chuckv97 - Posted - 11/17/2024:  17:27:45

I was just thinking ,, lots of pop and rock bands have had movement on stage while performing for years,, bluegrass not much at all until recently. Was Nick Forster with Hot Rize the first to do that , or can any of you think of others? I don’t mean crowding up to the mic for harmony singing, but moving/walking back and forth in general for visual effect. Seems it’s the thing for all performing bands these days in other genres. With new audio/amplification technology players aren’t bound to the mic anymore.

Doug Knecht - Posted - 11/17/2024:  17:49:11

I like seeing the dynamics of the band walking around, but if I had to do it I'd trip and fall.

Owen - Posted - 11/17/2024:  19:46:12

10ish years back we test-drove the snowbird lifestyle in central (?) FL. .  A guy from a neighboring MHP assembled a blues band with some guys he regularly played with, primarily from Tampa, and they put on a v-e-r-y good performance/show. Besides that, it provided me with what became my standard for comparison when it comes to extra (?)  "visual effects."   A youngish looking guitar player frequently was kinda writhing on his tippi-toes with a pained facial expression that had me thinking he surely had a broomstick stuck where his granny couldn't see it.  I didn't know it was "dynamics."   

But don't get me wrong, he/they were good!

Edited by - Owen on 11/17/2024 19:47:13

HarleyQ - Posted - 11/17/2024:  20:35:23

quote:

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Originally posted by chuckv97

I was just thinking ,, lots of pop and rock bands have had movement on stage while performing for years,, bluegrass not much at all until recently. Was Nick Forster with Hot Rize the first to do that , or can any of you think of others? I don’t mean crowding up to the mic for harmony singing, but moving/walking back and forth in general for visual effect. Seems it’s the thing for all performing bands these days in other genres. With new audio/amplification technology players aren’t bound to the mic anymore.

---

youtube.com/watch?v=jAd0BNJ-paYyoutube.com/watch?v=jAd0BNJ-paY

Carolina Blue does a little. I like it!!

jdeluke137 - Posted - 11/17/2024:  20:36:51

We had a band with an electric bass player. He was all over the stage dancing around. But because of that he couldn’t keep time to save his life. Drove me crazy. Covid killed that band, but it was probably a good thing. The banjo teacher I had at the time wanted us to change the band name to Electrolux.

Paul R - Posted - 11/17/2024:  21:17:41

Bands been doin' that for decades - just had long enough cords. Bluesman Buddy Guy had an extra long cord and would walk off the club stage and out onto the street. Actually, guitarists been doing more than walking - like Hendrix and the Who (the Beatles were staid by comparison). Hmmm - burn your banjo, anyone?

chuckv97 - Posted - 11/17/2024:  21:22:46

quote:

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Originally posted by HarleyQ

quote:

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Originally posted by chuckv97

I was just thinking ,, lots of pop and rock bands have had movement on stage while performing for years,, bluegrass not much at all until recently. Was Nick Forster with Hot Rize the first to do that , or can any of you think of others? I don’t mean crowding up to the mic for harmony singing, but moving/walking back and forth in general for visual effect. Seems it’s the thing for all performing bands these days in other genres. With new audio/amplification technology players aren’t bound to the mic anymore.

---

youtube.com/watch?v=jAd0BNJ-paYyoutube.com/watch?v=jAd0BNJ-paY

Carolina Blue does a little. I like it!!

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They do, Hoyt,, but it's because they work with one mic

Bill Rogers - Posted - 11/17/2024:  21:30:19

quote:

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Originally posted by jdeluke137

We had a band with an electric bass player. He was all over the stage dancing around. But because of that he couldn’t keep time to save his life. Drove me crazy. Covid killed that band, but it was probably a good thing. The banjo teacher I had at the time wanted us to change the band name to Electrolux.

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Was that because he thought they sucked? 

