Dressing well and dancing

[lfmn16]

Not a bad point. I suppose if we're going to be intellectually honest here we should add that caveat.

At least SOME of your band needs to be entertaining. Those two guys you mentioned were covered by others on the same stage.

Wyman had Mick, Keith and Ronnie running around like crazy people covering the bases on "entertainment".

Entwistle had the same thing with Pete and Roger (and Moon at one point).

So, you're correct. You don't have to be the ultimate entertainer by yourself if you have a few others taking care of that for you.

But if NONE of you are doing it......

(Keep in mind, your local bar band singer likely is NOT Mick Jagger or Roger Daltrey. So you'll likely have to pitch in. )

I wouldn't disagree with anything you wrote. There is nothing wrong with putting on a show, as long as it's not just a bunch of idiots running around competing for attention. The last band I was in, the guitar and singer were the show. I didn't stand like a statue, but I didn't need to do a whole lot.

 

[IamGroot]

 

[Gaolee]

Just imitate Krist here and you should be good!

I kinda do with one band. Only problem is when I take a flying leap and come down with my hands in the wrong place on the neck. That can sound pretty awful for a note or two. Oh, well.

For some other kinds of music, I don't do that, because it would be absurd looking in context. Whatever works.

 

[Waytootrue]

I kinda do with one band. Only problem is when I take a flying leap and come down with my hands in the wrong place on the neck. That can sound pretty awful for a note or two. Oh, well.

The story behind that video is that Nirvana was booked to play on a show that made them use a prerecorded track with live vocals. None of them have to be playing. It is probably the most hilarious performance I've ever seen.

 

[IamGroot]

 

[Gaolee]

The story behind that video is that Nirvana was booked to play on a show that made them use a prerecorded track with live vocals. None of them have to be playing. It is probably the most hilarious performance I've ever seen.

Similar to just about every Superbowl halftime performance these days. Those can be pretty funny, too. And unlike anything Tina Turner ever did. I don't know how she could do some of the stuff she did while still singing.

But the backing track thing really is pretty funny. And it means you can jump around a whole lot more and get away with it. Coming down loud, proud, and completely wrong puts a damper on whatever it was you just did. So, there's a limit. I won't spin a bass around my head or anything, but I go wireless for a reason. Plus, being a little hyper is a way to keep time.

 

[honeyiscool]

I think alot of audience members really don't care, but maybe some do. The fact that i am wearing a damn guitar or on a stage should show i am with the band. But sometimes this mentality is "taking it too seriously" IMO. My group makes me wear a hat and vest, and i really wish we just wore whatever the hell we wanted to.

It's not about being comfortable on stage. It's about everything that happens to the band on and off the stage.

In this modern day and age, people complain that engaged audiences are very hard to come across. And then you ask what they're doing to get a more engaged audience, and it usually turns out, not all that much. In order to continue to get gigs and get audiences, band members have to be social representatives off stage as well as competent musicians on stage.

Your band is absolutely right to make you dress a certain way. That way, you can be recognized as being in the band and not as some Craigslist hired gun. When you're at the bar for the hour afterwards, then people know, hey, you're in the band, the band didn't just ditch out after the set. Just by being recognizable as a band member, you're doing some amount of minimal good for the band.

You can wear flip flops, shorts, and a kickball t-shirt if you want. But if you're doing that, you don't get to complain about audiences not showing up and taking you seriously.

And if you ever become the person who books shows, represents, and does outreach for the band, you'll learn quickly that every time a band member decides not to make that extra effort, it's completely deflating.

 

[IamGroot]

FAIL!!!!

 

[Wisebass]

you need to dress well and dance while you are performing live

Hi easyj

Play good, dress sharp, move when you can! (that' s how to get the girls!)

Most people are non musicians, they go out to party (dance) and to see a band play.

They do not expect you to be Jaco! Hell, most of them don't know Jaco!

But they don' t want to see a band, who looks like uncle Joe and his boring neighbours!

you will still be regarded as a "great bass player" by most audience members if you look the part and put on a show

1+

A gig is work! I don' t dress for work the same way, as I do for the sunday barbecue in my garden,
or for washing my car!

greetings

Wise(b)ass

 

[Tony In Philly]

If I'm playing in a dive bar, I'll be wearing a T-shirt and jeans. I don't care if any TB-er's think that's unprofessional because it's only a $400 gig.

 

[ONYX]

For me, it's the "When in Rome...." philosophy. In other words, you gotta dress the part.


For example, this is not a good look for a blues or country gig:

Conversely, I wouldn't show up like this at rock gig:

As far as dancing, that just ain't gonna happen: John Entwistle is my role model in that respect.

