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.
Marcus Nelson said:
Hey Tom -
Wikipedia claims Timbuk 3 started in Madison, Wisconsin. Perhaps even then you were watching “local” bands
January 29th, 2008 at 7:08 pm #
Tom Neal said:
Yeah, evidently. They became a mainstay of the Austin music scene and hit the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex quite a bit (where I lived at the time). So, Marcus, what’s your take on the canned background music thing? The more I think of it, the more I want to be a heckler (but I’m too reserved for that).
January 30th, 2008 at 7:42 am #
janeal said:
The couple (now divorced) that formed Timbuk 3 did meet at UW-Madison, but they were based in Austin back in the ’80s when “Future so bright…” was a hit. Pat MacDonald (the husband) lives in Wisconsin and perfomed solo here a few years back. It’s that weird Texas-Wisconsin connection…like Steve Miller, who was born in Milwaukee, but raised in Dallas, and went to UW-Madison…
January 30th, 2008 at 7:54 am #
Dino Corvino said:
Steve Miller lives in Idaho now I think
January 30th, 2008 at 12:34 pm #
Tom Neal said:
And he’s not hurting for money either … he’s managed control of his artistic output equity as well as Mick Jagger has for the Stones.
January 30th, 2008 at 2:13 pm #
anonemoose said:
Tom,
What a wonderful post. I couldn’t agree with you more. Back in the 70s and 80s we used to work with records that were called music minus one. They helped us understand how our parts fit in with all the others. It was for STUDY PURPOSES ONLY and was in no way meant to be a substitute for a live performance.
Music for me involves communication. The artists communicate with the audience but they also communicate and relate to each other. This is part of the beauty of the art - the sheer spontaneity of a live performance. It doesn’t matter how it has gone in rehearsal, someone may have a different creative whim at any given time and everyone needs to react to that whim. Otherwise, it all sounds canned. Some of us are “old school” enough that we recognize canned. I, for one, do not like it.
That’s my rant, based on your rant.
On a different note (like the segue?) how does one get considered for a show on the community radio station? There is a young man who lives in my neighborhood who would like to be considered for a show. I told him about the community station but I don’t know how to get him in touch with anyone there as far as doing a show is concerned. Can you help?
moose
February 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm #
Tom Neal said:
Thanks, moose. Old song by Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks (Canned Music) tells of the danger of live music: you take your girl there and she falls for the drummer.
Anyone interested in doing a show (needs to be 18 or over) can just e-mail to wnrb-lp@hotmail.com or start by e-mailing me at thewheel93@yahoo.com. Or drop by the station at the WAHMA offices at the corner of Hamilton and 6th street.
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 am #
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February 8th, 2008 at 1:50 pm #