@Honkin..... you made me laugh out loud ---------- The WV State Harmonica Championship at The Diamond Teeth Mary Blues Festival Aug 27th & 28th 2011, Huntington,WV
There have been a few passionate threads on the topic. I think you should dress to project an image, but that image may not necessarily require looking better than the audience. Stage style seems to run in cycles. What's considered proper attire eventually starts to look old and stuffy, so the kids start to hate that look and anything associated with it. They grow their hair long and go all hippy on you. Then that hippy long hair turns into big HAIR and disco. Disco goes out of style and hard rockers start wearing leather. Then they get big HAIR. Hair metal dies. It's replaced by Grunge, and if you are doing grunge you definitely don't want to look 'better' than the audience. Fortunately, as a group, it looks like there aren't many of us who could do big hair without a wig (maybe Adam excluded!).
Match your signifiers with the audience you are trying to reach. I saw Tori Amos in concert on two occasions. The first time was her first big tour... she wore blue jeans and rocked out. The second time she had all sorts of crazy outfits. The audience had gone from a mix of men and women to almost all women empowerment festival. The place was still packed, but it was a very different show. I enjoyed the first one a lot more. Maybe I'm more of a hippy-grunge type. It all depends on the type of audience you are trying to reach.
Actually, I'll confess: we always turn out suited and booted. In fact last month we played in full evening dress at the request of the (rather upmarket) golf-club whose Summer Ball we were booked for (and that wasn't the first time the dicky bows had seen action).
JoeLeeBush is 100% on the money on this one. If you look like a raggedy-arsed bunch, you'll get treated like one. That Golf Club Ball was a pretty lucrative gig - they wouldn't have had us in jeans and Tees.
Touring Working Men's clubs, I've seen some pretty dire acts - Phoenix Nights is a documentary I swear! - but one thing was common to all those seasoned entertainers, no matter how naff their performance/material was. They all had the on-stage patter and they all looked like they were playing Las Vegas and not the local Miner's Welfare Club. Take heed, you are not just there to play music.
I agree with Nate's last sentence. In and around my town in South East London, there aren't any venues I can think of where snappy dressing wouldn't be over-dressing.
As for jams - which I think was the context of the OP's original thread - most of the jammers are the audience.
Still, I agree that a pro band at a classy function should be suited and booted. ---------- YouTube SlimHarpMick
I come from the Austin alt scene and I have to say, back in the day I wore some pretty wacky stuff in previous musical incarnations (punk singer, stage dancer for funk band comedy relief harp player in a rock band).
Back then in that scene it was literally anything goes so we were always coming up with absurd or just plain bad taste stuff from thrift stores etc.
I love that and always will. But I have to say, since entering the blues world I dress reasonably sharp.
I did it the first day I chose to show up at a blues jam in Austin, having heard the opinions of many seasoned vets on the subject. I did it to get whatever respect I could coming out of the gate as a brand new face.
Whether it was the clothes or not I don't know, but that first night the house bands harp player let me have half the night on his rig, and yes he dresses sharp.
Now I consider it my brand as a harp player. I've considered being more dressed down at casual stuff, but it feels weird now.
I'm not sure where Jason Ricci fits into all this. I guess the word "better" needs to be interpreted somewhat freely. If you mean "more upscale," then no, I don't agree that that is 100% of the time the proper attire for a blues musician. There's a rock aesthetic, one that Jason clearly embraced, which says, "Be a trend setter; push the envelope." Sometimes this meant, for example, showing up with hair that looked as though you'd just fallen out of bed.
At some black blues shows in Memphis, the audience is at least as tricked-out as the performers. And I've certainly seen a fair share of touring blues sidemen who favor the black-jeans-and-Midnight-Cowboy-shiny-black-shirt-with-snap-cuffs look. They don't necessarily look BETTER than their audience, but their style of dress says "Musician!" I'm talking about a kind of slightly grungy Memphis white-boy blues look.
Take a look at Mike Lenz. Go to the following website and scroll down.
http://www.musiccleveland.com/live-bands13.html
This is what I'd call the no-nonsense blues look. Faded black jeans and dark work shirt. I don't have any problem with it.
I think that James Cotton, dressed down in ratty old faded blue jeans and a sweat-soaked t-shirt, took the casual look too far. I like the way John Hammond Jr. dresses: dark brown dress slacks and a black polo shirt. Actually, he's got a range of looks, including some pretty dressed-up looks, but I think he's got a good sense of style:
I have been busking for a few months now, and recently started wearing a pinstripe suit I have left over from my work days. Once when I was dressed in just jeans and a button-up shirt, a drunk woman babbled on the phone how she was listening to "two homeless guys playing music on the street." She must have struck a raw nerve somewhere. It helps me mentally prepare to do my thing in public. I am naturally pathologically shy, but the suit alllows me to adopt a persona of blues guy. When I put on the suit, it's business time, and helps me get down to it. It also helps when I need to pop into a 5-star hotel to take a leak. And I must say, a bunch of people have said "love the suit". In casual Sydney, it certainly makes you stand out from the crowd.
