Tony: Hey, did you do "Taking You Home" ? Fabulous song - I do it as an instrumental - it's a very challenging song to sequence and really get right, especially the drums. I had a girl singer perform it with me at one point also. Wish I had a voice that fit that song... lucky you!

True story: a few years back my wife and I were cruising in Clearwater Florida, which has a strip of clubs just off the Gulf. We passed a bar with the doors open and heard a guy singing "Brown Eyed Girl". We went about four blocks and coming from another bar was another guy doing BEG. Four more block later, sure enough we heard another singer belting out BEG. Three different clubs with three different acts and the song remains the same. My wife named it "The WalMart Syndrome".

Pro ..... No, I've not yet done the song ... and I'm not sure I totally agree with the young lady .... while I'm 61 yrs of age, I been told I have a 'young' voice ... I've not been able to find the music for it, nor have I been able to find a midi ... someday..

I hear what you're saying about BEG, but in some venues, if you DON"T play it people question you ... when I play it, I will often play the 1st verse a la Van, but then "take it down to the islands" and do the rest of it in a Samba Rock rhythm using the steel drum voice instead of guitar to change it up .... my son (age 36) has that at the top of his 'don't play/listen' list ... anytime we are at a club or a party and the band or DJ ( )plays BEG, Ol Time RnR, etc we just look at each other and 'smile knowingly' ... but, as I said, if you DON'T do those tunes ??? .....

When you talk about playing 'your' music what are you talking about? .... Originals, or more standard tunes in a different style?
t.

Hi guys, I agree with Tony's approach re: BEG. The general public (clubs, public venues, weddings, parties, etc) expect to hear recognizable tunes. I frequently will begin a tune in the familiar associated (cover?) style, but then transition into a fresh new groove later on in the song. I might also do a medley of familiar tunes, but throw in a more obsure song (or even an original) in the middle of a medley or in a show set. Now my audiences are asking for MY renditions , not the so-called cover versions.

If you can satisfy the audience with what they expect FIRST, you'll then have them in the palm of your hands, and then they'll be more than receptive to hearing originals & more obsure material as well. Performance success requires BOTH musicianship AND showmanship. The problem seems to be that many so called musicians have one but not the other. Worse yet, Some have neither.

When I say "my music" I am refering to off-the-beaten-path popular songs done my way, and no vocals. I guess the best examples would be things like the Dave Brubeck standard "Take Five" but I do the modern version by Dancing Fantasy that is in 4/4. I have my own version of "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Croft that is very fast and modern. I do Bob James' "Angela", aka the theme from "Taxi". Movie themes including The Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire, David Bowie's This Is Not America, My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman, Kiss From A Rose, an upbeat jazz rendition of Pure Imagination from Willie Wonka and my own version of the Theme from Forrest Gump. I do a hip-hop dance version of Fly Like An Eagle, a rich piano version of Jimi Hendrix' Little Wing, I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys, Just The Two of Us by Grover Washington, Caught Up In The Rapture Of Love by Anita Baker, Broken Wings by Mister Mister, a funky Get Up Stand Up by Bob Marley, Rise by Herb Albert, Pick Up The Pieces by AWB, my own versions of Killing Me Softly and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, and lots of Sting. Plenty of oldies too with my own twists. I doubt I would go more than two songs without you recognizing something.

Britney sings?

btw, Terry..good story about Mark Kastabe.

Pro: Excellent song list! I definitely undertand what you are saying. All your listed tunes are indeed recognizably popular standards but thankfully not the worn out overplayed songs ones which have reached the overexposure level as BEG.

I include some of the same songs in your list in my repetoire too. The KEY is to find good quality songs which are still recognizable (but not necessarily the biggest hits) , yet interesting enough(melodically, harmonically and/or rhythmically) to give us the opportunity to present something of ourself creatively to the song.

If I do an Elvis or Sinatra tune, I avoid songs like 'Love Me Tender' and 'My Way', which have attained karaoke parody fame, but instead (like you) look for those more 'off the beaten path' songs which are still recognizable and more easily allow you to present your own rendition. In contrast, I've found that audiences expect you to do 'My Way' & 'Love Me Tender' just the way Sinatra & Elvis did it. I'll leave these songs to the Elvis impersonators.

Scott

Uncle Dave,
I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are glad you are NOT selling your body.

Tom

Pro .... that's a pretty eclectic mix ... and a good one !! .... I also do a number of them... I've recently added some Sting to the repetoire, and would like to do more... I took a look at your profile and saw that you are in Hilton Head ... that was pretty amazing because your song list reminded me of a guy I saw down there by the name of John Brackett ... I've been to HH twice, and both times I just happened to go into a club he was working ... also coincidently, both times were on Halloween night! ... he puts on a good show .... do you know him?
...next time I'm down there I'll to hook up with you ....

As for Scott's take on doing songs differently, I heard something interesting the other day ... I don't know if it was a commercial or what, but it was My Way being sung by a whole group of different people, in all different musical tempos and styles ...it was almost as if someone sequenced the song on an arranger and while it was playing just kept changing the styles ... which is just about what I do sometimes to find a new style for an oft played tune! .....
t.

I hate that MY WAY COMMERCIAL!!!!!
its so annoying to listen to... Rock to Punk to Country :>)

Big Dissrespect to the Chairman of the Board!!!

LOL....I didn't even know she had a mouth.

The Kastabe thing is pretty interesting. Point being buy the art because you like it not for the signature on it, same for music, buy because you like the artists work not for the hype.
Terry

[This message has been edited by trtjazz (edited 11-05-2002).]