Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

For Saturday, I got my best white sneakers ready,
my ripped uppest pair of Levi's, a shirt that shows a
lot of skin, and my most beat up cowboy hat.

How do you dress when you play music, just like you do
when you hit the streets, or maybe more

Jw I've seen you dressed nicer than I dress when I go to church,
and NeanderPaul's got some costume, anybody else try
to dress
to improve the show?

well, i've never been a big fan of "costumes".... bands playing older jump style music and dressing in zoot suits, that kind of thing.

for me music is self expression and as the song goes "I gotta be me".

i do understand "putting on a show" and "presentation".....but i've always been more of a musician than a performer. yeah, i've played in country bands where i've worn cowboy boots and even once or twice donned a cowboy hat but i've been lucky (for me and MY tastes) that the groups i've worked with have always put much more emphasis on how we sound than how we look.

mind you, i'm not putting down anyone that does "dress up" for the gig.

in a nutshell i guess i just try to dress (what i think of as) appropriately for the gig. and if i'm playing in some hot restaurant where the ac ain't doing sh*t....yeah, i'll be wearing a nice, clean pair of shorts, and just as likely i might even be wearing a tank top. that's MY definition of appropriate. anyone that's gonna appreciate the MUSIC for what it is shouldn't be too bugged by it. if they are and that makes them tune out...well, they're prolly not someone i'm all that worried about anyway.

now, i'm not gonna wear that to play at someone's wedding....like i said i TRY to be appropriate and my idea of what's appropriate isn't necessarily the same as someone else's.

I didn't say that we don't practice our sound,
for the level of musicianship on this forum, I
think that's a given.

Hell Slash, Steven Tyler, even Zappa wore a cowboy
hat every once in awhile.

Judging peoples playing capapbilities on what they wear,
is not what I meant. I'm going to have fun with it, and I know
my musical abilities, but I wanna do more.

Skin sells, I didn't come up with that, but it's true!

Hell back in the day I use to wear tight leather pants with
hankerchiefs tied allover my legs, arms and head.

Lynard Dylan wrote:I didn't say that we don't practice our sound,
for the level of musicianship on this forum, I
think that's a given.

of course. and i didn't mean to imply you or anyone else does.

i was just trying to refer to ratio of music/visual.

Judging peoples playing capapbilities on what they wear,
is not what I meant.

i know that, lynard. i was talking about folks who do. and that includes folks who will write off a cooking band because they're not in their 20's....or because the gtrst is playing some shred looking gtr.....or because someone is pissed off that i'm "performing" in a tank top even it's 103 degrees and i'm playing outside in a 6'x 6' gazebo...i did that this past saturday.

I'm going to have fun with it, and I know
my musical abilities, but I wanna do more.

Skin sells, I didn't come up with that, but it's true!

Hell back in the day I use to wear tight leather pants with
hankerchiefs tied allover my legs, arms and head.

i'd say go for it and have as much fun as you can get away with. hell, if it ain't fun why do it?

I don't know about the music/visual ratio,


But most of us have 2 ears and 2 eyes.
Isn't that a 1 to 1 ratio?

Your right about the fun part. If it ain't fun don't do it,
I would qualify this statement, and say don't do it till
your good enough and it is fun.

Lynard Dylan wrote:I don't know about the music/visual ratio,


But most of us have 2 ears and 2 eyes.
Isn't that a 1 to 1 ratio?

it is...but i use my ears to listen. too many folks listen w their eyes.

Your right about the fun part. If it ain't fun don't do it,
I would qualify this statement, and say don't do it till
your good enough and it is fun.

and i'll qualify that by saying don't take it outta the rehearsel room til you're good enough and it's fun!

Lee, I dont know what it is about me, but nothing offends me more than to go see a band and they look like they just got off of work in thier garage clothes.

I pay my cover, I expect bands to dress up better than the audience or at least look like they care about thier appearance.

I probably take it to more of an extreme than most do thou, which is fine by me.

Looks dont have anything to do with it, but decent looks and decent chops is a win win in my book!

Lets see a country gig? I would get out my hat, and I do have a few nice cowboy hats, probably nice denim jeans, not all torn up, cowboy boots, and since my arms are nice and tanned I would probably tear the sleeves off of a button up shirt. And of course the biggest belt buckle in my closet. And if it was cold I have one of those big cowboy overcoats, but that thing is hotter than hell!

When its not to hot I tend to weaar leather pants, why? Hell I dont know, but they always seem to be a subject of conversation at gigs. And then of course Im thin enough at 50 to not look like a goofball wearing them, LOL!

But the last gig I just wore a sleevless shirt, shorts and skateboarding shoes, LOL!

So when you come see my band there is no telling what I will have on, the question is to have hair or no hair!

Har har har!

Lee just have fun man, look your best and sound your best, keep a big ole smile on your face and everything will go great!

Like the old saying says, belief half of what you
hear, and a quarter of what you see.

These guy's I'm playing with now want to put on a show.
Bravo, you either got it or you don't

Rasta wears a dress and I stuff a cucumber down my pants.

I hear you John I can see you don't come to
play in your workclothes, that's good. I agree
with about it all but the ripped up jeans, man
these Jeans are custom rippped. I can remember
10 or 15 years ago my daughters would have me hang
anew pair of their jeans on a fence post, and shoot them
with the shotgun, we limited that to one pair.
Your write about the smile also, as far as hair goes,
I haven't had a haircut or shaved since Jan 1. I thought
my hair was getting long cause I've worn a beard most
of my life, but people come up and tell me how long my
beard has gotten.

A dress huh, we once played a Halloween party where
the whole band dressed up like woman.lol
I seen Brian Setzer git down on Saturday Night Live wearing
a cool little one piece dress, he did She's Sexy and 17 I mean
rocked it, the videos probably out there somewhere.
The cucumber might have been more info than I needed.

My hair's getting long enough I'm actually thinking of getting a fauxhawk for tomorrow's show. That would freak some people out.

jimmydanger wrote:My hair's getting long enough I'm actually thinking of getting a fauxhawk for tomorrow's show. That would freak some people out.

If your music is good, people will dig it! Regardles of what your attire is.

jsantos wrote:If your music is good, people will dig it! Regardles of what your attire is.

And if your music sucks you can still achieve greatness by putting on a sock and running all over a stage.

GLENNY J wrote:

jsantos wrote:If your music is good, people will dig it! Regardles of what your attire is.

And if your music sucks you can still achieve greatness by putting on a sock and running all over a stage.

YES! Point taken.

GG Allin would be a good reference to this.