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Band Member Intros - Yes or No?
- Thread starter Altitude
- Start date
I started playing bass 7 years ago but main instrument is the drums and that's about 46 years. Been in few cover bands but mostly original ones. I was in an original heavy metal band as the drummer and any shows we ever played....not a word as to any of our names. None of us cared either. We just wanted to play to those three....no....those last two people that stuck around long enough!
No, No, No.
Unless there is a reason, such as a solo or a stand in " our pianist became a dad today, big hand for Fred who stepped in" etc.
I think waiting for the music to restart while 4, or 8 or however many members there are plays some silly diddly riff is really naff. The piece played is so often irrelevant to the bands genre that it sounds out of place.
I work with sound and several 'organisers', when the 20th band of the day goes through this silly routine it gets totally boring.
I have even known slow hand clapping for a band with about 15 members.
Known bands don't need individual introductions and nobody will remember for unknown bands. Don't spoil a good set with this needless waste of time. One festival day I worked on even put it in the contract.
Unless there is a reason, such as a solo or a stand in " our pianist became a dad today, big hand for Fred who stepped in" etc.
I think waiting for the music to restart while 4, or 8 or however many members there are plays some silly diddly riff is really naff. The piece played is so often irrelevant to the bands genre that it sounds out of place.
I work with sound and several 'organisers', when the 20th band of the day goes through this silly routine it gets totally boring.
I have even known slow hand clapping for a band with about 15 members.
Known bands don't need individual introductions and nobody will remember for unknown bands. Don't spoil a good set with this needless waste of time. One festival day I worked on even put it in the contract.
I was in a large soul/funk cover band, every set we did a small member introduction and let each player take a solo for a couple bars, if we had a 3 hr set we would extend this, its always fun and people enjoyed seeing each member show off a bit.
In my orginals band the drummer does the banter, he usually slides in a players name after a song if they took a big solo or wherever an intro fit smoothly.
Everyone works hard to put on a show, why not get them some love from the audience?
In my orginals band the drummer does the banter, he usually slides in a players name after a song if they took a big solo or wherever an intro fit smoothly.
Everyone works hard to put on a show, why not get them some love from the audience?
Cool.
That is far different than "ego stroking time" where many (not all) bands will bore the hell out of folks, thinking they are all into it when they're actually not....far from it....
They want to hear music, not several minutes of jabbering along with Stewart "Look what I can do" flashy racket solos that bear no relation to anything in the known world...
Some seem to think "they all love us" while "a big ass chunk of they(*A)" are thinking "just STFU and play".... Just is...
*A: Those not married to, engaged to, related to, double-first-buddies with, and/or dating a band member. Also those that owe no money to any band member.
Just is. If the above makes you all poochie lipped, may need to ponder on it a bit....
The band I'm in, always shouts out the other members names at many points during a show. After a solo or before a certain song (This song features so and so on vocals!) Everybody in the place knows each band members name! The only down side to this is that everybody knows my name, But I have to ask the name of who I'm talking to cause I dunno who the audience are! 
But it's great PR as the audience feels like they personally know each band member!
But it's great PR as the audience feels like they personally know each band member!
We always close the last set with We Gotta Get Out of this Place.
BL announces our name and what instrument we play. Just, "On your right on bass, Dave Hargis, Randy Ellis on Drums, and I'm Doc Hogan." Simple as that.
BL announces our name and what instrument we play. Just, "On your right on bass, Dave Hargis, Randy Ellis on Drums, and I'm Doc Hogan." Simple as that.
I liked parleying with the audience, if the lead vocalist wasn't good at it. I also liked to watch a band that had good rapport rather than just, "Cheers, this next song is called..."
However, that "on bass, all the way from 20 minutes up the motorway..." stuff is a bore and a turn off to me. Never did it myself and taken as an opportunity to hit the bar if other bands did (except quite a few in the audience had the same idea so no advantage gained).
If the band or a particular player were worth finding out more about, it wasn't difficult to have a natter without getting in their way.
However, that "on bass, all the way from 20 minutes up the motorway..." stuff is a bore and a turn off to me. Never did it myself and taken as an opportunity to hit the bar if other bands did (except quite a few in the audience had the same idea so no advantage gained).
If the band or a particular player were worth finding out more about, it wasn't difficult to have a natter without getting in their way.
Ugh, I agree, but I'm on a gig next weekend where we are doing that. And bass comes first. Get ready for some thrilling ascending major triads, fans!
that's all good when it's planned and you can actually put some sort of solo together.... when you're playing live and guitarist breaks a string, then yells out "BASS SOLO"... that's kind of different being put on the spot!
D
My main band is an original band that plays in a genre that actually does have a very supportive, tight-knit community. So hell yes we are introducing the members of the band, because making personal connections with the people that have come to see us so far is going to help us grow in the community and get better gigs in the future.
the question is: does anyone care?
if you think so then find a tune that works to intro the band during a mid song vamp
if you think not, or if the audience is basically your SO's and Friends, then just play the songs and call it a night.
Just remember, no matter who you are, as a band, they didn't come to hear you talk.
if you think so then find a tune that works to intro the band during a mid song vamp
if you think not, or if the audience is basically your SO's and Friends, then just play the songs and call it a night.
Just remember, no matter who you are, as a band, they didn't come to hear you talk.
We do intros. They are brief. Sometimes with a very quick riff. Nothing that would qualify as a solo. At the bar scene level, I think that it's a feel-good connection between the musician and any friends/family/acquaintances who may be in attendance. I like being acknowledged, frankly.
I've never been in or gigged with a band that did member intros. I would use a stage name anyway, I'm a small time dude and don't want my real name and other information told to the public all the time.
