Top 10 Reasons Your Band Sucks - Part 1
A recent study found that 7 out of 10 bands suck. Ok maybe I made up that statistic, although I’m probably too kind with my estimation. But I do know for a fact that the worst offenders seem to all suffer from one or more of the maladies listed below. How does your band stack up?
1. Dead Air: Always have something prepared that keeps the audience’s attention on the stage. Or better yet just start the next song or segue into it but whatever you do don’t let it go silent. If a song has an abrupt ending the front person should immediately be addressing the crowd. Not bending over to get a drink or turning around to find out what song is next. I’ve said before this is a sure sign of amateurism but recently I saw the popular band Puddle Of Mudd at a large festival an they were probably as bad as any I’ve seen for dead air and they were the headliner of large festival. People bailed out during their performance as it was obvious they had no real interest in entertaining the crowd. Don’t think it’s any less egregious if you do it.
2. Mistakes: A lot of musicians think that only other musicians hear the mistakes or sloppy playing. To some extent this is true. But you need to start giving the crowd some credit. You don’t have to be a painter to recognize a bad paint job. Get your songs TIGHT. You have to be your own worst critic about the quality of your playing. This is perhaps an over used quote but it bears repeating here
“An amateur practices until they get it right.
A professional practices until they can’t get it wrong”.
3. Not Engaging the Crowd: You’re a performer right? If the crowd or venue owner wanted background music it would have been a lot easier and hopefully cheaper to hire a DJ or just plug in the juke. Get the crowd on your side. Talk to them, tell them how great they look, address different people directly through the night and ask them if they have your CD or latest bumper sticker. Make the audience feel like they’re part of your show and they will be interested in what you’re going to do next.
4. No Showmanship: You’ve got your songs tight, the musicianship is top notch and in you’re setup in a dark corner stage with the one barely functioning house light, yep the one with the yellow gel, standing still and staring at your shoes. BORING. Get a show. Invest in your performance by making it visually interesting. Lighting, backdrops, stage props, energetic stage presence, cool wardrobe, a hazer to enhance the lighting, strobes (used in moderation) all add to your appeal and make people want stay. After all most folks say “let’s go see a band tonight”. Well, give them something to watch.
5. Crappy Songs: Do your songs suck? No really, do they? Would you want to hear a band playing them? Before you venture out to lay waste to the music scene get some honest opinions of the songs from people that will tell you the truth. No matter how good you look on stage or how much guyliner you’re able to pack on if your songs bring involuntary retching and a WTF look across the collective audience’s face go write some more songs or hook up with a songwriter to help you out.
Let’s allow those to sink in for a bit. Do any of these ring true for your band. Do you find yourself on stage thinking “Damn we’re f*cking up a lot” or “Can we start the next song, please!”. Then you know what you need to start working on. All bands will have to deal with some of the issues presented here and in part 2 of this article. The bands that suck don’t care, the good bands fix them. See you tomorrow.
TK
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