Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse.......it does! The usual garbage I see at the summer festivals disguised as entertainment. The nursing home acts were bad enough....now it's spread.

I've been adapting to it up to now, but this one is hard to get over.

They were advertised with an impressive name that gave me the idea that they were a large class one act. Turns out to be 4 old guys that were probably good in their day, but now would have difficulty getting into the local barbershop quartet and are just picking up an extra paycheck of whatever they could get. Couldn't sing in unison......but here's what got me. The 5th guy was sitting in front of a Yamaha Motif looking (and sounding) like he wasn't even playing. And what do they have for the drummer? A rhythm machine about the size of an ash tray. They were carrying more clothing than equipment.

So, I turned around and said to the two ladies behind me: "What do you think of the music?" Answer: "Great......wonderful." And these ladies grew up in the 50's!

The bar has been lowered so much, at this point I don't think anyone is going to remember actual music and actual bands that PLAYED music. And I don't think we've even reached the bottom of the barrel yet! It seems to be all about who works the cheapest now.

So.....how would some of you view it? Throw in the towel and dumb yourself down musically and join the crowd? Live and let live? Turn the other cheek (or ear)? Quit playing?

I'm inclined to take my TOTL synthesizer and work on it until the cows come home, and.......make good music and see if the audience will still buy into it.

On the other hand, I'm seriously thinking, for the first time in my life, of giving up music completely...use the energy for another line of work. It's all gone now....the respect you got as a professional musician, the enjoyment of playing great songs and working your emotions out in the music, that wonderful feeling of affecting others with your music, dressing up to the nines, the big pay check, the endless supply and variety of corporate jobs, etc.

Or..........are my over-reacting? .......seeing the wrong acts? ...wrong demographic area?

Mark

Here's my take:
Art must be created for art's sake, or it will never be any good to anyone. When creative juices are used solely for monetary gain, the very soul of the creation gets sucked out of it. I have always had a good business sense about my career, but it started as a passion, and continues to be one today. Gear, gigs(ok, ok) and glamor my be PART of the entertainment package, but if the music doesn't come from the heart ... it will show. Look at the careers of some of the aging or passed greats .... toward the end, Sinatra wasn't at his best, Ali can hardly talk, and I honestly don't know what's holding Keith Richards up at his shows. Wait - of course I do ... it's the passion for creation! The Stones don't need any more money, Sinatra could have retired in his 70s at a high point, and Ali didn't have to continue to beat his pretty face all those years. The heart is a lonely hunter, and it simply wants what it wants. Passion rules my world and on or off stage is no different. If your critique of the "old guys" was a bit stern, don't be so fast to knock them - maybe they were a great band in their youth, and the ladies who still loved them are reliving their paradise lost.

There is a huge difference between great music and great entertainment, but the two OFTEN meet and combine. It's a thing of beauty when that happens. So, play your music, be kind to the elderly and learn from everyone who came before you. It can only get better that way! Those ladies were entertained, right? Some of the stuff my kids listen to makes me raise my eyebrows, but they connect with it ... different strokes I guess. I'll never be that guy who says "That's not music! ... in MY day yada, yada, yada ..." I give all art a fair chance, and the areas that leave me wondering hmmmmm? ... I just pass by. I wouldn't pay $5 for a genuine Picaso, but some of the art that my kids at school have produced are hanging on my walls at home. It's all how it touches the individual. My summary is that all music is good. Maybe not appreciated by everyone, but seldom things are. Lincoln said something to that effect about pleasing people, didn't he?


I'm getting dressed to say my last good by to my old scoutmaster, who passed at 85. He loved life, loved his family and will be remembered fondly forever. I got my first music merit badge with him at summer camp in the late sixties. I think I played "Help" and "One" on the guitar. Music brought me closer to him, and that's what counts. Touching people with your art.

Stay comfortable, good people - it's been beastly hot in Philly this last week ... do what you can to keep "cool" in body and attitude!

Mark:

Don't give up. There are those who still can discriminate although they are fewer. The music world is significantly segmented more than it has ever been but good music transcends. If you and others give up then all is lost. With most listening to crappy MP3 files and with a lot of "pop,rock,whatever" music devoid of melody with Philip Glass repetition it is mostly forgettable. However there are some really good young artists writing and recording new music. So I have hope for pop music. As to live music concerts that's another issue. Too loud!. Some groups can't sing and depend upon the beat and sound volume.

I think the audience today has not been exposed to quality so they can't identify bad music and performances. Just my view. So keep exposing them to something better.

Joe

Hi Mark,

I feel you. I think about this kind of stuff all the time too. I often analyze what I'm doing, what's working, what's not working, how people respond, and then I try to make myself better. Perhaps record yourself and ask some people you trust to give their opinions. I posted my music here on SZ and I got some good constructive criticism that I do reflect on. When I see others performing perhaps in venues or events that I would also like to do, I try to figure why they have gig and I don't. It can be a lot of things... Political, maybe they have better a hustle, or know the right people. Maybe they are better entertains, play a more popular style of music or are better musicians. I just try to consider this stuff and then keep working at it and try to make any changes.

As for the old act that you saw that wasn't too hot but the crowd seemed to love, I would have to assume that the have been doing this act forever and they have some loyal fans. If the Stones or Sinatra have (had) a bad night, or even consistently perform a very low standard, people or still going fill venues to see them.

