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Style On Stage....Does It Matter?
- Thread starter BayStateBass
- Start date
I started out playing in Jr High and High School orchestras. That's coat and tie territory.
Later I played in a "big band", and that was a white dinner jacket deal.
I've played in a surf band, and that was the right place for Hawaiian shirts and surf-style wear.
Unless you're in some kind of punk/counterculture/reject convention band, I don't see that ratty t-shirts, old cargo shorts and such fit as on-stage wear.
There's a rule that works in business and I think it works in stage presence: always be a little better dressed than you need to be.
Later I played in a "big band", and that was a white dinner jacket deal.
I've played in a surf band, and that was the right place for Hawaiian shirts and surf-style wear.
Unless you're in some kind of punk/counterculture/reject convention band, I don't see that ratty t-shirts, old cargo shorts and such fit as on-stage wear.
There's a rule that works in business and I think it works in stage presence: always be a little better dressed than you need to be.
I have no idea. Jimmy M is the Ampeg specialist you might ask him if you can find a photo of it somewhere.
+11
It's really that simple gang. Generally you want to look like your audience. You're just one of them, a buddy they can grab a beer with after the show, and then the indiscriminate sex of course.
Hey Neighbor! You been checking Craigslist last few weeks? Just auditioned for a huge gig, for me anyway, and testing the waters to see if you auditioned too. If you did audition, I'll need your address and daily schedule so that I can best plan how to "remove" you from the picture.
*cackles maniacally*
Just my opinion, but I think he looks very unnatural and the moves seem forced. They don't seem to fit the music.
At time stamp 00:44 seconds in, dude muffs a note pretty bad and smiles it off, primping his hair. THAT takes style, I like him. LOL
I GET IT! Loved the pink "bunny?" hat, really all the movements. You unabashedly did your thing. Bravo!!
What do you call your genre? - I would call it "comedy dinner theatre acoustic".
Ha. Something like that, yeah. Most of it came about from me replacing a didgeridoo player who could only play one-note drones. That was a band that had seven people in it, so there wasn't really any need to play much more than one-note drones. So I just had fun playing ridiculously simple parts with a lot of extraneous movement, and some of that spilled over to my other bands.
I agree, and that's my main problem with certain situations where I have to dress up. Sometimes it makes sense if I'm playing in an orchestra, but other times it just feels forced and unnatural.
Of course, that bassist and those kooky drummers are SO over the top that it's hilarious. The Korean guy looks drunk and both he and the crazy bassist come off like guys that are making lemonade out of lemons in their gigs. Anybody that's really being challenged in their music would be playing with a more normal amount of showmanship and double the musicianship.
Just the other night, Bigfoot's UFO plopped down in my path (odd, since I was sitting in my tiny apt., but), the doors (gullwing, natch) pop open, and there's Jesus hisself (along with Lux Interior and Link Wray and Remedios Varo) relaxing in a purple velour Lazy-Boy, the stereo blasting Albert Ayler- oh, right, the clothes! Well foax, The Galilean Gadfly was rocking Kuhl jeans, an AA t-shirt, some clean red Docs, and a bright blue Penguin watch... They invited me for a spin, and we checked out some awesome intergalactic breakbeat stuff from WAY beyond the Milky Way. (Despite the fact that ol' Bigfoot is a rotten driver, if that's the word.) What I mean is, the Bass in Space goes far beyond the Place! Does that make sense? Yeah, well, the apt. management kinda wonder how that whole damn wall got taken out, too...
I would thoroughly enjoy that whilst having a meal and a beverage with the missus. We do dinner theatre 1-2 times a year, great fun especially when they draw the patrons into the story. One was a spoof wedding and I paid a buck to dance with the "bride" and give her a kiss on the cheek.
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I disagree with this. The band should outdress the audience to an extent. So for a rock 'n roll show that mean dress more rock. And the high class gig means a suit or a tux. I will say if you're background music you should dress accordingly to that criteria.
Your clothes should only be as loud as your music!
Just my oppinion of course. My calendar has more holes than I'd like so time will tell if my philosophy works out in the end.
in the office they say "dress for the job you WANT, not the job you HAVE". For bands it seems to me that if you are happy with the level of gigs you're getting, but you think someone in your band should be dressing better....let it go, it's working fine. But if you're seriously trying to increase your audience and better your gigs than onstage style is certainly a consideration whether you want to admit it or not.
My favorite band (The New Mastersounds) suffers from this....the guitarist is a jazz guy and dresses in fancy jazz suits and looks real sharp. The bassist and drummer are more casual (dark jeans dark shirt) but fit in, or at least blend into the background. The keyboardist however always seems to be dressed like he's walking back from the hotel pool, shorts and filpflops and undershirt, and it's glaringly obvious he doesn't fit in...looks like someone just wandered onstage while they were playing
My favorite band (The New Mastersounds) suffers from this....the guitarist is a jazz guy and dresses in fancy jazz suits and looks real sharp. The bassist and drummer are more casual (dark jeans dark shirt) but fit in, or at least blend into the background. The keyboardist however always seems to be dressed like he's walking back from the hotel pool, shorts and filpflops and undershirt, and it's glaringly obvious he doesn't fit in...looks like someone just wandered onstage while they were playing
Totally agree, I meant very generally, if it's that hard to decide how to dress, just dress like the audience. Certainly want to look sharp and professional, either way. And seeing as rock and pop shows are much more about image than pure musicality, go wild and have fun with it at times too. Heh
only if the "musicians" let them become that way. I have been to numerous pop and rock shows where musicality was defiitely at the forefront of what was going on...assisted by a decent image...
pretty big blanket statement there
not to be a jerk, but just sayin'
- Jul 30, 2006
- 2,315
- 453
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist:Regenerate Guitar Works Carvin, Micheal Kelly Guitars
If no one has ever mentioned anything about your mode of dress on stage it may be because like mom told you "If you can't say anything nice say nothing at all." Try putting on some sharp threads and see if anyone comments.
