General Music Chat

i've already booked plenty of gigs for the new SARAH & MARK deal w no demo material (two we played yesterday) , but now that Sarah is helping out beating the bushes....the gal can't close w/o some audio or video. Never send a lady to do a man's job!

we shot some low budget phone videos of a few tunes. this is Sarah's tune, and one we're likely to use when approaching certain venues.

we did two takes with different instrumentation. help a brutha out, and tell me which version you like better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxSD6EvJS3Y

dang...there IS another take that i thought i uploaded, but can't find (but i know we recorded) that's goof free....unlike this next one. i'll likely re-upload that cleaner version to replace this next one... but i can edit this next one down and fade it out before we bailed....and yes, it has her coughing.....and yes, it has me me trying to figure where fuk that annoying rattle is coming from on the endpin of the gtr...but then again, there IS something i do like about the looseness of this!

whatcha think, "too loose"....too "unprofessional"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG4YQ5UlegM

Can't watch/listen from work. Are these from one of the gigs you guys had already?
Generally, a phone-made gig video will be ok if the sound is marginally good and you can see/hear the audience is enjoying it. Shakey video and bad audio won't cut it though.
Otherwise, find a HD camera and a tripod.

I prefer B... the guitar tone and sustain suites my ears a lil more.
Nice room acoustics...

Watched the first one before the second one was up. Sounds good. Go with the second one if you know it's a more professional presentation.

Can't make up my mind..

i've already booked plenty of gigs for the new SARAH & MARK deal w no demo material (two we played yesterday) , but now that Sarah is helping out beating the bushes....the gal can't close w/o some audio or video. Never send a lady to do a man's job!

we shot some low budget phone videos of a few tunes. this is Sarah's tune, and one we're likely to use when approaching certain venues.

we did two takes with different instrumentation. help a brutha out, and tell me which version you like better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxSD6EvJS3Y

dang...there IS another take that i thought i uploaded, but can't find (but i know we recorded) that's goof free....unlike this next one. i'll likely re-upload that cleaner version to replace this next one... but i can edit this next one down and fade it out before we bailed....and yes, it has her coughing.....and yes, it has me me trying to figure where fuk that annoying rattle is coming from on the endpin of the gtr...but then again, there IS something i do like about the looseness of this!

whatcha think, "too loose"....too "unprofessional"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG4YQ5UlegM

The optics are bad. Didn't listen, like any club owners you might send it to.

Like Mark says, a live video would be so much better.....get some crowd noise, put a smile on your face, maybe get her more "out front".

Wouldn't hurt your bookings if she's dressed to arouse and you are less noticeable.

i've already booked plenty of gigs for the new SARAH & MARK deal w no demo material (two we played yesterday) , but now that Sarah is helping out beating the bushes....the gal can't close w/o some audio or video. Never send a lady to do a man's job!

we shot some low budget phone videos of a few tunes. this is Sarah's tune, and one we're likely to use when approaching certain venues.

we did two takes with different instrumentation. help a brutha out, and tell me which version you like better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxSD6EvJS3Y

dang...there IS another take that i thought i uploaded, but can't find (but i know we recorded) that's goof free....unlike this next one. i'll likely re-upload that cleaner version to replace this next one... but i can edit this next one down and fade it out before we bailed....and yes, it has her coughing.....and yes, it has me me trying to figure where fuk that annoying rattle is coming from on the endpin of the gtr...but then again, there IS something i do like about the looseness of this!

whatcha think, "too loose"....too "unprofessional"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG4YQ5UlegM

I like the first one. The distance tonally between the instruments is nice. I think generally an audience would prefer the 2cd due to the 2 instruments tones not being sonically distant. Oh and I agree with Ted!

thanks all for stopping in.

Jahva - that's my living room and yeah, with it's cathedral ceiling and hardwood floor it has great acoustics. we recorded several vids there, then stepped out to my front porch which is about 12' x 8' surrounded by brick on two sides and glass the other.....really good (better?) acoustics there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GyhIsub54U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdAoq6BbUqY

Dane - i think i want to thank you for checking the vids out....but I can't decide. Back to ya later.

