Band Image

[Joronamo]

Hey guys needs some advice, kind of long.

I started this band a year ago and everything is going swell so far. Im on bass obviously and I found a guitarist and a drummer. At the moment we are auditioning singers but it is very hard to find someone like minded this day and age.

Although I am 20, I am one of the smarter ones who is fascinated by the 90s. I dont listen to anything after 1996 because thats were it all went down hill in my opinion (although I think thats a fact hehe!) I am also fascinated by the pop culture of the 90s with everything from the music, film, tv, fashion, sports etc. Im kind of living in the past - you should see my room its a shrine to the 90s with posters, tazos everything!

Anyways, we are an originals band and we are very influenced by the 90s so we have a vintage sound so to speak. I want to capture everything 90s I can including band image. Basically I want use to wear vintage clothing on stage and in band shots and all the time in general. My drummer already looks pretty grungy but my guitarist looks so 00s. I honestly dont give a s hit about looks and stuff but because this is my band, my passion and I started it all from scratch and had this vision in my mind and its slowly becoming a reality I really want the band image to be vintage. So in this case of the band and my career i do care about looks. Funny thing is im 20 and im the baby of the group and my guitarist and drummer are 29 and 27 respectivly. So while I was getting breastfed by my mum in 1992, they were already in high school bands so they should be looking more 90s than me.

ANyways how do I sort of approach them and say hey guys regarding band image....

without them saying "dont tell me what to wear etc etc, or I dont wanna wear that". I honeslty dont mind lending some clothes too. I basically went through my dads old 90s clothes he doesnt wear anymore and thats my wardrobe now.

When I say vintage it doesnt have to be hard out leggings like and all that stupid crap. I just mean just old stone washed levis, boots, workwear shirt, t shirt, plaid shorts nike sneakers etc etc.

Examples of what I wanna go for:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...s:0&tx=9&ty=54

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...0&tx=129&ty=17

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...:0&tx=55&ty=38

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...:0&tx=87&ty=80

You get the idea. Thanks.

[Nitzleplick]

Originally Posted by Joronamo

Anyways, we are an originals band and we are very influenced by the 90s so we have a vintage sound so to speak. I want to capture everything 90s I can including band image. Basically I want use to wear vintage clothing on stage and in band shots and all the time in general. My drummer already looks pretty grungy but my guitarist looks so 00s. I honestly dont give a s hit about looks and stuff but because this is my band, my passion and I started it all from scratch and had this vision in my mind and its slowly becoming a reality I really want the band image to be vintage. So in this case of the band and my career i do care about looks. Funny thing is im 20 and im the baby of the group and my guitarist and drummer are 29 and 27 respectivly. So while I was getting breastfed by my mum in 1992, they were already in high school bands so they should be looking more 90s than me.

They are 7 and 9 years your senior, they were in highschool lets say at ages 16 and 18 that means you were around 9 years old and still breastfeeding..

If that's the case pics plz

[Joronamo]

Ha no I was born in 1990, guitarist was born in 1981 and drummer 1983.

[Vincent P]

I can respect that this is your band dream vision but, asking the rest of the band to conform to a past era looking and acting the part 100% of their daily lives, I don't know???

Whats wrong with looking the part when you hit the stage (think Kiss), and being yourself the other?

Keep us posted as to how the band reacts to your suggestion.

[Mofo-Kang]

I must be a complete fashion moron, cuz I don't really see much difference between 1990s clothing fashions and those of the 2000's.

[Vincent P]

Originally Posted by Mofo-Kang

I must be a complete fashion moron, cuz I don't really see much difference between 1990s clothing fashions and those of the 2000's.

+1

[Joronamo]

Oh there's a difference, your just not looking hard enough.
@ Vincent P. Thats I what I mean, look the part on stage and in band shots, but what they wear in their daily lives is their choice.

[Joronamo]

In the OP I meant "all the time in general" as in all time when we are together as a band.

[Beej]

Originally Posted by Joronamo

Oh there's a difference, your just not looking hard enough.
@ Vincent P. Thats I what I mean, look the part on stage and in band shots, but what they wear in their daily lives is their choice.

Um, actually having grown up in the 70's and 80's and partying through the 90's, no, there isn't any difference today. You're just hanging around with the wrong dudes...

[fdeck]

You might consider getting the LL Bean catalog.

[Joronamo]

Originally Posted by Beej

Um, actually having grown up in the 70's and 80's and partying through the 90's, no, there isn't any difference today. You're just hanging around with the wrong dudes...

If you think that fashion hasnt changed since the 70s you are not living on planet earth.

70s - hippy, punk
80s - fluero, tight
90s - grunge, outdoors, baggy
00s - emo, indie, tight, fluero

[P-oddz]

My personal opinion is probably gonna buck the system here.

I respect that you have a special place in your heart for the 90's (hell, I'm 31 and some of my biggest musical influences came from that period). And I can see paying homage to the time as far as musical influences...

What I think you fail on (again, sorry just my personal opinion) is that styles change at times because they need to change (as in, some styles are awful and need to be scrubbed from memories all together). There is a reason not many guys go around wearing long dangle earrings these days. And girls don't go around with teased up mall-bangs anymore (sorry before your time).

I think that if you are trying to be taken seriously as an up and coming band, unfortunately the image is included with being taken seriously. If you go on stage wearing oversized flannels and giant white high top sneakers, with acid washed jeans tucked into them (again my personal opinion), you run the risk of looking kind of like a guy that has no clue. And if your music sounds like something that's been done before - you really run the risk of being another dime a dozen mediocre band.

