The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => The Bar => Topic started by: PeteS on July 08, 2021, 02:16:16 PM
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Hi guys,
I just wondered that now live music is coming back into our lives, do any of you play your own songs live? Down the local Pub or club?
In my experience, punters only want the stuff they already know. Just seems a waste of so many good songs!
Pete
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After my band broke up I played acoustic shows for a few years, usually opening for local acts, did an acoustic all-dayer or two and some open-mics, but the songs I was writing at the time really needed a full band sound. Even though the songs weren't 'folk' it's easy to get pigeonholed when it's just you and an acoustic guitar, so I stopped.
Same now - I'm writing indie and pop punk and I don't want ppl to hear those songs stripped back, I want them with a band behind them. That's easier said than done though eh
How about you?
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@PeteS (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22588) - How many times did you go to a gig of your favourite band, and when they did a new number you were miffed? I remember seeing level42 at wembley and the did most of the running in the family album, it was about to be released, i was miffed but i just hadn’t heard it before.
Stick with your songs, believe in your songwriting Peter, they’ll come round in the end, trust me…
I always play my songs when i play live
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Hey @jacksimmons (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18881) I've played live once in the last 10 years, at a mates party (if that counts) but I’ve never had original songs I’ve been proud enough of to want to play until now. I’d really like to play even just a few of them live but it would be acoustically as I don’t have a band either.
@cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) Rich, I know what you mean, seen plenty of bands that played the wrong set, at least in my opinion! I’d just like the opportunity to really learn to play them on my own and perform them. I’d also like a band but that’s even more difficult!
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@PeteS (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22588) - silence and days like these are as good as any song from any artist.
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Yes
I'll be putting a set together
And getting a haircut
I'll only play my own songs as best I can.
Solo
I don't seem to have the interest in doing live karaoke.
I've often thought about mixing it up with covers
but never really got further than thinking about it.
It would be a fine thing to have a band following my lead,
Hard to get Hard to keep
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I keep my songwriting/recording and live playing very separate- the live stuff is always covers
Interesting comments about established artists though....
My then girlfriend (now wife) and sister were huge Prince fans. At the time (around ‘94) I liked some of his music but wouldn’t have said I was a fan
I got tickets for us all to see his Wembley Arena show. It was the time he was using the Symbol and in the middle of his dispute with Warner Brothers
He opened the show chanting “Prince is dead” and didn’t play any of hits from his back catalogue and ONLY played new material from the album he wanted to release but Warner’s wouldn’t (The Gold Experience)
I was COMPLETELY blown away by the songs and his guitar playing - he played a soaring rock guitar solo on the big symbol shaped guitar, threw it across the stage when he had finished and then sat on a chair and played a 5minute jazz solo guitar piece on an arch top guitar
I walked out a bigger fan then both my wife and sister!!
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@PeteS (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22588) - Finding this an interesting debate, logically every song by every artist was never heard once upon a time, hence why should your good song be any different?
This is a just my opinion for general debate.
I try and avoid playing just covers live for many reasons:
1. I'm not them, I'm Me.
2. Why bother playing someone else stuff live when you can play your own?
3. How do you know that the audience will know the cover? I played "Independance Day" by the Comsat Angels at an open mic night once, nobody knew it, might as well been my own (btw I was on the drums, and a couple of my students, one was my boss, were on the guitar, I was laughing all the time, What a gas!) - got the standard polite ripple of applause, that everyone who was unknown the the local got. (The regulars got the predictable rapturous applause for Sweet Child o mine and Red House etc. that they churned out every week)
4. I'd only play a cover if I thought I was bringing something different to it, (Independance day was much more In your face, no organ, just raw power that I felt it lacked) I'm not into trying to recreate what they did, it just seems pointless to me, unless you are making a living out of it, like the Bootleg Beatles etc.
You know when you release a song here, and everyone loves it? well there should be no surprise then, when you come to play it live and everyone loves it out there.
The other thing I used to teach my students was how too perform, how to really deliver your song with passion, this makes a difference to the audience, a limp delivery is a missed opportunity, if it's your song and you believe in it, the audience will know...
Put yet another way...You take ages to write a song, perfect it, record it, produce it, release it, practise performing it until you are proud of it, then off you go and play live with someone else songs, Why?
In all honesty, I think a mix of your own material and a well arranged covers that fit the set is a winning combo (you see it often at top band's gigs), something off the wall, such as a Reggae version of Glenn Millers Pennsylvania 6-5000, or an acoustic Bossa Nova version of Motorhead's Ace of Spades, something to cause a reaction...
I reckon @PaulyX (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21034) could play a whole set of covers I wouldn't know any of 'em, such is his huge knowledge of bands, so why not play your own stuff.
Rich
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@PeteS (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22588) - silence and days like these are as good as any song from any artist.
Thanks Rich, that is much appreciated!
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Yes
I'll be putting a set together
And getting a haircut
I'll only play my own songs as best I can.
Solo
I don't seem to have the interest in doing live karaoke.
I've often thought about mixing it up with covers
but never really got further than thinking about it.
