Re: WHAT COULD WE DO BETTER?

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

Matt -

I really LOVE these three points!!!   They're worth distributing to all
would-be loopers with any shipments of new EDPs, Boomerangs, etc.

:-)

David


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "matt davignon" <mattdavignon@hotmail.com>

<snip>
>
> >What are your pet peeves about looping shows?
>
> I have three, and they might get me into some hot water
>
> 1) Musicians who sound almost exactly like, imitate, or "play in the 
>style
> of" other, more famous musicians. I've had trouble selling shows as
> "looping" events in San Francisco, since many of the people who see the
word
> looping think it's going to be a show of "Frippertronics".
>
> 2) The unspoken assumption that a musician is his gear. Actually, there
are
> a few mini-issues that coalesce into this one. My favorite musicians are
the
> ones who can turn out an amazing set, even if you take away their 
>favorite
> piece of equipment. A lot of my shows play to this idea, since I find it
> exciting to see a person's sense of musical intuition presented in a
> different light. A lot of looping/electric/electronic musicians depend on
> one or more specific pieces of equipment for "their sound", which is the
> phenomenon that leads to Guitar Center selling tons upon tons of guitar
> distortion pedals and very few things that encourage people to find new
and
> unconventional ways to use them.
>
> 3) The mention of looping as a "some new thing that people need to learn
> about". Looping's been around since the 40's, has been in popular music
> since the 60's, and had its contemporary heyday in the 80's. Given, there
> are uses, possibilities and contexts now that didn't exist then, but 
>there
> are very few Americans these days who haven't heard "looped music"
already.

ALSO:

> Musicians should know when to stop! I've witnessed countless events where
> the musicians "run out of juice", but continue to play for an extra 10, 
>15
> or 30 minutes. In a recent show, audience members really liked the guy at
> the beginning of the set, but by the end decided that they'd never go to 
>a
> show by that guy again. If the guy quit when he was ahead, he'd have
gained
> about 5 or 6 new fans.

SO TRUE SO TRUE SO TRUE...