Have you ever seen a band do this?

Flamencology said:
Depends entirely on the level of musicianship of the band members, 100%.
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I've never heard the song, so I just listened. If you can't get a passable version of that tune down in a week, you probably shouldn't be gigging. Unless your drummer is absolute garbage, then again, you probably shouldn't be gigging. Mind you, I am saying passable, not a full blown horns, keys with dance moves :grin: That song is a perfect tune you can just pull off because of the sparse instrumentation.
 
cvogue said:
Song list was created by the singer and given to venues without broaching it with the band to verify that we could pull it off. Eventually we could I think, I brought in a keyboard for the horns and we could rock it up.

Of course this lack of communication is a different issue...
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Singers. :rolleyes:
 
cvogue said:
This would be a situation where it would be a special thing to start a set... rest of the band wouldn't be on stage. I hear you, no way I'm going to stand around with my thumb up my ass while this goes on... more like go hide under a rock. :(
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Seen that too...it was also kinda strange because it felt very disconnected from the rest of the set
 
I briefly considered using backing tracks for some songs on the new CD, but decided against it. It just feels too hokey to me.

If it is uncool for me, it must be uncool for a band, :grin:
 
cvogue said:
This would be a situation where it would be a special thing to start a set... rest of the band wouldn't be on stage. I hear you, no way I'm going to stand around with my thumb up my ass while this goes on... more like go hide under a rock. :(
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If you absolutely have to do it, at the beginning of a break, everybody but the singer walks off, press play.
 
I've seen some bands in our area using a "filler track" of extra keys and vocals... and then the whole band plays to the track. Personally, I don't care for it. It's not lip syncing but it's still more going into your ears than what's being performed on stage which takes the joy out of LIVE music for me.

We play the song and it's not a tough one if the singer knows all the words and can signal where the breaks happen.
 
baimun said:
I've seen some bands in our area using a "filler track" of extra keys and vocals... and then the whole band plays to the track. Personally, I don't care for it. It's not lip syncing but it's still more going into your ears than what's being performed on stage which takes the joy out of LIVE music for me.

We play the song and it's not a tough one if the singer knows all the words and can signal where the breaks happen.
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There are few times I've seen that done and it wasn't so bad. It was more stabs of other instruments or short pieces within the context of the song rather than parts that lasted the entire song. Not quite triggered sample, but not a full on backing or filler track.
Now that I've typed all of that out, I guess it was more like what a dj would do to mix in stuff on the fly, but it was parts of an actual song that the rest of the band was playing rather than a piece unto itself.

I think I'm rambling.... and for the life of me I can't remember the song. I remember the band that did it because I try to avoid seeing them if I can help it. They are great at what they do, but I don't enjoy most of what they do.
I need more coffee.
 
Chad said:
I don't know how much other work you guys have on the rest of your set, but how hard could it be to get a song ready in a week? Strip it down a little if need be, this is going to be a drunken bar not the Enormodome. Put towards the end of the set when everyone is good and housed and take a whack at it. You want to make the bar owner happy.
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This^^^
And also what Flamencology said...I personally don't need to hear every detail. This is a bar room rock band playing to a bunch of drunks. Don't get me wrong, I always want to do the best I (we) can with all of the material, but I don't sweat the small stuff that nobody is going miss.
Most people don't notice what isn't there....it's when you try to cram it all in and it becomes a jumbled mess....that's when people notice.
 
gtrjunior said:
This^^^
And also what Flamencology said...I personally don't need to hear every detail. This is a bar room rock band playing to a bunch of drunks. Don't get me wrong, I always want to do the best I (we) can with all of the material, but I don't sweat the small stuff that nobody is going miss.
Most people don't notice what isn't there....it's when you try to cram it all in and it becomes a jumbled mess....that's when people notice.
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Good points.

Take the song and arrange it for your band. Make it your own. Most people won't miss the parts left out.
My friends' do songs with keys and there's no keyboard player in the band. The keyboard solos that stand out in the song are done on guitar.
When I heard it, I didn't catch it at first. It just sounded right. When I heard the original on the radio, it hit me.
Think The Cars with no keys, but two guitarists.
 
dodgechargerfan said:
Good points.

Take the song and arrange it for your band. Make it your own. Most people won't miss the parts left out.
My friends' do songs with keys and there's no keyboard player in the band. The keyboard solos that stand out in the song are done on guitar.
When I heard it, I didn't catch it at first. It just sounded right. When I heard the original on the radio, it hit me.
Think The Cars with no keys, but two guitarists.
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We do that now with a Cars song and also on Rebel Yell, other guitarist handles the keyboard parts on his guitar.

Uptown Funk is a little different, if you want to stay semi true to the original you need horns/keys. Someone said "make it your own" and I'd love to do that, there are some rocking versions out there with just guitars/bass/drums.

Part of the issue (as someone else brought up) is that we need to tighten up a LOT of other songs before this gig so spending a lot of time on this one song isn't such a good idea IMO. There's too much work to do outside of UT!
 
dodgechargerfan said:
Good points.

Take the song and arrange it for your band. Make it your own. Most people won't miss the parts left out.
My friends' do songs with keys and there's no keyboard player in the band. The keyboard solos that stand out in the song are done on guitar.
When I heard it, I didn't catch it at first. It just sounded right. When I heard the original on the radio, it hit me.
Think The Cars with no keys, but two guitarists.
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Most Cars songs had two guitars, AND keys...

Sent from Crab Nebulae via reverse engineered alien technology
 
OGG said:
Most Cars songs had two guitars, AND keys...

Sent from Crab Nebulae via reverse engineered alien technology
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Yep, but the parts that are particularly keys, they do with a guitar.

They basically arrange it so that you hear all of the "oh that's that song" essential elements from the guitar and keys parts - for two guitars.
One guy does have an EHX C9 Organ machine but that's not what they use for those parts.
 
smurfco said:
Unless you are They Might Be Giants in the 80s or The Flaming Lips circa 1999 - 2002 then a band playing along to backing tracks is lame. Especially at a bar. Especially for Uptown Funk.

I agree with you - learn the song as a band or scrap it.
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and the Lips absolutely KILLED it.
 
Had a friend do this at a wedding for one of the official dances. I don't remember the specifics, but it was something the band could not pull off (because it had a full orchestra or something). She gave the bride the option of the band doing a new arrangement for it, just playing the original recording through the PA, or her singing to the track. But for a bar gig, I'd either drop it or attempt it, train wreck be damned
 
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