It would be a fine thing to have a band following my lead,
Hard to get Hard to keep
I sympathise with that @rightly (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20219), these are my songs and my ideas so whilst I'm happy for some suggestions, they are how I wanted them. Even my other 'band member' Neil only gets a very minor say when it comes to the music. ;D.
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I keep my songwriting/recording and live playing very separate- the live stuff is always covers
Interesting comments about established artists though....
My then girlfriend (now wife) and sister were huge Prince fans. At the time (around ‘94) I liked some of his music but wouldn’t have said I was a fan
I got tickets for us all to see his Wembley Arena show. It was the time he was using the Symbol and in the middle of his dispute with Warner Brothers
He opened the show chanting “Prince is dead” and didn’t play any of hits from his back catalogue and ONLY played new material from the album he wanted to release but Warner’s wouldn’t (The Gold Experience)
I was COMPLETELY blown away by the songs and his guitar playing - he played a soaring rock guitar solo on the big symbol shaped guitar, threw it across the stage when he had finished and then sat on a chair and played a 5minute jazz solo guitar piece on an arch top guitar
I walked out a bigger fan then both my wife and sister!!
Interesting point, I guess he generally had a warm audience, even if you didn't really start as one of them. Generally when I have seen bands play all their new stuff I have been a little disappointed. There should be a point of entertaining the people who put you there as well as showcasing new stuff.
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@PeteS (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22588) - Finding this an interesting debate, logically every song by every artist was never heard once upon a time, hence why should your good song be any different?
This is a just my opinion for general debate.
I try and avoid playing just covers live for many reasons:
1. I'm not them, I'm Me.
2. Why bother playing someone else stuff live when you can play your own?
3. How do you know that the audience will know the cover? I played "Independance Day" by the Comsat Angels at an open mic night once, nobody knew it, might as well been my own (btw I was on the drums, and a couple of my students, one was my boss, were on the guitar, I was laughing all the time, What a gas!) - got the standard polite ripple of applause, that everyone who was unknown the the local got. (The regulars got the predictable rapturous applause for Sweet Child o mine and Red House etc. that they churned out every week)
4. I'd only play a cover if I thought I was bringing something different to it, (Independance day was much more In your face, no organ, just raw power that I felt it lacked) I'm not into trying to recreate what they did, it just seems pointless to me, unless you are making a living out of it, like the Bootleg Beatles etc.
You know when you release a song here, and everyone loves it? well there should be no surprise then, when you come to play it live and everyone loves it out there.
The other thing I used to teach my students was how too perform, how to really deliver your song with passion, this makes a difference to the audience, a limp delivery is a missed opportunity, if it's your song and you believe in it, the audience will know...
Put yet another way...You take ages to write a song, perfect it, record it, produce it, release it, practise performing it until you are proud of it, then off you go and play live with someone else songs, Why?
In all honesty, I think a mix of your own material and a well arranged covers that fit the set is a winning combo (you see it often at top band's gigs), something off the wall, such as a Reggae version of Glenn Millers Pennsylvania 6-5000, or an acoustic Bossa Nova version of Motorhead's Ace of Spades, something to cause a reaction...
I reckon @PaulyX (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21034) could play a whole set of covers I wouldn't know any of 'em, such is his huge knowledge of bands, so why not play your own stuff.
Rich
That is a great argument. I guess what I am feeling is that I haven't played live for a while, so a) am I confident to do it, especially if it's basically solo and b) will anyone want to hear it. Although the balance of some covers is really interesting.
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I 100% agree with @cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) on this topic.
Personally at the moment I don't have the guts or the talent to play live just by myself (massive respect to you guys that do...), but when I watch anyone else I totally want to hear their music / what they have to say. If I wanted to hear songs I already knew by other people played as carbon copies of the original version, I've got Spotify... what's the point in being at a gig? I guess the only exception for me would be things like 'wedding functions' where the band is basically replacing a DJ and people just wanna dance.
I'd play your own stuff Pete... at the most 1 or 2 covers, done interestingly, like CPM says. No idea if that is a majority view, but it'd keep me listening at your gig for sure.
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I 100% agree with @cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) on this topic.
Personally at the moment I don't have the guts or the talent to play live just by myself (massive respect to you guys that do...), but when I watch anyone else I totally want to hear their music / what they have to say. If I wanted to hear songs I already knew by other people played as carbon copies of the original version, I've got Spotify... what's the point in being at a gig? I guess the only exception for me would be things like 'wedding functions' where the band is basically replacing a DJ and people just wanna dance.
I'd play your own stuff Pete... at the most 1 or 2 covers, done interestingly, like CPM says. No idea if that is a majority view, but it'd keep me listening at your gig for sure.
don't worry about talent, that never stopped most top 10 artists with a fantastic producer...
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I 100% agree with @cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) on this topic.
Personally at the moment I don't have the guts or the talent to play live just by myself (massive respect to you guys that do...), but when I watch anyone else I totally want to hear their music / what they have to say. If I wanted to hear songs I already knew by other people played as carbon copies of the original version, I've got Spotify... what's the point in being at a gig? I guess the only exception for me would be things like 'wedding functions' where the band is basically replacing a DJ and people just wanna dance.
