General Music Chat

Mike, the live videos i've used to secure gigs don't show the crowd at all...just the band. and those videos have kept my calendar very full.

I'd have to say that just about every venue i work at regularly cares very much about the music they offer their clientele. actually, i'm trying to think of one that doesn't, and i'm drawing a blank. maybe it's the area i'm in or that i've lucked into the right places, but these folks hiring the bands are not only interested... but they're also passionate about the music they make avail. many of them are musicians themselves...no doubt, that's gotta help.

Then you're lucky that way - maybe its the music styles you're playing, maybe the area, maybe the venues.
I know some very talented folks around here, great sound, great originals - but lousy stage presence. They can 'wow' a listening room, or play "eating music" at a restaurant (which most do not want to play), but struggle anywhere else - and that's what the managers are looking for when booking their acts : 'do these players bring people in, keep them in, and get them to drink/eat/spend money?'

Ted, for someone as confrontational, and as quick to throw down looking for your next scuffle.... You sure have a thin skin!

Not sure what you consider " ugly" about my response, but when you can't be bothered to LISTEN to the videos but still can't resist throwing your weighty opinions around..... Dude, you really CAN'T see how I might find that funny????

This is a recurring theme around here.... are you the only only one who doesn't see it as such????

You serve up your expert opinions and when they're not lauded, heralded, and agreed with by us wanna be amateurs ...it's YOU who gets "ugly".

Thanks for watching the videos.

Mike, the live videos i've used to secure gigs don't show the crowd at all...just the band. and those videos have kept my calendar very full.

I'd have to say that just about every venue i work at regularly cares very much about the music they offer their clientele. actually, i'm trying to think of one that doesn't, and i'm drawing a blank. maybe it's the area i'm in or that i've lucked into the right places, but these folks hiring the bands are not only interested... but they're also passionate about the music they make avail. many of them are musicians themselves...no doubt, that's gotta help.

Then you're lucky that way - maybe its the music styles you're playing, maybe the area, maybe the venues.
I know some very talented folks around here, great sound, great originals - but lousy stage presence. They can 'wow' a listening room, or play "eating music" at a restaurant (which most do not want to play), but struggle anywhere else - and that's what the managers are looking for when booking their acts : 'do these players bring people in, keep them in, and get them to drink/eat/spend money?'

I agree with MikeB. 99.99% of the venues around here don't care how good you are they DEMAND you bring a crowd and sustain it throughout the night. I have put together or helped put together some really great projects and some not so great I have shared them with ya'll here at BM. It seems like the better ones I have been involved in didn't survive because we concentrated on the music and not enough on the crowd. Rockers such as myself look up to jazzers that do what Mark does. We can't understand how the jazz bands around here are never respected for the skill they posses. unfortunately they too die a slow death and like us rockers always pop up in another band to retry the process all over again. Country bands and bands that have a lot of friends and know how to market their product usually do quite well!

gotta love this place....so far six people weighed in w replies and 50% actually answered my question ("which version do you prefer?").

yep, gotta love this place!

and on the off, off chance anyone is interested, i found the alternate full length version w the gtr/upright instrumentation this time MINUS the cough, my fumbling around trying to find the rattle of the endpin, and the early exit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrFc9Z0A0UY

and congrats Mr. Pierce on the book. Well, done, sir.

Violin as i see it, is like a lot of other "specialty"* instruments.....like pedal steel or sax for instance.
Playing w someone who can get around on those instr is a blast.And i've been lucky to work w some really good ones. But in the hands of someone who's NOT so skilled (and i've been UNlucky enough to have played w those too)...that can be some pretty painful stuff!


* by "specialty" I mean instr outside the usual suspects you run across playing rock or blues.

and congrats Mr. Pierce on the book. Well, done, sir.

Violin as i see it, is like a lot of other "specialty"* instruments.....like pedal steel or sax for instance.
Playing w someone who can get around on those instr is a blast.And i've been lucky to work w some really good ones. But in the hands of someone who's NOT so skilled (and i've been UNlucky enough to have played w those too)...that can be some pretty painful stuff!


* by "specialty" I mean instr outside the usual suspects you run across playing rock or blues.

Bass player I played with for 5 years toured with this jazz violinist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj-tTDIZd4E

Ok I did listen and neither version was compelling enough to say "Book em now!" But... you guys can obviously play and look the part for a winery gig on the patio or similar. My suggestion is to take a series of 30 sec clips and weave them together with different scenes in the background. I don't think you need screaming fans in the foreground but a few change of scenery/change of tune would make it more compelling I think.

You are very different than the bar band that MUST bring 30 heavy drinking friends to their gig, otherwise the failed roadhouse would be empty because they have no regular customers at all. Your gigs generate their own clientele and you are there to make it fun. A very different scene.

JM2C

gotta love this place....so far six people weighed in w replies and 50% actually answered my question ("which version do you prefer?").

yep, gotta love this place!

You've been here how long, and you're surprised? I meant to give the vids a watch/listen last night, but got involved in other stuff, will try again tonight.

Ok I did listen and neither version was compelling enough to say "Book em now!" But... you
guys can obviously play and look the part for a winery gig on the patio or similar. My suggestion is to take a series of 30 sec clips and weave them together with different scenes in the background. I don't think you need screaming fans in the foreground but a few change of scenery/change of tune would make it more compelling I think.

