Incomprehensible live music...?

Stringbanger

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I began playing acoustic guitar in late 1978. By 1981, I was doing solo acoustic gigs, yes indeed. I was still a definite hack, but I didn’t care.

I found a local joint that had just started offering live entertainment (I think they were testing the waters). They were not paying, except for free beers, and I liked beer! I became one of their “regulars”, so to speak.

I played there once a week for almost a year. If I would have sucked so badly, I’m sure someone would have told me, and I would have been asked not to return.

This place was where I cut my teeth, in terms of playing solo acoustic gigs. Some people clapped, and some people didn’t. I never, ever had anyone come up and disparage my playing. I had a few who said that they liked my music.

I guess I’m hard-skinned in the fact that, I don’t really give two hoots whether or not you like what I play!

My secret is to play with all the heart and soul that you can muster, then everything else just falls in place. If that makes any sense.
 

Bill Sheehan

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I began playing acoustic guitar in late 1978. By 1981, I was doing solo acoustic gigs, yes indeed. I was still a definite hack, but I didn’t care.

I found a local joint that had just started offering live entertainment (I think they were testing the waters). They were not paying, except for free beers, and I liked beer! I became one of their “regulars”, so to speak.

I played there once a week for almost a year. If I would have sucked so badly, I’m sure someone would have told me, and I would have been asked not to return.

This place was where I cut my teeth, in terms of playing solo acoustic gigs. Some people clapped, and some people didn’t. I never, ever had anyone come up and disparage my playing. I had a few who said that they liked my music.

I guess I’m hard-skinned in the fact that, I don’t really give two hoots whether or not you like what I play!

My secret is to play with all the heart and soul that you can muster, then everything else just falls in place. If that makes any sense.
Stringbanger, if you ask me, that makes a heck of a lot of sense.
 

archetype

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I really shouldn't complain. We were starving and it was 6pm on Saturday night (tonight). The cupboard was bare, so we went looking for someplace to have a quiet meal.

Passing miles of packed restaurants, we settled on one of our "pretty good" bistros. There were empty parking spaces...looked good.

Until we walked in. I thought it was karaoke night for a moment. You know, that guy that can't quite hit pitch but thinks he's (insert real singer). Yah, there's a guy in the corner with a Wal-Mart guitar and a laptop. I can't quite catch what he's singing...but he's giving it the full gospel shout treatment. His guitar playing is limited to backbeat down-strum, thumb only. Rhythm, mostly improv. Certainly a different drummer.

We were seated before I finally figure out what he's singing: "Sweet Home Alabama". I look over at Miz Diane and she sez in a half strangled whisper, "Don't look at me! I'll laugh and squirt iced tea thru my nose!"

OMG, I'm going to hell for this. We almost lost it when we saw the bartender and barmaid doubled over as he started on a Sinatra tune. No guitar there, he just sang along with the computer band. Sounded like someone singing along with the radio in the car...faking his way thru unremembered lyrics, mumbling, flights of travesty, etc.

Then, "Wagon Wheel", of course...with more gospel shouts and hallelujahs. Incomprehensible. Inconceivable.

The food was good...and to his credit, he kept the volume moderate.

It really brought back memories though. Back when we were dating, we ate at a fancy restaurant that had a lounge singer. Big blonde gal at the piano in a sparkly dress...but we'd stepped into the Twilight Zone lounge. She was singing in Swedish or Icelandic or Inuit or something (although we were in North Alabama). We sat and listened for a few minutes...and Miz Diane leans over and sez...it's "Snowbird". No!...but she sang "spread your tiny wings and fly away..." except it was spelled: spredyrti nywi ngsa ndflia waaay..." All the accents were displaced, whole stanzas were run-on. We spent the evening playing "name that tune".

This is why I refuse to play out. I could be that guy!

Oh, man... that was on the verge of needing to be shut down.

When I bartended in a blues/folk/punk pizza bar the owner empowered us to make situational decisions at our discretion. We occasionally handled situations like the above. One CS&N wannabe band was so horrible that we told them to pack it up after their first set. Other than the band's girlfriends, there were about 6 other people in the place and we walked around refunding their cover charges.
 

archetype

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Last Saturday night there was some guy at the end of bar nearest the stage scowling with his arms folded across his chest in classic critique pose. He left at some point I didn’t notice.

Decades ago he had longer hair and was against the back wall with other crossed-arms, scowling guys thinking they could play it better.
 

Digital Larry

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The guy's version was so messed up, I didn't recognize the tune until he started repeating "Oh, Rock me" in octaves and yodelesque flights of...something. o_O

Thanks. Honestly I don't recognize it, but it sounds like any number of "I'm on the road and miss my baby" songs to me and is in and of itself inoffensive. I did pick up that Darius Rucker issued a cover which "ruined" it for a number of people. LOL!
 

String Tree

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Dec 8, 2010
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Up North
I really shouldn't complain. We were starving and it was 6pm on Saturday night (tonight). The cupboard was bare, so we went looking for someplace to have a quiet meal.

