• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Band Fashion

Buck_BassMan94

Buck_BassMan94

Oct 18, 2021
134
294
Southern Illinois
#1
5BE6B139-0189-4A23-8430-97A14A44FDC7.jpeg
Hello All,

I’m new to TalkBass and I’m guessing this has been discussed but can’t find a forum for it. How do y’all dress for gigs?

I play in a 5 piece cover band (country, rock, pop, blues etc). Each of our members dresses in their own personal style but we try to coordinate colors and level of formality. I tend to like dark jeans, a denim pearl snap, and either a cowboy hat or baseball cap. What are y’all’s thoughts on this topic? How does your band determine style?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BassGH, TBird1958, mb94952 and 1 other person
#3
Lots of threads on this.

No pun intended...

There's no one rule, but if you're the entertainment, I think you should look like you're the entertainment. When customers at the bar put more effort into their look than the people on stage, the people on stage aren't doing their job.

I do get really frustrated sometimes. My band just played a Halloween costume party, explicitly advertised as such. The singer and I played in costumes. The drummer brought a Deadpool mask but didn't wear it because he couldn't play in it. The guitarist put a hat on. Not a particularly noteworthy hat - just a hat.

Otherwise, it depends on the band and the venue. One of my projects is a Blues Bros. tribute - I can't pull off Duck Dunn's look (not without a wig and fake beard), but I grab a pipe and generally try to look the part.
241212669_4222035531165717_7832571199867066107_n.jpg


Bar band gigs call for something different...
upload_2021-7-12_7-35-16.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: FatCity, JRA, Bunk McNulty and 5 others
#4
Lots of threads on this.

No pun intended...

There's no one rule, but if you're the entertainment, I think you should look like you're the entertainment. When customers at the bar put more effort into their look than the people on stage, the people on stage aren't doing their job.

I do get really frustrated sometimes. My band just played a Halloween costume party, explicitly advertised as such. The singer and I played in costumes. The drummer brought a Deadpool mask but didn't wear it because he couldn't play in it. The guitarist put a hat on. Not a particularly noteworthy hat - just a hat.

Otherwise, it depends on the band and the venue. One of my projects is a Blues Bros. tribute - I can't pull off Duck Dunn's look (not without a wig and fake beard), but I grab a pipe and generally try to look the part.
View attachment 4443246

Bar band gigs call for something different...
View attachment 4443247
 
  • Like
Reactions: kesslari, Slough Feg Bass and REV
#6
hrodbert696 said:
Lots of threads on this.

No pun intended...

There's no one rule, but if you're the entertainment, I think you should look like you're the entertainment. When customers at the bar put more effort into their look than the people on stage, the people on stage aren't doing their job.

I do get really frustrated sometimes. My band just played a Halloween costume party, explicitly advertised as such. The singer and I played in costumes. The drummer brought a Deadpool mask but didn't wear it because he couldn't play in it. The guitarist put a hat on. Not a particularly noteworthy hat - just a hat.

Otherwise, it depends on the band and the venue. One of my projects is a Blues Bros. tribute - I can't pull off Duck Dunn's look (not without a wig and fake beard), but I grab a pipe and generally try to look the part.
View attachment 4443246

Bar band gigs call for something different...
View attachment 4443247
Click to expand...

i agree, different settings call for different attire. We tend to lean towards the “outdress the audience” mantra. Each of us has different style preferences in both music and clothes so keeping a core look but being able to individualize is important for us.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 31HZ, EdO. and hrodbert696
#8
In the band I'm in, the female singer and I try to dress the part. I'll do a collared shirt, decent jeans, something comfortable but cool for my feets. She always looks good. The guitar, keys, and drums dress like they do at their day jobs. I normally don't care, and still really don't, but when I joined they had talked about doing country clubs, weddings, corporate events. Not really what I wanted to do but I signed on. When it was mentioned again recently I made sure everyone knew the way they were dressing wouldn't cut it. That was three or four months ago and it hasn't been mentioned again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HolmeBass
#9
I played in top-40 country and '80s pop bands years ago and had to dress the part. From cowboy boots and hats to parachute pants to suit-and-tie.
Not now brother. I still have to wear a uniform five days a week at my day job but on my days off it's shorts and sandals for me. I'm built for comfort and I dress accordingly.
Most of my current gigs are very casual and outdoors, except for the occasional wedding or corporate event, so we are mostly in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops.
B.
 
  • Like
Reactions: funkinbottom
#15
Basic guideline I learned early on was: “Look the part.”

What looking the part translates out to in terms of fashion depends on the genre, the year, the venue, and the band. One style doesn’t fit every band or situation.

One other thing, although hearing it doesn’t always play well the older you get…be (or get yourself) in halfway decent physical shape. Clothes can only do so much. Healthy always looks good, and it never goes out of style.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Artman, JRA, 31HZ and 10 others
#17
I don't care any more. I play in a classic rock/rock cover band. I am not going to wear shorts but if I played an outdoor gig and it was hot I am not wearing pants. I don't wear sweat pants but I want to dress so that I am comfortable. Jeans and a tshirt or nice shirt. The other thing is that 50 to 70 year olds don't look cool in 80's hair band attire.

I am not a fan of hats especially in a pop or rock band. I think many musicians overthink the dress code. In this day age of cover bands most people watching could give a crap, IMHO of course.

Foot attire is important for me. Nice comfortable shoes is a must.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Artman, Buck_BassMan94 and D.A.R.K.
#18
In rock bands, I usually go with a graphic t-shirt, casual pants (jeans, chinos, etc), and sneakers, but they have to fit and be fashionable. Nobody wants to look at some schlub who dresses like they're at a cookout, even if the gig is a cookout. But showing up in a suit and tie isn't all that rock and roll. Some people can pull it off, most can't. More formal gigs get more formal clothes, but I also don't really do more formal gigs.

The most important things for me are to dress appropriately for my age (being fashionable doesn't mean wearing what kids are wearing, but it also doesn't mean wearing what was popular when I was a kid) and make sure it fits. Too tight or too baggy both make you look awful.

The audience isn't there for background music (unless you're literally playing background music, but then you probably have a bit of a dress code). They're there to see a show, and what you wear is part of that. Sure, you're not rock stars (or stars of whatever genre of music you're playing), but that doesn't mean you can't give the audience a little bit of that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EdO.
#19
I draw the line at shorts, at least for men.

I go with black pants and black shoes because that goes with any color. If the gig calls for a jacket, I go with black as well.

Shirts: colored Ts with graphics (bands, radio stations, beers, etc.) for most bar gigs, dress shirt with tie for weddings and other formal events, cowboy shirts for retro country gigs.

A dear friend and drummer gave me a baseball cap with a bass clef logo on it as a present shortly before he passed away, so I've been wearing that if a hat is appropriate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mike o

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back