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Insufferable Band Member(s)

#182
51PRI said:
I have a job that pays the bills too. That doesn't change the fact that when I play out I want it to be successful. I have no interest in playing a show of all music that we (the Band) like but nobody shows up to hear, or, if there is a crowd we can't hold them. But I don't want to sell my soul, either. Isn't there some middle ground between selling your soul, i.e. playing every tired *** song in the world, or being so eclectic that nobody knows any of the songs that you play? A band at most venues is really a beer salesman, so keeping folks in the seats is a primary goal.
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Maybe I am wrong, but I believe that playing known songs is necessary only if the band isn't that good.

I mean if a band plays rythmically as tight and groovy as a James Browns band, it won't matter if the songs are known or not, people will just have their attention sucked in by the rythm.

It's the type of attention, that if you enter in some guitar or drum shop, most people will unticeable stuff, but some guy will lay some groove, and most people around will want to know where this comes from.
 
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#183
51PRI said:
I have a job that pays the bills too. That doesn't change the fact that when I play out I want it to be successful. I have no interest in playing a show of all music that we (the Band) like but nobody shows up to hear, or, if there is a crowd we can't hold them. But I don't want to sell my soul, either. Isn't there some middle ground between selling your soul, i.e. playing every tired *** song in the world, or being so eclectic that nobody knows any of the songs that you play? A band at most venues is really a beer salesman, so keeping folks in the seats is a primary goal.
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This is where it comes down to knowing your room.

I play in a couple of blues bands right now. I play a lot in one particular room that's well known as this town's oldest dedicated blues venue. This is the room a band like this needs to target, because this is where the audience for that kind of music still exists. Blues people are an entity of themselves and they do still seek out live music but not in random rooms that aren't known for it.

A band like this has to decide what its identity is. You can't be a band that pleases true blues aficionados in that room while playing mostly old classic rock covers that anyone can hear anywhere. And you won't hold an average bar crowd in some other room by playing BB King and Otis Rush all night. There's not enough crossover for any band to be all things to all people all the time.

So, where do you guys play? Is there a built-in audience there, and if so, what do they like? What happens when you play your preferred genre? Do they get up and dance, or get up and leave? That should be telling you that you're either playing the right music or not, or in the wrong room (or not).
 
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#184
We do a blues band and the very bluesy numbers go down very well but the real closers are more popular funkier versions.
We dont give it much more thought, it works.

Having said that, I would say we are not bona fide blues apart from most numbers get 2 gtr solos and we call ourselves a blues band.
Maybe this just evolved this way
 
#186
Well, playing Bangers is an easy way out and covers a multitude of sins potentially.

A bad band is just a bad band so as far as I'm concerned you cant really get past that.

So, best band, most popular band can be pretty different things.

Its quite a thing to play songs that 99% of the audience have never heard of the artist, let alone the song and have it go down very well.
 

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