(Note from Dino: From time to time we find posts on the Community blogs that we think are great and deserving of your attention. We hope to make this a regular Friday feature, but really we hope for a lot of things. This post is from Tom Neal’s blog “Nealistically Speaking“. Thanks Tom!)
A Little (less) Background Music
This may come out of left field, but so be it. There was a band from Texas called Timbuk 3. They had a fairly major hit with “Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades.” Good, catchy tune. I went to see them at a club in Fort Worth. The band consisted of a guy who played guitar and harmonica and sang and his wife who also sang, played guitar and mandolin and violin … and their third bandmate was a boombox that served as their drummer/rhythm section. Quirky. Novel. Minimalist. Sort of weirded me out that they were accompanied by a machine. But, over the years I’ve seen all sorts of inhuman accompaniment … synthesizers, drum machines, effects loops, and the like. These have usually served a rhythmic support or aural atmosphere function. Not really my cuppa, but fine.
I like to go out and see local talent; I enjoy even the most basic, but honest, musician. But (you’ve been waiting for this), I have a gripe. What’s with the “solo” performers you see around town that sit down with a guitar, sax or other instrument and then flip on the karaoke machine or CD player or laptop that plays full musical backing (guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, horns, whatever) while the “solo” performer sings and plays along? I find this an affront to the whole concept of live music. Maybe people enjoy hearing Margaritaville or Twist and Shout delivered in this manner, but it makes me cringe. I actually feel somewhat embarrassed for the performer. You know, I would rather hear that sax player doing an intimate, heartfelt solo show or the guitarist/singer fumble his way alone through Norwegian Wood than be subjected to the prerecorded, amplified glitz.
Really, unless you’re presenting a comedy act, leave the karaoke at home and just bring your instrument and your passion for music with you. Let me know what your musical personality is, with all the flaws and shortcomings … and the style that’s uniquely “you.” Don’t give me a clone frontman backed by an invisible band. If you need backup support, find a fellow musician to work with. Maybe just a basic rhythm guitarist or somebody with a snare drum and cymbal or a keyboard plunker. Keep it simple. Keep it real. Then you’ll be more apt to keep people’s attention, instead of serving as background music to the venue’s shouted conversations.
