Gigtips 15
1. It is generally accepted good sense for a band to bring a “following” of loyal supporters to the club where they are playing. This keeps the club owners happy (assuming that the following consists of hearty drinkers), and provides the band with a dependable level of moral support. There is a down side to this routine in that it also instills in the band a false sense of self popularity. I’ve witnessed on many occasions bands playing solely to their group of friends while the rest of the audience went unacknowledged. Sometimes the ignored portion of the audience would outrightly take offense and leave the club, complain to the management or flip a bird at the band as they walked out the door. The band’s response was “Who cares? Our friends are still here.” Need I say more?
Or how about the times a band chastises the audience for not applauding??? Gosh, I thought a band was supposed to earn the audience’s appreciation rather than demand it. My point is; when you play, you are playing for every human who can hear you. If you cop a belligerent attitude because they don’t respond the way you think they should, then you are the jerk, not them. Maybe you should practice more frequently.
2. How much value do you place on your equipment? Is it insured? Would you like to leave your stuff at the club after the gig and come back to pick it up tomorrow afternoon? The club owner doesn’t mind at all, and I’m really tired tonight. Tomorrow comes: “Hey, does anybody here know where my amp head went?” “I don’t remember those holes in the P.A. speakers… looks like someone was throwing darts at them.” And the club owner says; “No one has gone near your equipment, now hurry up and get that crap out of my club.”
3. Finding The Perfect Tone. I’ve spent much of my musical lifetime searching for the killer tones that my favorite artists achieve with such apparent ease. There were a few times when I actually believed I had finally found those sounds. Funny thing is, my only real reward in locating the treasure chest was the personal satisfaction in knowing I had finally done it. The audience never seemed to notice any difference, or even care. I continued having good gigs and bad gigs. My point is this; when you become an enthusiast, it feels very important to have only the best and hottest equipment. This feeling occurs not just in music, but in any endeavor you might pursue. Truth be told, it’s not really that important. It seems, for me, the ultimate result in being an enthusiast and chasing the elusive dream was spending way too many dollars on equipment and being generally dissatisfied with the outcome for far too many years. I’m aware that you true professionals out there will have nothing on stage but your personal maximum extreme setup. For the majority of us, our time would best be spent learning to be better players. Audiences are not overly concerned with perfect tones. However, audiences do not like bad tones (usually consisting of excessive treble or volume or both).
4. If you are a male singer with a high voice, please move to Texas right now. You’ll never be short of gigs. Justin Timberlake where are you, and do you like Zeppelin tunes?
5. Wanna know one of the hottest setups I’ve ever used? It was a cheap Stella acoustic guitar in an open C tuning with a Bill Lawrence magnetic pickup stuck in the hole, pushing a Roland JC50 1×12 amp. You would not believe the chingamax sounds coming from that little plywood axe. It’s such a gas mowing down an audience with cheap, unorthodox stuff.
6. When I’m on stage I follow one dominant rule: Regardless which of my bandmates happens to be the center of attention at any given moment, it is my job to help make them look and sound their best. I take my role as a supporting musician dead seriously. (or is it deadly serious? deadly seriously?) I only wish they felt the same way towards me. I need all the help I can get.
7. There has oft been mentioned the concept of listening closely and playing to fill in the holes. Not all holes require filling. Silence, in the proper context, is also an important musical groove. There are few things as annoying as a too busy song. Holes add drama. Holes add silence. Silence is golden. Shut up!