Frustrated folky's that have a hate on for the local seen

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Frustrated folky's that have a hate on for the local seen

Postby The Western Jaguar » Sun Feb 26, 2006 9:27 am

Are you a tired, dejected artist, sick of the brown nosing for mere table scraps from the musical scene's table, well like Van Gough be prepared to die unhappy, after all you followed your heart down that unworldly path!
The wesstern Jaguar
ps: he who playes it simple wins
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Postby Malcolm Boyce » Sun Feb 26, 2006 1:06 pm

He who wants his music to be listened to and apreciated, should play in places where that can, and will happen.

The little pub on the hill, where you can't see or hear anything over the din, isn't where the real music scene is, or should be. People who are "successful" at playing there, don't know what to do with themselves when the people stop talking and drinking, and actually listen. I've seen it for myself.

There's a reason why you won't see me, or a lot of artists, take any serious music into places like that, to be ignored. I love good live background music for dancing and drinking a-la Big Easy, or other good bar bands. But someone playing music that they want their words to be heard, can't play in those places and be satisfied.

Just my opinion.

Anyone else?
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Postby Burnsy » Mon Feb 27, 2006 6:47 pm

Malcolm, I couldn't agree with you more. That is partially why I no longer play out, I got sick of playing personal, meaningful music to a crowd that barely wanted to hear what I had to say. "Play some ACDC!!" That, and I've been waiting to up the ante on my own musical content. If I want people to truly hear what I have to express musically, first of all I need to know what it is that I am trying to express. And second of all, will other people listen to it and enjoy it? I realize the setting I enjoy playing in most is an attentive, sober (mostly anyways), and intimate setting. It took me a while to get comfortable in my own musical skin so to speak. But I got really sick of playing to the drunken drones, same thing in and out, year after year. Kudos to the people who do it and love it. There is some good rehearsal value in it, and it's fun to do once in a blue moon, but overall it's not for me.
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Postby roachie » Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:39 pm

I do it for the chicks.
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Postby Malcolm Boyce » Tue Mar 07, 2006 7:55 pm

roachie wrote:I do it for the chicks.
I appreciate the honesty in that approach.

It beats eternal unhappiness.
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Postby oddioguy » Wed Mar 08, 2006 4:44 pm

If you gig, you are nothing more than a beer salesman. You must accept that fact to achieve inner peace.
"Abstinence makes the church grow fondlers"
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Postby Malcolm Boyce » Wed Mar 08, 2006 5:48 pm

I believe that if you gig in drinking establishments, you are selling the adult beverages, and any attempt to deceive yourself is comical.

I remember a well known performer of the local variety, getting himself booted from a regular gig for pulling his pants down during a set. His p.o.v. was that he could do anything and the crowd wouldn't pay attention, so he tried that. I remember the quote attributed to him was that he was "sick and tired of being backround music for drinking"... Ummmm, duh, you're playing in a bar!

My position on this is that if you want to be a party band, play the bars and make a go of it. If you want people to listen to your heartfelt words and chord progressions, find somewhere to play that will work for you.

A series of shows at Imperial Theatre that I used to love was the "On Deck" series. It was a chance for local performers to play a venue where people would listen. Adult beverages were available, but the focus was the performance. The size was approx. 150 people max I belive. The sad thing is, they had the hardest time getting acts to play the gig. It was set up, so all you had to do was show up, and play. Expenses were covered, production was provided.

So explain to me how this could be the case, when people say there's no where to play music.
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Postby oddioguy » Wed Mar 08, 2006 6:57 pm

Malcolm Boyce wrote:I believe that if you gig in drinking establishments, you are selling the adult beverages, and any attempt to deceive yourself is comical.

I remember a well known performer of the local variety, getting himself booted from a regular gig for pulling his pants down during a set. His p.o.v. was that he could do anything and the crowd wouldn't pay attention, so he tried that. I remember the quote attributed to him was that he was "sick and tired of being backround music for drinking"... Ummmm, duh, you're playing in a bar!

My position on this is that if you want to be a party band, play the bars and make a go of it. If you want people to listen to your heartfelt words and chord progressions, find somewhere to play that will work for you.

A series of shows at Imperial Theatre that I used to love was the "On Deck" series. It was a chance for local performers to play a venue where people would listen. Adult beverages were available, but the focus was the performance. The size was approx. 150 people max I belive. The sad thing is, they had the hardest time getting acts to play the gig. It was set up, so all you had to do was show up, and play. Expenses were covered, production was provided.

So explain to me how this could be the case, when people say there's no where to play music.

