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playback bands

#22
s0c9 said:
You've never heard of gigmasters??? Do you have a gigging band?
google ? :)
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The first hit on google seemed like such a joke that I figured it couldn't have been what the poster I quoted was talking about.

I see I've inadvertantly stumbled into a thread about cover bands, so I'll just see myself out.

Enjoy playing Mustang Sally tomorrow night.
 
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#23
logicman69 said:
My band uses backing tracks for all keyboard parts. I honestly see no issues with this and I could give a **** if another musician doesn't think we are "legit musicians" because we use them. At the end of the day, my band entertains the crowd and gets paid. That's all that matters to me.
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We do too and we get great response. Also, we looked for a LONG time for a second guitarist to no avail so our guitarist prerecorded tracks for songs that absolutely need a 2nd guitar track. I ain't sitting home because of an empty talent pool :)
 
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#24
callofcthulhu said:
The first hit on google seemed like such a joke that I figured it couldn't have been what the poster I quoted was talking about.

I see I've inadvertantly stumbled into a thread about cover bands, so I'll just see myself out.

Enjoy playing Mustang Sally tomorrow night.
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Enjoy being the super celebrity that we're sure you are.
 
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#26
erbesoderpayaso said:
i didn't meant even to refer to a virtuoso band, i was talking about simple music. but taken it to that level that just cant be accepted for me. if its simple music why are you using playback? that my point.
i can agree with you that they are many type of music but music involves science and art not necesarily theatre or acting.


yes im agree with you but still you have to be carefull... im really into electronics, closed minded its not my problem.
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I'm not trying to argue, I see what you're saying. But I didn't think you meant virtuoso bands - I just meant live players in general. I don't think the technical difficulty of the music makes a difference; again, it's all about the show.

For instance, think about what you get when you play to tracks (besides the tracks themselves): everything is snapped to the grid now. That may make the music stale for some, sure, but there's an insane number of benefits when you do that: You can program your lighting show to that grid. You can program video elements to that grid. You can program your graphics to that grid. So many aspects of a live production can be automated when we're playing to tracks these days.

Then think about budget - a 4-piece touring band can get by without hiring a Lighting Director to go on the road, without a Technical Director to oversee video production, and put on a rad show (lights, camera, the whole nine yards) with just some pre-production and a few laptops. Insane! And for some, that equates to an awesome show experience.

And for some, it's not. And that's totally cool too! But I wouldn't rail on anyone for choosing that route because that's what they want to do (and that's what they can afford), nor would I assume that they're choosing that path because they are incapable of doing it any other way. I think you only have to be careful in making sure that you're giving the audience the show that they're interested in seeing, and not trying to please everyone. Just my two cents though :)
 
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#27
callofcthulhu said:
The first hit on google seemed like such a joke that I figured it couldn't have been what the poster I quoted was talking about.

I see I've inadvertantly stumbled into a thread about cover bands, so I'll just see myself out.

Enjoy playing Mustang Sally tomorrow night.
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BYE !
 
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#28
jaymelewis said:
I'm not trying to argue, I see what you're saying. But I didn't think you meant virtuoso bands - I just meant live players in general. I don't think the technical difficulty of the music makes a difference; again, it's all about the show.
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i believe it is, and if not is the difficulty its another search, maybe timber, and that can be pretty hard to handle and can be a nice instument too, in fact they are impressive these days already.

yes, computers and all music devices today are a good intrument. and that great. but that doesn't make a show. i dont know the world that you're living in, but live music (and im talking about dj's too) almost doesnt exist.
 
#29
erbesoderpayaso said:
hello, im writing this thread because i think playback bands are no music, they just mimetice playing music. what do yo think?
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Same is true for modern science fiction movies that have digitally created interstellar spaceships. It would be so much better if they would use real ones that are actually filmed in outer space.
 
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#31
Hahaha said:
Same is true for modern science fiction movies that have digitally created interstellar spaceships. It would be so much better if they would use real ones that are actually filmed in outer space.
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Pretty sure there's an art vs entertainment differential here. I wouldn't want to see an original group relying too much on tracks. What is too much? It's a judgement call. Bjork didn't use too many tracks for me if that helps lend perspective.

I was at a restaurant last week where the band was really a duo, playing to canned drum and bass and horn tracks. I felt that they were almost getting paid to do karaoke, and they came nowhere close to the energy of a real cover band, so I felt that they were failing in the entertainment realm as well as in the 'authenticity' realm.

It is interesting to see where such things are tolerated. In Indian classical music, nobody wants to play the boring drone parts anymore even though it's essential, so many artists rely on an electronic box that mimics the tanpura. But in most other roots music, whether it's blues or jazz or bluegrass, the correct choices are usually to play without drums or with a real drummer rather than use a drum machine.
 
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#35
erbesoderpayaso said:
hello, im writing this thread because i think playback bands are no music, they just mimetice playing music. what do yo think?
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If that is what you want to, and you can get away with it, then by all means go for it.

I personally like the challenge of sounding bigger than we really are on songs that don't match our instruments/band configuration. Meaning me and/or the guitar player are adaptively playing other instrument parts when needed. We pull it off really well IMO, and that is what makes it fun for me :)

There is a local band that uses backing tracks for almost everything, and play on top of it. They get paid more and have more gigs than anyone else in town. I went and saw them, and was not really impressed, but the crowd was having a good time, and that is all that matters to clubs doing the booking. This is also their primary profession, so they need to be able to make every performance as good as possible. I would not have fun being in that band since I prefer a genuine musical performance over totally pre-recorded show. I don't have a problem with it if it is just a couple of songs, but if the majority of the performance is played over pre-recorded/sequenced material, I can't get as much into it. There have been a couple of instances where I have been wowed by a singer performing over mostly sequenced material with keyboard or other instrument accompaniment.
 

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