Recreating an album on stage

In a multi-track recording of an album in its simplest form, it has only the same number of recorded tracks as there are people to play instruments.  This means that we're looking at the basics of drums, bass, guitar, keys, vocals, and any other instrumentalists you want to include.  Each of these instruments would get its own track in the recording that you can then use to mix together to create an environment around the music that best suits it.  This could mean creating an intimate venue for an acoustic performance, or a concert hall for an orchestra.

This is not how many recordings are released, though.  Most will have layered vocal tracks providing multiple harmonies, perhaps multiple guitar tracks to create a broader musical arrangement, string pads, or other sampled instruments to create a wider dynamic range.  So the question becomes, after going through the process of creating a detailed and intricate mix in the studio, how can you recreate the album on stage?

Most artists, in the internet and social media age, are discovered by the majority of their fan base through a recording, either streamed, downloaded, or shared by a friend, not a live performance anymore.  This way of discovering new music has a tendency to create a certain expectation when you hear that band.  You go into a show wanting to hear your favorite track performed live, but if the production was too sophisticated and layered that becomes very hard to duplicate.  So how do you keep your fans happy while still taking into account that a high quality production will help draw more people to you?

There are 3 ways that I've seen this done well that are generally accepted:

1.     Hire more musicians to play the extra parts.  Sure, your track may have 3-4 guitar tracks that layer themselves in the recording, so why not hire at least one extra guitar player to help you pull it off and make the live performance a little bigger and more dynamic?  This way, of course, generally takes a little extra cash to be able to pay these musicians, which isn't always available.

2.     Focus on the simplified version of the song.  Namely, lose the layers.  John Popper is one of the guiltiest musicians when it comes to plugging in massive amounts of layered vocal tracks.  Many times he's not even singing the same lyrics or melodies.  So how does he do this live?  He picks the main vocal line and sticks with it.  Understanding the separation of the recording and live performance and how to do each can be an art in and of itself.  So when you're on stage, find a way to keep it simple.

3.     Digitize/automate the extra tracks.  This can be seen as a way of lip-syncing for musicians and some might look down upon it, but it will allow you to create those multiple layers and would be one of the most accurate ways of duplicating the album as you can use the exact same digital tracks as were used during the recording.

I'm not going to state which of these is better than the others because the fact remains that it is completely dependent on your budget, the type of music you're playing, the venue you're playing, and the engineer you're working with as to what the best solution may be.

I bring this up only as a cautionary point to those young musicians that are planning to put out their early materials.  If a young engineer tries to talk you into getting overly complicated in the production, and if your goals are gigs and exposure, then create something that you can repeat as close to the original recordings as possible.  You are getting out there early in your career and are using these materials to grow your mind share with the fans.  Give them the same experience away from your performance that they can get at one of your shows.  This will keep them coming back for more as your career and materials develop and improve.  Don't sell your fans a production; sell them who you are as an artist and performer while creating music that demonstrates that and let the fans flock to that. 

Great song or Great Engineer?

What would you rather have:  

A great song that tugs at people, drawing them into the music and evokes emotions connecting the listener to you and your music

OR

A great production that has the music jumping out and wrapping itself around the head of your listeners with balance and proper blending that focuses their attention on the nuances that are within? 

Of course in a dream world, you could have both of these, but that is a much harder prospect to come by, so let's examine the benefits of both.

I once heard it said, (and I'm paraphrasing here) "I've never heard a shitty band sound so good."  

How you look at that statement is generally going to be reflective of what you want your take away to be.  If you look at that statement and emphasize the "sound so good" portion, you definitely are doing your best to remain optimistic that someone thought you sounded good.  But you are ignoring a very important part in that they called you a shitty band.  A shitty band or song with a great production behind it may only emphasize and expose all the flaws, mistakes, and issues that a band has.

By the same turn, a great band or song can have issues overcoming a terrible mix.  The best example of this is hearing a band’s album and thinking that the music was just decent but not exceptional.  Then you go and see the act perform live and the music just has a whole new life to it that leaves you humming your new favorite tune as you exit the show. 