It helps mey ex-colleagues/competitors/customers recognise me as they rush past on the street.
I have 800+ neckties mainly bought at second-hand shops, and this gets them an airing.
Dunno what I'm going to do when summer comes and it's 35 degrees C though!
I agree with Harmonica Mick about the "suited and booted" requirement if one is playing a classy function. Yes. If you're playing the sort of wedding where people are dressed way up, then the Memphis grunge/blues look is misguided--although Jon Paris, a guitarist/harpist in NYC, seems to wear the same uniform no matter the venue: tight black jeans, black t-shirt, Converse All-Star hightops. The Richard Hell and the Voidoids look. The Lou Reed look. But I'd dress sharper than that.
Context is important. Cotton dressed waaaaaaaaaay down when he did that as a way of connecting with his audience, at a time when the blues scene was a hippie scene.
Paul Oscher is an interesting figure who deserves to be injected into this particular conversation. He used to dress up, sorta. Now he dresses like Bullworth. It's a striking transformation. Here's the Bullworth getup:
He's found his own style. It's not my style, but I'd be the first to say: cool stuff. If ANY harp guy out there has the right to dress up like the old Muddy Waters band, it's Paul, but he's chosen to go with an entirely different look, a sort of badass Father Time. He's not dressing above or below his audience. His just projecting some edge, and that's always a good thing.
It's been a while, but one more than one occasion I've seen James Cotton dressed in a suit. He would sweat through them and he used to change them during the breaks. There were times when he would dress very sharp. I've also seen him dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
Dress how you want to dress. If I care about where I am going, I dress nicely.
Bronzewailer, I like your story. It's all about connecting with the audience. People, as a rule, like street musicians more than homeless people. We are taught to encourage good behavior (being a professional, even if it's just 'a musician') and discourage bad behavior (begging). Hopefully, when you are playing a coffee house or a bar the social cues, like a stage, help them understand you aren't begging.
I run a small songwriters' circle at a local ice cream parlor. We are there 2 Monday's a month. We sit on the comfy couches instead of the little stage area and sometimes we get dirty looks from the other patrons because we don't look like anything formally authorized by the management (we actually are). Maybe it's just comfy couch envy. They like it more when we are just playing. I think it frustrates them that we stop and start all the time. That's the problem with playing new songs.
Oh well. Another good social cue I learned involves tip jars. Always seed the tip jar. It's a variation of a technique I learned going door to door back when I worked for a charity. If people only see nickels and quarters they think that is the appropriate tip. If they see stuff that folds they are more likely to put in stuff that folds. Put a mix in, so people are encouraged to donate what they can. A ten, a twenty, a couple fives, some ones and some change. Experiment. :)
When a person in the audiance looks at the performer on stage, and imagines themselve as the one on stage, the performer has connected.
How you dress is part of the process. How you dress for the performance will be dictated by the venue. There is more to the performance than just playing music.
---------- The WV State Harmonica Championship at The Diamond Teeth Mary Blues Festival Aug 27th & 28th 2011, Huntington,WV
Thanks Nate. Looking at the double takes of people I used to know in the business world is priceless.
Will try seeding the tip jar next time. BTW, a guy came out once with a bowl and took half my takings and put them in the bowl. I said, 'excuse me, what are you doing?' He indictad in limited English that I would do better if I had two jars spread far apart. I am using two 'jars' (bright red square melamine bowls that are visible in low light ). I don't know if having two helps or just confuses people. Any opinions?
Yeah. I think people are reluctant to encroach into 'your' space so the further the jar the easier to approach? Also, if they are walking past, it gives them a second chance to donate.
The guys with the huge sidewalk art canvases place jars all around the art work, I've noticed.
Sometimes I leave just one out, especially if I am in a small place...
while not referring specifically to dress, a friend of mine once told me: "when you walk into the room, everybody there should know you're a musician". this includes presence, dress, attitude, etc. think professionalism.
my stage look has evolved over time, and noe is generally dark wash jeans, black rock band T (govt mule, tuna, floyd, etc), black long or short sleeve over that (depending on weather), black hat (fedora, leather ivy, etc). in hot weather i'll sometimes go with a black polo shirt and possibly longish cargo shorts. in cold weather i'll sometimes add a black leather or silk blazer.
i switched from my usual scruffy jeans to the dark wash ones at the suggestion from a singer at one of our gigs. i was surprised at how much sharper it looked.
