sings high hamornies? You just might find one. But yeah, I would agree that if you find a bass player who is otherwise a perfect fit and keep trying to force him to sing high harmonies when he can't, then that would be stupid. Sure. I would definitely place an ad for a bassist that could sing 'the high parts' when the keyboardist can only sing the midrange parts and I could only do the low parts (for example). I just might find one. It makes sense if the vocal harmonies are a big part of the sound of the band. It's probably why Peter Cetera was added to Chicago, because the other members were baritones, not tenors. They realized they needed a tenor if they wanted to get on the radio. Basically, I'm agreeing with you. But to require they run sound as well? That is far too specific I think, plus the fact they went into detail about HOW the other bass player ran sound and did things for the band (a big long paragraph). I rolled my eyes at the ad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 I totally agree with the business standpoint and setting goals/expectations. Around here you have to have a certain configuration to get the high dollar gigs. Horns, at least 2 front singers preferably 1 guy and 2 girls. 9 pieces on up are what gets the big private gigs. If you are a cover band and want to play the A rooms, then you basically have to be young and good looking, doesn't matter how good the band is, just play what is current and break out crowd pleasers like Sweet Caroline in a rocked out version, jump around with your shirt off so the girls come out, and you get the beach gigs. That doesn't mean there are not plenty of gigs out there for the rest of us in the oncoming geezer age group. You find what works and keep working it until it doesn't work anymore. tim7string commented about the "all things to all people" bands and good luck- but that's the approach we've taken and it works well for us. Our top dollar gigs come from that aspect. The bar gigs seem to be more niche based, like I commented before, certain bars want more oldies, others want more classic rock or dance music. Being able to go from niche to niche like that lets you work more, and when you have the "all things" gigs, you break it all out. As far as song selection goes, we look at several criteria. 1- can we pull it off with the instrumentation and vocal makeup of our band? Heavily sequenced songs won't work, not that I can't make that happen, but in general we don't want to get into the backing tracks/click track mentality- everything is played live. Heavy/prominant horns- not going to happen, it just sounds cheesey. Not that I don't do songs with horns, but they are ones where the horns are not as up front as EWF songs might have them. Lots of vocal harmony- not going to happen as we only have 3 singers in the band. What we play, we want to nail, not do it half assed, and there are tons of songs that fit our instrumentation and vocal setup that work with the clients/audiences. 2- do we like the song? if we don't, is it something that the audience is going to love? if we do like it- is the audience going to like it? there is no place for the "we're only going to play the songs we like, screw what the client likes" if you want to work. 3- how does it sound when we actually play it? There have been songs that were a perfect fit for us based on items 1 and 2 above, and when we played them, they just didn't groove. You can tell the 1st or 2nd time thru a song if it's going to work or not. If it doesn't work quickly, we move on. there are plenty of great songs out there that will work. Some songs we have to push a little but once they fall in the pocket then they come out good. I like your attitude, Dan. Seems you've taken very much the same approach as I have. I would add a couple of things: in the case of my band, it isn't so much that we try to be "all things to all people", but we HAVE set "all ages/variety" audiences as our target. The difference might sound subtle, but I find it significant. And we've worked hard to keep an open mind about material. It's surprising, for example, how much you can enjoy playing, say, a Lady Gaga song once you past her modern-commercial presentation of it and realize that, at it's core, it's really just another 4-chord rocker not all that dis-similar from most of the classic rock stuff we've been playing for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EricAFinley Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 It is really help to us. Its give us lots of interest and pleasure. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy. Its really a good article. It gives me lots of pleasure and interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Sure. I would definitely place an ad for a bassist that could sing 'the high parts' when the keyboardist can only sing the midrange parts and I could only do the low parts (for example). I just might find one. It makes sense if the vocal harmonies are a big part of the sound of the band. It's probably why Peter Cetera was added to Chicago, because the other members were baritones, not tenors. They realized they needed a tenor if they wanted to get on the radio. Basically, I'm agreeing with you. But to require they run sound as well? That is far too specific I think, plus the fact they went into detail about HOW the other bass player ran sound and did things for the band (a big long paragraph). I rolled my eyes at the ad. LOL. Funny you mention Chicago because I was just thinking of them in terms of this thread (although slightly differently.) Actually what you say about them is true---Cetera was the last member to join the band and was chosen specifically because he had a high tenor voice. (Even though, apparently, he never was a good