CAPTURING THE AUDIENCE ALIVE

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ORIGINAL MUSIC REVIEWS
ADVICE - LIVE PERFORMANCE

Is this your Audience ?

CAPTURING THE AUDIENCE ALIVE


Cover Bands, Tribute Bands, & Wedding Bands have it easy. The people who are at the venue listening to them KNOW the songs that they are playing. One of the hardest things any Original Music Artist can do is capture the audience, while presenting their Original Music for the first time. When I say audience, I am not talking about the artist's audience, the ones who came to see them anyway;
Your ugly uncle Jo Calderone in drag, or your beer drinking buddy, or your girlfriend or your boyfriend (or ALL FOUR if you're dating Lady Gaga).
I am referring to someone, who is at the gig that you're playing, and they have NEVER seen or heard of you. Usually, the audience is made up of people who are ether working there, came to see some other band/group/musician, or just happen to be there because they regularly go to that venue no matter what is going on. Here are a few thoughts for you to keep in mind about all of those folks :
1) Those people did not come to see or hear you. 2) They will leave sooner than you think.
3) It is always harder to showcase your music live. Now that we got the bad news out, here are some suggestions on how YOU CAN get and keep the audience's attention long enough for them to seriously check out your music and remember your name afterwards.

People who read this blog are on different levels of performing. Some are seasoned veterans, some just picked up their instrument for the first time last week, and others are just plain fans of original music. Please keep this in mind whenever you read www.OriginalMusicReviews.BlogSpot.com. If some of these tips seem obvious to you, then you have more performance smarts than others, so think of this as a review. To the other Newer bands / groups / musicians / rappers / screamers / singers here are some things that you can do to better your chances on winning over an audience and, most importantly, EXPAND your Fan base & recognition :

When watching an Original Music Artist live for the first time, Sound is the most important thing. Lights & other "efx" are nice but if your sounds sucks you suck. Have you ever heard of a musician who got signed because of their light show ? (If you have, I want you to punch yourself in the face three times to get back to reality). I suggest that you have someone, you trust, work with the venue's sound people to make sure that the mix levels are where you want them and that your music sounds the way you want to sound. Some venues will press bands to use each other's equipment to save time and space. Try to use your own equipment. Just because someone else uses the same cabinet, head, or ax doesn't mean it will sound the same way yours does. Also, make sure everyone is in tune before you jump on stage. Sometimes the temperature (hot/cold) difference outside vs. inside will pull your guitar, drums, piano, violin, etc. out of tune. You should ALWAYS tune up at the gig site, no matter if playing inside or outside gigs.

Not a good time for a PUNK band.

Piggyback Booking (a.k.a. hook up and book up) - is a term used when playing with other bands/groups/musicians that have similar genre/style of music on the same bill. If their fans like the same genre/style you both have, it is a little easier to win them over. If your style crosses over genres, play with bands closer to your core. An R&B/Soul group would work with ether an R&B or Soul group. However, if you're in Country band, it won't workout well for ether of you if you play with a Punk band. If you're a Gospel group stay away from playing with a Black Metal band (or there will be hell to pay). Piggyback Booking is great to help you play far away cities, states, or even other countries. Book yourself a gig with a similar style musical artist who have a big home base in a different geographical location. A major suggestion for you is to get a guarantee NOT to play last. Try to book a slot BETWEEN two bands who have larger crowds. Nothing feels worse than jamming far away from home with an audience of yourself.

Play Shorter songs - Play tunes without long intros or solos. Songs like "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin (denied) and "One" by Metallica would not work live for the first time. Let's pretend that you have never heard of them. You don't know their names nor their music (try to anyway). If they wanted to capture YOUR interest for the first time, they should replace those tunes with quicker, catchier songs with hooks that you can hang a side of beef on. "Communication Breakdown" and "Fuel" would be better choices to hear for the first time ever, live, by some band that you have never heard of before.

Play Shorter set list - Just because you get 30 minutes to jam, does NOT mean you should jam 60 minutes of music into it. Try playing about 25 minutes in a 30 minute set. Play your best songs. Hit the audience with a few of your tunes then finish early enough for them to want more. I know, I know, I KNOW, that you want to play on stage for hours. I hope that someday you will get the chance to headline a world tour. Until then, when you hit the audience hard then leave the stage fast, you prevent people from forgetting you. HUH ?? People's attention span is VERY short. Long presentations will hurt you. Short powerful sets will help peek interest in you. Plus the venue and the other musicians will like you staying within the schedule and want to work with you again.

Work the room - Try to interact with the audience without being a jerk. Project your personality. Let everyone feel welcome. I always say; Showmanship is a performance flirtation with the audience. Check out Stevie Ray Vaughan. He gave great live performances talent wise yet also worked the audience with his showmanship. Nobody expects you to play behind your back or upside down like Tommy Lee but add some flair to your performance. Guitarist & bass players; please don't stand there like a pole and stop looking at your fingers all of the time !! How is standing there still, like a stick in the mud, with your eyes glued on your fingers, showmanship ? Get into your music and move around. Give the audience reasons for them to like you beside your sound (which is STILL the most important thing).

Performance - First off, you should always practice hard before the gig. Practice is very important. Basketball Super Star Allen Iverson thought that only the game was important and yet with all of that talent he NEVER won a championship because he didn't understand the concept of practicing. Practice always makes you & your band play, sound and perform better. Don't forget to thank the audience when you're done playing.

Original line up of Guns 'N Roses in front of their stage SCRIM

Your name recognition - Don't you want the audience to remember your performance & know whom they just saw ? Flyer up the venue. It is Never cool to advertise your next gig, unless it is at the same place you are playing. You could print up a flyer about your new CD, or a review about your CD from OriginalMusicReviews.BlogSpot.com (shameless plug), or a local radio station who is playing you, or your web site, or even just your email address. On every flyer you should ALWAYS have your name &/or logo as well as some contact info like an email address or web site. Also your flyers should say where your latest CD or music down load is being sold.

Steel Panther and their SCRIM

The large banners that you see behind bands on stage are called a SCRIM. Invest in a Scrim with your bands logo on it. You can special order one with companies who
manufacture
flags. The material is a better quality so it will last for years. It is usually made of nylon so it's not easy to tear and it won't get ruined by moisture, which will cause mold. A bed sheet if you choose to paint one, can easily rip or fade or get mold on it. If you're not interested in using a scrim, you can burn your logo onto a light gel and use a large projection screen or even the wall or draping to show it on. Don't be embarrassed to calmly mention your band's name a couple of times throughout your performance. Remember when promoting your name to speak clearly and try not to have any other instruments playing or tuning, at that time. I bet that I have heard thousands of Original Bands/Groups/Musicians attempt to say their name but it comes out distorted because someone was tuning or they yelled into the mic. 

Chuck D & Flavor Flav in front of Public Enemy's SCRIM

As an Original Artist always remember to put yourself in the audience's shoes. After you hunt down the right gig and date, go out and capture the audience quickly. It does take some work and planning to be successful at it. When you capture and own the audience, you own your future. Or you could take the easy route and join a Cover Band. How hard is it to listen to the radio ??

-Alex
www.OriginalMusicReviews.BlogSpot.com


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