Sorry man, just my opinion. Not trying to hate - only help.

[Joronamo]

No offence taken. I appreciate your response and how you tried to articulate the resposne in a repsectful and non offensive manner. It is also the kind of response I was hoping to get in this thread as most of the replies have been more on the joke side. I dont blame them either, image is a stupid thing but im sure all us bass players know by now its goes with the business and has to be discussed sooner or later in a band's life. So Im just here asking for advice.

Luckily I can assure you that our music is not grunge. I am aware of post-grunge and it is lame. Luckily we are not some band that sounds like pearl jam/nirvana or something. In fact when people ask me what kind of music the band plays I tell them 90s sounding and they say oh like Nirvana...and I just turn around and walk away in disgust.

We are 90s influenced and I am sure you realise the 90s rock scene was not only grunge influeced, but alternative influeced too with funk, psycadelia, avant garde etc. I am a funk bass player primarily, the drummer can do anything - really likes Herb from primus, guitarist sounds like Chris Hammet from Rollins Band and we dont have a singer yet. So you can already tell we are not some lame post-grunge wannabes. We have a distinct sound that is more versatile than that. In a nuthsell our sound is a blend of Bungle, Primus, Helmet, Rollins, Soundgarden, FNM, RHCP.

As for image, we are not gonna walk out on stage with over-sized flannels and acid wash jeans up to our waist tucked into white sneakers. I dont know whether you got a chance to look at the links in OP but what the guys are wearing in those pics are very everyday looking and not so much over the top as you described. Where I am coming from with the vintage thing is that my guitarist looks very skate-esque in that he wears quicksilver jeans, globe skate shoes, a hoodie with colourful designs and that kind of thing where as when he's on stage I would prefer he wore vintage levis or plaid shorts, black boots or nikes and just a t shirt or not shirt for that matter. Essentially they are both the same clothing items but if you tweak around a few things suddenly from looking skatey he suddenly looks like he came straight out of the 90s.

Take a look at these two links. Its the same band but one was taken in the golden era 91-96 and one was taken in the 00s. The difference with the two pics in that vintage factor im talking about. Maybe it will give you a better understanding.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...w=1507&bih=887

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...w=1507&bih=887

[XigXag]

So you dont want to Be a Grunge band, just look like one.
Gotcha.

[Joronamo]

Originally Posted by XigXag

So you dont want to Be a Grunge band, just look like one.
Gotcha.

Basically.

[nicoli]

I'd rather not make a judgement on your choice of image or taste of music, but I will agree that having a cohesive band image is very important. Many people who go see you will listen with their eyes as much or more than with their ears. I think you should be able to pick the guys in the band out of the crowd of people in a club pretty easily, but hopefully not so easily that you're laughing at them.

As far as how to approach them, honesty usually works pretty well. "Hey guys, I think it's important that we have a cohesive band image. What do you think of this idea?" It seems pretty simple to me...

[HollowSound95]

uh Rage Against the Machine and Faith No More are not and never were grunge. Excellent bands, no question, but even though they connected with the same kids, they were rap-metal-whatever you want to call it.
I'm 21 and as a 90s kid, I adore that era and sound too. The thing is, fashion in both clothing and music is cyclical. To all you guys reading who are over 30 saying that people would look out of touch wearing outdated clothes- you're aware that the last decade has been a f****d to death 80s dance party right? You can already see it start to shift into the 2nd coming of the 90s. I live in Portland OR, and every hipster is rocking flannel and super ugly neon circa living color lol. Also, one of the trendiest stores in the average mall (urban outfitters) is catering to 90s fashion. like selling not only flanel but Nevermind and Ten on vinyl. seriously.
It's really hard to get people to figure out what kind of style you're going for without sounding like an ass though lol. I agree that simple straightforward honesty is the best approach.
I can't wait for popular culture to be relevant again.

[theunknowndude]

Originally Posted by nicoli

I'd rather not make a judgement on your choice of image or taste of music, but I will agree that having a cohesive band image is very important. Many people who go see you will listen with their eyes as much or more than with their ears. I think you should be able to pick the guys in the band out of the crowd of people in a club pretty easily, but hopefully not so easily that you're laughing at them.

As far as how to approach them, honesty usually works pretty well. "Hey guys, I think it's important that we have a cohesive band image. What do you think of this idea?" It seems pretty simple to me...

+1 I agree with this,... and I for one don't see whats wrong with letting people do their own thing so long as it works out ok,.. I for one would have more respect for someone who wears what they want to wear in an original band than someone who conformed to fit with the rest of the band,... my drummer plays in a black metal band and the others do paint etc but he doesnt like it so doesnt do it, he still looks and acts his part tho

just approach them casually about it and see what the reactions are hey.

[electracoyote]

Bands dressing like their fans is such a foreign concept to me. I grew up with pop bands that made it a point to dress far different from a group of people standing at a bus stop. I'll never understand entertainers who don't want to distinguish themselves from how the average person dresses at a tailgate party.

I don't mean to criticize, but I really just don't get it. I think it is so refreshing when bands like The Vines and The Hives come out in matching outfits and play kick ass music. Or the Chili Peppers with cock socks, silver paint, and lightbulb hats. Those bands understand the power of theatrics and that pop music is a VISUAL medium as well as an audio medium; they have it in the wardrobe department, the music department, and the balls department. That's entertainment, and it gets my vote every time.

[JoZac21]

You want to look like RATM and Faith No More?

Easy.

Step 1: Dreadlocks
Step 2: Don't Shower
Step 3: Get Mike Patton in your picture.

You can thank me later.