Edited by - Bill Rogers on 11/17/2024 21:32:29

chuckv97 - Posted - 11/17/2024:  21:31:17

Well, and then there’s this…..

youtu.be/LeHlvXvG6vA?si=vWMrNNY7oB_GUCiR

Edited by - chuckv97 on 11/17/2024 21:32:11

jwold - Posted - 11/17/2024:  21:39:51

Newgrass revival plugged in and moved around the stage.

mikejboulder - Posted - 11/17/2024:  23:19:43

Sammy Shelor for sure is always creepin around on stage, getting in behind others taking solos.

jdeluke137 - Posted - 11/18/2024:  05:01:07

quote:

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Originally posted by Bill Rogers

quote:

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Originally posted by jdeluke137

We had a band with an electric bass player. He was all over the stage dancing around. But because of that he couldn’t keep time to save his life. Drove me crazy. Covid killed that band, but it was probably a good thing. The banjo teacher I had at the time wanted us to change the band name to Electrolux.

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Was that because he thought they sucked? 

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EXACTLY!!! 

banjered - Posted - 11/18/2024:  06:29:18

Heard one guy say his band was so bad no one would ask them back again. Solution: They changed their name after each gig and their one time gig cycle started all over again. Masks, costumes, and antics are there to replace musicianship, don't you know? banjered

KCJones - Posted - 11/18/2024:  08:04:56

Hartford was moving around on stage from the start.

Eulalie - Posted - 11/18/2024:  08:10:01

quote:

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Originally posted by jwold

Newgrass revival plugged in and moved around the stage.

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I seem to recall a strolling bass player in your family...

The Old Timer - Posted - 11/18/2024:  09:05:54

Well, he didn't precede Hot Rize by much, but Joe Val's upright bass player Eric Levenson used to move around behind the 3 "front" men especially during their breaks and solos to point out to the audience where their attention should be directed for the moment.

It doesn't take many viewings of the Flatt & Scruggs Martha White tv programs/DVDs to appreciate just how mobile bluegrass band members "used to be". Single mic or two mics required movement by band members, while yet staying close enough to the mics to be heard at some level.

Personally I am TURNED OFF by bluegrassers with pick ups or portable mics on their instruments, who swan around on the stage like rock and rollers, picking head to head or back to back, or looking for the literal spotlight. BAHHH!!! Get off my lawn!!!!

Culloden - Posted - 11/18/2024:  13:13:58

quote:

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Originally posted by Bill Rogers

quote:

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Originally posted by jdeluke137

We had a band with an electric bass player. He was all over the stage dancing around. But because of that he couldn’t keep time to save his life. Drove me crazy. Covid killed that band, but it was probably a good thing. The banjo teacher I had at the time wanted us to change the band name to Electrolux.

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Was that because he thought they sucked? 

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Like the old slogan goes, "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux."

Bridgebuster - Posted - 11/18/2024:  14:15:43

Remember The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s epic album “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”? On their recording of Soldiers’ Joy they start off with Earl saying that Uncle Dave Macon had to be followed around by someone carrying the mic as Uncle Dave danced all around when playing.

NotABanjoYoda - Posted - 11/18/2024:  14:16:05

As a rock musician I move less with my banjo but still move. Keeps the wood dry.

Edited by - NotABanjoYoda on 11/18/2024 14:16:26

mike gregory - Posted - 11/18/2024:  14:37:36

As long as the audience isn't moving toward the exits, I'm fine with standing still.

chuckv97 - Posted - 11/18/2024:  15:35:40

I busk with a clip-on mic at an indoor farmers market ,,, but for the life of me I can’t see me strutting around like Mick Jagger……

Owen - Posted - 11/18/2024:  16:55:01

And just like magic (?), this appeared on my Facebook page .... the legendary Bluegrasser Janis Joplin talking about her early career and Chet Helms:



Chet Helms, who passed away in 2005, holds the honorable legacy of launching Janis Joplin’s singing career. As the first manager of Big Brother & the Holding Company, Helms not only suggested that Joplin join the band but also personally drove to Texas to bring her to California.



Janis Joplin, in 1968: “Chet Helms told me Big Brother was looking for a chick singer, so I thought I’d give it a try. I don’t know what happened. I just exploded. I’d never sung like that before. I stood still, and I sang simple. But you can’t sing like that in front of a rock band, all that rhythm and volume going. [my bold]



You have to sing loud and move wild with all that in back of you. It happened the first time, but then I got turned on to Otis Redding, and I just got into it more than ever. Now, I don’t know how to perform any other way. I’ve tried cooling myself and not screaming, and I’ve walked off feeling like nothing.”









