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#73133 by Shapeshifter
Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:50 pm
I've run into kind of a weird situation: One of my bandmates focuses on new country songs. It actually adds a nice mix to our set, but I question how much the audience gets into them. I know that we here on BM have debated the value of "Sweet Home Alabama" and similarly played-to-death songs, but the truth, IMO, is that those songs are recognizable to the majority of the crowd-and usually evokes a response.
I've also noticed that when we play songs that are in the charts right now, I hear crickets chirping afterward. Keep in mind that I live in a country-music heavy area, and the same songs we are playing get constant radio airplay. As a matter of fact, that's the precise reason that my bandmate picks them.
So far, I haven't seen the reaction that I thought we would get-and I'm not talking about one song, out of a thirty song set, there are probably five that are still pretty shiny and new. These are popular songs, but I just don't see the audience enjoying them.
I also worry about their longevity: I KNOW we are not going to be playing "Chicken Fried" next year.
Should I shoot down these new songs? I like the variety, and my bandmates certainly deserves to have input, but I think he is letting his personal preferences override what is our ultimate goal: Pleasing the audience.
Your thoughts? :?

#73137 by jw123
Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:18 pm
I think everyone needs some input into song selection. The more you gig the more you see trends of what crowds want. The old standards just work. I think I would try to find some country standards, I cant help you there cause Im a rock player. But Im sure there are some tryed and true songs, I guess Patsy Cline "Crazy" comes to mind. Maybe some players on here in the more country direction can help. If you try to play the latest you will get stuck with flavor of the month songs and a year from now people may not respond to them at all.

Just my 2 cents, just ask your audience what they would like you to play. Thats really the easiest things to do. If you get 2-3 regulars that request the same song, learn it play it and you will have a fan.

#73139 by J-HALEY
Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:26 pm
Crowds can be tough especially in the bars, usually a bunch of drunks. I suggest you taylor your setlist based on the type of bars you are targeting to play. Sometimes the older crowds 40's to 60's like older country and say the new country is really just rock and roll. While the younger crowds 21 to 40 will be wanting to hear Chicken Fried in a couple of years my son is 28 and that is his favorite song he has it as his ring tone LOL. Also there is cross over music that everyone likes such as Sweet Home Alabama, Mustang Sally, Play That Funky Music and so on. I know those songs are tired and I am just as sick of them as anyone. The question is who do you play music for yourself or the crowd. Myself, I play for the crowd and those three tired songs I just mentioned pack the dance floor every single time no matter which crowd. If you play country, IMO lots of Skynard, 5 shiney new songs you can replace as needed 10 old country classics, always include 2 step music. then songs like I Love This Bar, Its Five Oclock Somewhere, You Don't Have To Call Me Darlin. Party songs and some dance music with classic rock.

#73141 by jw123
Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:36 pm
These threads always open the debate, "Im a musician and Im going to play what I want!"

Haley you summed it up as well as Ive ever seen. Who are you playing for? You or an audience. If its an audience you better play whatever it is the majority wants to hear.

#73142 by ratsass
Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:43 pm
I'm with JW as far as being a rocker, though I have played the occasional country tune with other bands just to freak my friends out. Let me ask you this. On the new country tunes that you learn, do you do them with the same enthusiasm that you give your favorite songs on your list. People can tell if you're enjoying the song that you're playing, so, if you're not, it wouldn't matter what you were playing. I've pulled off obscure songs that most of the crowd had never heard (Trapeze's "Black Cloud" comes to mind), but we loved playing it and they got into it every time we played it. It's not always WHAT you play as much as HOW you play it.
When it comes to those "played to death" songs (you mentioned "Sweet Home Alabama"...most people do), the crowd response says it all. You just have to ask yourself, are you playing for yourself, or playing for the crowd? Guess which one of those choices gets you the most return gigs? :) I think a lot of those songs get a bad rap from most musicians because it has become fashionable not to like them. Most bands have never sat down and actually tried to learn those songs the way they really are played, rather just jam on them and play them the simple way and then complain because they are simple songs. I've never heard a band play "Sweet Home" the way it really goes, including my own, but we have gone back and listened and tried to add some of the nuances that make it sound more like the original (the background vocals throughout the song, not just harmonies on the chorus), and every little thing adds to the song and makes it more fun. Skynyrd was a much more intricate band than most people are willing to give them credit for, and thus will always be a crowd pleaser. Ask any bass player worth his salt if Leon Wilkerson was a "simple" bassist. His playing was more intricate than most bands from that era to this.

#73147 by Shapeshifter
Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:11 pm
You guys make some great points, and I can tell you see where I'm coming from.
I Do want my friend to have that input (hell, it was his band long before I joined). My concern is that, as you guys said, we are playing for the audience, noit for ourselves. We all have enthusiasm for the new songs that he's chosen (and thought that they would be well received). I'm very suprised by the lack of interest from the audience. That being said, I have to evaluate those songs and see if they are really serving our purpose. Keep in mind that many of the performances we give are only an hour long. If you figure on 15 songs in that time frame, every song counts! Don't get me wrong, I feel you always have to play for your audience (IMO), but if you are playing three sets at a club venue (45+ songs), you can probably get away with playing a less recognizable song a little easier.
Ratsass, you made some good points there...we play a version of "Summertime", in a traditional jazz style, and I'll guarantee that, while most of our audience doesn't recognize it, it ALWAYS gets them moving.

And on a side note, as a bass player I will testify-Leon Wilkinson was a major influence on me...the man is incredible!

So correct me if I'm wrong, but from what you guys are saying (and I agree), if I'm not getting a crowd reaction, I should pull these songs (and encourage my friend to go a different route)?