Dude, people just love to complain. I guess it's easier than exerting yourself.
"Abstinence makes the church grow fondlers"
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Postby kevin shephard » Thu Mar 09, 2006 2:56 pm

I have been on both sides of the coin (ie playing original material and doing the cover thing), and have loved pretty much every second of both.

I agree. There are definitely right and wrong venues for both, I have found. For someone new (don't quite have a following yet) wanting to play their originals out, it is probably quite difficult to get the reaction you want out of a pub crowd, or probably any crowd for that matter, if you are playing all original music, unless you are playing a venue that embraces that, supports that, and original music is the reason the people came in the first place. If you are playing all originals at a bar, where people are looking to hear some tunes they recognize and have some pops, the majority of them will not appreciate it unfortunately. I found years ago, playing in Gopher Soda, we got a pretty good reaction playing an original or two mixed in with all the tunes people already know. We had people asking, "what was that you played between 'Some Kind of Wonderful' and 'Love Shack'? Playing in NFA, we had a following, we played the new tunes, but people also wanted to hear the tunes they knew! "Play 'Anonymity'!" Look at the big acts that are playing out there....they play tunes everyone knows and throw a new, unfamiliar one in between. They don't play songs nobody knows and leave out the tunes that made them popular in the first place. Sting still plays "Every Breath You Take" and will for the rest of his life I am sure. People, for the majority, want music they know - songs they are familiar with. To make the originals, or new songs, become the ones they want to hear in the future, the ones that will be requested in future gigs, the best way to do that is to mix them with songs they already do, in my humble opinion.

Now, I am in a cover band, without any originals.....I have to say that the thing I enjoy most about it is not the reaction of a crowd (although it is nice and definitely helps with the vibe); it's not the money (Pfft....money?); it's the feeling of playing some good fun tunes (yes I know, someone else's) with friends and smokin' musicians. It's laying down a groove and looking over at Johnny and we are diggin it. It's sounding good....it's feeling good. It's practice. It's fun. That's all. Would I love to be doing originals? Yes. Of course I would, but for the time being, we are just enjoying being loud, playing good music with friends, sharing a beer and conversation in between sets with friends and people who enjoy hearing us play the music they already know and love (and yeah, for sure, Sean, chicks!). And in my experience, more people are actually listening than you think. We're a cover band, and we're fine with that....
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Postby Malcolm Boyce » Fri Mar 10, 2006 12:50 am

The people that keep doing it, are the ones doing it for that same reason. I love playing music live for different reasons, at different times, in different venues.

Clubs or pubs are places for people to have fun.... both in front of the stage, and on the stage. If you're playing in clubs, and not having fun.... why are you doing it?

Great post Kev.
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Postby Burnsy » Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:43 pm

Yeah, I agree, good post. Now my deal is to try and create the original song (or songs) that everyone wants to hear show after show, year after year. And I tell you what; it's frikkin tough. Someday I would love to be in that position to say, I am playing this song the 10 millionth time, and the whole crowd is singing it back to me verbatim. They don't even need me actually, I'm just hear to witness the choir, singing my creation. Man, that would be so cool, I get chills thinking about that possibility, and I guess that's what I'm striving for musically. (It looks like I may have a long old road ahead, but I'm not stopping until I'm dead!)

That last line is a Tom Burns original and is offically copywritten as of now.

Haha!

Peace
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Postby Malcolm Boyce » Sun Mar 12, 2006 2:20 pm

I love stories about people experiencing, hearing a complete stranger singing, or whistling, or humming their song.... Like Sting's story about being in the hospital when one of his kids was born, and hearing someone whistling Walking On The Moon...
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Postby roachie » Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:54 pm

I know I sell beer when I play in bars (sunday, cougars - open mic), but that's their cut for letting me play. My cut is a few dollars, a few drinks, and to get to play my guitar and scream my head off... it's FUN! Playing music is FUN!

I also do the odd original acoustic set at places geared towards that. People sit and listen, and when your tune is done, they clap for 10 seconds and then there is total silence. That's fun too, get's a lot off your mind.

I tried playing the acoustic set once at the beer swilling bar, and will never do it again. It was no fun. Didn't get paid as much either. Doh. I bet if I wrote riff rock screamers, the beer croud would've liked it, but I don't. Not yet anyway.

Guess my point is, I bet you can find a gig for whatever (within reason) kind of music you want to play, and with Elwoods, Neptunes, and Cougars, among others, accepting ideas for anything that'll "sell them beer", you can even create a customised gig for yourself. No excuses! Just have fun, otherwise you're an emo band, and well... you know... you can get antidepressents if your Dad won't lend you the car.
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