 

Edited by - Owen on 11/18/2024 16:55:51

RB3 - Posted - 11/19/2024:  08:25:44

If you're playing Bluegrass, you need to wipe the smile off your face, stand still, and play your instrument in the stoic manner that God and Bill Monroe intended.

mike gregory - Posted - 11/19/2024:  17:16:15

^^^
Name dropper!

Bluegrass Gospel session #1

 

trackers - Posted - 11/20/2024:  08:32:26

Since you brought up moving around while playing , what about the the pickers at open jam sessions waltzing around the jam circle wanting to get closer to the person picking their break ? I have seen this several times at different bluegrass jams. Some people just can't sit or stand in one spot and pick. They just wander around from place to place. The only reason I can think of as to why they do this is, they think a better picker will make them sound good. LOL

Strumbody - Posted - 11/22/2024:  05:10:11

This may seem out of place, but if you're doing concert sets, where you plan things out ahead, you might consider deliberately planning things like changing your stage positions for different songs. Most headliners do it. In fact, a fellow named Tom Jackson has made a living out of coaching working bands in such things. (onstagesuccess.com/).

Wandering aimlessly around the stage is always perceived as such by audiences, so if you're going to do it, be purposeful. :-)

Ybanjo - Posted - 11/22/2024:  07:18:39

I have back troubles and if I stay in one place too long, it really starts to hurt! So, I tend to move around a little while playing, but not enough to trip over the wires! Plus, playing with a mic limits the distance. When I wasn't the lead I could back away or turn somewhat, and when I had a break I could move right up to the mic. It really helped my back.

gcpicken - Posted - 11/22/2024:  15:59:06

quote:

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Originally posted by mikejboulder

Sammy Shelor for sure is always creepin around on stage, getting in behind others taking solos.

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Yes, he does, and other band members join him in spurring on the soloist. I also enjoy the way the Po' Ramblin' Boys do the same, and even their bass player carries that thing around! 

TimFoster - Posted - 11/22/2024:  20:09:47

Coming from a rock ‘n’ roll background, I’m prone to moving around — mostly unimpeded via a clip-on DPA 4099 mic and long cord. This is however mitigated by the tiny stage-less spots we wind up playing in more times than than not.

But I guess I never really thought about how that might be perceived in the more traditional sense… dagnabbit, another thing to be self conscious of!

lightgauge - Posted - 11/23/2024:  04:02:56

I am not a big fan of wanderers. I have watched bands that all play wide open and come to the front one at a time, so we will know who is taking the break.
I like seeing people enjoy the music and not be stoic, but wandering can be distracting to watch. I very much dislike wanderers in a jam who try to get in front of you everytime you take a break.

JamesStiltner - Posted - 11/23/2024:  06:55:15

I have a habit of that…..Some bandleaders don’t mind, others don’t like it.

Dale Diehl - Posted - 11/23/2024:  13:18:00

I took my wife to see Hot Rize at the Boulder Theater. She is not a Bluegrass fan, but loved Red Knuckles. She laughed herself silly as Slade AKA, Charles Sawtell, wandered around the stage until he was reeled in by the chord attached to his bass. It was part of the act.

phb - Posted - 11/25/2024:  07:49:14

I think a single-mic setup can provide for enough movement on stage if done well. And it looks pretty cool and choreagraphed, too.

DocBanjeaux - Posted - 11/27/2024:  09:36:03

Nope. I had a guitar player in my Bluegrass band who stated that he liked to move around rather than stay in one place. It was just a “look at me” situation. Consequently he was NEVER ready to be at the mic for harmony etc when needed.
He constantly daydreamed, I guess, that he was on the BIG stage and made mistakes constantly.

BTW. He was a short lived band member.

Not a good look for Trad Bluegrass.
IMHO

wrench13 - Posted - 11/27/2024:  10:17:46

When wireless mics and guitar rigs first became affordable, the lead singer/rhythm player in my country band started to go into the audience (attention hog that he was). And then started to miss all his ques for singing. And started to play out of sync with the rest of the band. Running around stage is a gimmick. Heck, Bruce used to dive off the speaker towers at one point. And I used to play in a BG band with this mando player who was a coach for the womens US Olympic gymnastics team. The guy would do back flips off winger wagon stages. All gimmicks. Just play the damn music. IF you're good, we'll listen!