If songs were popular based on merit none of us would be playing Mustang Sally.
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Set list blows
- Thread starter Xemoran
- Start date
Sounds like the musicians are "very talented and playing for a while" but the singer is only one of those two. Either educate her or get an experienced singer.
for me, this wouldn't be a tough call.
situation one - if i were very new with the band, i'd give them notice. if they asked why, i'd tell them - not that the songs suck, but that the audience is very unenthused and most of the songs don't get them on the dance floor.
situation two - if i had been with the band for a while, i'd reverse the order - tell them that i play to make the audience happy, and while i like the songs we're playing, they fall flat with the audiences, and that i'd like to mix in some tunes that audiences like and that are great for dancing. then if they were hostile or ignored me, i'd give notice... probably shorter notice than in situation one.
but some singers or other musicians aren't there to do that job. i've known a few who have been clear that they don't care what the audience wants.
i agree 3000%!
it's the singer's band.
situation one - if i were very new with the band, i'd give them notice. if they asked why, i'd tell them - not that the songs suck, but that the audience is very unenthused and most of the songs don't get them on the dance floor.
situation two - if i had been with the band for a while, i'd reverse the order - tell them that i play to make the audience happy, and while i like the songs we're playing, they fall flat with the audiences, and that i'd like to mix in some tunes that audiences like and that are great for dancing. then if they were hostile or ignored me, i'd give notice... probably shorter notice than in situation one.
but some singers or other musicians aren't there to do that job. i've known a few who have been clear that they don't care what the audience wants.
i agree 3000%!
it's the singer's band.
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I don't want to derail this thread. But I would LOVE for you to start a "How to get people dancing without a drummer" thread.
My $.02, after many years of gigging, especially in biker bars. Of course, most of us are tired of Brown Eyed Girl, Honky Tonk Woman, and Mustang Sally. The audience, however, is not. A gig in a biker bar is not a concert. The goal is to make as many people dance as possible. When they dance, they sweat. When they sweat, they get thirsty. When they get thirsty, they drink. Lather, rinse, repeat. This is the goal... the ONLY goal.
As a previous poster noted, a biker bar crowd can be open-minded musically. Sometimes... but only if you are focused on THE GOAL, as stated above. So, you might get away with the weird b-side, but only after you have exhausted the crowd on the dance floor, and they are consuming just-purchased adult beverages to refresh and regroup.
So, do you want artistic fulfillment? Or do you want to play gigs, make money, and watch pretty girls dance? Songs that I have found always kill in biker bars (and a lot of other venues, too):
Mustang Sally, Hard To Handle, Sympathy For The Devil, Sweet Jane, Fortunate Son, Down On The Corner, Hush, Born To Be Wild, Roadhouse Blues, Anything by Skynyrd, Ramblin' Man, Midnight Rider, Brown Sugar, Brown Eyed Girl, Wild Night, Some Kind Of Wonderful, Feelin' Alright, Taking Care Of Business, Maybellene, Play That Funky Music, Brick House, I Want You To Want Me etc. etc. etc.
Just a representative sample. Again, you might try the b-sides when the crowd is drinking. I would suggest trying a set created solely from the above list and letting that band see what happens on the dance floor. In those venues, a better choice for drinking time would probably be something like Long May You Run, though. Just a thought.
You might also consider hits that people forgot... maybe She's So Cold or Good Girls Don't fall into that category.
Related advice: NEVER let the dance floor clear. Go right into big hit after big hit. You will get away with a potentially sloppy intro as long as it happens while folks are whooping it up. It's ok to go a long time without a slow song or, as my bandmates and I call them... lullabies.
Also IME, if you do play a slow song... if... play it super-slow, remembering THE GOAL. It doesn't matter if your version of Wonderful Tonight winds up being seven minutes long. What matters is that people hear the intro, recognize the song, find their SO, pound the rest of their beer, and find their way to the dance floor. Then, keep the song going for three minutes more after that. No solos, just keep on with the verses. Go from the top if needed. It's not great art. It's serving THE GOAL.
An added bonus: these songs will work with younger crowds too, at least with the female portion, which is the only portion that matters, for a number of reasons, of which the primary one is: girls dance first. Always. Guys will join them, sometimes willingly, sometimes reluctantly, but the dance floor will be mostly female, most of the time. Keep it full and everyone will be happy: the crowd, the bar, the band.
My $.02
As a previous poster noted, a biker bar crowd can be open-minded musically. Sometimes... but only if you are focused on THE GOAL, as stated above. So, you might get away with the weird b-side, but only after you have exhausted the crowd on the dance floor, and they are consuming just-purchased adult beverages to refresh and regroup.
So, do you want artistic fulfillment? Or do you want to play gigs, make money, and watch pretty girls dance? Songs that I have found always kill in biker bars (and a lot of other venues, too):
Mustang Sally, Hard To Handle, Sympathy For The Devil, Sweet Jane, Fortunate Son, Down On The Corner, Hush, Born To Be Wild, Roadhouse Blues, Anything by Skynyrd, Ramblin' Man, Midnight Rider, Brown Sugar, Brown Eyed Girl, Wild Night, Some Kind Of Wonderful, Feelin' Alright, Taking Care Of Business, Maybellene, Play That Funky Music, Brick House, I Want You To Want Me etc. etc. etc.
Just a representative sample. Again, you might try the b-sides when the crowd is drinking. I would suggest trying a set created solely from the above list and letting that band see what happens on the dance floor. In those venues, a better choice for drinking time would probably be something like Long May You Run, though. Just a thought.
You might also consider hits that people forgot... maybe She's So Cold or Good Girls Don't fall into that category.
