Acoustic Set List

[RickG501]

+1 for "Wish You Were Here" a lot of folks know that tune.

"Ballad of Spider John" by Willis Alan Ramsey

If you haven't ever heard it, there are a lot of acoustic covers on You Tube just do a search. Great story song!!

[Joe Chaney]

temporary like Achilles by dylan
also, mmm mmm mmm mmm by the crash test dummies

[telesteve]

Tried to delete

[telesteve]

Originally Posted by RickG501

"Ballad of Spider John" by Willis Alan Ramsey

If you haven't ever heard it, there are a lot of acoustic covers on You Tube just do a search. Great story song!!

+1

I know this one from Jimmy Buffett's "Living and Dying in 3/4 Time" album. I understand it's a shortened version.



A follow up question: How many songs should you have in your catalog before gigging? I know it depends on the variety of venues, clientele, etc., but what would be a good safety net?

[RickG501]

Steve here's the real deal

Willis Alan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lToPF0IylPo

but whom ever recorded it missed the first verse.

Here's a cover with all the verses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2wMUYHl62Y

this guys got some of the words wrong so be sure an download the tab.

Number of tunes, as many as you can. Minimum, about 2hrs worth including your "banter". Practice your banter, little stories about some of the songs like who wrote it when it came out, what it's about. Then time your set.

[3Bridges]

Thanks for the song suggestions.

I have added a few more to my set list.

Mmm,Mmm,Mmm,Mmm - Crash Test Dummies
Collide - Howie Day
Down By The River - Dave Matthews version
When The World Ends - Dave Matthews

I was going to limit the amount of Dave Matthews songs I was going to do, but i love his stuff so much i can't stay away from learning more of his music.

It's been a few years since I have played out, due to a hand injury.

Got to play tomorrow night, the 23rd, and I am very excited to be out playing live again.

Thanks once again, Russ.

[nashville sound]

• Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
• Taking It Easy - Eagles
• Fire and Rain - James Taylor
• Country Roads - John Denver
• Gonna Do Me Wrong - Vern Gosdin
• Magnolia - JJ Cale
• I'll Follow The Sun - Beatles
• It Might Be You - Stephen Bishop
• Crazy Love - Poco

Ray Jr.
www.rayedenton.com

[mudbean]

Great ideas, folks!!

I'm gonna add a bunch of these, myself. Also:

Heaven - Talking Heads
Long Sermon - Brad Paisley
Eve Of Destruction - (sung by) Barry McGuire
Mama Tried - Merle Haggard

Just remembered - a few years ago, I saw a guy do "I'm Not In Love" by 10cc, solo acoustic. It was actually very good!

mud

[ONTAPPA60]

My friend and I do acoustic shows at some local bars with mostly covers and some originals too. We try to incorporate classics and newer tunes to keep everyone on their toes haha. Here's a list of some of the songs we go through on any given night (in no specific order) :

Down by the River- Neil Young
#41- Dave Matthews Band
Sleeping Sickness- City and Colour (worth youtube-ing, definitely a good acoustic song)
Can't you see- Marshall Tucker Band
Kryptonite- 3 Doors Down
Hey ya- Outkast (inspired by Mat Weddle's version)
All Along the Watchtower- Hendrix/Dylan/DMB
Say it ain't so- Weezer
Have you ever seen the rain- CCR
Where are you going- DMB (closes with the end jam from Lie in our graves)
The General- Dispatch
Lose Yourself(8 Mile Theme Song)- Eminem (accompanied by keyboard)
Times like these- Foo Fighters
Hey Hey My My- Neil Young
My Own Worst Enemy- Lit
F*** her gently- Tenacious D
Come Together- The Beatles
Freshmen- Verve Pipe
The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot- Brand New
Bartender- DMB
I Knew You Before- Dustin Kensrue (also worth checking out on Youtube)
How's it gonna be- Third Eye Blind
Letters to you- Finch
Cortez the Killer- Neil Young

[fiddleheadpa]

i found this site by looking for some songs to add to my set list.
I already have 145 songs but it isn't enough as i play for all different age groups and need lots of different songs.
I get requests for lots of country although i don't do much of it.
I do a few Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash but that's it.

Some of my favorites that did NOT see on here: Dark Side of the Moon (Floyd)
Riki don't lose that number (steeley dan)
Chili Peppers (I do about 5 of them now with Under the Bridge and OtherSide being the most popular)
DMB: Glad to see lots on here. I also do Jimi thing but Crash seems to go over the best (i guess cause it's the most well known)
Goin to California Led Zeppelin
She will be loved Maroon Five
Wonderwall covered by Ryan Adams always goes over big (i'm mainly playing for Europeans)
Another favorite that always goes over good is "Nobody Home" by Pink Floyd from the Wall (piano song but i play it on guitar)
Lots more, I'll be back.

[avagadro]

I used to watch a solo act that worked with a harp in a rack. he would work a bunch of Rolling Stones tunes into a rockin medley. it's a great way to close out a set. find 4 or 5 Stones tunes that you can bend into a similar rhythym and make the crowd sweat and groove.