Hang in their Mark, it's hard out there. I know I'd probably make more money if I dedicated all the time that I put into music into some sort of more lucrative field, but I can't. Music has chosen me. I'll keep cracking away at it until I can't any more. It doesn't matter if I'm gigging daily or not at all. You got to love it.

I'm an artist, somewhat. I mold a song into something the listener can appreciate. I know there are other musicians out there doing pretty much the same thing, some better some worse. I have no real control over what the audience likes and doesn't like. I can only hope that my interpretation is good enough to be recognized as better than most.

I thought this story would fit in nicely here. Most of our audiences don't seem to understand how our Arranger Keyboards work and many believe we are not playing anything at all. Yesterday I was playing a song I have played for decades and was thinking about the next song to play and suddenly got really lost in the song and nearly had to stop and start over. A man in the front row leaned over and told his wife "see, I told you he was doing the playing".. I nearly lost it.

Deane

Mark

I hear ya loud and clear. The level of music here at the Jersey Shore is getting worse all the time. One Kareoke act after another, doing the same songs. Its gotten so that when we go out for dinner I've always looked for a place with music, now I really don't care. I've been tempted to jump onboard and I may to a certain extent but I just can't go full tilt that way. I just picked up what could be a very lucrative private club job here. One of the members I know said, "don't bother dragging your keyboard, just spin records like the past guys did. "(Thats a hint as to how old he is LOL !! ) I said "no way, I believe your group will respond better to something live" I will DJ some if the party feels its going that way but I've worked too long and hard to give up playing entirely.
As to you, don't give up, make it known that your playing live and use the backup stuff sparingly. Otherwise, like me, you just won't be happy.

Mark, don't knock the "old guys" - I resemble that remark! Keep in mind there's a reason they were booked, and there's also a reason someone else was not. It could have been financial, but I doubt it. I'm confident these individuals have been around for quite a few years, have a good following, and at one point they were probably one of the top, local, entertainment groups in the immediate area. Those groups tend to fall apart, eventually, and they tend to repeat acts that were successful in the past. Also, because music represents just a small portion of their overall income, those groups rarely practice, and even more rarely put fresh, new material into their performances. They still got the job, though, probably because the alternative was even less appealing.

Most of the summer festivals, at least in my area, are not worth going attending. They usually feature some relatively young bands that only play one kind of music. The singers are essentially screamers that couldn't carry a note in a 5-gallon bucket, and the musicians tend to play at ear-bleed volumes through a sound system that is ancient and overloaded to the point where every instrument is distorted. For the life of me, I don't know why people bother to attend, let alone shell out some hard-earned dollars to listen to them.

In contrast, I frequently attend performances by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Dorsey Brothers Band, and other big band concerts that take place at Harford Community College each year. They're usually sold out several months in advance. The younger players range in age from late 50s to early 70s, while the senior players are in their early 80s. They all play strictly from sheets, the music is absolutely incredible, and after a two-hour performance, no one wants them to stop. They have a lead vocalist, a relatively young lady, probably in her mid-50s, who has the voice of an angel. Their male vocalist is in his mid 40s, and his vocal quality is second to none, better, IMO, than Sinatra by a long shot.

Now, none of the musicians is being artistic during a performance, but you can bet your bottom dollar they would love to be at times. They play every song by the book, exactly as that song was written by the composer, note for note. The vocals are performed identically to those performed by others more than 70 years ago. I can attest first hand that when you're sitting in that audience and the band fires up with Moonlight Serenade, In The Mood, etc..., you feel it all the way to your soul.

From my point of view, this is an example of when great music and great entertainment comes together, which is something that rarely seems to take place anymore. As you and others well know, I pretty much have switched to strictly playing the NH circuit, but I still perform occasionally at restaurants, and Tiki Bars while vacationing in the Florida Keys. I work very hard at being the best musician/entertainer I can possibly be, and I guess that's why I'm turning down jobs while others are struggling to get one or two jobs a week.

Am I in the musical entertainment business for the money? To some extent, yes. Over the years I've managed to make a fairly decent living, raise a couple children, buy a nice house, buy several nice boats, and pretty much do all things I and my wife have wanted to do. I love my job, and while I've been in other professions, musical entertainment is the best and most rewarding occupation of my life. So, if you are even remotely thinking of getting out of music altogether, it's probably time to do so - but I also think you will probably regret making the move.

Good luck on whatever road you decide to take,

Gary

"So, I turned around and said to the two ladies behind me: "What do you think of the music?" Answer: "Great......wonderful." And these ladies grew up in the 50's!"


I think that what often happens when people are listening to artists of 'their era' sing their songs, the audience is still hearing the ORIGINAL recording in their mind ... what is actually happening on stage doesn't matter ...

Not too long ago I saw a you-tube clip of a group that had a BIG hit in the late 50's ... they were appearing at one of the 'oldies' shows ... I knew something didn't sound right and then I realized that the lead singer (who I think was the only remaining member of the original group still performing) was singing the song an octave lower than the original ... I doubt very much if anyone in the audience realized it ...

Frankly speaking, all of today's singers(bad term) are just shouting and screaming and most likely that is because they are trying to be heard over those screaming guitars and hammering drums.

Gary - I remember Glenn, Harry, Dorsey brothers when they were still together, Less Brown, Stan K and on and on from that era - I can remember two singers who demonstrated they could have sung with that group because they have recorded singing in that genre - Linda Ronstadt and Christina Aguilera - Yeah I couldn't believe it either. ;-)

Bill G