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2 man bands....

Billybladez66

Billybladez66

Guest
Jan 3, 2016
588
496
Muscle shoals
#1
Just a quick question, may have been covered already but I just saw a TV show with a two man band as the house band.....am I the only one that is sick of this crap????? I'm all for art and whatnot, but I'm not for the diminishing perception of bass in an ensemble. Let me know what y'all think cuz I've just about had it with these guitar/ drum combos......who books the gigs, keeps the books, roadies on the PA as well as his/ her own, gear (as well as helping the drummer and rolling up all the mic cables at the end of the gig), goes and gets the band paid and books another gig in the process etc. etc. etc......
 
#7
Look, that's OK..but those look like guitar players with a bass in their hands doing the same thing. There are great bass players who are so good they are 1 man ensembles..literally, and they are fantastic. And there are ALOT of em....my point is that, for the most part, bass players are suffering a certain exclusion as the current status quo is leaning to the popularity of a "guitar/drum" only format. I'm no fan of it, that's my taste...but I'm sure that all those bass players who have spent the better part of their adult lives improving their craft probably don't care much for it either.
 
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#8
Billybladez66 said:
Look, that's OK..but those look like guitar players with a bass in their hands doing the same thing. There are great bass players who are so good they are 1 man ensembles..literally, and they are fantastic. And there are ALOT of em....my point is that, for the most part, bass players are suffering a certain exclusion as the current status quo is leaning to the popularity of a "guitar/drum" only format. I'm no fan of it, that's my taste...but I'm sure that all those bass players who have spent the better part of their adult lives improving their craft probably don't care much for it either.
Click to expand...

I can't say I'm a big fan of guitar/drum duos either. Maybe if they used a sequenced bass I would like it more, but drumming without a bass usually sounds kind of vapid to my ears.
 
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#12
Billybladez66 said:
Look, that's OK..but those look like guitar players with a bass in their hands doing the same thing. There are great bass players who are so good they are 1 man ensembles..literally, and they are fantastic. And there are ALOT of em....my point is that, for the most part, bass players are suffering a certain exclusion as the current status quo is leaning to the popularity of a "guitar/drum" only format. I'm no fan of it, that's my taste...but I'm sure that all those bass players who have spent the better part of their adult lives improving their craft probably don't care much for it either.
Click to expand...

Al Cisneros a guitar player!??? :rollno:

I for one am glad to see that some people have recognized there is no need for a guitar!

My pedal board is much larger than any of my guitar players in any of my bands.....and i can basically do everything they can and then some!
 
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#15
When it comes to live music, and competing for those live music dollars, the solo or duo act is no different than a DJ.

I know a guy here in town who plays solo. He uses a cajon and a looper for his percussion and then plays guitar. When it comes to doing a solo, he'll loop the rhythm of the previous verse. He has perfected his craft quite well and has built a nice fan base and now has a local booking agency doing his marketing and bookings. It is his living, 100%.

Forget what he sounds like, he's a bargain to a venue.
 
#19
Ultimately my point of the thread is this. The two man band in the public perception has diminished the role of a bass player. The ones where its a bass instead of a guitar don't do much for me as the role of bass, by my definition, is still being relegated to what I would define"guitar work" . I'm an ensemble guy, whether it's a trio or a 10 piece band. I like to hear a moving baseline under a solo...or rhythmic accompaniment under a bass solo. I am a firm believer of the "role" of a bass in group setting and 2 man bands just don't get it. Unless you are virtuosic enough do completely do your own thing ala Victor, Hadrien, Richard Bona and the like, I'm just not impressed with less. Sorry, just my opinion. I will say I m surprised to see so many "bass" players that like this...beings as it just keeps you from getting a gig more and more and more as it becomes more popular.
 
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