Related advice: NEVER let the dance floor clear. Go right into big hit after big hit. You will get away with a potentially sloppy intro as long as it happens while folks are whooping it up. It's ok to go a long time without a slow song or, as my bandmates and I call them... lullabies.
Also IME, if you do play a slow song... if... play it super-slow, remembering THE GOAL. It doesn't matter if your version of Wonderful Tonight winds up being seven minutes long. What matters is that people hear the intro, recognize the song, find their SO, pound the rest of their beer, and find their way to the dance floor. Then, keep the song going for three minutes more after that. No solos, just keep on with the verses. Go from the top if needed. It's not great art. It's serving THE GOAL.
An added bonus: these songs will work with younger crowds too, at least with the female portion, which is the only portion that matters, for a number of reasons, of which the primary one is: girls dance first. Always. Guys will join them, sometimes willingly, sometimes reluctantly, but the dance floor will be mostly female, most of the time. Keep it full and everyone will be happy: the crowd, the bar, the band.
My $.02
I will say that our set list has a couple songs that I think the singer and guitar player like and that's it. It sucks to work up a new song to find it consistently falls flat, but it's always best to just let it fall off the set list than beating your collective heads against the wall.
OP, maybe pick out the 2 or 3 most problematic songs and mention to the singer that you notice they don't seem to be getting any response. See if you can make gradual progress that way.
The other thing worth mentioning is that I have at times been surprised at the way some audiences respond to some songs. So try to keep an open mind and be aware that no single band member can always predict exactly what a particular audience will respond to.
OP, maybe pick out the 2 or 3 most problematic songs and mention to the singer that you notice they don't seem to be getting any response. See if you can make gradual progress that way.
The other thing worth mentioning is that I have at times been surprised at the way some audiences respond to some songs. So try to keep an open mind and be aware that no single band member can always predict exactly what a particular audience will respond to.
Dancing is not always an indication of enjoyment.
Some people simply enjoy listening to songs.
If it's an older crowd, some may not be able to dance because of health issues, but they may still enjoy watching a live performance.
If the band has been playing the same songs for many years, they may not want to spend the time to learn new songs.
Some people simply enjoy listening to songs.
If it's an older crowd, some may not be able to dance because of health issues, but they may still enjoy watching a live performance.
If the band has been playing the same songs for many years, they may not want to spend the time to learn new songs.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Why not speak with your former employer, get his opinion? Assuming he/she agrees, bring it up before the band that the place where you all want to get re-booked said you need to change the setlist. This way the opinion comes from an objective source, and a person the band needs to satisfy.
We do a decent job of picking better stuff in my current band, but I would say that the setlist led to the demise of my previous 3 cover bands. We played alot of "wouldnt it be cool" songs. Or, "i heard this on the radio just now". Aka minor hits from 20 to 30 years ago. At best we would get the "golf clap" when we finished a song. In my current band, the songs that get everyone up are Uptown Funk and Shut Up and Dance, followed closely by Play that Funky Music and Get Down Tonight.
I have the same issue in the band I’m in. Female lead singer who actually put the band together, so we sorta have to do the songs; 1. She wants to do, & 2. She can sing. She’s no Pat Benatar or Ann Wilson.
The songs she likes to do are the silly, but edgy, and some say pretty much filthy / “descriptive” songs. One of the two actually has decent music, but the other one just has four repeating chords, no chorus, no pauses, just nasty lyrics. It clears the dance floor every time.
I’m hoping they will get old to the singer, but so far no good.
Good luck to us all….
The songs she likes to do are the silly, but edgy, and some say pretty much filthy / “descriptive” songs. One of the two actually has decent music, but the other one just has four repeating chords, no chorus, no pauses, just nasty lyrics. It clears the dance floor every time.
I’m hoping they will get old to the singer, but so far no good.
Good luck to us all….
Sounds like you need to stop playing Mustang Sally, or start playing Mustang Sally.
I would submit that you're in the wrong band.
They've got their 'thing' and I can't see them changing it for a demographic that's 30 years younger.
Your singer will eventually learn to please the audience or be drawn away from music. But it can take time. For now find a more reasonable person.
Can't be too critical as my band is guilty of the same to some degree. I'm also painfully aware as to our limitations. A couple of dynamics in-play...
*The featured performer, usually the vocalist(s), probably learned a core of material 20+ years prior. Any attempts to deviate usually fall on deaf ears / fall by the wayside / etc.
*Once brave enough to step outside the boundaries, the selected material usually results in really bad covers of well-known tunes. The carnage makes me wince.
Riis
*The featured performer, usually the vocalist(s), probably learned a core of material 20+ years prior. Any attempts to deviate usually fall on deaf ears / fall by the wayside / etc.
*Once brave enough to step outside the boundaries, the selected material usually results in really bad covers of well-known tunes. The carnage makes me wince.
Riis
What everyone is saying is good advice for the OPs cover band. If the OP was in an originals band, he'd be getting different advice. The OP didn't say the singer was writing lousy songs; he said she was choosing them.
Having been in both kinds of bands, I can assure you the scene and what's required to bring an audience is vastly different from one to the other. Maybe that's information that will be helpful to you.
If you are in a " cover " band, and play clubs where people dance, its pretty cut and dry: you play whatever is popular, or whatever your audience wants to hear. I was in a Cover/Wedding/ Private Function band for 20 years. Obscure Bob Dylan songs die a very quick death on the dance floor. Otoh, Mustang Sally and Brown Eyed Girl seem to be eternal favorites, transcending generations. ( I sometimes wonder if any of the 30 year olds have ever heard Wilson Pickett's version of the song ). I got tired of playing these songs too, until I got paid at the end of the night.
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