 

[zjanderson]

I fall into a mindset of that the clothing I wear on stage is just as much part of my gear as my bass, amp, cables, etc. Athletes on a team wear a uniform, just as much as I'll have specific garb I wear on stage.

 

[mellowinman]

I will say that if you dress well and dance, you will attract a lot more people you are trying to attract than someone who doesn't dress well and dance.

Pretty much 100% of the time, by the way...

 

[Marley's Ghost]

I try to wear something like this. I have to be sewn into it so the shirt doesn't come out.

 

[sean_on_bass]

It's not about being comfortable on stage. It's about everything that happens to the band on and off the stage.

In this modern day and age, people complain that engaged audiences are very hard to come across. And then you ask what they're doing to get a more engaged audience, and it usually turns out, not all that much. In order to continue to get gigs and get audiences, band members have to be social representatives off stage as well as competent musicians on stage.

Your band is absolutely right to make you dress a certain way. That way, you can be recognized as being in the band and not as some Craigslist hired gun. When you're at the bar for the hour afterwards, then people know, hey, you're in the band, the band didn't just ditch out after the set. Just by being recognizable as a band member, you're doing some amount of minimal good for the band.

You can wear flip flops, shorts, and a kickball t-shirt if you want. But if you're doing that, you don't get to complain about audiences not showing up and taking you seriously.

And if you ever become the person who books shows, represents, and does outreach for the band, you'll learn quickly that every time a band member decides not to make that extra effort, it's completely deflating.

I agree with you at the end of the day, although i think that even flip flops and shorts on a hot summer stage is perfectly fine. But in a bar setting would be out of place. It's all about the context. I don't think you are always leaving something on the table by dressing casually and sometimes it can even work to the benefit of the group. And sometimes i think the groups trying really hard to coordinate can even detract from their success and just come off downright cheesy. You have to find a balance.

 

[40Hz]

Come on!!!!!!! I never judge TB questions - but with all due respect - this is a ridiculous question . No?

Yes. My thoughts exactly.

 

[cnltb]

I read somewhere that in order to be a good bass player, you need to dress well and dance while you are performing live. How many think that these two things are really necessary for being a bass player in a gigging band?

You did?
I dress appropriately but do NOT dance.
That's not been a problem for me.
I chose gigs that suit me.

 

[dab12ax7ef]

A lot of people mentioning The Ox in the non dancing context... I’ll counter that by mentioning Abe Laboriel. He’s a fantastic person, killer bass player, spirited performer with dancing, and dresses pretty sharp too.

 

[two fingers]

If I'm playing in a dive bar, I'll be wearing a T-shirt and jeans. I don't care if any TB-er's think that's unprofessional because it's only a $400 gig.

Did you ever stop and think that the REASON dive bar gigs are only $400 is because bands don't dress the part, put on a show, and attract a crowd?

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

Did pay for bands go down because club owners suck? Or is it because musicians got old and lazy and quit trying so crowds stopped coming? No need to pay you more if you aren't drawing and/or keeping a crowd. Music can be had with a used stereo and a cell phone.

If I draw a crowd, that club will pay me $400 ONCE. (If I even agree to it once.)

 

[fhm555]

Simply.
Not.
True.

I would argue that you can pedal on root 8th notes all night and you will still be regarded as a "great bass player" by most audience members if you look the part and put on a show. However, if you show up looking frumpy and acting bored, you can play like Jaco and nobody will remember you in the morning.

IME coming up, i never remembered the individual band members by name. I remembered if i liked the music and i remembered if the band worked as a unit. Ten minutes after leaving the venue i couldn’t tell you how any one individual was dressed but i could tell you how many times someone missed a cue or there was an obvious lack of communication between bandmates on stage. But when you consider that it has always and will forever be only about the music for me, my perspective fits my goal. I don’t care who you are, how you dress or comb your hair, cool tats? There’s a convention for that every year down town, but a butterscotch jazz bass or a three tone cherry burst Les Paul wailing and thundering, now yer talking.
Don’t get me wrong here, i get it, performance is the total package and the vast majority of people who go to a concert are seeking entertainment and if the entertainers don’t deliver, they might as well don their yard work clothes and start earning the old fashioned way, but for me, growing up when my only connection to music was at home, occasionally on public TV, and live shows, the shows were more study hall than party time. I wanted to be close enough to see hands so i could match what they were doing to what i was hearing, that’s really all i ever went to live shows for. All my musical heros lived under the same roof i did so i was paying more for lessons than entertainment. That is not to say i didn’t appreciate the talent, hard work and dedication to craft required to demand payment for playing, and i was often moved by the level of raw emotion poured out for the world to see, but at the end of the day, i wanted to cop licks from that dude playing bass for (insert band name here). The only time i worried about how they dressed was if their outfit interfered with my lesson.