Showmanship

[jive1]

Originally Posted by 4001

That's my band. We dont play the ususal 2 set, 4 hour gig thing. We do a 90-120 minute concert and that is it. We usually go on first and let the next band figure out how to keep the audience interested after that. On at 9PM, home by 1AM. Nice.

That's awesome. In your case, your material is what sets you apart from other bands. You have an audience that wants to check out your material, not necessarily 'the show'. If you have a plan that works for you, awesome.

I don't always show-boat, and in a situation like yours, I certainly wouldn't as it would take away from the vibe you are trying to get. Even though your crowd is moving and getting into your material, you're not necessarily a dance band nor your typical cover band. And quite honestly, the harder the material, the less likely I'll showboat because in the end, as a musician I still need to make decent music.

[BigRedX]

Originally Posted by gearstudios

Cool bass. Whats the name of the group?

Thanks!

The basses are a Gus G3 5-string and a Yamaha BJ5B which was special 5-string version of the SBV.

The band is called Dick Venom & The Terrortones.

[4001]

Originally Posted by jive1

That's awesome. In your case, your material is what sets you apart from other bands. You have an audience that wants to check out your material, not necessarily 'the show'. If you have a plan that works for you, awesome.

I don't always show-boat, and in a situation like yours, I certainly wouldn't as it would take away from the vibe you are trying to get. Even though your crowd is moving and getting into your material, you're not necessarily a dance band nor your typical cover band. And quite honestly, the harder the material, the less likely I'll showboat because in the end, as a musician I still need to make decent music.

We don't just stand like trees onstage, and I smile from time to time too. We do move around a bit, interact with everyone and have a lot of fun but we also have to do a lot of thinking on stage. Soundgarden is quite involved music really. The audiences that have seen us compliment us on how accurate we reproduce the music and seem to show up at the next gig so I'd say that we are delivering what they want.

[jweber76]

Someone mentioned before that a back injury kept him from moving too much. It's kind of the opposite for me... My back is pretty banged up and I have a bum knee so I frequently change position and where I hold my bass. A relaxed stance can go to a wide stance or I'll slide my bass over to my right hip to shift the weight on my back or neck. Throw a foot up on a monitor to lean into the crowd, what looks like showmanship is actually a pretty good back stretch! Don't get me wrong I do my share of grandstanding and probably get around the stage more than my bandmates...I actually just posted in another thread about showboating and getting caught with no place to put down my beer. There is video evidence of me strumming my bass with a gansett tall boy.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by jweber76

Someone mentioned before that a back injury kept him from moving too much. It's kind of the opposite for me... My back is pretty banged up and I have a bum knee so I frequently change position and where I hold my bass. A relaxed stance can go to a wide stance or I'll slide my bass over to my right hip to shift the weight on my back or neck. Throw a foot up on a monitor to lean into the crowd, what looks like showmanship is actually a pretty good back stretch! Don't get me wrong I do my share of grandstanding and probably get around the stage more than my bandmates...I actually just posted in another thread about showboating and getting caught with no place to put down my beer. There is video evidence of me strumming my bass with a gansett tall boy.

I have 3 herniated discs in my lower back. If I sit too long, or stand still too long on a bad back day, the sciatica in my left leg kills. I either gotta lay down or move around, and I don't think I could get away with laying down on stage.

I gotta try out that back stretch thing.

[Russell L]

For some reason I can still watch Mick Jagger run around, and he's older than me. But, we're all used to seeing him, so...somehow it's different seeing an old guy that I've never seen do it like that. Or, maybe it depends on the individual, dunno. I don't do it because it's not me. But, ya know what. the other night at a show I caught folks staring at me when I played, and I wasn't moving hardly at all. Maybe it was my expression? My demeanor? I'm not sure, but one thing's for sure, it was the REAL me.

[ChrisB2]

I think it just goes back to whether you got it or you don't. Jagger's just plain got the moves, man. They wrote a song about it! The old guy you saw probably aint got the moves . Nothing right or wrong about it, whether you have it or not... it is what it is and nothing looks worse than faking it. But reading some of the posts on here, it seems that some people have the opinion that if you don't have moves like Jagger, you have no business being on stage. And I just disagree with that. If you got it, go for it. Just don't do something that looks dumb.