You are very different than the bar band that MUST bring 30 heavy drinking friends to their gig, otherwise the failed roadhouse would be empty because they have no regular customers at all. Your gigs generate their own clientele and you are there to make it fun. A very different scene.

JM2C

^^^YES YES YES. A 'promo' video comprised of a few clips (don't even need to be 30 seconds each) will do better than one 3-5 minute static song. If you don't have software to do it (fade music in-and-out, etc), buy some. It's what I did for Trilogy, adding an initial 'intro' screen and final shot with our contact info, FB page, etc.

Ted

The story was "Accidental Operator." Playtime in Afghanistan and Mexico. I'm flogging a followup to that called "The Countess Consuela" which even includes ball room dancing.

I've published four novels on CreateSpace with ebook editions in Kindle. Amazon also displays all the various anthologies I've been in - some of them benefiting ptsd vics.

That's about to change since Amazon KDP is taking over (sigh...merging) with CreateSpace. My last paperback release in May failed miserably on KDP but blew through CreateSpace in 10 minutes. Formatting error my aunt fanny! But it's still the best deal in town, although things are changing fast.

I'm hoping to go TradPub with my pending non fiction memoir. Let someone else do the daggone marketing. I hate it.

cheers
Talbot

Hey Talbot, I saw that CreateSpace was doing some kind of merge. they had already changed the way they did music releases with Amazon. I really haven't investigated the upcoming change, as I didn't use CreateSpace for my new album - the physical CDs stopped being sold on Amazon, only on the CS site, so what's the real purpose? Their 'take' on any sales ($3.95 + 45% of the sell price) was ridiculous anyway, I never sold any physical copies off CS, although I sold some on Amazon before they went to download-only there.

GMike

Yeah, i've been watching webinars and getting lots of email from Amazon and various trainers about CreateSpace. What is not clear (at least to me) is the extent of this - I've only been advised of the book issues but I have to get over there in the next day or two and start moving my books to KDP or they'll do it for me. I'll post an update after I have a look around.

The real down side is CS had great support and KDP, well...

Talbot

OK, I listened/watched - at least enough to make a personal judgment call on them.
1) Except for A, you're not plugged in. You are plugging in to sometime of amp/PA system for shows, right? Great sounding living room, the deck is a little too much high end (low end can get lost outside), but the balance of everything in general is not the same as what you're going to sound like at a venue.
2)Cut together 15-20 seconds of each of these videos (as I suggested before), but get some live stuff as soon as you can and remake a promo video with those pieces.

Ted, for someone as confrontational, and as quick to throw down looking for your next scuffle.... You sure have a thin skin!

Not sure what you consider " ugly" about my response, but when you can't be bothered to LISTEN to the videos but still can't resist throwing your weighty opinions around..... Dude, you really CAN'T see how I might find that funny????:)

And you asked about the VIDEO (which is a visual medium) and then get upset when anyone mentions that it's VISUALLY a fail.

There is no need to listen when it's easy to see the video is unprofessional. Your response to objective criticism is equally as unprofessional.

I didn't listen because it's a moot point. There was no reason to be ugly. Ridicule my opinion all you want if it makes you feel better about yourself, but I do know what I'm talking about and that was visually very awkward.

Live video in a club says you're a working professional, and you can get by with "live" phone recording if it's reasonable clear.

Live video in your living room screams amateur. You guys are good enough players to hire, but the owner/manager doesn't know how you look when you play, how many people show up to see you, how you respond to a crowd.... and that stuff matters to many of them. Your video will "work" but it's not professional and you can do better.

Someone needing live music certainly cares about the music. And you are most likely one of the better musicians in your area so getting hired shouldn't be hard. But you asked about the video...

If you're just background music for dinner then, yea, the visual doesn't matter much.

Literal much???

I asked folks to check out the videos and asked which they liked better.

I didn't ask "check out the video"

But in the future when anyone shares a video perhaps they can request folks check the video AND the audio as well to avoid future confusion!



Let's be clear, I'm not upset, nor angry... On the contrary your stance here is amusing to me so pls stop characterizing how you believe I'm taking it.

I get it.... YOU see the videos as a "fail". And that's fine. But we've already booked and played several jobs with them.... Upcoming we have a bar gig tonight, a bar & grille tomorrow, and a restaurant gig Wednesday. All were booked using these "unprofessional" videos. Hearing back from the venues they complimented us on the tunes, or musicianship, or Sarah's voice.

So, I'm gonna put that "fail" in the win column.

It probably doesn't matter out yonder in omfug, MO


But I just chose the music for a conference in Boston from 3 bands based on their video. All 3 bands seem to be about equal in talent so the presentation/press package is what will ultimately make the decision.



The Sultans, Cover To Cover, and Mystique were all vying for the very-well-paying job.



1. "Mystique" sounded good but did a studio shoot for their video. Very professional but doesn't have the energy of a real live gig. They looked a little awkward playing to an empty studio room.

2. "Cover to Cover" had good studio recordings but no video at all

3. "The Sultans" didn't have studio recordings or a studio video, but they get the job because there was a montage of professional live videos featuring many people having lots of fun at their gigs and it was easy to see the band was also relaxed and having fun in a live situation.


cha-ching......they get a $5k corporate party.






.