[clemson86]

Found this post looking for some stuff to add my list as I prep to return to gigging after a multi-year absence. I always found you could play some offbeat stuff if (1) you got a crowd engaged with stuff they knew; and (2) the offbeat stuff was funny or you sing or play it particularly well. Here's some stuff I do now:

You Can't Always Get/Walk on the Wild Side medley (this kills)
Wicked Game (chicks dig the yodeling)
Wilco -- California Stars, Passenger Side
Steve Earle -- Feel Alright, Hardcore Troubadore
Warren Zevon -- Lawyers Guns & Money, Mr. Bad Example (hilarious song nobody's heard but everybody loves)
Springsteen -- Thunder Road, Pink Cadillac
John Prine -- Please Don't Bury Me
Robert Earl Keen -- Merry Christmas From the Family
CCR -- Proud Mary, Bad Moon
Mountain Goats -- No Children (funniest dysfunctional marriage song ever)
Elvis Costello -- What's So Funny...
Johnny Rivers -- Secret Agent Man
James McMurtry -- Lights of Cheyenne
Van Morrison -- It Stoned Me
The Hold Steady -- Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Old 97's -- Question, Jagged, The Other Shoe, Barrier Reef
Lots of Buffett, Neil Young, more Springsteen, Morrison, Stones

[marcbc]

I would go with stuff off nebraska! atlantic city, Reason to bealive, Johnny 99 Anything from that is good. you should check out the ghost of tom joad too! Youngstown is great to play and I always try to work in straight time i dont know i just love that song! Oh and the band's the weight always gets people singing!

[Tele295]

Last acoustic open mic we were at, we played all gypsy jazz (3 tunes) and the place came unglued!



Here is our current gypsy-jazz acoustic set:
Minor Swing
Paper Moon
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Tears
Spider-Man
Bossa Dorado
Manoir De Mes Reves
Blue Drag
Fur Elise
Anouman
Djangology
Don't Mean A Thing If It Aint Got that Swing
Nuages

[hollowman]

some great ideas! I'll be working up a few new ones from some of the great set lists mentioned

A couple I do that aren't already mentioned that I really like:

"What's so funny about peace love and understanding" Elvis Costello
"willin'" Little Feat
"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" Warren Zevon

[teleamp]

Tangerine... as done by Todd Park Mohr of Big Head Todd & the Monsters
Bittersweet... BHT&tM's

Some SRV, Dylan, Willie, Dave M

[teleamp]

Also, on youtube there's a cat named fretkillr (sp?), anything he has covered has been awesome!!!

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by hollowman

"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" Warren Zevon

Wow, is that really a Zevon song? I love Linda Ronstadt's version.

Here's a fun one: "I Fought The Law" by Bobby Fuller.

mud

[mudbean]

Another good one: "No Excuses" by Alice In Chains.

mud

[DNestler]

YOu guys are bringing a lot of material back to the ol' brainpan...

Good tunes:

Werewolves of London -Zevon
Lawyers Guns and Money -Zevon
Wish You Were Here -Pink Floyd
Comfortably Numb -Pink Floyd (arpeggiate the first solo section, fade out the second)
Long Trains Runnin' -Doobies (might want to change keys for acoustic version)
Through Your Hands -J.Hiatt
Perfectly Good Guitar -J.Hiatt
Harvest Moon -N.Young
Helpless -N.Young (sing along)
Rockin' in the Freeworld -N.Young
Angel From Montgomery -J.Prine
Speed of the Sound of Loneliness -J.Prine
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere -Dylan (Byrds version)
Little Wing -Jimi
Wonderful Tonight -Clapton
Leader of the Band -Dan Fogelburg
Mornin' Sky -Dan Fogelburg
Andersonville -Dave Alvin
Blind Willie McTell -Dylan
The Weight -The Band
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down -The Band
Up on Cripple Creek -The Band
I Shall Be Released -Dylan (The Band's version)
Hickory Wind -Gram Parsons
Time in a Bottle -Croce
Farewell Angelina -Dylan
Across the Great Divide -Kate Wolf
Wild Horses -Stones

I guess that's enough for now.

Daniel

[teleamp]

here's my favorite fretkillr vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebWVM...eature=related

[curtbob]

A lot of good replies here. I'll have to keep several of these in mind-- save for Brittany Spears . But did I just not see them or didn't anyone say something from the Doobies?! Or CCR? I don't gig currently, but if I did, I can tell you I wouldn't know how to do a set w/o the Doobies. Can I toss in a couple of tunes?

Jethro Tull:
Thick As A Brick

Doobie Brothers:
Black Water
Spirit

CCR;
Midnight Special
Green River
Proud Mary
Bootleg

[Dr.TeleD]

If anyone can figure out an acoustic version of the "Rescue Me" theme song, I think it's called "Come On, Come On", let me know. I love the lyrics, plus you can see if there are Denis Leary fans in the crowd giving you license to drop the F-Bomb if you are so inclined.

Luka Bloom - Diamond Mountain