#73149 by gbheil
Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:26 pm
A lot of what is "pop" on the airwaves is not what real people listen to.
If your going to do covers to please a crowd. Listen to the crowd. Not what some DJ is getting bribed to play by the industry.
Thereis an industry mind set that if you pick an artist and a song and beat it to death people will eventually come to believe its a good song.
Most people are not so intune to the musical world to know the difference between force fed drival, and a real good song.

#73150 by ColorsFade
Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:27 pm
I think the venue makes a big difference in these cases; your purpose makes a big difference.

If you're playing a bar/club, and your purpose is to get people on the dance floor, then you have to play dance-friendly tunes. That means they need to have a certain beat, a certain meter, and they can't have any stop/starting going on.

JW and I have had these discussions back and forth on this board, so I know where your bandmate is coming from. I believe in playing newer music, but I believe you have to be smart about it. You gotta know what you're doing. Beat is king; if you can't dance to it, then it doesn't matter if it's old or new, the floor will be empty.

I go out and checkout local bands playing through my area at bards, whatnot. And it what I recognize is that beat matters more than song selection. I've seen classic rock bands play nothing but music from the 60's and 70's, but they don't get people out on the dance floor every song because half the songs they play aren't dance friendly beats.

If your objective as a band is to get people to dance, then I'd make sure that's what I played. And I wouldn't care if the song was old or new, just as long as you could dance to it.

#73154 by ratsass
Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:36 pm
I've had my satellite TV cut back to just Cinemax and then all the free stuff (I get bored with so much reruns) and every month Dish Network puts on two free preview channels. This month is GAC (Great American Country) and another that I didn't even bother to add to my favorites list. Tried watching GAC to give this new country a chance, but I have yet to see any songs on there that may have a chance in hell at longevity. I'm sorry, but there is no substance to any of the lyrical content and the music sounds like it's all done by the same bunch of studio musicians. Good musicians, but when they just crank out song after song, it's all too homogenized for me. I'd suggest, if you're going to do some country (which I think you should if you can do it), you should throw in some old country and if you're going to do any new country, do some by artists that stand out, like Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Brooks and Dunn, Big and Rich and so on. I'm not at all familiar with country music, but these are names that I hear people talking about all the time.

#73157 by J-HALEY
Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:40 pm
I agree 100% with Colorsfade I wouldn't add a new song just for the sake of a new song. There is a lot of new stuff out there on the country stations so pick something that has the beat to dance to if thats what you want or pick something that will put there jaw on the floor (blow them away).

#73170 by EasyKill
Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:41 pm
Actually I teach dancing for a living. It's nice to hear some familair tunes, but as someone mentioned above, it's the beat that's most important. Dancing to tunes I've never heard of is fun, especially if they have a great sound.

I like salsa, but listening to a salsa band all night crank out the same beat is really boring to me. A variety of beats...slow, medium, and fast, will keep the dance floor going. Even the people who don'y know how to keep a beat will get out there.

Play whatever you play like you love it, and they'll like you.

Someone mentioned 'summertime' above. You ever hear The Zombies version of 'summertime'? It's actually a vienese waltz. I'd like to see people try to dance to that one :)

#73183 by Shapeshifter
Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:10 pm
I'll have to look up the Zombies' version :lol: . Our version is pretty slinky with a harmonica lead.
I can't argue with anyone here. I do think that getting people up and dancing is important-or at least getting them participating (singing along, clapping, etc.). The festival gig is a little different than a bar gig. The distractions are still there, although different ones. Instead of drinking and flirting, we deal with the ferris wheel, carnival games and sometimes, another band down the street.
We have some very strong songs, and the crowd acknowledges this. We do a decent version of Copperhead Road, and have been asked to repeat it occasionally. On the other hand, we have a few songs, even of the classic rock variety, that don't seem to make a dent. I guess I'm only picking on my buddy because I'm am personally not big on doing new material-I don't see a mass appeal, which I feel is a big factor in our performance.
For example, we do "Long Haired Country Boy", and the crowd eats it up-older folks right down to the young-uns. Then we play "What do ya think about that?" (Montgomery Gentry), and even the people that listen to newer country couldn't care less.
One last thing and then I'll shut up about it :lol: . I guess I'm also looking for an argument against the new material because, well, my friend seems to get on single artist kicks: I mentioned The Montgomery Gentry song-before we started doing that one, we were working on their previous release (I don't remember the title). Again, we are doing "Chicken Fried" (The Zac Brown Band). Now my buddy is insisting on doing "Whatever it is", which is their follow up to "Chicken Fried".
As I said, we do about 15 songs in a performance...how many songs do you have to perform by one artist before you become as tribute band? :(

#73185 by ratsass
Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:28 pm
joseph6 wrote:how many songs do you have to perform by one artist before you become as tribute band? :(


One...if it Inna Godda Davida!!!! :)

#73213 by philbymon
Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:29 pm
Eh...so you tried a few new ones that didn't cut it. At least you're doing something new. When they don't work for 2 gigs, drop 'em & try some other new ones. You'll keep your chops up, keep things interesting for yourselves, & you're bound to hit on some real winners if you keep at it.

I see nothing at all wrong with this. So you hafta keep learning 5 new songs once a month...BFD! It's good for you, & good for the band, & good for the audience to see that you're at least TRYING to stay current.

As far as country standards are concerned, ya can't go wrong with some Patsy, Elvis, Waylon & Willie stuff here & there, not to mention good ol' Johnny Cash!

I'l bet that you're starting to get on the right track for your area, Joseph.

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