Members CountRobula Posted December 19, 2009 Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 What songs are great for these types of gigs? Someone was gonna send me their setlist, but I guess they never got around to it. I'd like some ideas from someone coming from a different perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted December 19, 2009 Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 depends on the gig. I'd do a different list for a restaurant/dinner/winebar gig than I would a tavern. Also depends on the age group you'd be playing for. The restaurant/winebar gigs tend to be 30s to 60s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CountRobula Posted December 19, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 Well, if I could get away with playing some sinatra and tim buckley and other crooning stuff in a restaurant/winebar setting, that'd be great. I'm gonna have to think about what places. Let's say your typical coffee house kind of setting, I guess, since that seems to be the most common place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dk123123dk Posted December 19, 2009 Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 I think pretty much any song can be played on an acoustic. So pretty much the setlist would be made like any gig. Depending on the crowd you expect, and if you are trying to be background music, or rock the party. Anything by Neil Young, Bob Dylan, the Band, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, stuff off Zep 3, Green Day has a bunch of chilled out acoustic songs, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Sublime, Pearl Jam, AIC, etc. Hope this helps. dk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CountRobula Posted December 19, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 Thanks, man, didn't consider those bands. Gonna check out some songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted December 19, 2009 Moderators Share Posted December 19, 2009 I like playing classics on the acoustic. Songs that weren't recorded on acoustic. So your idea of Sinatra? Yeah. I mean... a heartfelt version of My Way or Fly Me to the Moon, slowed down even and played as if you were Jeff Buckley? That's cool. Why not? What's cooler? A heartfelt My Funny Valentine done a la Neil Young? Or doing a Green Day song they did on acoustic? Maybe doing a Green Day song that was on 11 via the acoustic... that's interesting. How about The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face done to an uptempo pattern, like Paul Simon's Cecilia? Get creative. Do the songs universal loved and bring something new to them. Sam Cooke on acoustic? Hell yeah! Outkast's Hey Yah? Hell yeah. Check some YouTube ukulele covers done during the recent uke craze for ideas... Build Me Up Buttercup? Destiny Child's Survivor? Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted December 19, 2009 Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 I like playing classics on the acoustic. Songs that weren't recorded on acoustic. So your idea of Sinatra? Yeah. I mean... a heartfelt version of My Way or Fly Me to the Moon, slowed down even and played as if you were Jeff Buckley? That's cool. Why not?What's cooler? A heartfelt My Funny Valentine done a la Neil Young? Or doing a Green Day song they did on acoustic? Maybe doing a Green Day song that was on 11 via the acoustic... that's interesting.How about The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face done to an uptempo pattern, like Paul Simon's Cecilia? Get creative. Do the songs universal loved and bring something new to them.Sam Cooke on acoustic? Hell yeah! Outkast's Hey Yah? Hell yeah.Check some YouTube ukulele covers done during the recent uke craze for ideas... Build Me Up Buttercup? Destiny Child's Survivor? Why not? Good post. Once in awhile I pull out an arrangement of "Slow Boat To China" I worked up. I do a lot of singer/songwriter type stuff, with an alt country feel- James McMurtry, John Prine, Chris Knight, John Hiatt, Amos Lee, Sean Mullins, Dylan, Richard Thompson, a bit of James Taylor and Buffett in the well for requests, and I do some classic rock and R&B songs reworked-"When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" "Try A Little Tenderness", "Under MY Thumb", "Let It Be", "Oh! Darling", "Dead Flowers", Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" as a ballad, and some blues stuff- Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, etc etc. I tend to stay away from better known or more modern stuff (though I do play a bit of it) because my audience seems to prefer listening to stuff they haven't heard ( don't know why, but the tally in the tip jar at the end of the night seems to confirm it) but I wouldn't presume to say that this approach would work for everyone everywhere. Last night I announced that I'd be playing John Prine's "Big Ol Goofy World' and that I hadn't played it before (which was true)- a guy came up and dropped a 20 in the tip jar after I played it. Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted December 19, 2009 Moderators Share Posted December 19, 2009 ...I tend to stay away from better known or more modern stuff (though I do play a bit of it) because my audience seems to prefer listening to stuff they haven't heard ( don't know why, but the tally in the tip jar at the end of the night seems to confirm it)... This is a point I've been making since I went pro 30 plus years ago. People really want to experience the music. They accept a carbon cover cause we all like music... but to really let them experience it? So when you play a song they haven't heard, and you bring your ability to communicate to that group of people right there and then... it is what is forgotten too often. Your crowd enjoying unheard of music is the same as my enjoyment of reinterpreting classics. To hear something that speaks. My reinterpretation allows someone to say... "One... it really is the loneliest number isn't it?" Or for some one to hear... Oh I wanna dance with somebodyI wanna feel the heat with somebodyYeah I wanna dance with somebodyWith somebody who loves meOh I wanna dance with somebody Slow and thoughtful, and for them to think, " That's