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What makes a band FUN?

#101
It's a simple solution: the band needs to look like you're having fun.

Face the crowd, sing along with the song off mic, move in time with the song, look at the other musicians with a big stupid grin like you're having the time of your life and there's no where else you'd rather be right then.

The audience will follow right along.

Edit: my classic rock cover band is pretty good at this, I'll try to get some video from tonight's gig and post it here.
 
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#102
mellowinman said:
On Pink Cadillac, you're rocking that leather skirt, and you have the idea with kind of moving and using the tambourine, but your problem is you are rooted to the spot. Practice some steps. Move those feet, shake that seat. You don't have to be any more overtly sexual than you're comfortable with, just have fun! As for song selection, it is rare that anyone can do justice to Linda Ronstadt, so explore some of her more fun songs. Poor poor pitiful me; When will I be loved? those are great, and guys like me in the audience would be happy to hear them.

Consider a cordless mic, and get OFF that stage sometimes. Interact with the audience. You want to be kind of like a stripper who doesn't strip; you control your space, and find that playful flirty thing, but keep it very serious that everyone needs to give you your SPACE and NO TOUCHIE or you will HURT THEM. Smiles and daggers is the trick.
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Thank for the input. We do When will I be loved and You're No Good already and I am bugging them to learn Tumbling Dice. I have a SM58 BETA Cordless mic. I do wander the crowds...especially when the "partiers" arrive that will dance and sing with me are there! My confidence is slowing building. A couple of drinks helps with that. ..lol... but if we play two nights in a row I won't drink the 1st night. It's slowly coming along. All advice/criticisms help. I'm A LOT better than I was 6 months ago!!
 
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#103
Klmorg said:
Other guys singing...AGREED... I have been razzing them all for months to belt me out some background vocals!! Now I will make them all read this! Lol...
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Even if all they are doing is singing in unison because they can't hit harmonies, there's many good reasons for them to sing.
- Having the band come up to their mic adds stage presence and power.
- Helps with dynamics, so sections of songs don't sound repetitive.
- It makes them stop staring at their fretboards and engage the audience once in a while
- It makes them pay attention to the different sections of a song, so there's less spacing out
 
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#104
Klmorg said:
Thank for the input. We do When will I be loved and You're No Good already and I am bugging them to learn Tumbling Dice. I have a SM58 BETA Cordless mic. I do wander the crowds...especially when the "partiers" arrive that will dance and sing with me are there! My confidence is slowing building. A couple of drinks helps with that. ..lol... but if we play two nights in a row I won't drink the 1st night. It's slowly coming along. All advice/criticisms help. I'm A LOT better than I was 6 months ago!!
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Go easy on that drinking thing.

Here's something that should boost your confidence a bit:

YOU'RE GOOD!

I've been involved in live music for a very long time, and if I say it, it's true.
 
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#106
The very nature of playing music to me is fun. I like to consider it my second job. I like to consider it WORK. It's fun work, but it's WORK.

Since I do consider it work, my bandmates are co-workers. What makes the job fun is if my co-workers do their jobs and have fun doing it at the same time. Regardless if they are having fun or not, if they're not doing their job, I'm not having fun. That is the only thing that drains my fun at this point. Challenging bass lines may stifle my ability to look like I'm having fun, but it's a blast to listen back to a good take.
 
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#107
trackskinz said:
Not sure if this is the correct forum.....but we have a 5 pc rock cover band, all respectable musicians, decent equipment, sound and tightness improving weekly.

A common but painfully honest assessment I hear is "you are guys are Good but your aren't Fun.
Our singer is a great singer - not so much a front person.

Suggestions?
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Check out Otep, Nine Inch Nails, and One-Eyed Doll for bands that are fun and entertaining live on stage. That last band is just a drummer and guitar duo.
 
#109
I play with a bar cover band and we don't take ourselves too seriously, we know we are there to get the crowd dancing and drinking. Most aren't there to see us, they just want to be entertained by a good band. We know our music inside out which brings great freedom as you can really bring in the fun factor when you are relaxed and confident. Pub goers want fun and are there for it, so you really are half way there already. We encourage crowd interaction, from requests to asking if it's any ones birthday etc, then we do a funk version of "in da Club" by 50 cent. We also play one or two Oasis songs, which everyone loves, it still surprise me how much. We ask the crowd do they want to hear "wonder wall" The answer is always yes. We then go on to say we will play but someone in the audience has to come up and sing it. This has mixed results but is always fun and usually the whole place sings along. I suppose the main thing is, we all like each other and enjoy spending time together, playing or not.

Klmorg, the longer you are at it,the better and the easier it gets, which is obvious but true. Try not to worry about making mistakes and trust the guys around you. It's live music, mistakes will be made. One thing I love about live music is the imperfection of it and no one in the audience will know you made a mistake unless you tell them. With the drinking thing, I drink frequently so maybe not the best person to take advice from :p, but I never drink before we play and only start once we start playing. We do a 3 hour set and I really don't get the time to drink much as I am normally kinda busy. It's after the show when I really get going. This would be repeated every night, even when we do 3 or 4 nights in a row. As a singer, you really need to look after yourself if you are doing more than 2 nights in a row. Plenty of water, sleep and don't talk too much between shows if possible :p.Best of luck with it, just keep doing what you are doing.
 
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#110
mellowinman said:
Go easy on that drinking thing.

Here's something that should boost your confidence a bit:

YOU'RE GOOD!

I've been involved in live music for a very long time, and if I say it, it's true.
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I have a few rules for keeping the drinking in check. 1. If it's a weekend when we are booked both nights...NO drinking on night one. Makes for less fun for me but my vocal chords thank me. 2. When it is a night I'm drinking...no more than 4 drinks and I don't have my first one till we start the first set. I also drink a lot of water all day long...no caffeine, no soda no coffee.
 
#111
the first song is too fast. slow it down to the speed of the original and it would be danceable. it also felt weird to me that the song is rocking and the players are just sort of standing there. of course, it's so fast it would be hard to move to, but it would be easier for someone in the band to at least move their heads to at a friendlier speed.

btw, throw in a few moves, some eye contact and you're there. i like your voice.
 
#115
pcake said:
the first song is too fast. slow it down to the speed of the original and it would be danceable. it also felt weird to me that the song is rocking and the players are just sort of standing there. of course, it's so fast it would be hard to move to, but it would be easier for someone in the band to at least move their heads to at a friendlier speed.

btw, throw in a few moves, some eye contact and you're there. i like your voice.
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We do 'I Need To Know' in the arrangement Stevie Nicks does it in. I spent about 8 months on tour with her in '83 and she would rock it that way every night... guess I sort of love it that way now. :-) And thanks for complement! :-)
 

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