fit with the band personally or musicially.) But I was thinking about Chicago in terms of when he left and they replaced him with---another high tenor singing bass player with blonde hair. Certainly can understand why they did, although it's debateable whether that was the right move. (Honestly, at that point in their career, it probably didn't matter. They were likely going to be pretty much done anyway except as a nostalgia act.) But even though he's now been in the band longer than Cetera was, Jason Scheff is always just going to be the "not-quite-as-good-as-Cetera" guy. Might have been a better move to find somebody competely different from Cetera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wheresgrant3 Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 These days, yup.......Plus, its really not the individual talent at all but more of how a band gels together with what they got: Ive seen many mediocre players form {censored}-hot bands because they have a winning lottery combination of chemistry............I'll even go further and say that having members in their 20s and early 30s is a total bonus.............For older folks, like me, its a constant retool, relock, and reload and trying to create new marketing strategies as I age. This is a point where the "Setlist" debate comes in - I believe that playing tired old songs like tired old musicians is FAIL, I also believe that selling and performing the crap out of tired old songs can, indeed, work very well, but a {censored}-hot killer band of experienced older players will have a whole different draw and attention than a younger upstart band with cute guys and half the talent; the younger cute guys/half the talent are going to be successful by proxy (provided thay are good people, too)...Why? For the same reason many bands set up killer light shows: People listen with their eyes....and younger upstart/half talent bands (with friends) are going to trump old men everytime (unless there is a gimick involved - which goes back to the 'retool' idea)Argue all you want, I see it happening in my area, so I know its true....It is what it is......The crux of this is "How do I want to market myself?"...As I get older, I want to move away from the 20s-30s clubs and start marketing myself in venues that draw a pier audience, because I know the generation gap is only going to widen each and every day, regardless of what level talent is in my band or not............ It's funny how lack of mindset comes into play when bands are trying to market themselves... I'm seeing something emerge in my own market... a large number of musicians who all were ween on 80's rock/metal, that still carry that sash of ego and self-importance they did 20-30 year's ago when they were wearing spandex and spraying aquanet. Many were in successful cover bands 10-20 years ago, that are waking up to the fact that playing classic rock or their favorite self indulgence isn't drawing many people or making any money. Some are still pretty talented shredders/singers but being on stage for them is an opportunity for them to perform... to be seen and heard... for people to 'witness their talent' instead of really entertaining the crowd. So some have banded together in new projects trying to stay current with music... sometimes it works and sometimes it fails badly. The new trend is everyone is now a 'party band'. Many have retooled with that marketing concept in mind without understanding that the party experience is supposed to be for the audience and NOT themselves. It's hard to connect with a crowd in that context when your still strutting like Glen Danzig wearing a funny wig. Or if your 50, greying out, yet trying to dress like Patrick Stump from 'Fallout Boy' on stage. Recently I saw a new band, all over 40-50, with well known, talented members, who have been marketing themselves as the hottest 'dance party' in the area. Good concept, great players hampered by poor marketing decisions and presentation. They are all experienced and talented vets, but none are spring chickens... They have been promoting themselves as 'something hot', "hottest thing to hit the area in ages"... . Again... they technically sound good... but they are trying to sell themselves to a younger audience as their equals, their peers. It's unsellable. The disconnect with this band is that they believe that their 'greatness' as musicians will overcome the undeniable fact that they are 50 but trying to connect with an audience half it's age by dressing and conforming to the current trends. Again, as I always say, if you are going place emphasis on the visual aspect of your presentation then people are going to judge that along those lines. If you take the 'visual' out of the equation you have much easier time dealing with the barrier of age when connecting with the audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Again, as I always say, if you are going place emphasis on the visual aspect of your presentation then people are going to judge that along those lines. If you take the 'visual' out of the equation you have much easier time dealing with the barrier of age when connecting with the audience. Bingo. Our slight twist and our niche on the "party band" concept is that while all the (younger/better looking) other party bands in the region keep the focus on THEM, we do our best to market ourselves with the focus being on the AUDIENCE. The conceit is that, in reality, our show probably isn't really significantly much different from what a lot of the other bands are doing, but the way we market it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Bingo. Our slight twist and our niche on the "party band" concept is that while all the (younger/better looking) other party bands in the region keep