This is one of the most common examples where a bad production can actually hurt good songwriting and performance. 

Good songwriting can overcome a poor production, but poor songwriting will only be more exposed by a bad production.  

The reason that I'm emphasizing the idea of good songwriting vs. good production is because in the modern age of the home studio, artists sometimes get too attached to their music and aren’t able to let it breathe beyond their vision or get too caught up in the production aspects causing them to forget why they wrote the song in the first place.  

A good song will carry an artist no matter how high quality the production may be.  So musicians out there, please, focus on your craft.  Emphasize the playing and the writing.  The production can be simple and the song will speak for itself.  Use the talents that you have to create a high quality product, and when the time and opportunity come, get the high quality engineer to take it to the next level.  But never forget, it all starts with you and your songs, the production is secondary.

I Didn't Pay to be Insulted

When did it become a trend for new musical artists to force sarcasm to prove that they were clever or funny or edgy? 

 

I recently attended an independent singer/songwriter showcase of young artists (who shall remain unnamed) and witnessed something that I can only describe as the least professional stage presence I have ever seen. 

The first artist was extremely shy and forthcoming about it as she flat out stated that she was going to allow the audience to command her songs for the evening and would only pretend to look at her song list as a delay tactic until someone shouted out a request.  Now, I can understand that in an intimate venue like we were in (about 50 attendees) this was a great way to involve the audience, but to stand on stage without having done any preparation as to what songs you want to use to convey who you are as an artist to those that might not be familiar with your music just demonstrates to me that you’re not interested in commanding your audience while you’re on stage. 

This performer sang every song from beginning to end with her eyes closed, which never helps when you’re trying to connect with your audience.  I’ll write off a lot of this to just generally being young and inexperienced and needing someone to help her overcome all that by encouraging her and pushing her to believe in what it is that she’s doing.  However, the second artist committed stage sins that I just can’t fathom (as someone that has been both a band leader and a side man). 

She began her set by commenting on the fact that she prefers to have a microphone on stage because it allows her a physical item that demonstrates she’s better than her audience.  Between each song there would be a 2-5 min diatribe about either the origins of the song, or just banter between her and the audience.  These chat sessions would involve comments that were continually demeaning nearly driving me to leave, had I only driven myself to this show.  My “favorite” part of this was that after continually trying to show how witty she was by sarcastically insulting her audience, she then asked continually for them to support her by purchasing her CDs or other merchandise. 

All I could do was think to myself throughout her performance, you honestly expect me to spend more money on you?! You’ve shown a complete and utter lack of appreciation for those that paid money to come here and see you perform by a) insulting us and b) not actually performing for your entire allotted time because you had an overwhelming desire to chat.  So essentially, I’ve gotten to see 50% of your show because you elected to not do what I had expected you to do, which was sing, but you want me to support your career?  It’s artists like you that have no appreciation for those that have come before you or the audience that has worked hard to be able to afford to see you perform.  In essence, shut your mouth unless you intend to sing.  If I wanted to see a comedian I would have paid to see stand up.  I wanted to see some new up-and-coming singer/songwriters that had talent and drive.  Instead I saw young artists that have developed an unjustified overinflated ego about their value as a musician. 

And this is my message to young artists out there everywhere: you used to be a dime a dozen and now it’s probably closer to a dime per 50 – appreciate the fact that people are spending their hard earned money on you.  In the current state of the economy expendable cash is less and less in everyone’s pockets.  Don’t act like you deserve the attention more than anyone else out there, be thankful and grateful for the opportunity allotted you for the chance to play and be paid at all.  You’ve earned that right by being talented, and each show is a new opportunity to show people just how talented you are while being exceptionally humble about the fact that they are there to appreciate you.  Never forget that your career can be over in seconds if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time.  So please, keep playing, keep developing, and strive to create something new everyday, and appreciate the fact that someone, somewhere out there wants to hear it and pay you to do it.  If you can make a living being a musician you are one of the lucky few – don’t discount that and always remember that there’s probably someone else out there that can do exactly what you’re doing just as well if not better that would kill for your opportunity.  Check your ego at the stage door and just show me what you got.