kind of sad and poignant." We have a choice, be easy wallpaper or bring the real joy of a musical experience to people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mr3lions Posted December 19, 2009 Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 This clip has been posted on here before but it's well worth a repeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dk123123dk Posted December 19, 2009 Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 I love playing Killers songs on the acoustic as well, Coldplay as well. dk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted December 19, 2009 Members Share Posted December 19, 2009 My reinterpretation allows someone to say... "One... it really is the loneliest number isn't it?" Hey, thanks for the song idea. I hadn't thought about that song, but I'm going to download the lyrics and work it up for tonight! I already have an arrangement idea in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tedddy Posted December 20, 2009 Members Share Posted December 20, 2009 i've recently begun doing Paradise by John Prine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MusicalSchizo Posted December 20, 2009 Members Share Posted December 20, 2009 Five of my favorite not-terribly-obvious-as-acoustic-songs to sing solo acoustic:Elenore by The TurtlesHold Me Now by The Thompson TwinsCheap Sunglasses by ZZ TopDon't You (Forget About Me) by Simple MindsEverlong by Foo Fighters Reinterpretation is FUN.Brian V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TrickyBoy Posted December 20, 2009 Members Share Posted December 20, 2009 I used to watch an acoustic guy who would absolutely KILL with Galileo and Closer to Fine by the Indigo Girls. Especially powerful if its a duo and you can do the harmonies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChordGirl Posted December 20, 2009 Members Share Posted December 20, 2009 It seems like every gig we get a couple of people throwing tips in the jar for John Prine songs. They're some rabid fans. Angel From Montgomery is a must have, and probably our most requested J.P. song. You can do 90% of the songs out there solo on acoustic. Take your pick. A couple that go over particularly well for me are For What it's Worth, Bad Moon Rising, Wicked Game, House of the Rising Sun, Neil Young, Tom Petty, etc. I'll add Folsom Prison/anything Johnny Cash/especially NIN's Hurt to the list for solo male vocals, just from see it go over well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dissentience Posted December 20, 2009 Members Share Posted December 20, 2009 Wish You Were Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted December 20, 2009 Members Share Posted December 20, 2009 Robert Earl Keen, Merry Christmas From The Family You cant play a gig around christmas in south texas without doing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CountRobula Posted December 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted December 21, 2009 POST Hey, man, having thought of it your way, I'd love to just put my own spins on songs, and I'll probably try to get on that tommorrow or even tonight. So far my repetoire is probably 3-4 songs tops, so I have a lot of work to do.. I had the idea of doing a slow, melancholic, bluesy rendition of "On The Road Again".. I just think that it could easily change the whole vibe and feel of the lyrics and whatnot. I KNOW I could think of so many other songs that I could do.. You're giving me a lot of ideas now. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RupertB Posted December 21, 2009 Members Share Posted December 21, 2009 This is the core list for my solo gigs, the ones I don't need my book to play. James Taylor: Fire & Rain, You Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanlatte Posted December 21, 2009 Members Share Posted December 21, 2009 This clip has been posted on here before but it's well worth a repeat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-8nkkOA_AM Very cool. I love seeing things like this; anything can be pulled off acoustically. I recently saw a solo female do unplugged versions of "Oops, I did it again" and "She works hard for the money" and her arrangements were so good that both of them just killed. There is something really cool about seeing the light of recognition on peoples faces when they figure out what song they are hearing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nomadh Posted December 22, 2009 Members Share Posted December 22, 2009 Like Chris Cornell's Billie Jean. Blew my mind the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikerol Posted December 31, 2009 Members Share Posted December 31, 2009 Here are a few I do. Here Without You - 3 Doors DownLanding In London - 3 Doors Down -- roll straight off the Em into Turn The Page by Seger Driving With The Brakes On Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted December 31, 2009 Members Share Posted December 31, 2009 this is more or less my list now but I have about another 50 or so songs I play regularly that I never put on the list plus hundreds of tunes I know and can pull out of the hat. They ALL work well. SEAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted December 31, 2009 Members Share Posted December 31, 2009 One of my all time acoustic covers, done very well here... [YOUTUBE]6FnZ6ZIj4vo&feature=related[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ejolies Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 One of my first paid assignments from Flagpole was to cover an Adam Klein show. It blew my mind that the artists that night could capture all the dirty glory of life in a song. Klein in particular is becoming a big supporter of Athens Americana. His label Cowboy Angel Music is full of great acts, including my most recent favorite, Justin Evans. The best way I can explain Athens music to some of my friends is that the "scene" is like a little galaxy with its own solar systems (genres) and planets (bands). Maybe I'll draw a map... Better than my "Disney World on Crack" theory anyway.==============Chanel parfumsbridal dresses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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