Last Edited by on Aug 20, 2011 6:13 PM
Garry, I like the way you've synthesized our various viewpoints in the voice of your friend. Yes, that's a great guideline: "everybody there should know you're a musician." How you accomplish that may vary, but the general idea is sound.
I'll add one small proviso: When you walk into the room, you should feel completely comfortable in your own skin--dressed as however you're dressed. Nothing can substitute for this. If you're costumed, it should be a costume that is second nature to you, not one that is so much at odds with your daily getup that some palpable proportion of your inner attention is devoted, Narcissus-like, to watching yourself enter the room as Mr. Costumed Bluesman Extraordinaire. People will recognize you as the musician you are when your attention-grabbing dress is something you wear lightly, as though this getup IS who you are. (Dennis Gruenling has a fondness for flashy footwear, but it's just part of who he is these days; his playing is what counts, and he knows and feels that, and WE know and feel it as a result The footwear then simply adds to the effect, rather than substituting for what isn't quite there musically.) That's why Jason's look works for him: he doesn't waste one iota of his attention noticing that his hair is tied up in weird shapes. Same with Oscher's non-standard getup. He's been a badass player so long he can wear whatever the f--- he wants to wear. That in itself is a statement that communicates to the audience.
If you decided that you're unable to play this gig unless you wear a Panama hat, and if your attention is partly devoted, as you walk into the room, to the looks being drawn by that Panama hat, you're a neophyte. You know you've arrived when the hat--for you, at least--is just a hat, part of the scenery you carry with you.
The first time you wear the hat, of course, you're a faker. You're a pretend-bluesman. Everybody is the first few times.
I wore a hat early on in Harlem, playing the streets, then put it away once I was strong enough just to be present as myself, without a hat. Later, that first winter, I added a beret. Let that go, too.
When I did my Crossroad video, I took the hat off the shelf where it had been sitting all that time. No big deal. It felt like an old friend, and it gave me a certain amount of license to jump around, but when I took it off, I didn't feel as though I'd taken off my Power.
Last Edited by on Aug 20, 2011 8:35 PM
Here comes the resident contrarian again to dispute a few things (which will change nobody), but it's still a forum where opinions can be stated. This is my opinion, based on long years of experience at trying to stay employed by rich people. (and before anyone rags off on the rich, I will ask "who wants to work for a bunch of brokes who can't make payroll?") I disagree with your statement, Adam, that: "Same with Oscher's non-standard getup. He's been a badass player so long he can wear whatever the f--- he wants to wear. That in itself is a statement that communicates to the audience." He has been a badass player so long ONLY AMONG OTHER harmonica players! The public at large does not care one iota about harmonica players and how baaaaaad they are. Walk out in any city and start asking 500 people at random who Paul Oscher is or who Jason Ricci is or anybody except maybe Musselwhite, and I am betting that (unless you're very lucky) not a soul will know who they are. Perhaps we (and I am guilty of this myself at times) are attaching a sentimental reverence to harmonica players that the rest of the world could care less about? Maybe we're too close to the forest to really see the trees. There are blues shows that if Ricci or Oescher or you or even a nobody like me showed up for a performance "making a statement" with our attire, the lot of us would be thrown out on our ear. On the other hand, if we'd dressed differently, we might have been invited to sit at the main table with the big shots and been regaled with adoring questions from top action honeys about "how do you do that...it sounds wonderful"...etc etc etc. In addition to getting more bookings at premium rates. I said, I meant it....now everyone can attack at will. Regards, Me
---------- www.reverbnation.com/thejoeleebushbluesgroup www.joeleebushshow.com "If you think you can or if you think you can't...you are right"
Pretty much agree with joeleebush. One observation though, both Ricci and oscher are to an extent "player's players" and will draw a greater number of harp players to their gigs.
being dressed as a musician, whatever an individual may think that is, will only get you so far. that point may be just to the stage. but eventually you're gonna have to play. and all the cool attire or attitude you may be wearing like a second skin aint gonna impress one person if you aint got skills to back it up! i've been to open jams where a harp player wears the bandoliers full of harps. always impressive. but as soon as he get 1/2 way into a song the act is over; you see the little man behind the curtain. i think you guys are putting too much weight into a superficial and subjective trait. what you may think makes you look like a true bluesman, even if that has been your normal way of dressing since 2nd grade, may be coming off as a wannabe to others. i will now go put on my blues costume for todays gig. going with the bowling shirt, fedora, harp necklace and, if the sun comes out, dark sunglasses. but i may fall back to shorts and t-shirt.
Joelee, it comes down to the show audience. Sure, if you show up at a country club wearing jeans with holes in them you are going to get bounced out. At a folk festival? Well, you could probably dress either way. At some venues though all you'll do is alienate the crowd, or at best appeal only to the hipsters.
