General Music Chat

AHA! Let's face it, freakin' American Idol has proven your point over and over with that "whole package" garbage and not to mention Sanjaya's hair issues! Yeah, it is what it is and I guess I will always be a rebel!

It is truly sad that in today's "music" the most important thing is image. I think MTV created the image problem we have in music today. Could you imagine somebody like Janis Joplin making it in music today? Never happen, too homely. How about Mama Cass? No, way too heavy. She would make a terrible music video, wouldn't want her to showoff her belly button. Have you ever really listened to Britney Spears sing? I mean listen to her with your eyes closed. Would she have made it in the music business 40 years ago? Recently I recorded a demo CD and have been shopping it around to get us some gigs. A few bar owners said they had to have a picture of the band. I told them that we're midgets and we don't photograph well, you'll have to hire us based on the quality of the CD (which pretty much kicks ass). To me the way a musician dresses is irrelevant. I want to hear some kick ass musicianship. But I guess the majority of people have to see somene who looks good in order to get into the music, which for the most part is lacking today. Later...

Bob, Tessa, - you said it, guys. All show, and no go.
I want to hear great music - not look at models.

Maybe musicians shouldn't wear clothes at all. I'd be much easier to convince to attend a Lindsay Lohan concert that way...less likely to see Meatloaf.

I seem to agree with Gopher on this.
It is a business, like any other business. When you are doing yard work, you can wear your sweats or swishy pants or whatever, but when you're on stage, work it out and wear something appealing.
I don't think being particular physically attractive is the only ingredient, beauty is in the eye of the beholder as the old saying goes and what is attractive to one person may not necessarily be attractive to another.
There are artists out there that I don't necessarily find attractive but because of their stage presence and confidence, I am wowed.
Interesting inputs, Tessa.

"amer idol"... hello, catering to 14year olds! that is why image is so important...
fisherman... "mama cass"... john pauper(blues travelor)? made it cause he's good. it was probably harder for him... but if your damn good you'll make it no matter what and john is the evidence of that. and yes britanny sucks ass thru a monkeys then she pukes and the monkey eats it, he pukes then brittany eats it, then she poops and her music comes out.
Les claypool is known for showing up in long underwear pajamas... ugliest man on earth... (go ahead point out that I notice) made it why?
what about phish?
it's there if you look for it.
"audience isn't musicians"... not true. if yer a good gtr player half your audience will be gtr players... if yer a good pianist half yer audience will be pianists. those are the ones I'm playing for... admittedly to get the other half of the audience you may have to play dress up. I'll leave that to the wardrobe experts. I don't want it on their terms... I want it on mine. I'm as arrogant as they come... and I like it that way.

OMG, you are all making some major points and I'm so loving this thread! I really thank you for responding cos I'm sincerely interested in the input. GOPHER you are right, it's a business and to whatever degree you want to aspire to, I think will determine your level of business savy. FISHERMAN BOB, what a great point, Joplin, Mama Cass, what a loss to us, music wise, if we worried about looks. Midgets, that's great, hats off to that move! J-Rae, I do think stage presence goes a long way, but that can comes in many forms. I think that's a whole other thread I'm gonna establish! MRMIKEV, Damn, you have missed some of your calling.Your rant on Brit almost made me pee my pants! You can well afford the arrogance! I don't know if this is helping anyone else, but all the comments are being taken to heart by me cos like I said, I'm curious about all of it. The industry is one subject and if you play just for fun, I guess there's a whole other approach. MTV, as FB put it, did create the image problem. Remember that song, something about TV killed the radio star or whatever. KEEP IT COMING!

I was refering to big-time acts like jos satch or steve vai, but I have been to enough small time acts like greg coch - hes a local gtr hero here and a fender rep... I looked around and recognized 100 faces from the local music store. now yer not gonna get that playing covers. I'm talking about original acts. I can't think of ever being at a cover show thinking, "wow, if this guy wasn't dressed up I wouldn't be here"... but I go to see original acts mostly... and ones with smokin gtr players. I go to summerfest every year (biggest music festival in us with 100+ stages) and can't count the acts that aren't dressed up. But you go up and play smoke on the water there and they'll riot. Coch played some hendrix covers but again, not yer ave cover band. jeans and t's.
Obviously you can't play a biker bar in a suit. You can't play the tophat in shorts and a tanktop... but I've played and visited my share of shows and I think RevHortonHeath outta be dressed up, the band doing top 40 covers just looks like they are trying to be something they aren't by over dressing... again it's a subjective term... but I can't imagine someone dressed like prince and playing covers. I would think me and the crowd would be laughing our a's off... I saw a band w 8pc horns dressed like 70's ppul... and they were allright... but take that same band and do covers and =stupid.

..... Remember that song, something about TV killed the radio star or whatever. KEEP IT COMING!

I think it was "Video Killed The Radio Star". It was by a Brit band called The Buggles, around 1979.

Yeah, IRMINSUL, that's it! "Video killed the radio Star", is what I was reminded of with what Fisherman Bob said about MTV creating a problem with the image thing. Once upon a time, it was real special if you caught a peek at your fav musicians! You know, you had to catch them on the Ed Sullivan show or a live concert, LOL! The element of mystery is so far gone and the media frenzy continues! And I think once again MRMIKEV, you are right when you said you can't imagine someone dressed like Prince and playing covers. Let's face it, if you're a local band, with no visions of grandeur about the big time, and u r just playing for the passion and some money you may or may not need, what's the deal? I say have some fun and the same thing that drives you to play in the first place will have it's way with you! If you're passionate , it will "show one way or another"! Can I get a witness?

can i get a witness to testify, open your eyes realize electrify
oh, wait wrong thread...

who play their ass off and don't care how they dress. Be as arrogant as you want. I'm not playing for those idiots who walk out because you don't have the right image. Those who remain behind are there for the music. Those are the ones I'm playing for, and I'm sure those are the ones Mr.MikeV is playing for. We all have to get back to music. I guess if you can't play then baffle them with BS. Later...fisherman bob