[bassfran]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

I think it just goes back to whether you got it or you don't. Jagger's just plain got the moves, man. They wrote a song about it! The old guy you saw probably aint got the moves . Nothing right or wrong about it, whether you have it or not... it is what it is and nothing looks worse than faking it. But reading some of the posts on here, it seems that some people have the opinion that if you don't have moves like Jagger, you have no business being on stage. And I just disagree with that. If you got it, go for it. Just don't do something that looks dumb.

+1

I can only add that if you have any doubt about it- just video record your show. You'll know immediately what's working and what isn't.

I once did an unfortunate 'running man' move that was pretty ridiculous and we all had a big laugh when watching the tape.
Never again.

[jaywa]

Me personally? Not much. I'm a stand-back-by-the-drummer type.

In my band it works though cause our lead singer is the best front man I've ever worked with. He's got the show aspect covered and us three guys back in the rhythm section just give him the platform to do his thing. He's about half our age and MUCH better looking so we'd be stupid to do it any other way.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

I think it just goes back to whether you got it or you don't. Jagger's just plain got the moves, man. They wrote a song about it! The old guy you saw probably aint got the moves . Nothing right or wrong about it, whether you have it or not... it is what it is and nothing looks worse than faking it. But reading some of the posts on here, it seems that some people have the opinion that if you don't have moves like Jagger, you have no business being on stage. And I just disagree with that. If you got it, go for it. Just don't do something that looks dumb.

He's the ultimate front man, he never stopped. The guy has been at it for 50 years.

He knows what he is doing every second he's on that stage.

Steven is right up there too.

Blue

[Big Brother]

Originally Posted by jive1

I think that jealousy comes from seeing a musician with PERCEIVED equal or lesser skills getting a better crowd reaction.

Fixed it.

What a lot of musicians fail to comprehend is that it is ALWAYS about the total package in a live performance. Nobody really cares how skilled someone is unless they know how to use it to entertain.

Being a slightly better musician is good but musical skill is only half of a live performance, if that.

If he is winning the musician contest by 10% but losing the entertainment contest by 50%, he is not even playing in the same league. The crowd verified that by leaving...

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by jaywa

Me personally? Not much. I'm a stand-back-by-the-drummer type.

In my band it works though cause our lead singer is the best front man I've ever worked with. He's got the show aspect covered and us three guys back in the rhythm section just give him the platform to do his thing. He's about half our age and MUCH better looking so we'd be stupid to do it any other way.

This is about as close as I get to the drum kit. But I see what your saying and agree on your stance.

Blue

[jaywa]

Yeah and it all depends on the makeup of the band.

Many of the biggest bands of all time have had a frontman and the sidekick or "wingman." For example, Tyler and Perry, Jagger and Richards, Page and Plant, Daltry and Townsend. In your case (Blue), it looks like that's your role. The wingman in my band is our multi-instrumentalist, who's pretty animated and who used to front his own band so he's a natural in that role. Our lead guitarist is actually a pretty introverted personality so as far as stage presence he's more in the background with the drummer and I except for his spotlight solo.

At the point though that you've got more than two people sharing the spotlight on the frontline, though -- strictly IMO -- it starts getting awkward and the vibe seems to be more about individual personalities than a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by jaywa

At the point though that you've got more than two people sharing the spotlight on the frontline, though -- strictly IMO -- it starts getting awkward and the vibe seems to be more about individual personalities than a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

I agree.

By the way. I'm not stealing her spot light. In that pic we were probably doing some riffing together.

Blue

[pabloseismic]

I play different instruments in different groups but I tend to keep my energy level the same no matter which I am playing. I feel that the level of showmanship is dependant upon the genre and the overarching artistic direction of the group. I'm not going to do jumping 360 degree back scratchers in a jazz combo, but for the rock act, absolutely. Showmanship shouldn't detract from the level of musicianship. It should enchance it. It is possible to play very astutely and still put on a show.