Jeff - that's a really interesting comment/observation you made about the big difference in the tonal real estate between the two instruments. we decided from the jump that we're not going to overly concern ourselves w trying to sound "big", but instead embrace things sometimes being real sparse.

Ted - you win hands down for the best laughs provided! "I didn't LISTEN to it, but...."

that's PRICELESS, buddy! equally funny (funnier?)....."less me in the video".

as for us mugging it up for the camera w big smiley faces....nah, ain't gonna happen. neither is Sarah dressing more provocatively.

also on the list of things to do to make us more marketable that ain't ever gonna happen....there will be no sword swallowing midgets, no topless gals juggling chainsaws, no lasers or liquid lights show, and we won't be working up any dance steps or choreography either. (sure, all no doubt WOULD increase our marketability but nah....that ain't us)

all the same, Ted... thanks for the suggestions!

and again.....thanks all for stopping by and thanks for your comments.

Ok, then without seeing the videos, going by your descriptions - video some songs at one of your upcoming shows. Venue managers want to know that people are listening/paying attention to your music when you play some place, and not 'running for the hills'. Half the time, they don't even know what sounds good - they go by the customer's reactions.

Mark you've always been about the music... not really marketing something else... at least you'll know the gigs are for real... based on chops...
This looked like a foot in the door kind of video to me... not like you're trying to get some major opening gig for some touring act... just some local publicity anyway.
You seem to shoot most of your gigs I suppose you could try both down the road...

Mark you've always been about the music... not really marketing something else... at least you'll know the gigs are for real... based on chops...
This looked like a foot in the door kind of video to me... not like you're trying to get some major opening gig for some touring act... just some local publicity anyway.
You seem to shoot most of your gigs I suppose you could try both down the road...

Jahva you get it....Thank you!

I often record audio of live gigs and on rare occasions i'll bother my wife or a bandmember's wife to shoot some video to use for securing gigs. We'll do exactly that when we have someone we can task w that at one of the upcoming SARAH & MARK gigs...we've been trying to get that done, just hasn't worked out. But in the meantime, we needed something to use, and as it happens....we've already scored a gig from them.

There's a BBQ place i stopped into a few wks ago trying to snag a gig. the guy acted interested.....i gave him a card and link to our FB page. Later I followed up w a FB mssg thanking him for talking to me, and asked about putting a date up on the calendar. No response. A wk later i asked about filling his upcoming Thurs slot..."sorry, already got it covered". me- "OK, then how about another time?" no reply.

Then i sent him another FB note "any interest in having us out"....heard back yesterday "anything on line i can check out?".....i sent him two other vids we recorded and he got back ten min later and told me "you guys sound really good!"and he booked us for this Thurs.

Mike, Ted....It's easy to become jaded and cynical, but if you think all club/restaurant/winery owners and mgrs don't listen, or care about the music.....well, that's not been my experience.

As for them only wanting to check the vid to see crowd reaction and patrons NOT running for the doors...that's not been my exp. either.

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.

Mark - glad to see you getting it done brother. Always wanted to play with a violinist but only got to do it once.

cheers
Talbot

Mark

And yes, I've had a couple drinks, celebrating my latest short story getting a publisher in London whose editer was most unkind!

Hence my violin comments. I did finally get to play with a violinist in my church band though, a German no less (and us a nest of Lutherans). She looked at me as if I were a barbarian, a chimp decorated with a bass guitar and an ego! She had no idea how right she was and somehow the tune actually worked!

She apologized later for her bad humor and gave me a banana after the show.

Cheers
Talbot

no topless gals juggling chain saws???


how do you expect to get hired?





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.

Mark

And yes, I've had a couple drinks, celebrating my latest short story getting a publisher in London whose editer was most unkind! Talbot

awesome! Which story was published? The editor chopped you up?

have you looked into createspace.com ? Dude, you MUST come up to Asheville for the jams sometime.