Re: More Yuppies and Loops

["COLLINSCLAN" <collinsclan@sprintmail.com>]

The dancer thing like Derek Bailey began doing in the late 70's and is 
still
doing it. If you haven't checked out his stuff you should. He even has a
video of him and dancer Min Tanaka. Check it out.
Jeff Collins
-----Original Message-----
From: Rev. Doubt-Goat <dgoat@rocketmail.com>
To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com <Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com>
Date: Monday, April 13, 1998 9:30 PM
Subject: More Yuppies and Loops


>
>93
>
>I'd like to thank everyone who responded to my
>questions.  Good stuff all!
>
>In my many years of amateur, semi-pro and pro
>performance experience, I've played with a *lot*
>of different bands, in a *lot* of different
>settings.  My main experience has been, of
>course, that you try to play to the audience
>that you have, and that you should have *some*
>idea of what they will probably want.
>
>The interesting thing to me is, what do you do
>if you are faced with a "blind" situation, i.e.
>you don't know what the audience will be like?
>If you are looping, certainly an experimental
>venue will likely garner more listeners than a
>wedding gig will.
>
>Example: I used to play with a regionally very
>popular world-beat band in Kansas City, called
>BCR. We could pack 'em quite nicely at the clubs
>we would play. We were known to a large extent
>as a dance band (though we did play a lot of
>non-dance material).
>
>One time we played a wedding reception and could
>not get people to dance no matter what we did.
>And, even though we played at a low volume level
>(for a ten member band!), people kept leaving
>the room to go "talk".  Now, the bride and
>groom, who hired us, danced and listened, and a
>few of their younger friends did as well, but
>all of the older people left the room!
>
>The point is, unless you always play it "safe"
>and only play where you *know* what you are
>doing will be accepted, occasionally you *will*
>run into a dud where you will drive people away
>instead of draw them in.
>
>Loopers, like most experimental musicians, are
>more likely to face this than a dance band will,
>(although as someone pointed out, if Michael
>Bolten were to play the Knitting Factory, would
>anyone stick around?)
>
>Since the amount of truely "experimental" venues
>will be limited, if a looper wants to share
>his/her music, they will need to try to play
>more "mainstream" venues.  Now, since most
>"mainstream" venues will tend to cater to an
>audience with "mainstream" taste, what do you do?
>
>Here are a few idea off the top of my head.
>Keep in mind I would *never* suggest someone
>compromise their artistic integrity.
>
>1. Loop covers!  I do a weird loop cover of
>Gymnopedie #1 by Erik Satie, though perhaps a
>cover of Purple Haze might be a bigger hit.
>
>2. Drums! Dance beats!  Either Meester Drum
>Machine, or a drummer with a click or somesuch.
>
>3. Cute girls/guys on stage! I'm doing a show
>soon with a dancer. Oughta be good. Stage
>charisma is something to not be overlooked. If
>you yourself don't have it, get someone up there
>with you who does!
>
>4. Lights! Sets! Weird Costumes!
>
>Anyway, more later when I think of it!
>
>93
>
>Rev. DOubt-Goat
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>
>