Passing miles of packed restaurants, we settled on one of our "pretty good" bistros. There were empty parking spaces...looked good.

Until we walked in. I thought it was karaoke night for a moment. You know, that guy that can't quite hit pitch but thinks he's (insert real singer). Yah, there's a guy in the corner with a Wal-Mart guitar and a laptop. I can't quite catch what he's singing...but he's giving it the full gospel shout treatment. His guitar playing is limited to backbeat down-strum, thumb only. Rhythm, mostly improv. Certainly a different drummer.

We were seated before I finally figure out what he's singing: "Sweet Home Alabama". I look over at Miz Diane and she sez in a half strangled whisper, "Don't look at me! I'll laugh and squirt iced tea thru my nose!"

OMG, I'm going to hell for this. We almost lost it when we saw the bartender and barmaid doubled over as he started on a Sinatra tune. No guitar there, he just sang along with the computer band. Sounded like someone singing along with the radio in the car...faking his way thru unremembered lyrics, mumbling, flights of travesty, etc.

Then, "Wagon Wheel", of course...with more gospel shouts and hallelujahs. Incomprehensible. Inconceivable.

The food was good...and to his credit, he kept the volume moderate.

It really brought back memories though. Back when we were dating, we ate at a fancy restaurant that had a lounge singer. Big blonde gal at the piano in a sparkly dress...but we'd stepped into the Twilight Zone lounge. She was singing in Swedish or Icelandic or Inuit or something (although we were in North Alabama). We sat and listened for a few minutes...and Miz Diane leans over and sez...it's "Snowbird". No!...but she sang "spread your tiny wings and fly away..." except it was spelled: spredyrti nywi ngsa ndflia waaay..." All the accents were displaced, whole stanzas were run-on. We spent the evening playing "name that tune".

This is why I refuse to play out. I could be that guy!
Well, that's what any us of get for simply taking a chance on something.
 

fenderchamp

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I remember going in Clossman's music in North Platte NE, in "the mall". Mr Clossman the owner was pretty old, and I don't think he cared too much for me, in spite of I bought a cheap guitar from him and my pals had spent some money with him too previously.

Anyhow he was playing the heck out of some crazy Lowrey organ or something, this was 78-79 I was like 12-13.

He finished, it was impressive indeed, I was surely impressed.

I asked him what tune it was, he told me it was Swanee River, I don't know what it was but it couldn't have been that.

I think I told him i couldn't recognize it, but I asked him where he learned to play it like that. He told me he studied "Counterpoint and Harmony" at the University, which I'm sure was true.

I wonder if I could recognize that song if I heard it again.
 

jays0n

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Maybe he got the gig because he's entertaining - you and Mz Diane had a great time listening to him right?
Hahaha maybe that was the deal with the management, or a bet. They email random songs and he plays and sings them on the spot. From that point of view, it sounds like he did pretty good :)
 

Lou Tencodpees

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One of the best guitarists I've seen recently was a guy playing a classical guitar through a looper. I'm sure this guy could pull off Paco De Lucia he was that good. Bass on a stand, each song started with him scratching and tapping a beat, adding a rhythm part, bass part, then melody/solos. The mix and sound was impeccable.

Scattered applause.

He looked like he was enjoying himself. Admittedly after a few numbers it felt redundant, but that could just be the perception of another guitar player.

Things are rough out there.
 

martinlb

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Stash's thing would probably be offputting to some, but he's clearly playing what he planned to.


I twrestung awd oye mweennit!

It does seem like he's really ABLE to play so I've got to believe he really did mean to do what he was doing between verses.
 

martinlb

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My worst experience with incomprehensible live music wasn't in any way, shape or form the fault of the musicians. My wife, a friend, and I went to see The Hu Band. I'd seen many of their videos and heard a lot of their songs and was really looking forward to seeing them live. Except...

I don't know what it is these days with live music, but my wife and I had to walk out - to protect our hearing, even with earplugs in. It was a fairly small venue and the idiot sound person/people had the volume so extremely loud that all I could make out in the mush was some of the drums and some of the bass.

It was all mashed up bouncing around and mixing together. The vocals were indistinguishable. It for sure was not worth going deaf to.

I guess it's "a thing" these days because while I could make out the music at a somewhat-recent Who concert (the coincidence is a little crazy, isn't it?) Pete Townshend shared a little of his hearing loss with me. I've had tinnitus for years but this kicked it up another notch. I think I've got to swear off live concerts, which sucks - but not as bad as losing any more of my hearing. Maybe people want to FEEL the music but this is ridiculous.

Plus, it was a sham anyway. It was NOT The Who. It was an orchestra (wasting my time and hearing) playing obscure, to me anyway, songs mostly from Tommy. Townshend and Daltry accompanied the orchestra. Admittedly, part of my problem was that I'd been listening a lot to Live At Leeds. This "performance" though really, really, sucked from a whole lot of angles except price. I suppose we should have known better as we watched ticket prices for what we were interested in drop from hundreds to $35.
 
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