How does the audience perceive a digital performance in comparison to a general artist/band performance?
Name: Andrew Garlock
Age: 21
What kind of music do you prefer to listen to? : Rock, indie, metal, electronic
Do you play a musical instrument? : several
Have you ever performed live?
(If yes, explain what techniques you used and how you performed e.g. a guitarist in a band etc)
I've played live in about 4 different bands singing and playing guitar and bass.
I've played shows with loop pedals for my guitar, and then singing and adding synths over top.
I also DJ for money on the side, but where I live it's not so much of a performance.
Do you attend live music performances? :
(If yes, state what past couple of artists you have seen, what genre they were and what technology they used)
Shout Out Out Out Out Out and You Say Party, We Say Die are the last two that weren't completely unknown, Oh yeah and I did live sound for Dr. Hook, Swollen Members, Buck Cherry and some other bands in the last year. I wasn't really up close in the audience though.
(In your opinion) what makes a performance a great performance? : Banter, not doing anything forcefully. YSP,WSD accidentally knocked a disco ball off of the roof with the bass guitar. The singer proceeded to stand on the drum kit and drop kick it into the audience. They also asked the audience to make a human pyramid. They didn't force anything. Another screamo act i saw had the keys player doing flips off of the drum kit, and the guitar player was throwing the guitar up in the air. The best "stage move" that band did was when the keys player fell off of the drum kit since all the other BS was forced.
How do you feel after watching (in your opinion) a great performance? : excited, sweaty, wanting to buy stuff. If it's a mellow show (which can still be good), I usually feel like talking to other people about the music. I think the difference is if the show isn't wild, the music needs to be memorable so you can discuss specific aspects.
What does a performance need to catch your attention? I have seen excited people who jump around on stage that are boring because they looked fake. I think regardless of the vibe that you're putting out there, you need to convey a sense of being really grateful to be there. This is true from concert opera singers to metal bands.
What constitutes to you, a “live” performance? Something needs to be created on stage with emotion. For singers and instrumentalists, there is expression that you can put into the sound. However, digital musicians sometimes need to rely on musicality (crescendos, articulation) to get the same effect across. The difference is digital music is often produced in a studio before hand. Therefore, the emotion must be in the recording. The sound must be there before you can show the emotion with your face. If the sound has no soul, you'll look like a fool dancing or wincing along to it up on stage.
If you see a one man project (e.g. laptop performer) playing either electronic pop/rock music or drum & bass/dance music, what do you expect from the performer to keep you/the audience entertained? The music is first and foremost. Dancing along can help.
If you see a band (3 members +) perform, what do you expect from the performers to keep you/the audience entertained? emotion. Playing sounds that can be manipulated individually to make a whole. Each person should have emotional input into each song. If the guitar player is standing bored, looking like he's along for the ride, the rest of the group appears fake.
Do you think that using a laptop live can be a way of “cheating” the audience out of a live performance? (Explain why)
No, but I know what goes into it. For the general public, I think you need to show them that it takes a musician to produce things like that. I think a drum pad is the easiest way for a musician to show that as a musician he thought up a unique rhythm that can be reproduced on stage.
What is your opinion on laptops in performance (band or DJ)? Is it a good or bad thing? (Explain your decision) I've been making music for a laptop band and I hope to debut it on the next month or so. Laptops add a new dimension to the music, effecting pre-recorded stuff along with live guitars is a juxtaposition that fascinates me. I'm sure others agree. As far as DJing goes, I see it more as a skill, such as sight reading on a Piano. it can be emotional, but it's really not a composition. Therefore, I kind of write them off as pure entertainment, not really taking anything intellectual away from it. I would say it's akin to watching a sports team. Takes skill, not so much brain power.
Hey, my email is
andrew.garlock7@gmail.com. Send me a copy of your work when it's done. I'd love to read it.
