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Re: WHAT COULD WE DO BETTER?...and why should we do it?



Hello all,

Just a note from one of the shoe-gazeriest shoe-gazers on 
the planet. It's me. I'm guilty as charged (I suppose). I try
. . . really I do . . . but I just don't possess the scintillating 
personality that some of you do. I can only beg an audience's 
forgiveness and kind indulgence whenever I perform. It's sad
but true.

I am not an extrovert by any means and I'm about as likely 
to start doing Pete Townshend windmills or Van Halen stage-
leaps as I would be to sprout wings and fly. Face-paint, black
leather and spandex are right out . . . as well as moon-walking,
hip-shaking or pelvic thrusting. I look ridiculous enough on
stage already and I'm not doing this for laughs.

Part of it is personality, part of it is age (and  . . . ahem . . .
physique). However, I am still quite aware of how an audience 
has a very legitimate expectation of being entertained -- or 
at least being given good cause for having spent the money 
and time to come out on a cold night. I sympathize with
them. I really do. And, I don't wanna disappoint 'em.

I am not the possessor of such a prodigious instrumental
technique that a spotlight on my digits would be much 
of a diversion for anybody. Nor are my "compositional"
chops all that great (be it improvised or written out).
Anybody really following what I'm playing (note by note
and musical idea by musical idea) with any real knowledge
of music theory under their caps would undoubtedly laugh 
their arses off.

My music is not particularly ground-breaking in any aspect
either, when it comes right down to it. There is no "grand 
vision" driving my efforts. I wish there were. If I knew where 
the heck I was going maybe I'd GET somewhere (heheh). 
Nor am I working out of a particular retrospective musical 
"heritage" (other than a general sort of rock-ish one). I am 
a misfit and a mongrel . . . and not a particularly attractive 
one. Dang! A lot of my music is downright ugly and most
unpleasant (not all but quite a bit). At least that's what my
wife and kids always tell me.

Well, what in blue blazes am I doing it for? And, why would 
an audience want to experience me/this in person? That's the 
perennial question we should all always be asking ourselves. 
Isn't it? So, in my sympathy/empathy for an audience's 
hard-earned money and precious time, just what then is it 
that I have to offer them? There's not much left is there? 
It would seem so. But, perhaps looks aren't everything. 

Maybe all I have to offer translates into a lot of misguided,
loud and unrelenting noise to some hearers. Some folks
I just cannot reach with the equipment God gave me. But
I do TRY to reach some of them . . . maybe it's with just 
a certain kind of "honesty" and "intensity" . . . maybe it's 
emotional, maybe it's visceral (I dunno). I try to present
something authentic, not made up, not pretended. I try 
to just (and this is going to sound very cliche) "BE in the
moment" with as much raw, unvarnished, human vulnerability
as I can muster . . . and convey it THROUGH the music as
best I can.

This can happen even when the "tech gremlins" attack (heheh,
speaking of my own set at Y2K3). I had a processor go down
inexplicably. I spent a few minutes trying to suss the reason
and could not. So, I went ahead and played anyway with a very
dirty, distorted, clipped, noisy sound. Oh well. As it turns 
out I probably performed about as unselfconsciously and
"in the moment" as I ever have at one of these things.

Who knows if it was "any good" or not? Some people stood and 
clapped at the end. That's all I ever really hope for. Possibly a 
good many more ran (or dove) for the doors early on. It was 
dark, I didn't notice. But, I was satisfied. I felt I had acquitted 
myself semi-nobly under the circumstances. So, why am I 
saying all this? To justify myself? To pat myself on the back? 
To make excuses for not improving myself? In a word, no.

I mention the one  primary aspect that I focus on in my own 
performances only to point out what it is I look for in others 
performances. And, I kinda suspect that this is an aspect that 
not many others posters will bring up. Heavens! There's tons 
of ways we all could improve in terms of our "presentation" 
technically. I will be reading these posts avidly to see what 
I can pick up and ad (if I am able) from all this good advice.

But, the thing that bothers me most about some performances 
is I don't sense anything from the performer through the music.
It sometimes seems empty and mechanical. Hey! We all use
machines to make music, so that's not what I'm talking about.
It's not a matter of tweaking the "humanize" knob on a drum
track. I sense the performer is involved with the "tasks" of 
making music but not invested in the music itself . . . not
enthralled with it. Not overcome by it.  It has nothing to do 
with composition vs. improvisation either. It's sort of an 
intangible thing and more than likely just an erroneous, 
overly-romantic notion about art-making that I have from 
my days as a naive college art student. I just don't "feel"
anything from some performers. Sounds silly maybe . . .
but it's true. I sense a lack of **PASSION.**

To me it was the thing present in the most "successful" sets at 
any of these festivals (Loopstock, Y2K2, Y2K3 . . . whatever).
The particular type of music made may (or may not) have been 
my personal "cup of tea" . . . but I always respond to someone
who seems to be really "connected" to what they are doing and/
or creating. There's a kind of "spiritual" authenticity about it.
I know that sounds rather psuedo-religious. I don't mean it to.
I just don't have other terms for it. But you can sorta tell 
when a performer's muse is present -- and their either dancing 
with it or clobbering it and wrestling it to the floor (like me) or 
they're just sorta going through the motions. Playing AT music 
(not WITH it). I don't know what more to say. Some of us need 
to work on this . . . me sometimes too. But, some need it a little 
more than others.

As for me and all the other advice I'll garner from this thread, 
I will definitely try simplifying my rack, lose a few more pounds,
buy a good book of jokes, change my hair color, invest in a slightly 
more colorful wardrobe (than my usual black sweatshirt and jeans) 
and possibly borrow my oldest son's leopard print fez and shades. 
Waddya think? If I look at the audience, smile more and drool on 
myself (and my guitar) less will that help?

I am very thankful for folks who put these sorts of fests on BTW. 
I benefit a lot from the camaraderie. I also thank Rick for starting 
this thread. Hope I didn't step on too many toes. Oh , , , and it was
me with the telephone EQ fadeout (2 points). Heheh.

Best,

tEd ® kiLLiAn

http://www.pfmentum.com/flux.html
http://www.CDbaby.com/cd/tedkillian
http://www.guitar9.com/fluxaeterna.html