[HailCorduroy]

I'm in a 4 piece cover band and actually stand in the front center of the stage. It works better for us to have a guitarist on each side of the stage. One guitarist rarely moves, the other does a lot of the vocals, but he'll move around during instrumental breaks. Him and usually end up interacting a bit during songs and keep the energy up. I rarely stand completely still, but I don't jump around like a mad man either. I'm usually dancing a bit or leaning out toward the audience and trying to make eye contact with different audience members.

[LiquidMidnight]

I current play in a country band - some older stuff, primarily newer stuff. I still remember the first gig I did. When opened the show with a Jason Aldean song and my bandleader couldn't believe it when I started to move around like I did in my last rock band. He never had a bass player who was that into stage presence. I've actually gotten him to do some things he'd thought he'd never do.

Here are some photos from a gig last week.

I'll sometimes throw my bass around a girl and play it while it's on her. I can get away with it with this bass because it's so light for a solid-body. Most people don't know to put their arm through the strap. My other basses are heavier. I wouldn't want to get sued for giving someone whiplash. *lol*



Here's a shot of all of us on the bar. Our drummer got a banjo strap and put it on a snare so we could go out on the bar during a break down in Folsom Prison Blues. Later, he went out into the crowd on a Hank Williams Jr. song.



Here's a shot of my bandleader. He took a wireless mic out into the crowd and had the crowd gather around him to sing a David Allan Coe song.



Here's an older photo. I haven't done this in years...get someone I know to hold my bass up and I'd play it like a piano.



There was a time during that gig when I went out in the audience during that gig. Some dudes saw me and started posing with me and taking pictures. A lot of the choice about doing showman-y-ship type of stuff really comes down to the vibe of the gig. I'd probably never jump up on a table and play to somene at a VFW gig. That stuff can come off as really showboating and pretentious at a venue you like that. But you can definitely rock out and show some charisma regardless of the gig.

[LiquidMidnight]

Originally Posted by jive1

As a performer, you are taking a risk by putting yourself out there. Whether it's a daredevil or a musician, people like to see people take risks and pull it off. IMO, IME, when people won't take a risk for fear they will look lame or stupid, they often accomplish the same thing anyway. If you're afraid you'll look dumb if you move around too much, it's also very possible that you'll look just as dumb standing and looking at your fretboard.

This has definitely been my experience.

I think I told this story in a thread in Bass Humor, but I was playing my hometown about a year and a half ago. I've never really played my hometown, so I was pretty amped up. The dance room didn't have a stage, so we were set up on the floor. With that rig, I used to use an Aggie GS112. I'd sometimes stand on it like one of those pose boxes that bands use. Well, we were playing Killin' in the Name of, and my guitarist ripped into the Whammy solo. I got pretty crazy and did a back jump off of the Aggie. I came down on a mic cable going across the floor and felt myself being to slip. I fell down on my back into the audience. Instead of feeling embarassed, I said, "Screw it! I'm down here, so I might as well use it." So I held my bass up and jammed right right there until the end of the solo. Then I jumped up and finished the song without missing a beat.

I don't know if the crowd thought I did it on purpose or if they respected that I turned it around and did something cool with it, but they really, really dug it. One of the most punk rock moments I've ever had.

[TRichardsbass]

Musicians often will notice and enjoy a show of robotic booooring virtuosos because we truly get the amazing talent and skill it takes. But I don't know any chicks who go to the cornet bar to hear Fripp tribute bands.

Lets face it no hair band was all that talented. But the look plus the show plus the decent song made them all gods. The best bands engage the audience and you can only do that with a show. If you think that getting the solo to "Gimme Three Steps" perfect is what they dig you are delusional. A band that has a good show and passable version of "Swert Home Alabama" will always be seen as better then the band that sits there near motionless but executes "Roundabout" and "Dark Side of the Moon " flawlessly.

[ChrisB2]

"Gimme Three Steps" has a bass solo???

--->heads for basement.....