Re: WHAT COULD WE DO BETTER?...and why should we do it?

["David" <vze2ncsr@verizon.net>]

<<warning - this post will piss-off a bunch of people>>

I personally believe performances are best when they are about 2 "songs" 
too
short --  better to leave an audience wanting more than the audience 
wanting
to leave...   If it takes you 20 minutes to "get it going," find a way to
play 20 minutes before you hit the stage. :-)


Between 1998 and 2001 I helped organize about 10 looping shows in Boston 
and
Providence.  Most of these involved solo players.  I found most of the time
after 10-15 minutes a person seems to run out of gas, repeats him/herself,
or in some way seems less compelling.

OK.  Here are a few ideas I would suggest might be helpful to organizing
good looping events;

1) Communicate clearly and repeatedly what the load-in, on stage logistics
and set-times are going to be.
If you're signing up to organize an event, then feel free to organize!
Also, learn before-hand what set-up people will be bringing.  Spend time
with the soundperson communicating the evenings "agenda/sequence."

2) Require that all the musicians get their act together technically and
musically.
I had a simple rule during "The Looper Collective" shows: expect the club 
to
provide the PA and the house/stage monitors and a sound-person, otherwise 
if
you need to use it, bring it yourself.  I would mention this many times.  
As
many loopers don't perform a lot, they tend to forget things.
            - extension cords
            - guitar cables
            - d.i. boxes
            - amps (!)

2b) If possible, have everyone set-up BEFORE the show.
If you have a large stage, it's a good idea to get everyone set-up
before-hand.  Everyone gets to have a sound-check and leave the stage.
Set-up and tear-down for a looper can be lengthy -- better to avoid it 
while
an audience is in the room.

3) Get each person to submit a 50-word artist statement / description that
can appear in a playbill of flyer (not a resume!!!).
This helps everyone understand what the musician is aiming to achieve.  And
gives us something to read when the performance lags...

4) Curate the event.
That does not mean being everyone's friend.  It means contextualizing 
things
to have a "point" or "purpose" to the flow of things so the AUDIENCE gets
the core thrust or message.  If you have no core message to the event, that
rocks too.  But then don't pretend that you do!  :-)

5) Structure the event to be AUDIENCE-oriented, AUDIENCE-focused.
It seems most loopers are instrumental soloists and after 10-15 minutes
frankly they can become repetitive, so keep individual set-lengths SHORT.
Some artists ARE interesting for 45-60 minutes, but in my experience they
are a very rare exception.  If you have one of them on your event, others 
do
not automatically deserve equal time.

This structure is now probably done to death, but here's the flow I settled
on for The Looper Collective shows at the time.  The goal was to make 
things
interesting for the audience and to get players to perform spontaneously
too.  This sequence presumes all equipment is on-stage and checked before
the doors open.

    Segment I: ~1hr
        4-6 musicians each with a 10-15 minutes solo-segment.

    Intermission ~ 15 minute

    Segment II: ~ 40 minutes
        2-3 duets - where the previous solo artists spontaneously form
pairs, sometimes trios.

    Segment III: ~ 15 minutes
        All-in scrum looping miasma orgyathon.

    Adding each "segment" together, each musician had about 45 minutes on
stage.

Not every TLC show followed this format.  For example, David Barnes' Echo
Chamber Ensemble (a 10-piece mini-orchestra that loops as it performs)
became the center-piece for an evening, and everything revolved around it.

Over three years of activity TLC featured looped didgeridoo, electric 
drums,
marimba, chain-saws, tig-welding torch, upright-bass, keyboards, voice,
flute, zither, turntables, piano, "super-mario brothers" game sounds,
guitar/guitar-synthesizer, a mini-orchestra, thermin, violin and trumpet.
The one time I succumbed to a night of "looping guitarists" there was a
black leather pants and white frilly shirts dress code.  They looked like
gods. :-)

David



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Nemoguitt@aol.com>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 12:39 PM
Subject: Re: WHAT COULD WE DO BETTER?...and why should we do it?


> the only thing i could add to rick's, andre's and max's thoughts is the
idea
> of longer set times.....rather than 30 mins. one would have the option to
play
> 40-45 mins.....at y2k3 lots of sets were just takin off and they were
> over.....perhaps it should be up to the individual, the upper limit might
be 40 mins.
> but if they want to play less so be it.....this might require a reduction
in
> artists but i feel that it removes the pressure of setting up, wipeing 
>the
> sweat off, hoping your sound is right, performing and then getting the
heck off
> stage.....3 days, some 30 players is a lot to digest.....also some time
might
> be set aside for an open jam, this would allow these mostly solo players 
>a
> chance to see what it is like to interact musically with other folk in a
looping
> context.....good thread rick!.....michael
>