I'd play your own stuff Pete... at the most 1 or 2 covers, done interestingly, like CPM says. No idea if that is a majority view, but it'd keep me listening at your gig for sure.
I feel the same, confidence and talent, and probably in that order. I think I have the talent but the confidence issue makes me think I don't. It was alway easier as part of a band where it wasn't all me!
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I hope you are all keeping well,folks.
On topic,it all depends on why you do it.
If playing live is a source of income you better be playing what your customers want to hear,otherwise you won't be eating.
The folk out there who want to be entertained have no patience at all with unknown musicians who plays songs they don't know,as has been mentioned it's difficult enough for an established act to win over an audience who are there primarily to hear the hits.
If it's not a source of income,it doesn't matter,you are probably well used to playing for little or no money and the gigs can be used as a means of getting your face/music out there.
From a personal perspective,I'm like Boydie I kept the two separate. Covers for work and my own stuff recorded at home. (at least I did before I stopped doing both) ;D
I played in one band which mixed the two and while we were busy enough and young/stupid enough not to be worried about little financial reward,you could see the punter's eyes glaze over when you offered up a self penned track. I'm completely well aware that in comparison to the hits,our songs were nowhere close to being good enough anyway,but that's another debate.
I earned good money playing in a wedding/functions band,but that's not about music,it's about being a backdrop to the occasion and providing a noise they can dance to,or ignore if they wish to. It's soul destroying for anyone who values music,but a dose of real world medicine anyway. If they have enough stimulants on board,they will dance to a car alarm. The money is king.
Again from a personal view,I don't 'know' any of my songs and would need to learn them before taking them live. I haven't written or played anything for over a year now,but when I was writing and recording,I finished a track then moved on to the next. I never ever played or listened to it again. I couldn't even tell you what key or pitch they are in,nor remember a single lyric line.
Davy.
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I could not agree more @Skub (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20061)
If you are being booked as “entertainment” (weddings, functions etc.) then I think it is fair to say the expectation is covers
If you are booked as “you, the artist” - then that is the chance to showcase your songs
Pubs are an interesting in-between, where most bands would play covers but I think if you have some”high energy” originals then it is worth giving them an airing - unless it is a weeknight/open mic
Another option is to hook up with a band and play your originals in the break
When our very own @James Nighthawk (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=15948) was promoting his album we invited him to play in the break of our covers gig with some of his acoustic numbers
This worked really well as we had warmed the crowd up with a set of covers, which (IMHO) made them more receptive to listening to originals
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Very accurate and honest reply @Skub (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20061) . I also only vaguely know my songs as I don't play them that much after recording them, although I am trying a bit of that at the moment as I want to see if I can very them slightly when played solo and acoustically but that's another topic altogether.
I'm not interested in playing for money, way past that but @Boydie's suggestion of playing in the break of a covers set sounds good.
Pete
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I just wondered that now live music is coming back into our lives, do any of you play your own songs live?
Simple answer: no. That would require a band and I don't have one and don't want one, been there, done that, done with it. And live is overrated anyway if you asked me, never enjoyed doing it and never enjoyed attending. But then I'm a control freak so ... :-) :-)
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@Boydie (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18510) - Totally agree, the venue determines the punters, which determines the set. @Jambrains (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=19875) - You surprise me Johann, I would have put you down as jumping at the opportunity to play your stuff live, and relishing it when you were playing.
I think I'll just pop along to open mic nights, when it's sensible to do so, seems to me the least agro in playing live.
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When I was gigging, I dont't anymore, I played mostly covers and just sprinkled a few of my own in so as not to lose the audience but yet still get my stuff out there. Seemed to work ok, just a matter of balance,
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In my absence from the forum, I've reconeccted with my roots. I always used to write on acoustic guitar but became so used to being a studio musician that I hardly ever rehearsed. I couldn't remember how to play most of the songs that I had polished in the DAW
environment that I had become so familiar with, essentially using it as a songwriting tool. For the last few months, I've really enjoyed learning a collection of songs, 23 in total. I'm not far off being ready to play live though perhaps, I never will. There isn't any urgency but I at least feel like an all round 'real' songwriter once again.
Wicked
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I've only done one gig since covid19. I really miss it but I don't miss playing some of the grotier pubs and clubs. I would love to put together a gritty rock n roll band and give it another roll of the dice with my original songs, but I just don't think there's an audience for it. They want covers and I'm tired of doing them. We have a couple of acoustic gigs later in the year and much of that set will be original material but that's only an occasional thing. I'm really enjoying writing and recording these days. :)
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Interesting that this got resurrected! I'm with you Chris, they want covers and I either don't want to play them or they don't want to hear the ones I like.
But like @Wicked deeds (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22916) I grew too comfortable in front of the DAW so I too have been re learning my own songs and converting them into acoustic versions. Still not sure I'll ever play them to anyone (probably lost my nerve these days) but it changes the fun element.