the focus on THEM, we do our best to market ourselves with the focus being on the AUDIENCE.The conceit is that, in reality, our show probably isn't really significantly much different from what a lot of the other bands are doing, but the way we market it is. That seems to be the trend these days. People want to be part of the show. There is karoake, there are dance clubs where people do various dance moves they've been practicing at home, Guitar Hero/Rock Band 'shows' where someone can pretend to rock out while playing a video game...it's the way things are going. It's almost an "adapt or die" atmosphere. I'm a bit more old-school in that I like to perform and control the stage show with the band, rather than invite people up onstage or go out in the crowd. I don't mind if someone asks to come up and sing with me, as long as they respect the fact that I'm up there doing what I do. A lot of times, people that come up don't want to get off the stage or it encourages other people to want to come up too. I'd rather present something done onstage that few if any bands are capable of doing and make that the show. Obviously with fun music that people love as part of the mix, not just wanking blues and crusty, tired classic rock tunes all night long. However, with my former country-rock band that played casinos, I used to go into the crowd with my bass guitar hooked up to a wireless, find a cute chick and dance with her. It was a lot of fun and it brought the show more to the people. I'd rather do that than have someone go up onstage, trip over my pedals, cords, mic stand, floor monitor, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Van Halen went with another blonde lead singer, but Sammy Hagar was different due to the fact he could rip on guitar as well and had a more powerful rock voice. So, at least they had the sense not to try to get a guy who acted and looked exactly like David Lee Roth. Great example. Instead of getting a Roth clone, they went a different direction and, as a result, probably had longer commericial success than they would have had just releasing "1984 II" and "1984 III" and so on. I think the reason Roth's solo career didn't last as long is because his limitations as a singer and frontman kept his music down a very narrow path that burned out more quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 That seems to be the trend these days. People want to be part of the show. There is karoake, there are dance clubs where people do various dance moves they've been practicing at home, Guitar Hero/Rock Band 'shows' where someone can pretend to rock out while playing a video game...it's the way things are going. It's almost an "adapt or die" atmosphere. I'm a bit more old-school in that I like to perform and control the stage show with the band, rather than invite people up onstage or go out in the crowd. I don't mind if someone asks to come up and sing with me, as long as they respect the fact that I'm up there doing what I do. A lot of times, people that come up don't want to get off the stage or it encourages other people to want to come up too. I'd rather present something done onstage that few if any bands are capable of doing and make that the show. Obviously with fun music that people love as part of the mix, not just wanking blues and crusty, tired classic rock tunes all night long. I used to go into the crowd with my bass guitar hooked up to a wireless, find a cute chick and dance with her. It was a lot of fun and it brought the show more to the people. I'd rather do that than have someone go up onstage, trip over my pedals, cords, mic stand, floor monitor, etc. You gotta stay within your comfort zone and what works for you. We found out, pretty much by accident, that we not only were comfortable bringing people up on stage with us, but that we were pretty good at it (i.e. keeping the stage show under control rather than just letting the inmates run the asylum) and--most importantly--that the audience responded to the band better when we did this. So it seemed a natural direction for us to go in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanlatte Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 Back OT, I think "better than average talent" is really difficult to quantify. It's already been pointed out how you can have a stage full of technically amazing players and still have a dull show. So raw ability can not really be lumped in with a broad term like talent, since talent can also mean the ability to engage a crowd, read the crowd and probably most importantly entertain that crowd. Think we have all seen both extremes, many times I have seen a solo act that manages to keep a bar packed the entire night because the guy just gets it. Other times a stage full of shredders and "look at me" types are playing to empty rooms. Of course there are exceptions and when you have the best of both worlds, gobs of talent and entertainment value its a thing of beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DevilRaysFan Posted January 21, 2011 Members Share Posted January 21, 2011 I'll tell you how i respond. I point to our banner, that says: "Classic Rock and Blues". I'll die in a fire before I play any of that {censored}, sorry bro. Well, I do play that {censored}, wades but my post was more inquisitive/self-speculation than a barb. I feel the time is coming sometime in the near future when I'll go back to playing bass and I'll leave "Top-40" forever and Im wondering from other bands of older players playing non-Top 40 styles how they are doing, where they are booking, how often, etc? it was more of a "grilling for information post" than anything........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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