I guess it depends on the type of show you are trying to get too. I'd rather not sit at the 'main table'. I'd rather sit in back with the rest of the musicians and reprobates and keep my street cred. :)
If i have learned ONE thing, it is this: if you have a spare tire for a waist, wear a loose fitting shirt when playing, not a t-shirt. When someone posts the inevitable video and your stomach is jiggling along with the beat, you will wish you listened to me.
When I put on a dress shirt, silver cufflinks, smart trousers and polished shoes for a gig it is not because I am pretending to be a 'bluesman', it is for two very simple reasons:
1. Because I recognise that audiences go to 'see' a band. Visuals is a huge part of performance. I would rather go to watch a band that cares what they look like: a band that invites the audience to dance through their own onstage movement and understands the importance of effective lighting. It is true that audience perception will vary according to the genre, but you'd be incredibly naive if you thought that Metallica and Foo Fighters do not have their own stylists. Image is as carefully constructed as any other aspect of product design.
2. Since we as a band made the decision to have a dress code, we've gone from £200 gigs to £1000 gigs. The music hasn't changed. You dress serious and you're taken seriously.
In some ways i am lucky. We are a pirate band. we are expected to dress like pirates. Ironically when we first started doing shows outside of the ren faire venue and going into vars and such we did try it in plain clothes. Didn't work at all. For us the dress is the gimmick. although these days I like to tell people that my 'costume' is what I wear at my day job :)
mvl is dead on about dressing better increasing your worth.
but i think he is off the mark about people coming to see bands. most folks are there to socialize (watch your volume) and try to find a mate (even if it is for 1 nite). unless, of course, you are a well known act.
Maybe I play a different kind of gig to you eharp, but when we play we are the focus of the attention. People are looking at us, (hopefully) talking about us - or at least the music we're playing, (definitely) dancing to our music - sure their motives are probably far earthier, we are there to facilitate that. It's all fuelled by alcohol and that's why clubs put live music on.
My point was that if you pay no attention to the visuals, you are no better than a jukebox.
not to start an argument, but you could be the center of attention because the music is too loud. this aint directed solely to you and you band, mvl. the majority of live music is waaay to loud. sure, folks may be coming to the bar and dancing, but they could just as easily do that to a jukebox. and if people here are concerned about visuals, how is the groups dynamics and stage presence? by dynamics, i am not referring to the sound dynamics but the interaction between band members. and for god's sake, would guitar players look at something besides their frets! think- are you putting on a show or just playing music, which the jukebox could do better and cheaper? i aint saying you gotta get the pyrotechnics and light show going or have the guitar player do his angus young imitation, but play to the audience a little! get some groove going in your own bad self! show them that you are really enjoying playing FOR THEM!
Well, now I cannot disagree with any of that - that is the point I was making. We turned a £200 a night 'raggy arsed' pub band into a £1000 a night show band by focussing on what the audience wants - not by selfish, self indulgent notions of being 'serious musos' who just play what they want with no regard for the punters.
It starts with caring how you look, but all those other things you mention went through a process of critical evaluation. We threw out half our set, we videotaped ourselves to see things from the audience perspective. We employed our own soundman who knows our gear and understands how we want to sound. We invested in stage lighting. We took any gig we were offered from small pubs to corporate parties and approached everyone the same, whether I'm up close and sweaty with the dancers literally inches from me or whether I'm six feet in the air on a high stage at a festival it makes no difference - we put on the same show. Sure it's easier to interact with the crowd when they are right in front of you and I still prefer that kind of gig.
We still turn out for lower paying gigs - mostly as a favour to some decent landlords who had faith in us and kept us on rotation.
We aren't God's gift to music or to the opposite sex. Any band could do what we did.
Some benefits to dressing so you are identified as the entertainer... you are taking a leak at a break and the guy next to you says hey.. you are the harp player, love the show.. or you walk by and smile at a pretty woman and she smiles back at the guy playing up front, not some creep that is trying to pick her up. or most importantly the barkeep gives you the free drinks no question and you don't have to go with the awkward.. "so i am with the band.. we are comped right?"
One point is missing here, when Ricci starts playing it does not matter what he is wearing. He is such a strong performer, nobody has any question who he is and forgets who he is for that evening.. Very few players put out that kind of skill, energy and raw emotion. We all would like to think we are that good, but very few are.
It would be nice if we were all oblivious to looks of any kind, fat/thin, black/white, short/tall, but reality falls short of ideals. Am I wrong in thinking it's a bit like the animal kingdom? The males (and it seems this is mainly a male thing) usually have the best 'plumage' -- think lions, peacocks, for example. Nice 'threads' are some kind of signifier as to health, fecundity etc. I believe the philosophers of ZZ Top may have made mention of how one's appearance may have a meritorious impact on members of the opposite sex...
